Why go
- Capital and largest city of the Netherlands.
- Known for Red Light District, escorts, hemp bars, EDM.
- 1 curated must-see attraction on record, including Red Light District.
- Served by De Kooy Airfield / Den Helder Naval Air Station (DHR).
History
Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands. As of 1 January 2026, it had a population of 941,873 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area. Located in the Dutch province of North Holland, Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the "Venice of the North", for its large number of canals, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Must-see attractions
Outdoor
Airports
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) 10 km to the centre
Amsterdam, NH, NL — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 79 airlines (KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Transavia Holland, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines…) · direct flights to 232 destinations incl. Lisbon, Abu Dhabi, Copenhagen, Barcelona, London… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 79 airlines, 232 direct destinations
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (EMJ, 737, 330, F70, 777, 74M…) · 138 routes: Aalborg*, Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi, Accra, Alesund*, Alma-ata, Athens, Atlanta, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Bergen, Berlin, Billund, Birmingham, Bologna*, Bordeaux, Boston*, Bremen*, Bristol*, Brussels*, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Calgary, Cape Town, Cardiff*, Chengdu, Chicago, Clermont-Ferrand*, Cologne*, Copenhagen, Dallas-Fort Worth, Dammam, Delhi, Detroit*, Doha, Dubai, Duesseldorf* … +98 more
- Transavia Holland HV (737-800, 737-700) · 54 routes: Ajaccio, Alicante, Antalya, Arrecife, Athens, Barcelona, Bari, Bodrum, Casablanca, Catania, Chania, Chios, Dalaman, Erbil, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gerona, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Istanbul, Izmir, Kerkyra/corfu, Kithira, Kos, Lamezia, Lisbon, Malaga, Malta, Marrakech, Mykonos, Naples, Nice, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Pisa, Porto … +14 more
- Alitalia AZ (Embraer 190, F70, 737, 777, A320, A321…) · 36 routes: Aalborg*, Alesund*, Bergen*, Berlin*, Billund*, Bologna*, Bremen*, Bristol*, Cape Town*, Cardiff*, Catania, Cologne*, Copenhagen*, Dubai*, Duesseldorf*, Florence, Glasgow*, Hamburg*, Hannover*, Helsinki*, Humberside*, Kristiansand*, Leeds*, Lima*, Milan, Nairobi*, Norwich*, Palermo, Panama City*, Rome, Sandefjord*, Stavanger*, Stockholm*, Teesside*, Trondheim*, Venice*
- Delta Air Lines DL (A330-200, A330-300, 76W, 74M, 330, 747…) · 26 routes: Abu Dhabi*, Atlanta, Boston, Calgary*, Chicago*, Dallas-Fort Worth*, Dammam*, Detroit, Doha*, Harare*, Houston*, Kigali*, Kilimanjaro*, Kuwait*, Los Angeles*, Minneapolis, Montreal*, Mumbai, New York, Newark, Portland, San Francisco*, Seattle, Toronto*, Vancouver*, Washington*
- Air France AF (A330-200, Embraer 190, F70, ERJ-145, A319, 777-200…) · 21 routes: Abu Dhabi*, Bordeaux*, Clermont-Ferrand*, Dammam*, Doha*, Harare*, Kigali*, Kilimanjaro*, Kuala Lumpur*, Kuwait*, London*, Lyon, Marseille, Mulhouse*, Nantes, Nice*, Paris, Quito*, Strasbourg, Taipei*, Toulouse*
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 19 routes: Belfast, Berlin, Bordeaux, Bristol, Edinburgh, Geneva, Glasgow, Lisbon, Liverpool, London, London, London, Manchester, Milano, Mulhouse, Newcastle, Prague, Rome, Southend
- China Eastern Airlines MU (737, EMJ, F70, 74M) · 9 routes: Barcelona, Bologna, Copenhagen, Frankfurt*, London*, Madrid, Paris*, Rome, Shanghai*
- Arkefly OR (767-300) · 8 routes: Holguin, Kralendijk, Oranjestad, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Sanford, Varadero, Willemstad
- Iberia Airlines IB (A320) · 8 routes: Alicante*, Barcelona*, Bilbao*, Ibiza*, Malaga*, Palma de Mallorca*, Sevilla*, Valencia*
- Vueling Airlines VY (A320) · 8 routes: Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Ibiza, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Sevilla, Valencia
- China Southern Airlines CZ (A330-200, 777, 74M, 747) · 6 routes: Beijing, Chengdu*, Guangzhou, Hangzhou*, Shanghai*, Xiamen*
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (767-300, A319, A320, A321, 737-300, 735…) · 6 routes: Chicago*, Frankfurt, Houston*, Munich*, Newark*, Washington*
- Flybe BE (Dash 8-400, Embraer 175) · 5 routes: Birmingham, East Midlands, Exeter, Inverness, Southampton
- Pegasus Airlines PC (737-800) · 5 routes: Antalya, Istanbul, Izmir, Kayseri, Konya
- Etihad Airways EY (Fokker 100, A319, A330-200, 32S, ERJ) · 4 routes: Abu Dhabi, Belgrade, Lisbon*, Porto*
- United Airlines UA (767-300, 757-200, 777) · 4 routes: Chicago, Houston, Newark, Washington
- Air One AP (A320, A321, 32S) · 3 routes: Catania, Milan*, Palermo
