Arriving at Amsterdam Centraal by train with luggage: how do I get to my hotel?
The easiest way is a pre-booked car: your chauffeur meets you at the station’s main exit on the city side, in front of the Ibis Hotel on Stationsplein, loads the luggage and drives you to the hotel door for a fixed €50 per car in Business Class to anywhere within 10 km, which covers the canal belt, the Jordaan, the Museum Quarter and De Pijp. Traveling light to a hotel on a tram line, the tram from the same square is the cheaper choice.
Last updated:
Centraal → any hotel within 10 km: per car
| Option | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Business Class, Amsterdam Centraal → your hotel | ≈ €50 | short ride inside Amsterdam: minimum fare for up to 10 km · E-Class, EQE, EQE SUV, BMW i5, BMW 5 Series · up to 3 passengers, 3 bags |
| Van Class, Amsterdam Centraal → your hotel | ≈ €70 | short ride inside Amsterdam: minimum fare for up to 10 km · V-Class, EQV · up to 7 passengers, 7 bags |
| First Class, Amsterdam Centraal → your hotel | ≈ €90 | short ride inside Amsterdam: minimum fare for up to 10 km · S-Class, EQS, EQS SUV, BMW i7 · up to 3 passengers, 3 bags |
Up to 15 km: €70 Business, €100 Van, €120 First. Centraal → Schiphol: €80 in Business Class. Booked less than 12 hours ahead, 10% is added. Prices are per car, not per person, with 9% Dutch VAT included, and the same day and night. Booked less than 12 hours before pickup: +10%. At an airport or an intercity station the first 60 minutes of waiting are free, elsewhere 15 minutes; after that waiting is charged per minute at the class's hourly rate (Business €65 an hour). Free cancellation up to 1 hour before pickup.
From Amsterdam Centraal to the main hotel areas
| Area | Distance | Clear-road drive | Business | Van | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canal Belt (Waldorf Astoria, Herengracht) | 3 km | 7 minutes | €50 | €70 | €90 |
| Jordaan | 2 km | 5 minutes | €50 | €70 | €90 |
| Museum Quarter (Conservatorium Hotel) | 4 km | 10 minutes | €50 | €70 | €90 |
| De Pijp | 5 km | 13 minutes | €50 | €70 | €90 |
| Oost (Hotel Arena) | 6 km | 12 minutes | €50 | €70 | €90 |
| RAI Amsterdam | 6 km | 15 minutes | €50 | €70 | €90 |
| Zuidas (World Trade Center) | 6 km | 16 minutes | €50 | €70 | €90 |
| Schiphol Airport | 21 km | 29 minutes | €80 | €85 | €90 |
Per car, VAT included, fixed at booking. Business Class seats 3 with 3 cases, Van Class 7 with 7. Distances: OpenStreetMap routing from Stationsplein, without traffic.
Three ways from the station to a Museum Quarter hotel (about 4 km)
| Tram | Taxi from the rank | Booked AmstelCab car | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | A ticket per person | Meter, at most about €22 at the 2026 maximum tariff | €50 per car, fixed |
| Luggage | You carry it on and off | Into the trunk at the rank | Loaded by the chauffeur |
| Last stretch | Walk from the stop | To the door | To the door |
| Best for | One case each, hotel near a stop | Short ride, light bags | Several cases, children, late arrival |
Maximum taxi tariff 2026 (Dutch government): €4.31 start, €3.17 per km, €0.52 per minute; worked out here with the routed distance and time. Traffic changes the meter, not the fixed price.
What is included in the price
- A fixed price confirmed at booking, with VAT included: no meter and no surge
- The chauffeur’s name, car and phone number before pickup, plus e-mail reminders 24 hours and 2 hours ahead
- Water and phone chargers (iOS and Android) in the car
- Status updates to the person who booked, if that is not the passenger: confirmed, chauffeur en route, guest in the car, arrived
- Your chauffeur, in a suit, walks you to the car and loads the luggage
- A licensed car with blue Dutch taxi plates
From the platform to your hotel door
- Send your train when you book. Eurostar from London, an ICE from Germany or a Dutch Intercity, with its scheduled arrival time.
- Walk out through the main hall. The main exit faces Stationsplein and the Damrak, on the city side of the station.
- Your chauffeur is in front of the Ibis Hotel. You have the name and phone number before you arrive; call if you can’t see each other.
- To the door. Or, on a canal street, to the closest point a car may stop; see drop-off at a canal house.
Related questions
Where exactly does the chauffeur wait at Centraal?
At the main exit on the city side, in front of the Ibis Hotel on Stationsplein. If you leave the platforms on the IJ side, by the water, walk back through the station to the main hall and out onto the square.
What happens if my train arrives late?
Send the chauffeur a message with the new arrival time. At long-distance stations our terms give 60 minutes after the agreed pickup time before any waiting is charged, so a normal delay costs you nothing.
Isn’t a taxi from the rank cheaper?
For a short ride with light bags, usually yes: at the maximum tariff a 4 km ride is at most about €22, below our €50 minimum. The booked car is worth it for several suitcases, a family, a late arrival or a price settled before you travel.
Does the chauffeur help with the bags at the hotel?
Yes: the chauffeur handles the luggage from the station to the car and out again at your door. Steep canal-house stairs are another matter; if you need help getting cases inside, say so when you book and we tell you what is possible at that address.
Is the car a licensed taxi?
Yes. AmstelCab takes the booking, fixes the price and runs dispatch, and the ride is performed by an independent, professionally licensed Chauffeur Partner in a car with the blue Dutch taxi license plate. AmstelCab is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under number 97225444; see how to recognize a licensed taxi.
Sources
- Rijksoverheid (Dutch government) — “Wat zijn de tarieven voor een taxi?”: 2026 maximum taxi tariffs (checked September 24, 2026)
- OpenStreetMap road routing (OSRM) — distances quoted as “about … km” (checked September 24, 2026)
Book it, or ask dispatch first
Book online in a few minutes (no account, no app), or send your flight number and address on WhatsApp and dispatch replies in English, 24 hours a day.
