Between roughly 01:00 and 05:00 you have three realistic ways out of Schiphol: the hourly NS night train to Amsterdam Centraal (about 15 minutes, €5.50), the hourly Connexxion night bus N97 (€6.50, slower but it stops in the city on the way) and a taxi from the official rank at Schiphol Plaza (metered, usually €45–55 to the centre). Trains and buses stop being frequent after midnight, not stop altogether, and the choice comes down to where in Amsterdam you are going and how much luggage you carry.
Checked in September 2026 against the operators: NS for the night train pattern and fares, Connexxion for line N97, the Dutch national maximum taxi tariff for the meter. Sources at the end.
Is there a train from Schiphol to Amsterdam at night?
Yes. The NS night network (Nachtnet, train series 1400) runs every night of the week, once an hour, on the loop Rotterdam Centraal – Delft – Den Haag HS – Leiden Centraal – Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Centraal – Utrecht Centraal. From Schiphol that gives you one train an hour to Amsterdam Centraal through the small hours, and the same train continues to Utrecht. The first train of the night in each direction also calls at Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA.
Two exceptions matter. In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday the main night train runs from Leiden non-stop to Amsterdam Centraal and skips Schiphol; a shuttle train then links Leiden, Schiphol and Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA instead, so you change at Bijlmer for the centre. And because track work is done at night, NS regularly replaces night trains around Schiphol with buses on fixed weekdays. Check the NS app or 9292 for the actual night you travel rather than assuming the standard pattern.
Tickets are the ordinary ones: an e-ticket bought in the NS app, a tap with a contactless bank card at the yellow OVpay posts, or a ticket from the yellow machines in Schiphol Plaza. The night train carries no supplement. A second-class single to Amsterdam Centraal is €5.50 as an e-ticket; see our guide to paying with a bank card (OVpay) for what a tap costs and what happens if you forget to check out.
What is night bus N97 and where does it go?
N97 is the night version of the Amsterdam Airport Express, run by Connexxion. It leaves from the bus station in front of Schiphol Plaza, runs about once an hour between roughly 01:00 and 05:00, and, unlike the daytime 397, ends at Amsterdam Centraal (IJ side) rather than at Elandsgracht. On the way it serves the same corridor through the museum quarter and Leidseplein, with more intermediate stops than the 397, so allow noticeably longer than the daytime half hour.
The single fare is €6.50, the same as the daytime 397. Pay on board with a contactless card or phone by tapping in at the door and out again when you leave. Details of the daytime route, the stops and the ticket options are on our Schiphol bus page.
Choose the N97 over the train when your hotel is near Leidseplein or the Rijksmuseum: the bus drops you there directly, while the train takes you to Centraal and leaves you looking for a tram that may not be running yet.
How much is a taxi from Schiphol at night?
Taxis are the only option that runs at any minute of the night with no timetable. Use the official rank outside Schiphol Plaza, follow the yellow taxi signs, and ignore anyone offering a car inside the arrivals hall. Dutch taxis are metered under a national maximum tariff, and there is no separate night surcharge in that tariff: the 2026 maximum is €4.31 to start, €3.17 per kilometre and €0.52 per minute, so a run to the city centre typically lands at €45–55 and should not pass roughly €70 even in traffic. A quote above €80 for the centre is a warning sign. The full breakdown, including fixed-price offers and the scams to avoid, is on our airport taxi page.
Uber and Bolt also operate around the clock, with a designated pick-up point a short walk from the terminal. At night, prices follow demand, and a surge after the last flights can push an app fare above the metered taxi. Compare both apps and the rank before you commit; our Uber and Bolt guide explains where the pick-up is.
Which night option should you take?
| Option | Runs | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NS night train | hourly, every night (Tue–Wed via shuttle) | €5.50 single | Centraal, Utrecht, Leiden, The Hague, Rotterdam |
| Night bus N97 | hourly, about 01:00–05:00 | €6.50 single | museum quarter, Leidseplein, Centraal |
| Taxi from the rank | any time | metered, about €45–55 to the centre | groups of 3–4, heavy luggage, door to door |
| Uber / Bolt | any time, demand pricing | varies, can exceed taxi at night | when the app quote beats the rank |
For one or two people with cabin bags heading to Centraal or a hotel near it, the train is the answer at €5.50. For a hotel around Leidseplein or the museums, take the N97 and skip the change at Centraal. Three or four people sharing a taxi pay €12–18 each and get door-to-door, which is roughly what two separate bus fares cost anyway. Whatever you choose, tram and metro services in the city are thin between about 00:30 and 06:00, so plan the last leg from Centraal before you board.
What if you land before the first daytime services?
Early arrivals between 05:00 and 06:00 sit in a gap: the night train has made its last run and daytime frequencies are still building up. Trains to Amsterdam Centraal resume at roughly quarter-hour intervals from around 05:00, and the daytime 397 restarts in the same window. If your flight is due before 05:00, the practical plan is a coffee in Schiphol Plaza and the first regular train, or the hourly night train if it is due sooner. Our Schiphol to city centre comparison covers the daytime options once they are running.
Sources
The night network pattern, the Tuesday–Wednesday shuttle arrangement and the Bijlmer ArenA stop come from the Nachtnet reference maintained by OV in Nederland and from NS, which operates the trains. The €5.50 second-class e-ticket fare is the published NS single for Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Centraal. Route, hours and the €6.50 fare for N97 come from Connexxion, which runs the line. The taxi meter figures are the 2026 national maximum tariff; see our taxi page for the breakdown.
Night timetables change more often than daytime ones, usually because of track work. The pattern above holds for the year; the exact minutes for your night are in the NS app or 9292 the evening before.
