Schiphol Airport Visitor Guide 2024: Everything you need to know

Schiphol Airport is the Netherlands’ main airport and where you'd arrive if you were heading to Amsterdam for a weekend visit. Once you’ve landed at Schiphol before going off to discover the cafes, canals, and museums of Amsterdam, you'd be just one of over seventy million passengers that use the airport every year. That's a statistic that makes Schiphol Airport one of the busiest in Europe.

Schiphol has six runways to deal with the immense amount of aircraft needed to transport that quantity of people as well as the hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo that passes through the airport. It's a logistical challenge that would make you think Schiphol has several terminal buildings, but in fact, it has only one. The terminal in Schiphol is similar to a small city and centered around a plaza bordered with shops and restaurants. There's a lot to see there, even if you're not flying, but it can be chaotic at times so to make exploring easier, store your bags at a luggage storage service near Schiphol Airport.

Bag policy at Schiphol Airport

There are two reasons you shouldn't leave your bags alone at Schiphol Airport. One – someone among the milling crowds could accidentally wander off with them and spending a vacation trip without your personal belongings really isn't much fun. Two – you could set off a major security alert and find yourself having to explain why you left your baggage unattended to the local airport police who may well confiscate it until they're certain it's not a security risk. You can prevent either mishap to your luggage and the ensuing stress it would entail by using a proper luggage storage locker at Schiphol Airport or a bag storage service nearby.

Food policy at Schiphol Airport

Walk around the Schiphol Plaza before going through security and you'll find as many food outlets as you would on many a European city high street. The plaza is a great spot to grab a table and do some serious people watching as well, as that's where the milling crowds congregate. 

Caffeine aficionados won't have any problem satisfying their discerning taste buds as there are a plethora of quality coffee shops at Schiphol. Foodies do well there too because there's an incredible variety of seafood bars, pizzerias, plus spice and health food-oriented restaurants. There’s even a soup factory which is great if the Dutch weather turns out to be on the chilly side and you need something to warm you up.

Camera policy at Schiphol Airport

Taking photographs at Schiphol Airport isn't prohibited but it is something you should approach sensibly and with a little forethought before you take your camera out of its case. You'll find there are a lot of people in the Schiphol terminal building and it may well be hard to get a decent shot of anything without including someone in the shot. If you're okay with approaching a stranger to explain you've taken their photo and asking if it's okay, then fine. If they're not pleased about it, you'll be obliged to delete the snap

Rules at Schiphol Airport

Other than keeping your baggage with you, there are just a couple of rules at Schiphol that may affect your visit there. Schiphol Airport is pet-friendly and furbuddies are allowed in the terminal building so long as you keep them on a lead and under control at all times. You should be aware though that there are no pet poop areas so if your dog needs to do the necessary it could be quite inconvenient and you'll be obliged to clean up the mess. The Schiphol Plaza is a no-smoking zone, but just outside the main doors is the Jan Dellaertplein Square which is a designated smoking area.  

Lockers at Schiphol Airport

Schiphol Airport is approximately twelve kilometers from Amsterdam city center. There are several modes of transport available for traveling between the two which are train, bus or taxi. Trains take around fifteen minutes, taxis about twenty and buses half an hour. If you're on a layover rather than visiting Amsterdam and want to take a break from dragging your bags around, you'll find there are luggage lockers at Schiphol Airport. You can deposit large suitcases at the baggage storage in Lounges 1, 2 or 3 on the airport's Holland Boulevard. There are also lockers for hand luggage by the departure gates after security which can be handy if you find yourself facing a flight delay.

When you have a few hours to go before your flight and don't want to make your way straight to the airport, but prefer to stay in the city, you can store your bags at a Bounce luggage storage locker. They're conveniently located throughout Amsterdam so you'll find one close to your hotel and all you'll pay is a small, daily per bag fee.