Station, for €3.90 (or €7.80 for same-day return), in 20 min. Buy the ticket from the machine (yellow with blue writing) if you purchase your ticket at the counter you will pay €0.50 extra. Not all machines accept credit or debit cards. Don't buy the comfort class ticket, buy a single ticket with 'NS only'. This ticket is valid on Sprinter, Intercity and night trains to Amsterdam - but not on Thalys or Fyra trains. The train station at Schiphol is located underground, under the main airport hall; trains to Amsterdam Central Station usually run from platform 3. Keep in mind that there are two separate railway lines to Amsterdam; one goes to Amsterdam Central station and the other goes to Amsterdam Zuid (Amsterdam South). These lines are not connected with each other so check if the train you board goes to the Amsterdam you want.
There are 4 to 5 trains per hour between Schiphol and Amsterdam in peak times. Trains run all night, although between 1am and 5am only once an hour. The price and duration of the journey are the same as during the day.
Watch out for pick-pockets and baggage thieves: a common trick is a knock on your window to distract you, so that an accomplice can steal your luggage or laptop. Another one is to have an accomplice jam the doors and then steal your luggage. The thief jumps out and the door immediately closes, making it impossible to catch them. However, in recent years, railway police have made a great effort to reduce this sort of crime; nowadays it is at 'normal', big-city like levels.
Schiphol by local transport
If you are desperately trying to save money or are staying near Leidseplein, you could use local transport from Schiphol to central Amsterdam. A trip takes about 30 min and leads directly to the south-west of the centre of Amsterdam (namely Museumplein and Leidseplein). Take local
