Train or taxi to Schiphol? An honest comparison

Let's be honest from the start: the train connection to Schiphol is good. The station is directly beneath the terminal, so you walk from the platform straight into the departures hall. From many cities, including Amsterdam, Utrecht, Leiden, The Hague and Rotterdam, several direct intercity trains run every hour during the day.

If you're travelling alone, the train is almost always the cheapest option per person. You'll find current ticket prices on ns.nl; we're not going to quote amounts here that will be out of date next month.

You also have no parking worries and no traffic jams. On a weekday, travelling light, from a station on the line: a fine choice, and we'd say the same.

The train journey doesn't start at the station but at your front door. First you have to get to the station with your suitcases, sometimes change trains, and at Schiphol take everything up the escalator. Every change with luggage is one where something can go wrong.

The timetable has its limits too. Few trains run early in the morning and at night. Engineering works are planned for holiday periods and weekends, of all times, and then you end up on a replacement bus. When you have a flight to catch, that's a risk to take with your eyes open.

So if you're taking the train to your flight, always check the journey planner for your specific day and time, and plan to catch a train earlier than strictly necessary.

The taxi wins on the door-to-door journey. No hauling suitcases, no changes, no first leg to the station. You're picked up at home and get out at the departures hall, even at 03:30 when no trains are running yet.

The price works differently from the train: you pay per vehicle, not per person. With two, three or four travellers you share one amount, whereas train tickets add up per person. That's often what tips the balance.

You can see what a ride with SchipholRide costs in advance, in the booking widget or on the prices page. That amount is fixed, even if your ride takes longer because of traffic. And for pickups from Schiphol, your flight is tracked, so your driver is there at the right moment even if your flight is delayed.

The choice depends on your party, your luggage and the time of day. This is our honest guide:

• Alone, little luggage, direct connection, daytime: take the train.
• Two or more of you with holiday suitcases: work out both options. Per vehicle versus per person makes the difference smaller than you'd think, and the convenience is considerable.
• Flight before 07:00 or after midnight: taxi. The night network covers only a few routes, and the first trains are often too late for early flights.
• Family with young children: taxi, with a Maxi-Cosi or toddler seat on request (€15 per booking). Changing trains with a pushchair, suitcases and children is not a relaxing start to your holiday.
• No station nearby: taxi, or first compare it with driving yourself on Schiphol parking or taxi.
• Engineering works announced on your travel day: better safe than sorry.

The third option is, of course, your own car. It wins on flexibility, but you pay for parking for every day of your holiday, and the cheaper car parks are a shuttle ride away from the terminal.

That trade-off deserves its own calculation. We've worked it out on Schiphol parking or taxi, including the hidden costs you don't think about in advance.

Whichever option you choose, decide based on your own situation, not on what's best on average. A comparison takes five minutes and saves you an expensive or stressful travel day.