Question Re: AMS
 

My girlfriend and I will be in Amsterdam June 30th. Our flight is scheduled to get in at 1:05PM. We are trying to find flights to London later that evening, I have found some cheap flights on EasyJet that leave at 9:20PM. How much time would that actually leave us to explore Amsterdam a little bit? Once we get off at 1:05 we will have to get our luggage (flying KLM into AMS) (do we have to go through customs? how long?) and then check in for our evening flight on easyjet. If we can't check in that early can we store our luggage somewhere? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

>>>>My girlfriend and I will be in Amsterdam June 30th. Our flight is scheduled to get in at 1:05PM. We are trying to find flights to London later that evening, I have found some cheap flights on EasyJet that leave at 9:20PM. How much time would that actually leave us to explore Amsterdam a little bit?

I'll bet you are downtown by 230pm, at the latest. Customs is a breeze. There is a large locker complex just outside customs where you can store your bags. The Easyjet counter will open two hours prior to flight time, and will close half an hour prior to flight time. If you leave Amsterdam at 630pm you should have loads of time to pick up the luggage and be in the front of the line for Easyjet seats.

Perfect, thanks for the response! I'm still trying to convince her that we should spend the night in Amsterdam and leave for London in the morning but not sure she'll go for that.

If booking on Easyjet, beware of intraeuropean baggage limits. Most intraeuropean carriers, including Easyjet and KLM (when not flying to North America) limit checked luggage to 20kg (44lbs) TOTAL (not per bag) per person. And they're very strict about it.

That's less than half of NW's North American allowance.

Do you know what the charge is per KG beyond the limit?

And speaking of baggage, beware of pickpockets and baggage thieves at the airport, and if you're taking the train (highly recommended) to downtown, also at the stations and onboard, and in the city.
Not to spoil your fun, but staying alert especially goes for AMS, the city and points in between. Have a great time in Amsterdam!

If over-limit baggage is a problem, and London is a side-trip, you can rent a big luggage locker at AMS and leave stuff there while you jet off to London.

I would say that this advice is valid for most tourist destinations in Europe, not unique to Amsterdam. Great city to visit, even for a few hours.

According to this LATimes piece it's probably somewhere in the range of 5 Euros per kg on EasyJet.

overweight baggage isn't cheap. EasyJet also has size limits for carryone 55x40x20 cm or something like that.
tom

Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveling Man
And speaking of baggage, beware of pickpockets and baggage thieves at the airport, and if you're taking the train (highly recommended) to downtown, also at the stations and onboard, and in the city.
Not to spoil your fun, but staying alert especially goes for AMS, the city and points in between. Have a great time in Amsterdam!


Over the years travelers, especially (foreign) tourists, traveling from the airport to the city and back have been targeted by several small groups. AMS can feel overwhelming and chaotic as it has developed in a mini-city, while it's easy for criminals to hop on and off the train as it makes several stops within the 20-minute or so ride to the city, making off with other people's belongings. This notorious and in the Netherlands well-known fact has resulted in warnings issued by the Australian government among others.
I too get warned by train attendants from time to time to take care of my baggage.

I know you have to be aware in tourist destinations, but like I said earlier on, it goes especially for Amsterdam. Though I love to promote "my" city and not want anybody to be paranoid, and as mentioned in my previous post hope the OP will enjoy his stay, I feel it's important to point this out to a novice visitor.

I've never had any kind of problem going to or being in Amsterdam (though I do have all valuables in a moneybelt), but if you want a more traditional Dutch experience you could take the #300 Zuidtangent bus from the airport to Haarlem. The bus takes about half an hour and goes through a mixture of pretty countryside and interesting modern developments, till it gets to the cozy, atmospheric center of Haarlem, with charming architecture, and close to the same range of shops you'll find in Amsterdam, but without the bustle and sometimes grunge. You can get a really good feel for it in three or four hours too.

I just did a 5 hour and 8 hr layover in AMS, getting from the plane to the train takes about 15 minutes and then 15 mintues to the city.

You'll just have to wait for your bags. On the 8 hour we went to the Van Gogh Museam, walked around the shops and had lunch with plenty of time.

The 5 hours we shopped and had some coffee.

The ticket vending machines only take mastercard and you need to konw your PIN to use it. Otherwise you have to buy the tickets from the line. 6.2 euros plus the 50 cent charge for using the person to buy tickets for a same day return ticket per person.

I think all trains stop at centraal station that are heading towards amsterdam.

At Centraal station, there is a separate monitor that tells you each train that goes to the airport and run about every 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

PS I vote to stay there overnight

If you can get the same EasyJet fare the next day and you have no pressing need to get to LON ASAP, I'd recommend staying the night in AMS.

There is much more to AMS than the coffee houses and RLD, if that is her concern, and the charm of the city is different during the evening that during the day. In June, the sun will set very late, so too will the evening fun ...

Oh, BTW, has anyone warned you about pickpockets and sneak thieves? ;) I've worked for two large international publishers based in AMS during my life and I am amazed by the number of stories I have heard concerning lost cases, wallets, purses and the like.

I will have a 20hr layover in AMS next month.
Booked HILTON AMSTERDAM for USD150. So, I vote that you stay there overnight. :)