If flying to, from or via Amsterdam, why not spend a few minutes at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol Museum, a permanent outpost of Amsterdam’s celebrated Rijksmuseum - home of Holland’s greatest art collection - located in the airport on Holland Boulevard, in the area behind the passport control between the E and F Pier.

The museum is open every day from 7:00 until 20:00 and admission is free. It houses a permanent exhibition of ten works by Dutch masters of the Golden Age from the Rijksmuseum’s collection. A temporary exhibition changes a number of times a year - for example, in honour of the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth, the Rijksmuseum presented an exhibition of works by Rembrandt’s pupils at the airport.

The Rijksmuseum is the first museum in the world to have an annex at an airport, while Schiphol is the first airport with a museum in its terminal.
The museum shop affiliated with the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol offers souvenirs specially crafted for the museum.
The Rijksmuseum is only open to passengers.
www.rijksmuseum.nl

Many hours has been spent in Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport over the years. For some reason it seems like KLM always makes sure that if you have a stop in Amsterdam, it needs to be at least 3 hours. Not that they have “coffee shops” in the airport like they have in the city—or actually they do have coffee shops, but they are frenchise places and are about as charming as the next door macdonalds. The bookstores are predictable, with shelves full of porn, fashion and bestseller books. The tourist shops are full of wooden clogs and anything orange, since this is the nations soccer shirt color. There are large areas for internet connections, but it’s very expensive. You have the food choices of any American mall, including full fledged Americans eating big macs and whoppers Ohio styles.
The Bladerunner like voice that with very short breaks rants about people who are late for their departures, saying that the late person is delaying the flight for all the other passengers and that they are in the proccess to throw your lugguage off the flight, unless you run to the gate and catch your bag in mid air somewhere between the plane and the baggage handlers off limit concrete floor. After hearing about 50 of these messages, one imagines these late passangers running around the huge airport, that if you are somewhat not focused you can easily get lost in. But that’s ok. The airport also has a casino, a massage parlor, a meditation center and a full fledged art museum with Dutch masters galore. If you by chance have brought your children, there are also some nice rooms for children to play in. However, the service that really can calm your nerves in this maze of an orange airport is the “comfort seats”. They are leather lounge chairs, pleaced in somewhat quite areas around the airport where one can lay down, put a sweater over ones head and sleep, while you in your dreams are worried if your lugguage will be thrown off your flight by very tall blond flight attendants in orange, speaking firmly into a big megaphone that you must hurry. Hurry up getting a little shut-eye before your next flight to somewhere far far away. Finally, the best detail at the airport of Amsterdam is the little fly that is in-printed into the men's bathroom urinals. First one thinks its just some unpleasant dirt, but then you look closer, and into the other urinals...trying not to look too strange...and you understand it is a small practical joke to keep you on your toes. Its like a smart street art piece by Banksy, exept its made by the producers of the urinals...and who knows, maybe specially designed for Schipol exclusively.

Getting to and from the airport

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is close to the city. A taxi to the center costs around 50 €.

The cheapest and most efficient way to get to town, is by train to the Amsterdam Centraal Station (CS). It takes only 15 minutes, and from the station you can easily get on a tram, jump in a cab or walk to your final destination.

Getting around in Amsterdam

Two vehicles have priority in Amsterdam: Bicycles and trams.

The cheapest, most fun and most healthy way to get around Amsterdam, is on a bike. Driving a car is a true nightmare. Not because of the hundreds of one-way streets, which always seem to be going in the wrong direction – but because of the bike riders. They are innumerable, they are everywhere and they are anarchists! But if you exchange your car for a bicycle, your view of the world will change. On a bike, you will feel at home in the big city and you will reach your destinations fast.
You can rent a bike at several places in the city. Check the closest spot with your hotel – or try one of these:

Bike City, Bloemgracht 68-70
www.bikecity.nl

MacBike, Stationsplein 5 – Mr. Visserplein 2 – Weteringsschans 2
www.macbike.nl

If you lack the courage, trams and buses are a good alternative to the bike. The public transportation system has a high priority in Amsterdam, so it’s fast and easy to go on a tram.

Amsterdam also has a Metro, but there’s only one line in the city center.
Taxis are expensive.

Links that will make your stay in Amsterdam a lot easier…

www.amsterdam.info
www.visitamsterdam.nl
www.amsterdamhotspots.nl - a city guide with a map and information on concert venues, restaurants etc.
www.ajax.nl - the official site of the soccer club Ajax Amsterdam.
www.specialbite.com - a guide to restaurants.

By Mette Lomholdt