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Car hire at Amsterdam Airport - The Best of the Netherlands

A classic, historic and truly unique city with a rare urban flair, Amsterdam is up there with Paris as one of the world’s must-visit destinations. Widely considered to be the culture capital of the Benelux region (comprising Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), it’s an extremely bicycle-friendly city with a vast network of picture-postcard canals and the cosiest collection of canal-side cafés and bars in Europe.

Small and compact, Amsterdam has a pleasantly temperate climate with mild summers and tolerable winters despite its very close proximity to the North Sea. For flower lovers, Spring is the best time to visit when the whole region surrounding the city is transformed by thick colourful carpet when millions of tulips, crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils, orchids, roses, irises and many other flowers are in full bloom.

Ranked as one of Europe’s best-preserved 17th-century cities, Amsterdam offers a great wealth of cultural interest, including some of the most sought-after museums such as the world-renowned Rijksmuseum (famous for Rembrandt’s The Night Watch) and the ever-enchanting Van Gogh Museum. The symbolic heart of the city is Dam Square around which many of the city’s top tourist attractions can be found, including the Royal Palace, Madame Tussauds and the Amsterdam Diamond Centre.

It’s the kind of place where it’s best to park the car and rent a bike for a day or two. Amsterdam’s a very flat city and getting around on two wheels isn’t just a whole load of fun but arguably the best way to visit all the main sights, most notably the House of Anne Frank and the NEMO Science Museum. With its spectacular watery setting (having been built on over 90 islands), you'll find that Amsterdam is tailor-made for two-wheeled sightseeing itineraries for all the family.

After picking up your car hire at Amsterdam Airport, you'll soon discover that the Netherlands is a small, manageable country with many of its main attractions within a short drive of the city, including the enchanting Veluwe National Park situated just 50 miles south-east of Amsterdam (where one of the best Van Gogh collections can also be found). Likewise, you cannot miss the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens at Lisse (about 20 miles south-west of Amsterdam) where some 7 million flowers of over 800 different varieties can be enjoyed in spring. Other places of interest in close proximity to Amsterdam Airport include the old town of Delft with its pretty cityscape of canals, churches and museums and Maastricht, one of the oldest places in the Netherlands.

For over 65 years, Auto Europe has been a leading company in the car rental industry, with a high-quality service offered at over 28,000 locations in 190 countries worldwide. Our main focus is to offer our clients not only the lowest prices in the market but also a personalised, customer-orientated experience. Featuring a very fast user-friendly booking engine, the Auto Europe website lists the best deals with all the top international and local car hire suppliers, always providing travellers with the right car at the right price in the right location.

Visiting Amsterdam offers good access to many other fascinating places in Holland, including Rotterdam, a dynamic port city strategically positioned on the North Sea, and The Hague, the country's parliamentary capital. Another plus is the city's proximity to other countries such as Germany (300 miles) and Belgium (150 miles), meaning that it's perfectly possible to rent a car at Amsterdam Airport and visit two or three countries on the same road-trip. For more information about driving around the country, please consult our guide to driving in the Netherlands for tips on paying tolls, finding petrol stations, age restrictions and driving distances, etc. There's no better source of info than the opinion of others, which is why people planning to book an Auto Europe car rental in the city should read the comments of their fellow travellers on our Amsterdam car hire reviews page.

Airport Information

Blessed with multiple connections, including a very fast overground train service, Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is located a very convenient 11 miles south-west of the city. It is the largest airport in the Netherlands and the third busiest in the whole of Europe in terms of passenger numbers. The main hub of the national carrier KLM, Amsterdam Airport was designed as a single-terminal airport comprising one large terminal split into three spacious and ultra-modern departure halls where most of the passenger facilities are located under a single roof. It first opened as a military airbase during World War I and today caters for around 70 million passengers a year with over 165 boarding gates and a large shopping area called Schiphol Plaza.

Amsterdam Airport (AMS)
Address: Schipholgebouw, Evert van de Beekstraat 202, 1118 CP Schiphol, Netherlands
Telephone: +31 20 794 0800
Airlines operating at Amsterdam Airport: The list of the most important airlines operating at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport includes Air Canada, Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Delta, easyJet, Emirates, EVA Air, Lufthansa, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Transavia, TUI Fly Netherlands, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and Vueling, among many others.

