Car rental at Schiphol Airport
A hire car only earns its keep if Amsterdam is your base for wider exploring — the coast, the bulb fields, or other Dutch towns over a few days. For the airport-to-city hop on its own it is the wrong tool: slower to collect, pricier than a train, and a real headache to park once you arrive.
At a glance
Travel time 20-30 minutes (off-peak hours) to approximately 1 hour (rush hour) 
Price depending on type of car, busyness, and conditions 
Pros
- Comfortable private space
- Combining multiple destinations out of town
- Flexible off the beaten track sightseeing
- Independence from time schedules
- Practical with a lot of luggage
Cons
- Not recommended just for your transfer to Amsterdam
- Time-consuming check-in
- Expensive
- High parking fees
- Congestion, road works and car-free zones in Amsterdam
Rent a Car Amsterdam Airport
Let’s find:
- offers from all major car rental companies
- the best rates and conditions
- free upgrades and extras
- free cancellation or changes up to 48 hours in advance
When to Rent a Car at Amsterdam Airport?
Pick up a car when your trip ranges well beyond the city — several stops in a day, or villages and countryside that buses and trains reach slowly if at all. That is where the freedom of your own car genuinely pays off.
Five big names keep desks at Schiphol — Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt — and it is almost always cheaper to book ahead than to walk up on the day. Comparing rates across all of them in one place is the quickest way to find a fair deal and the conditions that suit your trip.
Get my best car rental dealWhen NOT to Rent a Car at Amsterdam Airport?
Hiring a car just to get from Schiphol into town makes little sense — you will spend more time and money than the train costs, and central parking is both scarce and eye-wateringly expensive.
It is also overkill for getting around Amsterdam itself. The city is compact, the tram and metro network is excellent, taxis are everywhere, and frankly it is built for bikes more than cars.
Inside the city a tram, a bike or your own two feet will usually beat a car door-to-door. And for the odd day out to a nearby town, a regional train or bus does the job without the parking drama.
Getting from the Gate to your Amsterdam Airport Car Rental
Arrivals sit on the ground floor at Schiphol. Once you have your bags and have cleared customs, the rental desks are only a few minutes’ walk away — they are grouped together under cover in Schiphol Plaza. Just follow the yellow-and-brown “Car rental” signs.
