Amsterdam has a number of railway lines and train stations operated by the Dutch national rail company NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen).
The main hub of the city is Amsterdam Central station (Amsterdam Centraal) on the northern edge of the city centre – here you will also find trams, buses, ferries and the metro.
Our exclusive map below details the basic rail and train station network around Amsterdam – which could be useful if you are not familiar with the city.
For more detailed info on the stations themselves see our guide on train stations in Amsterdam
Trains between Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Centraal station run up to 8x hourly on the line via Amsterdam Lelylaan and Amsterdam Sloterdijk.
Book single e-tickets here (€12.00, this ticket allows any accompanied children 0-11 to travel for free)
You need to take the separate southern rail line from Schiphol Airport to reach the following stations:
- Amsterdam Zuid (business district)
- Amsterdam RAI (Convention and Exhibition Centre)
- Amsterdam Bijlmer-ArenA (stadium/events area)
The southern line from the airport does not go via Amsterdam Centraal.
The map also shows the direction of travel to reach various other cities in the Netherlands (marked in yellow text).
Note that the Amsterdam Metro is a separate network and is run by local transport company GVB. It is not shown on the above map.
Please check out our Metro Map of Amsterdam which does include both metro and train lines.
The metro allows direct links between some Amsterdam stations which would otherwise require a change of train when using the rail network.
For example, the metro links Amstel to RAI; Zuid to Sloterdijk and Zuid to Centraal Station. The metro is generally best for travel around Amsterdam stations.
The exception is travel between Amsterdam Central and Sloterdijk which is best made by train.
The following 2 ticket options are useful for visitors as they combine rail travel (including the airport journey) with other transport in Amsterdam:
| Good for AMS airport | Best for Excursions |
 |  |
| Amsterdam Travel Ticket | Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket |
| 1/2/3 days | 1/2/3 days |
| €20/€27/€34 | €23/€34/€44 |
| Valid on all GVB transport (trams/metro/buses) in Amsterdam | Valid on all GVB transport (trams/metro/buses) in Amsterdam |
| Valid between airport and city – train or 397 bus | Valid between airport and city – train or 397 bus |
| Valid on trains between any Amsterdam stations | Valid on regional NS trains + EBS/Connexxion/Arriva buses in region |
| Calendar day basis | Calendar day basis |
| Card only (not digital) | Card only (not digital) |
| Order here | Order here |
| more info | more info |
Dutch train tickets can be bought at at the official NS (Dutch Railways) site here (in euros) or at the Trainline site (payment by multiple currencies).
There is a high-speed rail track running south-west from near Schiphol Airport. It is used by:
- domestic Intercity Direct service to Rotterdam/Breda
- Eurocity Direct from Amsterdam Zuid to Antwerp/Brussels
- Eurostar trains (red and blue services) to Antwerp/Brussels/Paris and London.
You can check timetables, prices and make bookings for all the international train services to/from the Netherlands at the NS International site or at the Trainline site
This map and article was originally published in 2010 and has been regularly updated. Last checked and updated 30 December 2025.
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