Amsterdam Travel Ticket 1 to 3 Days with Airport Train

Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam by train and bus 397

For most travellers the ticket starts at the airport. The railway station sits directly below Schiphol Plaza, so you walk from arrivals to the platforms in a few minutes, and direct trains reach Amsterdam Centraal in about 15 to 20 minutes, with other trains running to Zuid, RAI, Amstel and Sloterdijk. Trains leave several times an hour from early morning until late evening, and a reduced service runs through the night.

If your hotel is near the museums, the airport express bus 397 is often the better answer to how to get from Schiphol to Amsterdam. It leaves from bus platform B17 outside the terminal and stops at Museumplein and Leidseplein in roughly 30 to 35 minutes. After midnight, night bus N97 follows a similar route, and both are included on this ticket.

Amsterdam Central Station and the tram network

Amsterdam Centraal opened in 1889 and stands on artificial islands in the IJ, its red-brick neo-Renaissance façade facing the old city. It is the hub of the whole network: trams, metro lines, buses and ferries all meet here, so it is where most visitors first use their chip card after the airport train.

From the tram stops in front of the station, lines fan out along Damrak to Dam Square, through the canal belt to Leidseplein and towards the Jordaan. Trams are the most scenic way to cross the centre, gliding past canal houses and bridges, and with this ticket you can hop on and off as often as you like. Remember to hold the card against the reader when you board and again when you leave, on every tram.

The IJ ferries and Amsterdam Noord

Behind Central Station, on the water side, the city ferries cross the IJ river to Amsterdam Noord around the clock. The short hop to Buiksloterweg takes only a few minutes and lands you beside the A'DAM Tower viewpoint and the EYE film museum building with its striking white, angular shape.

A longer ferry of about 15 minutes runs to the NDSM wharf, a former shipyard turned creative district with huge industrial halls, street art, waterfront cafés and a weekend flea market. Riding the ferry is one of the most enjoyable moments in Amsterdam: wide views of the harbour, the station skyline and passing barges. Ferries also connect easily with the metro at Noord station, so you can loop back to the centre without retracing your route.

Museumplein and the Museum Quarter

Museumplein is the green square at the heart of the Museum Quarter, framed by the Rijksmuseum, opened in 1885 to house the national collection of Dutch art, the Stedelijk Museum of modern art and design, and the Concertgebouw concert hall. The square itself is free to stroll and is lively in summer, with the famous red-and-white city letters sometimes nearby.

With this ticket you can reach Museumplein directly from the airport on bus 397, or from Central Station on trams 2 and 12 in about 20 minutes. Museum tickets are not part of the travel ticket and should be booked separately, often with a timed entry. Plan at least two to three hours for the Rijksmuseum, then walk to the elegant shopping streets of the Oud-Zuid district nearby.

The metro North–South line and De Pijp

Amsterdam has five metro lines, and the newest, the North–South line 52, opened in 2018 after years of tunnelling beneath the historic centre. It links Noord, Centraal, Rokin near Dam Square, Vijzelgracht, De Pijp, Europaplein and Zuid, making it the fastest way to cross the city underground in a few minutes.

The De Pijp stop brings you straight to the Albert Cuyp Market, a long open-air street market selling fresh stroopwafels, Dutch cheese, fruit, flowers and clothing from Monday to Saturday. The surrounding neighbourhood is full of small restaurants and cafés serving food from around the world. Other metro lines run out to Bijlmer ArenA, where the main football stadium and concert venues are, all covered by the same chip card.