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Centraal Station

Centraal Station

Centraal Station
4.5
Points of Interest & LandmarksArchitectural BuildingsPublic Transportation Systems
About
Completed in 1889 and located in the heart of town, this neo-Renaissance rail station was designed by P.J.H. Cuypers, the same person who designed the famous Rijksmuseum.
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Centrum
Amsterdam’s buzzing hub, with its sprawling network of tram rails and a seemingly constant flow of tourists and commuters, yields convenient access to some of the best sightseeing, shopping, and street life in Europe. Closest at hand are the Royal Palace, the quaint shops of Haalremmerdijk, the pedestrianized zones Kalverstraat and Dam Square with popular neighborhoods such as the Red Light District, and the Canal Ring hardly more than a moment’s stroll away. With the well-connected Centraal Station as Centrum’s base, it's easy to travel farther afield via one of the city’s iconic trams.
How to get there
  • Centraal Station • 1 min walk
  • Amsterdam Centraal Station • 2 min walk
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Nick F
    Greece259 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Convenient location in the city center
    Our acquaintance with the city began from here. The building has its own long history. In the very center, quite convenient transport interchange. The Centraal Station building is one of the architectural landmarks of the city. It was built in 1889 by the architect Peter Kuipers. By the way, he designed the Rijksmuseum building. Both buildings are very similar to each other, but are located at opposite ends of the historical center of Amsterdam.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 11 December 2023
  • Noraatc
    Sudbury, Massachusetts40,001 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Main transportation hub
    Centraal Station is busy, noisy, hustling and bustling with energy but surprisingly efficient. The signage to the trains and metro lines are very easy to flow, the ticket checkpoints work like a charm (charge directly to your credit card, use ApplePay, or IAmsterdam card). There are long walks from one metro line to another on occasion, but noting to worry about. The station is very clean and has plenty of places to grab a snack.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 21 December 2023
  • tezpil
    Portsmouth, United Kingdom4,717 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Modern Transport Hub in an Attractive Old Shell
    Lovely iconic building in central Amsterdam. A good point for bus and train connections. Nice to view across the water. There's plenty of shops, eateries and luggage storage and plenty of information boards. A modern hub in an old shell.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 January 2024
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia34,986 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Similar to another creation by Pierre Cuypers- the Rijksmuseum
    On this visit, like the previous one, I went straight from the train station to the Rijksmuseum and experienced deja vu. These buildings are so similar. This is not surprising, because they were built by one architect Pierre Cuypers, and in parallel. The municipality chose the places for construction from two options. The second was Leidenplein. The current building, built in 1889, separated the city from the harbor, which many did not like, because it contradicted the history and spirit of Amsterdam. Now, instead of ships from the Dutch West Indies, America and Japan, trains arrived here. At the same time, the station itself was built on an artificial island of 8,700 piles, which is not surprising for the Netherlands. There are 6 platforms at the station from which 150 thousand passengers leave and arrive daily (in 2019 there were 213 thousand). At the same time, Amsterdam station is only the second in the country in terms of traffic, second only to Utrecht. Needless to say, the station is very convenient inside: cafes, shops, escalators. Everything is like at all major railway stations in the country. ..
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 24 January 2024
  • Harrison D
    15 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    fantastic station! 🚂
    Really pretty railway station, steeped in history. Great for the history nerd, train spotter or anyone who is fascinated in architecture. Has an array of shops, toilets, and the concourse is busy but always moving due to the open space
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 27 February 2024
  • David S
    Geneva, Switzerland8 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good to visit at both day and night time
    It's good to visit with friends. It's looks beautiful in the night as the lights reflect off the water. The air is also fresh and refreshing alongside the river. You can visit with friends at night and have drinks along side the shore.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 4 March 2024
  • Yilei2014
    Tucson, Arizona69 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A vibrant city
    We got there pretty late in the afternoon. It was dark already when we took a train from airport hotel to downtown. We can feel the Christmas atmosphere. Tourist boat in the canal is running. A public event was ongoing near the Centraal on Palestine human right. It is such a vibrant city.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 5 March 2024
  • chrissieb94
    Dorset, United Kingdom3,302 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very Impressive Building
    A very impressive station building dominating the area at the end of the Damrak. It’s close to the cruise terminal, with transport links via trams, canal boats, ferry boats, and Eurostar trains too. It was extremely busy and once outside, the cyclists rules do take care as their speeds are impressive if not dangerous!
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 26 May 2024
  • Thomas V
    Oakland, California18,505 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Essential to this Country
    We passed through this big busy train station many times. The Netherlands is famous for excellent public transport, so there are trains everywhere. In Amsterdam they arrive at this big station, which can be very crowded and chaotic. Many of the city trams come here. It is not pretty, but it functions well and is essential.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 22 June 2024
  • lithlith
    924 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Central Station Amsterdam
    A visit to Central Station in Amsterdam is an automatic for those traveling to or from the airport by train. We found the train station lovely as well as easy to use the tap to pay method to get to where we wanted to go by train. Amsterdam is very walkable, so once out of the train station, it only takes a few minutes to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city before you're wandering through the quiet canals.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 22 July 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles17,864 reviews
Excellent
8,333
Very good
7,216
Average
1,937
Poor
247
Terrible
131

