Hi All !! First time poster here and i must say great site !!!

im 21m here from Dublin Ireland and on october 5th i will be making my way to the Dam for the very 1st time !! I've just booked my room in the Swissotel and am now eagerly counting down the weeks till i depart !

Just one question, is the Airport (Schipol) far away from where i stay ? Will a Taxi cost much to get to the Swissotel or is there a better form of public transport i shoulkd take?

Much obliged to anyone that replies !! Thanks again in advance !

Catch the train at Schipol to Amsterdam Central.trains run about every 10-15 minutes.Be sure to buy a ticket (4 Euro?) cause the fine for riding without one is 35 Euro.

Gotta agree with block.
Best way to the dam is by train as is so easy and cheap.

As recommended it is wise to get the train from the Airport to Centraal Station. An open return ticket is dirt cheap so you can return to the Airport from the Station.

If you intend to get a taxi from the Central Station to the hotel it is a good idea to try and avoid taxis that are kitted out with plasma screens and the like because in my experience they're likely to charge twice as much and I recall reading in a travel guide that many of them are unlicensed.

TAKE THE TRAIN to Amsterdam central station, walk out of the station straight ahead, past the boats onto Damrak. The SwissHotel is on the right side of Damrak about 5 to 10 min. walk. I have stayed at this hotel several times, it's verry good and 5 min walk to RLD>

I agree that the best way to the city is by train. Easy and Cheap.
But don't completely agree with Nitrostar. As far as i know there is no such thing as an open return ticket. There is the option to buy a ticket (return or just one way) without a date that you have to validate on the day of travel but it is only valid on the date that is stamped. So you have to use both ways on the same day if you buy a returnticket.
So if you want to have yr ticket back to the airport already just buy two or more oneway tickets without a date. Saves you standing in line one more time.

Yeah, sorry, "open" was the wrong word (I've been on trains all day and have terminology stuck in my head). What I meant was that you could buy both your outgoing and incoming tickets at the same time for very little. But to be fair to what I said, buying a ticket without a date that you can then use on the date it is validated to return to the Airport is very similar to an open return ticket anyway but yeah, asking for an open return itself probably won't get you anywhere. ;o)

Since your hotel is close to central station the train is probably your best option.

In the spirit of providing another option the Connexxion Shuttle Service takes you directly to your hotel. They have a counter at the airport. Last year they cost 11 euro one way 17 euro round trip.

They are probably a better choice for people with alot of luggage whose hotel room is not particularly close to central station.

Thier contact information is:

http://www.airporthotelshuttle.nl/site/home.asp

0031(0)38 3394741

Thanks alot for the replies guys, looks like ill be taking the train ! Do they run regularly ?

10/15 mins, platform 2 at schipol.

make sure the train is going to amsterdam cs [central station]

there is also amsterdam zuid and amsterdam rai

have fun and buy a ticket !!!

some of the ticket machines can be a bugger, if not sure queue up at the desk

Train is by far the easiest and fastest way to get from Schipol to CS - especially if you get the schnell (sp) train cos it only stops about 3 times. If you have luggage and don't fancy the walk to the Swiss Hotel, walk out of CS to the Tourist office opposite and buy a 1, 2 or 3 day tram pass, the tram stops just about on the door step of your hotel!

re-connexxion bus service...

i would suggest if you have any other way of getting into town use it. i recently recommended this service to not one but two personal friends as a good way to get from the airport. both times the bus forgot to pick them up on the way back, even though the tickets had been pre-paid online well in advance. each time the unfortunates had to get a cab to the airport then begin the argument with the bus company about a refund.

i cannot recall coming across a more inept bunch than those who run this company. the customer service is a complete joke. their policy is that when you email them they will only guarantee to respond at some point within the next 6 weeks. when they agree a refund they will tell you that you must wait a minimum of two weeks to receive it (this is in addition to the original 6 weeks waiting for a response). and all this only after you chase them up a dozen times.

anyway i thought it was worth mentioning this in case the OP was thinking of going this route. frankly you are 100% better off getting the train to centraal then tramming it from there. remember if you are staying anywhere close to the west / vondelpark area you may well be better off getting off the train at amsterdam lelylaan.

doog!

withnail