Back in April 2015, a friend and I did an 8 day tour trip of Egypt to see the pyramids and go on a river cruise of the Nile River. Before, arriving in Cairo, we had a 22 hour layover in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I already spent almost a week in Amsterdam in June 2013 and about 6 hours on a layover in February 2014, so I knew what to expect about the city.
Where We Stayed
We arrived in Amsterdam Friday around 8 AM, and after a long day of flying, we decided to stay at a hotel right in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. We ended up choosing Mercure Hotel as it was located behind customs and the Schiphol World Trade Center. To book a stay at Mercure, a valid passport and flight ticket must be presented. There were options to just book shower facilities or book a room for a certain amount of time.
located right inside the airport
We chose just a basic room for part of the day as we plan to just lay down and take a quick few hours sleep. We didn’t bother getting a room with a roll in shower as I didn’t need to shower and only my buddy wanted to shower. The room had one big bed, a small TV and not much else in the room. There wasn’t even a window which made the room seem smaller.
small basic room with no windows
What We Did
taking the train from the airport
After checking out of the hotel, we were still able to store our luggage at the hotel which made it easier for us to see Amsterdam without carrying our belongings. Since there was a train directly under the terminal building at the airport, we figured it would be the best and cheapest way for us to get into the city. The whole experience and the train was wheelchair accessible and it was about a 15 minute ride to Amsterdam Central Station.
getting off at Central Station
Since we only had a few hours in the city, and we needed to save time to eat somewhere, we didn’t really go exploring too much. We got to see some cool old historic looking buildings and take photos of the canals and bridges attached to them. The both of us have been to Amsterdam before so we were fine with the rushed sightseeing.
checking out the city
Where We Ate
We ate at a popular place called The Bulldog which is right at the hotel of the same name. The Lounge Bar is usually packed with backpackers but we didn’t have any trouble getting a table. They serve mostly pub and bar food and lots of beer. We ended up ordering a delicious huge burger with fries, a side of wings and some drinks. It was definitely a great time and had a great vibe to it.
at The Bulldog
When we left Amsterdam to get to Cairo airport, we had a stopover at the Paris airport. We did get a chance to eat some world famous French macarons at Laduree. They were quite expensive but it was a very tasty dessert and complimented our lunch at the airport.
macarons at Laduree
Even though it was a quick 22 hour layover in Amsterdam, we still managed to get a great rest at Mercure Hotel located right in Schiphol Airport. We got to take the train to get to downtown Amsterdam to get some views of the city and dinner at a popular pub. That quick visit in the city definitely beats hanging around at the airport and waiting for our connecting flight. I would recommend this option if there was ever a long layover like this.
