The gorgeous capital of Netherlands; the idea of Amsterdam brings to your mind windmills and canals, never-ending lines of golden tulips and museums that make the mind boggle. All of these flashes are Amsterdam, yes, but Amsterdam is much more these flashes.

Already excited to see what Amsterdam is? Well, you will need to get your tickets ASAP and fly there. It is quite easy to reach Amsterdam from anywhere in the world. So here’s our guide to help you choose the most efficient mode of transport.

The airport of Amsterdam, known as Schiphol Airport, is only 9 km away to the southwest of the city, and is a major destination as well as stopover for flights coming in from all over the world. From India, you have regular flights to Amsterdam taking off from New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, with a frequency of 2-3 per day. The most common airlines on these routes include KLM, Lufthansa and Aeroflot. Most of these flights do stop somewhere in Europe or Russia and take anywhere from 10-26 hours to reach Amsterdam. 

From Schiphol Airport, you can easily get a metro into the city or other major Dutch cities, or hail a cab.

Trains are a great bet to reach Amsterdam if you are anywhere in Europe and wish to travel cheap and scenic. These trains are pretty fast, clean and even luxurious so to say. There are regular direct trains that connect Amsterdam with cities like London, Manchester, Paris, Berlin, Brussels etc and you can buy a Eurail pass to ensure even cheaper travel. The rolling European hills and hamlets only endear the continent to your heart a little more with every passing mile.

Aside from trains, road trips by renting cars are also pretty much a rage in Europe right now. Imagine driving a convertible with the fields of tulips and sunflowers serenading you on both sides of brilliant smooth roads… heaven, right? Reach Amsterdam from neighbouring countries like Belgium, Germany and even UK in pretty scenic way. You can hire a car for yourself if you have an International driving licence, or take a chauffeur driven one. 

Buses are also quiet common and cheap, taking you to Amsterdam from any of the above mentioned countries.

The best way to get around in Netherlands is by cycling your way to your destination. That’s how the Dutch do it. Most of them. In Amsterdam especially, you will need to either rely on their exemplary public transport or rented bicycles, because most touristy lanes are too narrow for cars. You can use their buses, trams, ferries as well as metros, with the OV Chipkaart smart card that works everywhere.