Where to pick up my car hire at Amsterdam Airport

To pick up your car rental at Amsterdam Airport, just head for the Car Rental and Service Desk when you leave the baggage-claim area. This dedicated desk is located in the main shopping and restaurant zone called the Schiphol Plaza in the airport's main foyer. Just follow the 'Car Rental' signs and when you arrive at the desk just fill in the necessary forms, after which the car hire staff will direct you to the pick-up point located close by.

Car hire desks' operating hours

	Avis at Amsterdam Airport Aankomstpassage 5, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1118 AX +31 88 284 7620	Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 6.30am-11.30pm
	Budget at Amsterdam Airport Aankomstpassage 5, Amsterdam, The Netherlands1118 AX +31 297 384581	Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 6.30am-11.30pm
	Enterprise at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Plaza Arrival Hall 22 Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1118 AX +31 20 740 0950	Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 6.30am-11pm
	Hertz at Amsterdam Airport Aankomsthal Entrance C Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1118 AA +31 20 6010 798	Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 6am-11.30pm
	Sixt at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Plaza Aankomstpass 22 Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1118 AX +31 204 059 089	Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 6.30am-11pm

Terminals

Based on an ultra-modern design, Amsterdam Airport’s innovative one-terminal concept means that passengers (whether arriving or departing) will find all the facilities and amenities they need located under one roof. The central focus of the terminal building is its magnificent central leisure zone known as the Schiphol Plaza. The airport terminal is divided into three sections (or halls) designated as 1, 2 and 3. The piers and concourses of each hall are connected so that it is possible (in both the public and restricted areas) to walk between the piers and the halls, although border control separates the Schengen from the non-Schengen areas.

Airport Facilities

As one of Europe’s busiest airports, passengers at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport will find a very wide assortment of on-site facilities, particularly in the areas of dining, shopping and leisure. Top fashion boutiques at the centrally-located Schiphol Plaza commercial zone represent many of the world’s most prestigious brands, including Burberry, Bvlgari, Gucci, Hermès, Hugo Boss, Montblanc, Omega, Rolex, Swarovski and Victoria’s Secret. The choice of dining outlets is equally impressive, ranging from Burger King, McDonald’s and the Heineken Bar to the Grand Café Het Paleis, Harvest Market and Café Rembrandt. Besides banks, free Wi-fi, medical and first-aid centres, a hairdressing salon, showers, hotel and a convenient baby-care lounge, the airport terminal also has a spa, meditation centre and an added section of the city's famous Rijksmuseum featuring many of its star exhibits.

How to get to and from Amsterdam Airport

Schiphol Airport has great transport links to Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands. You can easily take the train, catch a bus, rent a car or have someone collect you. If you’re heading to Amsterdam, we recommend buying an Amsterdam Travel Ticket. National railway company Nederlandse Spoorwegan (NS) operates a major passenger railway station directly underneath Amsterdam Airport’s passenger terminal with services running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to the country's four major cities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam. In fact, it only takes a couple of minutes to walk to Schiphol Station from the Arrivals Hall by taking the stairs, escalator or lift down to the platforms. Likewise, travelling to and from Amsterdam Airport by bus is equally convenient with bus stops right outside Schiphol Plaza from where you can catch both city and regional services as well as special shuttle buses to your hotel. Several registered taxi companies operate at Schiphol Airport, just follow the signs from the terminal to reach the official ranks in front of the Schiphol Plaza (drivers accept credit cards, will always issue a receipt and can never refuse to take you by law).

Parking Tips

Although Amsterdam is easy to navigate by car, it is a relatively small, compact city with an excessive demand for parking spaces, particularly in the centre. For this reason we recommend the Park and Ride system devised by the local authorities to ease traffic congestion, especially during the morning and evening rush hours. Park and Ride (P+R) is the cheapest and most convenient way for visitors to park their car hire in Amsterdam and travel to the city centre to see the sights. These car parks are located in the outskirts of the city near main roads and motorways and are very well connected with the Amsterdam's excellent public transport netowrk, including the bus, metro, tram and railway systems. Besides that, there's plenty of choice if you want to park near the city’s top attractions like the House of Anne Frank, Rijksmuseum and NEMO Science Museum, including APCOA Parking Prins & Keizer on Vijzelstraat - Hoek Prinsengracht, ParkBee on Bertrand Russellstraat and Q-Park Weesperplein on Wibautstraat. On-street parking is part of Amsterdam City Hall's digital parking system which is easy to use but can get a bit expensive. After parking your car, just enter your licence plate into the parking meter and pay with an international credit card (cash is not accepted).

Useful links

Amsterdam Airport