Getting to and around RAI Amsterdam for a trade show or conference
RAI Amsterdam is about 15 km by road from Schiphol, and a direct train covers most of that in minutes. These pages answer what attendees and exhibitors ask on top of that: how to get there with luggage, how to get away at closing time, how to run a week of meetings, and how to reach the Dutch superyacht yards during Metstrade. Show dates were checked on each organizer’s own website.
AmstelCab is an independent chauffeur service, not an official supplier of any show organizer or of the venue. We drive attendees, exhibitors and their guests at fixed, published prices, and we say plainly when the train or the metro is the easier option.
Last updated:
Metstrade and The Superyacht Forum, November 2026
What’s the best way to get from Schiphol to RAI Amsterdam for Metstrade 2026?Metstrade 2026 runs Tuesday, November 17 through Thursday, November 19 at RAI Amsterdam, about 15 km by road from Schiphol.
How early should I arrive in Amsterdam for The Superyacht Forum on November 16, 2026?The Superyacht Forum runs Monday, November 16 and Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at RAI Amsterdam, and Metstrade opens on the 17th.
Can I book one driver for the whole Metstrade week in Amsterdam?Yes.
How do we get our Metstrade exhibitor team and product samples from Schiphol to the RAI?Book Van Class: a Mercedes V-Class takes up to 7 people and 7 bags from Schiphol to the RAI or your Amsterdam hotel for a fixed €125, VAT included, and teams larger than 7 travel in several cars booked together.
Metstrade ends Thursday at 5pm — can I still make an evening flight home from Schiphol?Yes, if your flight leaves around 9pm or later.
Can I book a Mercedes-Maybach or S-Class with a driver in Amsterdam during Metstrade?Yes.
How do I arrange a Schiphol pickup for a yacht captain and crew with sea bags?Book Van Class: a Mercedes V-Class seats up to 7 crew with 7 bags for a fixed €125 from Schiphol to any Amsterdam address, VAT included, and larger crews travel in several cars on one plan.
Dutch superyacht yards
Can I visit several Dutch superyacht yards in one day with a driver?Yes, if you group them by region: Feadship’s yards in Amsterdam, Aalsmeer and Kaag are all within about 35 km of RAI Amsterdam, so two or three visits fit in one day, while Makkum, Vollenhove, Alblasserdam and Oss are each 85–120 km away.
How do I get from Amsterdam to the Feadship yard in Aalsmeer?By car: Feadship’s Aalsmeer yard (Royal De Vries, Oosteinderweg 25) is about 20 km by road from RAI Amsterdam and about 9 km from Schiphol, and Aalsmeer has no train station.
Can a driver take me from RAI Amsterdam to the Feadship yard in Makkum and back in one day?Yes.
How far is Royal Huisman in Vollenhove from Amsterdam, and how do I get there?Royal Huisman’s yard at Flevoweg 1 in Vollenhove is about 98 km by road from RAI Amsterdam and 110 km from Schiphol — around an hour and 20 minutes from the RAI on an empty road.
How far is Oceanco in Alblasserdam from Amsterdam, and what does a car service cost?Oceanco’s yard at Marineweg 1 & 5 in Alblasserdam, near Rotterdam, is about 86 km by road from RAI Amsterdam and 83 km from Schiphol.
How do I get from Schiphol to Heesen Yachts in Oss by car?Heesen Yachts is at Rijnstraat 2 in Oss, about 115 km by road from Schiphol — around an hour and a half on an empty road.
Any show at RAI Amsterdam
What’s the fastest way to get from Schiphol to RAI Amsterdam?If you travel light, the direct train: Schiphol to Amsterdam RAI station takes about 9 minutes, and the station is a couple of minutes’ walk from the venue.
How do I get back to my hotel from RAI Amsterdam when the show closes at 6pm?When a large show closes, most visitors leave at the same moment — Metstrade 2026, for example, closes at 18:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday and at 17:00 on Thursday.
