Schiphol Hotels by Access: Covered Walkway, Hotel Shuttle or One Train Stop
Every hotel in this guide is close to Schiphol, but “close” means four different things, and for an early flight the difference between a covered walkway and a shuttle that starts at 6:15 am is the whole decision. Here is the access map.
Airside, inside the terminal
YOTELAIR in Lounge 2 and the Mercure Hotel Schiphol Terminal in Lounge 3 are after security and passport control, so there is no journey at all and no visa question for transit passengers. Hand luggage only, boarding pass required, and a check-out at 9:00 am at the Mercure. Our day rooms guide covers booking them by the hour.
The covered walkway
From Schiphol Plaza, the landside hall above the station, a covered walkway leads to the Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel in two minutes and on to the Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in five to seven. citizenM Schiphol Airport is reached from Arrivals 4 along a covered brick path in four minutes. None depends on a timetable, which is why they cost more.
One train stop: Hoofddorp
Trains from under the Plaza reach Hoofddorp in about four minutes, several times an hour from early morning to late evening. The Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is four minutes’ walk from the station, the Holiday Inn Express nine minutes and the Hampton by Hilton ten, and the Hampton also runs a free shuttle. The train is cheaper than any paid shuttle and runs later than most, but it does mean a walk with luggage.
The hotel shuttles from bays A9 to A13
All the other hotels send a bus to the Hotel Shuttle stop at bays A9 to A13 outside the Arrival Passage of Schiphol Plaza. Free in both directions: the Steigenberger (from the airport 6:15 am to 11:45 pm), the ibis Styles, the Van der Valk Schiphol A4 (5:00 am to 11:40 pm), and the shared orange bus of the Best Western Plus and Bastion (6:15 am to 11:45 pm from the airport). Free from the airport but paid back: the Hyatt Place (from 6:45 am), the Corendon (from 4:15 am, €5 back), the Radisson Blu (from 6:00 am, €6.50 back), the Park Plaza (from 5:00 am, €5 back), the Ramada (from 5:00 am, €6 back) and the Moxy (small fee, reservation needed). Paid both ways at fixed times: the Courtyard by Marriott. Times change; confirm with the hotel for a flight before 7:00 am.
The rule of thumb
Flight before 7:00 am: walkway, or Corendon, Park Plaza, Ramada or Van der Valk. Flight after 8:00 am: any shuttle hotel works, and the free-both-ways group saves €5 to €13 per person over a paid return. Arriving after midnight: only the walkway hotels, citizenM and the night train to Hoofddorp are certain; every shuttle has stopped.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the hotel shuttles leave from at Schiphol?
From the Hotel Shuttle stop at bays A9 to A13 outside the Arrival Passage of Schiphol Plaza; follow the Hotel Shuttle signs. Each hotel has its own bus and timetable, most every 30 minutes.
Which Schiphol hotels can I walk to from the terminal?
Three landside: Sheraton (two minutes from Schiphol Plaza), Hilton (five to seven minutes) and citizenM (four minutes from Arrivals 4), all under cover. Two more are inside the terminal airside: YOTELAIR and the Mercure Schiphol Terminal.
What is the earliest hotel shuttle in the morning?
Corendon from the airport at 4:15 am and from the hotel at 4:00 am; Park Plaza from the hotel at 4:45 am; Ramada and Van der Valk from 5:00 am. Most others start between 6:00 and 6:45 am.
Information last verified: September 4, 2026