Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport - Business Travel Tips
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is consistently voted by travellers and frequent flyers as one of the better airports in the world. It is located just 17km south-west from the city and has very convenient onward travel connections.
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There is a train station underneath the airport which will take you to the centre of Amsterdam and also to most destinations in Netherlands via the Dutch rail network (NS). There is a high speed rail service (Thalys) going to Antwerp, Brussels and Paris.
For travel around Amsterdam there is a metro train network as well as trams and buses. If you plan to make a few journeys over your stay then buy a blue 'Strippenkaart' ticket (costs €6.90). An English explanation of how it works is given here: Strippenkaart in Netherlands
> The train trip to Amsterdam Central station will take 15 to 20 minutes. This costs €3.80 one way (or €6.40 in first class) if you can decipher paying at one of the yellow ticket machines (use Euro coins or a Dutch bank card). Queue at the desk and you will pay €0.50 extra as a service charge.
> A taxi will take 30-45 minutes (depending on traffic which can be very heavy at rush hours) and costs around €40 - €50.
> If you don't have much time for sightseeing in the city, you can always visit the free Rijksmuseum exhibition at Schiphol airport to view some old Dutch masters. This is located departures side on the Holland Boulevard walkway between piers E and F. It is open daily between 0700 and 2000 hours.
> There are numerous "lazy chairs" around the departures side where you can relax in comfort before boarding. Chair massages are also available.
> Need a shower at the airport? Head over to the hotel Mercure on the first floor of lounge 3 (departures side). The hotel is open 24 hours a day and the shower facility costs €12.50.
> Schiphol was the first airport to use voluntary biometric (iris) scans for certain registered passengers going through passport control. However queues at the normal passport controls are never usually longer than 10 minutes.
> Amsterdam Schiphol has a number of airline lounges including 3 KLM Crown lounges, 2 run by Penauille Servisair, 2 Menzies lounges, plus lounges each from British Airways, Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines. Priority Pass holders can use either Penauille lounges.
> The new H pier is for passengers travelling on low-cost airlines - this includes easyjet, skyeurope and bmibaby.
> Schiphol has 5 runways - if you take-off or land on the infamous Polderbaan runway the plane will have a 15-20 minutes taxi to / from the terminal building (!)
> There are a few business districts located in and around Amsterdam, all serviced by train and/or metro stations:
Amsterdam Centraal - City Centre, this is the heart of the old financial district and includes the stock exchange. The waterfront just north and east of Central Station is being developed into new offices, appartments and theatres.
Amsterdam Amstel - South-east of central Amsterdam, home to Philips HQ.
Amsterdam Sloterdijk - West of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam RAI and Zuid/WTC - South of the city, another financial centre. RAI is the home to Amsterdam's main exhibition and convention centre.
Amsterdam Bijlmer & Duivendrecht - Further south-east of Amsterdam, this is the main business location with many corporate offices and headquarters including ABN-Amro, ING and Cisco Systems.
> Dealing with the Dutch
The Dutch generally speak very good English.
They are very open and direct in business dealings. When coming to a business decision, they usually apply a 'consensus' approach where opinions of all parties will be gathered. This can take some time - however once the decision is made, they will act quickly.
Air Travel Articles & Resources > Frequent Flyer Tips > Amsterdam & Schiphol Airport Tips
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