Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [4]
Flights to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (pronounced skip-oll) take roughly an hour from London, or ninety minutes from Scotland and the north of England. There’s a good number of daily flights out of London – Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City – plus nonstop flights from many of the UK’s regional airports, including Birmingham, East Midlands, Cardiff, Southampton, Norwich, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds-Bradford, Humberside, Newcastle, Teesside, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Whichever route you choose, it’s hard to say precisely what you’ll pay at any given time: the price depends hugely on when you book and when you fly, what offers are available – and how lucky you are. However, flying to Amsterdam with one of the low-cost airlines between April and September, you’ll pay around £120 return travelling at convenient times at the weekend, including taxes, as opposed to £160 with one of the full-service carriers. Weekday travel will cost £50–70 with a budget carrier, £100 or so with a full-service airline. If you want more flexibility with your ticket you’ll pay more, as you will if you book at the last minute – economy return tickets from London to Amsterdam can cost anything up to £400. All carriers offer their lowest prices online.
Flying to Amsterdam from Northern Ireland, the most economical option is with EasyJet out of Belfast International (fares are around £100). From the Republic of Ireland, Aer Lingus flies five times daily to Amsterdam from Dublin and twice daily from Cork, for a minimum €80–100 return, depending on the season, with fares rising at peak times.
Getting there |
Flights from the US and Canada
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is among the most popular and least expensive gateways to Europe from North America and Canada, and finding a convenient and good-value flight is rarely a problem. Direct flights are operated by KLM/Northwest, Continental and Delta Airlines; many more fly via London and other European centres – and are nearly always cheaper because of it.
Virtually every region of the US and Canada is well served by the major airlines. KLM and Northwest, which operate a joint service, offer the widest range of flights, with direct or one-stop flights to Amsterdam from eleven US cities, and connections from dozens more. From elsewhere in the US, the Dutch charter firm Martinair flies year-round from Miami direct to Amsterdam. United also flies direct to Amsterdam from Chicago, while Delta operates from Atlanta and New York; Continental from Houston.
Booking far enough in advance, you should be able to find a fare between April and September for $700–900 return from New York (flight time 8hr 10min) or Chicago (8hr), $900–1000 from Atlanta (10hr), and around $1000 from LA (10hr 30min), though booking less than a couple of weeks in advance can push these prices up considerably.
From Canada, KLM flies direct to Amsterdam year-round from Vancouver (9hr 30min) and from Toronto (7hr 10min). There are also plenty of one-stop options via Frankfurt, London and Paris. Fares from Toronto go for around Can$1100, from Vancouver around Can$1400.
Getting there | Flights from the US and Canada |
Six steps to a better kind of travel
At Rough Guides we are passionately committed to travel. We feel strongly that only through travelling do we truly come to understand the world we live in and the people we share it with – plus tourism has brought a great deal of benefit to developing economies around the world over the last few decades. But the extraordinary growth in tourism has also damaged some places irreparably, and of course climate change is exacerbated by most forms of transport, especially flying. This means that now more than ever it’s important to travel thoughtfully and responsibly, with respect for the cultures you’re visiting – not only to derive the most benefit from your trip but also to preserve the best bits of the planet for everyone to enjoy. At Rough Guides we feel there are six main areas in which you can make a difference:
• Consider what