- British Airways BA (A319, A320, A321, 734, 767, Embraer 190…) · 3 routes: London*, London, London
- China Airlines CI (F70, A340-300, 737, Embraer 190) · 3 routes: Bangkok, London, Manchester*
- Finnair AY (A320, Fokker 100, A319, A321, ERJ-145) · 3 routes: Helsinki, Lisbon*, Porto*
- Malaysia Airlines MH (A320, 737, 777-200) · 3 routes: Helsinki*, Kuala Lumpur, Zurich*
- Norwegian Air Shuttle DY (737-800) · 3 routes: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm
- Royal Air Maroc AT (737-800, 737-700) · 3 routes: Casablanca, El Aroui, Tanger
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (736, A319, A320, A321, 717, 737-800…) · 3 routes: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm
- TAP Portugal TP (Fokker 100, A319, A320, A330-200, ERJ-145) · 3 routes: Abu Dhabi, Lisbon, Porto*
- Aer Lingus EI (A320) · 2 routes: Cork, Dublin
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A320, A321, 737) · 2 routes: Moscow, St. Petersburg*
- Air Arabia Maroc 3O (A320) · 2 routes: El Aroui, Tanger
- Air Baltic BT (A330-200, 735, 73C) · 2 routes: Abu Dhabi, Riga
- Air Transat TS (310, 330) · 2 routes: Calgary, Toronto
- Airlinair A5 (ERJ-145, CRJ-700, Embraer 170) · 2 routes: Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg
- American Airlines AA (A319, A320, A321, 757, 767) · 2 routes: London*, Philadelphia
- Croatia Airlines OU (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Dubrovnik, Zagreb
- Estonian Air OV (CRJ-900, Embraer 170) · 2 routes: Tallinn-ulemiste International, Vaxjo
- Eurolot K2 (Dash 8-400) · 2 routes: Gdansk, Krakow
- SATA International S4 (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Lisbon*, Ponta Delgada
- Skynet Airlines SI (AT4, ATR) · 2 routes: Guernsey, Jersey
- SunExpress XQ (737-800) · 2 routes: Izmir, Kayseri
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320, A321, 330, A340-300, 737-800) · 2 routes: Istanbul, Istanbul
- US Airways US (A319, A320, 757-200) · 2 routes: Lisbon*, Philadelphia
- Adria Airways JP (A319, CRJ-900) · 1 route: Ljubljana
- Air Astana KC (A321) · 1 route: Atyrau
- Air Canada AC (A319, A321) · 1 route: Copenhagen*
- Air Europa UX (737-800) · 1 route: Madrid
- Air Malta KM (A319, A320) · 1 route: Malta
- Air Serbia JU (A319) · 1 route: Belgrade
- Arkia Israel Airlines IZ (757-300) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Austrian Airlines OS (Fokker 100, A319, A320, F70) · 1 route: Vienna*
- Belavia Belarusian Airlines B2 (737-300, 735) · 1 route: Minsk 2
- Bulgaria Air FB (A319, A320, Embraer 190) · 1 route: Sofia
- Cathay Pacific CX (A340-300) · 1 route: Hong Kong
- CityJet WX (AR8) · 1 route: London
- Cyprus Airways CY (A320) · 1 route: Larnaca
- Czech Airlines OK (A319) · 1 route: Prague
- Egyptair MS (737-800) · 1 route: Cairo
- El Al Israel Airlines LY (737-800, 737-900, 767-300) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Emirates EK (A380) · 1 route: Dubai
- Ethiopian Airlines ET (A319, A320) · 1 route: Frankfurt*
- EVA Air BR (777-300ER) · 1 route: Bangkok
- Flybaboo F7 (S20) · 1 route: Leipzig
- Garuda Indonesia GA (A330-200) · 1 route: Abu Dhabi
- Georgian Airways A9 (735) · 1 route: Tbilisi
- Germanwings 4U (CRJ) · 1 route: Hamburg
- Icelandair FI (75W, 75T) · 1 route: Keflavik
- Iran Air IR (AB6) · 1 route: Tehran
- Jet2.com LS (737-300) · 1 route: Leeds
- Kenya Airways KQ (777-200) · 1 route: Nairobi
- Korean Air KE (A330-200) · 1 route: Seoul
- LOT Polish Airlines LO (Embraer 175, Embraer 195, Embraer 170) · 1 route: Warsaw
- Royal Jordanian RJ (A319, A321) · 1 route: Amman
- Singapore Airlines Cargo SQ (777-200, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Singapore
- SkyWork Airlines SX (D38) · 1 route: Bern
- Surinam Airways PY (A340-300) · 1 route: Zandery
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A320, AR1) · 1 route: Zurich
- TACV VR (737-800) · 1 route: Sao Vicente Island
- Tarom RO (737-300) · 1 route: Bucharest
- Travel Service QS (A319) · 1 route: Prague
- Tunisair TU (A319, 736) · 1 route: Tunis
- Ukraine International Airlines PS (73R) · 1 route: Kiev
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Middenmeer Airfield 50 km to the centre
Middenmeer, NH, NL
Texel International Airport 82 km to the centre
De Cocksdorp, NH, NL
Slootdorp Glidersite 51 km to the centre
Hollands Kroon, NH, NL
Noordkop Glidersite 59 km to the centre
Slootdorp, NH, NL
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
Eindhoven Airport (EIN) 109 km to the centre
Luchthavenweg 25, 5657 EA Eindhoven, Netherlands — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 3 airlines (Ryanair, Transavia Holland, Wizz Air) · direct flights to 62 destinations incl. Alicante, Faro, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Malaga… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Feeder airport · 109 km from Amsterdam · Ryanair, Transavia Holland, Wizz Air · Getting around Eindhoven, Netherlands →
