Getting out of the airport in Amsterdam

The railway station sits directly beneath the terminal. I amsterdam gives the run to Amsterdam Centraal as 17 minutes, with trains eight times an hour between Schiphol and Centraal, calling at Sloterdijk, Lelylaan and Hoofddorp.

Buy at the yellow machines at Schiphol, or tap straight through at the yellow card readers near the escalators and lifts in Schiphol Plaza. Bus 397, the Amsterdam Airport Express, runs to Museumplein, the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein from bus stop B17, which you reach by exiting Schiphol Plaza and walking to the right, every 10 minutes during the day. The Niteliner N97 covers the same route hourly at night.

Tapping in with a bank card puts you on OVpay, and NS is strict about it: one person per card, 2nd class only, no discounts. Two of you cannot share one card through the gate. The same one-person-per-card rule applies on bus 397.

NS does not accept debit cards from Vivid or Paysafe, or the Revolut digital debit card, plus some other foreign bank cards. Carry a second card if that is your only one.

Tap out at the far end with the same card. NS debits a 33.30 euro correction fee where a check-out does not register, and a missed check-out can be adjusted at OVpay from six hours after the journey, with the refund processed within five days.