Can I book a driver on standby for client dinners and receptions during a conference in Amsterdam?Yes — hold a car by the hour: €65 an hour in Business Class, €80 in Van Class for up to 7 guests, or €100 in First Class, for at least 2 hours, each hour including 40 km, and the car waits nearby while you eat.
Can I have a driver on standby between RAI Amsterdam and meetings in Zuidas?Yes — book the car by the hour: €65 an hour in Business Class or €100 in First Class, minimum 2 hours with 40 km included per hour, and the car waits nearby between stops.
How do I book Schiphol pickups for 10 colleagues arriving on different flights for a conference?Give each flight its own pickup, with its own flight number, so every arrival is tracked and met separately inside the arrivals hall, and put yourself in as the booker so you receive every status update.
Shows in 2027
How do I get from Schiphol to RAI Amsterdam for PLMA’s World of Private Label 2027?PLMA’s 2027 World of Private Label show is on Tuesday, May 25 and Wednesday, May 26, 2027 at RAI Amsterdam, about 15 km by road from Schiphol.
What’s the best way to get from Schiphol to Money20/20 Europe 2027, including a late-night arrival?Money20/20 Europe 2027 runs Tuesday, June 8 to Thursday, June 10 at RAI Amsterdam, and the organizer’s own travel page lists a pre-booked transfer — a chauffeur waiting at the terminal with your name — as one way to arrive.
I land on Monday for HLTH Europe 2027 — can a driver take me to my hotel and then to the welcome reception at the RAI?Yes.
Is there a shuttle from Schiphol to the RAI for IBC, and what’s the best alternative?No — IBC says it no longer provides a complimentary airport shuttle, for sustainability reasons, and points attendees to the train from Schiphol to Amsterdam RAI station.
Staying outside the center
Where should I stay for a conference at RAI Amsterdam?As close as your budget allows: the nhow Amsterdam RAI hotel is, in the RAI’s words, a stone’s throw from the venue, Zuidas hotels are next door, and RAI Hotel Services gives free advice on rooms near the RAI, in the center and near Schiphol.
Is Hoofddorp a good place to stay for a RAI show, and how do I get there every day?It is a sensible budget base — IBC suggests it when Amsterdam hotels are expensive — because Sprinter trains run from Hoofddorp via Schiphol straight to Amsterdam RAI station, about 300 meters from the venue, on two lines that each run twice an hour.
Can I get a daily car service from Amstelveen to the RAI during a trade show?Yes, and by car it is one of the lowest-cost commutes to the RAI: central Amstelveen is about 6 km from the venue and falls inside our Amsterdam price zone, so each ride is a short-ride minimum of €50 in Business Class or €70 in Van Class — €100 a day for a morning drop-off and an evening pickup.
Haarlem to RAI Amsterdam every day — train or car?Train if you travel light and don’t mind one change: take a train from Haarlem toward Amsterdam and switch at Amsterdam Sloterdijk to metro 50, which the RAI recommends from Sloterdijk and which stops at Amsterdam RAI.
Luggage and limited mobility at RAI
Is there luggage storage at RAI Amsterdam?Some, with limits: the RAI has a small number of large luggage lockers that are open only during events using Entrance C or K, public lockers in the P4 parking garage, and cloakrooms at most events, where its FAQ puts a coat at €2.
What is the most accessible way to get to RAI Amsterdam with limited mobility?By car to Lodge P7, where the RAI lets passengers out in the middle of its complex — cars cannot reach the hall entrances — and inside the corridors are level, with lifts and accessible toilets throughout.
How far is the walk from RAI station to the convention center entrance?About 300 meters: the RAI puts Amsterdam RAI train station at 300 meters from the venue and calls it a 3-minute walk, while the Europaplein stop of metro 52 is right outside the building, about 6 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal.
Can a car drop me right at the RAI entrance?Not at the hall entrances: RAI Amsterdam says you cannot drive to the entrance, but a car may let you out at Lodge P7, in the middle of the complex (follow the signs P – RAI 7), and then leave the site again.