Bus 397, the Amsterdam Airport Express, is the direct bus between Schiphol and the museum quarter, Leidseplein and the Jordaan. It leaves from stand B17 outside Schiphol Plaza about every 10 minutes, takes roughly 30 minutes to Museumplein and Leidseplein, and ends at Elandsgracht. A flat ticket costs €6.50 one way or €11.75 return; tapping a contactless bank card in and out charges the distance fare instead, which in 2026 works out cheaper. It is run by Connexxion, not by the city operator GVB, so GVB day tickets are not valid on it.
Checked in September 2026 against Connexxion, the operator, for the stop, frequency, fares and payment rules, and against the Amsterdam ticket schemes for validity. Sources at the end.
Where does bus 397 leave from at Schiphol?
From stand B17 at the bus station in front of Schiphol Plaza. Leave the terminal through Plaza, turn right outside and the stand is about a minute's walk away, marked Amsterdam Airport Express in red and white. The bus station is being rebuilt during 2026 and some stands have moved; if B17 is fenced off, follow the temporary signs for the 397, which stay within the same forecourt. There is no need to go underground: the trains are below Plaza, the buses are at street level.
At Schiphol the 397 is the daytime service only. Between roughly 01:00 and 05:00 the same route is covered once an hour by night bus N97, which runs on to Amsterdam Centraal; our night guide covers that in detail.
What are the stops and how long does it take?
The route runs from Schiphol along the A4 and A10 into the south of the city, then north through the museum quarter to the edge of the Jordaan. In order, the stops are Schiphol Airport (B17), Schiphol Noord, Cateringweg, Anderlechtlaan, Amstelveenseweg, Olympisch Stadion, Haarlemmermeerstation, Emmastraat, Museumplein, Rijksmuseum, Leidseplein and Elandsgracht, the terminus. The first city stops come about 20 minutes in; Museumplein and Leidseplein take around 30 minutes; Elandsgracht is a few minutes more. In the evening rush hour on the A10 add 10 to 15 minutes.
The 397 does not serve Amsterdam Centraal. If your hotel is near the station, or anywhere east of the canal ring, take the train from under Schiphol Plaza instead: it is quicker, slightly cheaper at €5.50 and runs six to eight times an hour.
How much is a ticket and how do you pay?
There are two prices for the same seat. The flat Amsterdam Airport Express ticket is €6.50 single and €11.75 return, valid on both the 397 and the N97. Buy it as an e-ticket on the Connexxion webshop or in the Amsterdam Airport Express app, or from the driver, who takes debit and credit cards only; cash is not accepted on board. A mobile ticket office at the Schiphol bus station also sells them from Thursday to Sunday between 09:00 and 17:00.
The second price is the ordinary Dutch public transport fare, which is by distance. Tap a contactless bank card, phone or OV-chipkaart on the reader when you board and again when you leave, and you are charged the Connexxion tariff for Schiphol to your stop, about €4.21 to the city stops in 2026 rather than €6.50. Nothing about the trip is different; the flat ticket exists for people who prefer a known price in advance. Two things matter with the tap: use the same card both times, and tap out, otherwise the system charges the maximum for an unfinished journey. Our OVpay guide explains which foreign cards work and how to reclaim a missed check-out.
Passes that cover the airport also work. The Amsterdam Travel Ticket (1 to 3 days, €20, €27, €34) and the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket (€23, €34, €44) both include the 397, the airport train and all GVB trams, metros and buses in the city. A plain GVB day or multi-day ticket does not include the 397, because Connexxion is a different operator; if you arrive with one, tap a bank card for this leg and start using the GVB ticket in town.
Bus 397 or the train: which one for your hotel?
| Bus 397 | NS train | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it goes | Museumplein, Rijksmuseum, Leidseplein, Elandsgracht | Amsterdam Centraal, Zuid, Sloterdijk, Lelylaan |
| Time to the centre | about 30 min to Leidseplein | 15–20 min to Centraal |
| Frequency | about every 10 min, roughly 05:00–00:00 | 6–8 an hour, hourly at night |
| Price | €6.50 flat ticket · about €4.21 by tap | €5.50 second class |
| Best for | museum quarter, Vondelpark, Leidseplein, Jordaan, De Pijp | Centraal, the old centre, canal ring east, onward trains |
The rule of thumb: if you would otherwise take tram 2 or 12 from Centraal, the 397 saves you the change. Hotels around the Rijksmuseum, the Concertgebouw, Vondelpark and Leidseplein are a short walk from a 397 stop; De Pijp is ten minutes on foot from Museumplein; the Jordaan starts at Elandsgracht. For everything around the station, Dam and the Red Light District the train wins on both time and price. Our cheapest-way guide compares all the public options in one place, and the city-centre page adds taxi and app prices.
Practical points on board
The buses are low-floor with a wheelchair space and room for prams and suitcases; there are no luggage restrictions beyond what you can carry on. Seats fill from the front, so board at B17 rather than expecting a seat at Schiphol Noord. Tap in at the reader by the door as you board and out at any door when you leave; the driver does not check tickets, but inspectors board regularly and travelling without a valid check-in or ticket is fined. The Amsterdam Airport Express app shows the live position of the buses, which is useful on the way back when you are timing a departure from Leidseplein.
For the return trip, board at the same stops in the opposite direction. Allow 45 minutes to the airport from Elandsgracht in the afternoon rush and add the walk from B17 into the terminal, which is short. A return e-ticket bought on the way in saves queueing for the driver on the way out, but at €11.75 it is only worth it if you were going to pay the flat fare anyway; two taps at about €4.21 come to less.
Sources
Stand B17, the 10-minute frequency, the €6.50 and €11.75 fares, the no-cash rule and the ticket office hours come from Connexxion's Amsterdam Airport Express page. The stop list and the distance fare by tap are from Connexxion's line information as reported in 2026; live departure times for any day are on 9292. Validity of the Amsterdam Travel Ticket and the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket is per the I amsterdam ticket pages. Fares are set per calendar year; the tap fare is the one most likely to change in January.