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 3 airlines, 62 direct destinations
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 32 routes: Alghero, Alicante, Arrecife, Bergamo, Brindisi, Carcassonne, Catania, Chania, Connaught, Dublin, Faro, Fes, Gerona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Kerkyra/corfu, Krakow, London, Malaga, Malta, Marrakech, Marseille, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Pisa, Porto, Reus, Rome, Sevilla, Trapani, Treviso, Warsaw
- Transavia Holland HV (737-700, 737-800) · 24 routes: Alicante, Antalya, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Bodrum, Bologna, Copenhagen, Dalaman, Faro, Gran Canaria, Groningen, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Istanbul, Lisbon, Madrid, Malaga, Naples, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Rotterdam, Valencia, Venice
- Wizz Air W6 (A320) · 12 routes: Belgrade, Bucharest, Budapest, Cluj-napoca, Debrecen, Gdansk, Katowice, Riga, Skopje, Sofia, Vilnius, Warsaw
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) 55 km to the centre
Rotterdam, ZH, NL — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 8 airlines (Transavia Holland, British Airways, Air France, American Airlines…) · direct flights to 29 destinations incl. London, London, Alicante, Antalya, Barcelona… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Feeder airport · 55 km from Amsterdam · Transavia Holland, British Airways, Air France · Getting around Rotterdam, Netherlands →
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 8 airlines, 29 direct destinations
- Transavia Holland HV (737-800, 737-700) · 25 routes: Alicante, Antalya, Barcelona, Bergerac, Bodrum, Budapest, Eindhoven, Faro, Gerona, Heraklion, Hyeres, Ibiza, Istanbul, Madrid, Malaga, Marrakech, Montpellier, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Prague, Rhodos, Rome, Split, Valencia, Vienna
- British Airways BA (A319, S20) · 2 routes: London*, London
- Air France AF (F50, AR8) · 1 route: London
- American Airlines AA (A319) · 1 route: London*
- CityJet WX (F50, AR8) · 1 route: London
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (F50, ARJ) · 1 route: London*
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (CRJ-700, CRJ-900) · 1 route: Munich*
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320) · 1 route: Istanbul
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Pontsteiger
Ferry terminal · 2.2 km from the centre · Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf
Centraal Station
Ferry terminal · 2.2 km from the centre · Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf
Buiksloterweg
Ferry terminal · 2.5 km from the centre
IJplein
Ferry terminal · 2.8 km from the centre · GVB
Distelweg
Ferry terminal · 2.9 km from the centre · Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf
Passenger Terminal Amsterdam
Ferry terminal · 3.2 km from the centre
Buiksloterwegveer
Ferry route · Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf
Veer F3: Amsterdam Buiksloterweg → Amsterdam Centraal Station
Ferry route · GVB
Veer F3: Amsterdam Centraal Station → Amsterdam Buiksloterweg
Ferry route · GVB
NDSM-werfveer
Ferry route · Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf
Veer F4: Amsterdam Centraal Station → Amsterdam NDSM
Ferry route · GVB
Veer F4: Amsterdam NDSM → Amsterdam Centraal Station
Ferry route · GVB
IJpleinveer
Ferry route · GVB
Veer F2: Amsterdam Centraal Station → Amsterdam IJplein
Ferry route · GVB
Where things are
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping
base map © OSM
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
Tourist season
May – September
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Shoulder season
April, October
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Worth avoiding
Deep winter
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is De Kooy Airfield / Den Helder Naval Air Station (DHR); 5 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: AMS has direct flights to 232 destinations on 79 airlines (incl. Lisbon, Abu Dhabi, Copenhagen, Barcelona, London…). By water: 6 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Pontsteiger, 2.2 km); routes include Buiksloterwegveer, Veer F3: Amsterdam Buiksloterweg → Amsterdam Centraal Station, Veer F3: Amsterdam Centraal Station → Amsterdam Buiksloterweg.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Amsterdam, Netherlands. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Local transit
Metro, tram, bus, ferry · Amsterdam's trams, metro, buses and the free IJ ferries. · Fares: OVpay contactless · Airport: NS train from Schiphol to Centraal in 15 min
Trains & rail
Rail operator
National rail
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.