Anonymous wrote:OP, here for international flights do I have to collect my bags. I just assumed I would have my carry-on. We have a teenager i would love for my teen to see Amsterdam for a few if all possible.

Again, depends on where you are flying out to.

Dutch person here - Schiphol is a nightmare right now. Depending on where you are flying from (assume the US?) and flying too - you might have almost 2 hours just to get through customs and to wherever your next flight is.

I did this in 2019. I had a 6 hr layover too - got in at 6AM, took the train into the city center. It was really easy, but nothing was open. I was able to take some great photos and stop in at a coffee shop, and then head back. I was never rushed or anything, just kept an eye on the clock.

There's a few videos on Youtube about it. I have no idea what the lines at AMS are these days, but I didn't have any issues.

Anonymous wrote:OP, here for international flights do I have to collect my bags. I just assumed I would have my carry-on. We have a teenager i would love for my teen to see Amsterdam for a few if all possible.

Then you should have booked an overnight there. This is not enough time, at all.

Definitely not worth the risk with that airport. You likely will not have time to clear customs, get into the city, and back in time to make your connecting flight.

Anonymous wrote:OP, here for international flights do I have to collect my bags. I just assumed I would have my carry-on. We have a teenager i would love for my teen to see Amsterdam for a few if all possible.

Where is your next flight to?

Anonymous wrote:The family has a layover in Amsterdam, our flight arrived early morning. I read the train goes into center city. Is it enough time to eat breakfast, take a few pictures, and possibly go to a coffee house and be back at the airport for a 1 pm flight

If you want to try to do this, try seeing if you can ask the airport people how the security lines are when you’re actually in the airport.

If they say the outbound and inbound lines are short, go for it.

It not: Schiphol is really a city unto itself. The shopping center, museum and hotel inside the airport are more like the real, practical, George Mason University-like Netherlands than the bits of fake Georgetown-ish city center crap they’ve saved for the tourists.

If you can escape from the airport, just take a cab to the shopping area in Hoofddorp — https://www.viermeren.nl/praktische-info/contact-route/ — instead of trying to get into the middle of the Amsterdam tourist zone.

The shopping center will be familiar enough that you’ll be able to figure it out but different enough that it will be an adventure, and you won’t have to worry about a tour schedule or getting your money’s worth out of a museum pass. Go, visit the toy store buy a few souvenirs, eat, and return to the airport.

Just make sure when you go to places that you have some euros, and that the places will take cash, or that you can use an American credit card or debit card to pay for things. The ATMs usually take U.S. debit cards, but some places have moved away from cash and want a special kind of cash card that tourists can’t get.

OP, here for international flights do I have to collect my bags. I just assumed I would have my carry-on. We have a teenager i would love for my teen to see Amsterdam for a few if all possible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP - we will have 7 ht layover in 2 weeks and have been hoping to go into city, maybe do 1hr boat cruise, and come back. This is disappointing to hear.

I’m fascinated that y’all think with the scale of Christmas travel that you could make your way through customs, get your luggage, get a ride to the city, do a boat ride, ride back to the airport, go BACK through international security and do all of this with no worries for missing your flight because of getting delayed at any of those points. Magical thinking

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Assuming final destination is inside Schengen (OP didn't say), checked bags don't need to be collected, they will go onto connecting flight automatically- they do it differently than in the US.

Same for the return- there is no "international security", just regular airport security if the last destination is inside Schengen.

That said, I probably wouldn't do it. But the long security lines have dissipated significantly at AMS since October, as they have gotten staffing back to acceptable levels

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/34779253-post2995.html

Anonymous wrote:NP - we will have 7 ht layover in 2 weeks and have been hoping to go into city, maybe do 1hr boat cruise, and come back. This is disappointing to hear.

I’m fascinated that y’all think with the scale of Christmas travel that you could make your way through customs, get your luggage, get a ride to the city, do a boat ride, ride back to the airport, go BACK through international security and do all of this with no worries for missing your flight because of getting delayed at any of those points. Magical thinking

They’ve got one of those sleep pod places I would just hang out there.

By yourself maybe but definitely not with kids. And if you do it, be prepared with a plan B if you miss your flight.

Anonymous wrote:why not see if your airline would switch your flight to the next day without penalty and then have 30 hours

Then they’d have to get a hotel, etc. not worth it.

why not see if your airline would switch your flight to the next day without penalty and then have 30 hours

No way. We missed our flight by 5 minutes after arriving at the airport more than 3 hours ahead of time. Don’t do it.