harraj s
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
beautiful train service. 11/10 would recommend visiting to a friend, since all you are fwronds. you may think, alas but this is but the train station of the capital city of the dutch. well honey, thats where you are undoubtedly incorrect. your parents would be ashamed of you fr thinking like so. the trains? exquisite. the tickets? affordable. the people? many. are they helpful? yes. hotel? trivago. this train station is a must visit landmark for those visiting the dutchland. i spent many an hour walking around this architectural magic admiring the artistic building in which public transport is accessible and easily available.
Written 9 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Martin G
10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
A very busy station but surprisingly very pleasant to hang around in, unlike the awful stress-filled UK stations with their incessant irritating automated announcements and delayed/cancelled trains a plenty. There are shops and special connecting metros, trams, buses, and ferries all in one place for you to explore in all directions. Like with everything in the Netherlands, it is well run and managed. Even when it was undergoing a huge reconstruction over the last few years (now complete) it never fell short of functioning 100% and now the whole building looks absolutely awesome with its new addition to the rear facing the river - a huge steel and glass vault housing the new interchange. From across the river, you can see the city's name proudly emblazoned accross its gigantic train shed roof! Impressive.
Written 1 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gray's Reviews
Timaru, New Zealand1,421 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
There's the station and there's the station. The difference ?
There's the platform area which is extensive and modern but with no personnel to guide or assist travellers. Then there's the shopping area within the lower reaches of the building which again are modern but are essentially hidden away unless you know they're there or, like us, you find them.
We love being near trains so there are plenty to see, but some more personal touches would make the experience of being at the station or traveling for the first time, would really make a difference.
Written 22 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Evie
4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
The Station is efficient and a great place to start your exploration into Amsterdam. There is currently a ton of construction going on and the Station and the city are jam packed full of tourists. So, for people who don't like crowds - be prepared. But the service is easy to use, transport is almost always on time and can take you wherever you need to go in the Netherlands. And don't forget to head to the back side to get a view of the north side!
Written 29 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Grant Gullicksen
San Francisco, CA15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019 • Friends
Everytime that I come from the airport or from Paris or Brussels or from Rotterdam I come through this station . I also buy my tickets here for all my out going rides too . I first discovered this Central station in 1987 on my first trip to Amsterdam . It still hasn't lost it's Charm and it still makes me feel welcome Everytime . I like the Shedule board on the Wall that tells about all the trains leaving and coming and what tracks they leave on and what time they leave too . Also the Train number too .This train stops at the Airport about every 20 minutes and goes downtown to Amsterdams Central station . And I walk out and find my street car number to take me to my hotel . Great station and very people friendly .
Written 4 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nguyen
Kehl, Germany26 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021 • Friends
A station with good connection to the public transportation like metro, bus, ferry and train.
Some shops and also a convenience store.
You can get the pltic card (for check-in and check-ouy) at the big yellow machines, which also give the normal train tickets, it cost 7.5euros, you can charge the amount up, as much as you like, but to get onto the train you need at least 20euros on it.
Something a bit weird is that the passages are only open from 11am to 9pm, so be careful of that, otherwise you have to walk around it.
Written 12 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Modeballon
10 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Solo
This huge station was surprisingly easy to navigate because of space and excellent information boards. Easy to use multi lingual ticket machines too. Adjacent tram stops from/to all city areas made the full journey for a day out worry free. Quite a beautiful building too.
Written 7 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sanjeev M
Nashik, India197 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
1) The grandiose building is impressive and maintained well. This is the main railway station of Amsterdam where all major in/out rail routes converge.
2) The station is old fashioned, means all platforms are on same level, as against many modern railway stations where platforms are on different levels. However the station is clean and well maintained.
3) There are many shops, coffee shops, breakfast places and restaurants inside the building. We tasted two coffees shops which served extremely good and hot food. Two distinctive shops we visited were Delft Potteries and Henry Willig Cheese, both with excellent choices.
4) We can find good hotels to stay just near the station. There is a canal network in front from where we can take canal cruise tours. We also have all tram stops, from where we can travel to anywhere in Amsterdam by tram.
5) Moreover, all major tourist spots are on a walking distance, some short, some long.
6) Overall a must visit place when you are in Amsterdam.
Written 19 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jonny
Whitley Bay, UK636 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019 • Friends
Impressive station housed in a beautiful building in the heart of Amsterdam.

Trains are actually pretty cheap here, compared to the UK, and easy to get around the local area and to/from the Airport. Tram stops are located directly outside too.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BusterEngland
Bourne, UK349 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
After arriving, we found that our hotel, NH Collection Barbizon to be only 200 yards from the station so we didn't need transport to get there. The station is a real hub. Eurostar and Intercity trains arrive and depart all the time, and it is the central point for buses and trams, a free ferry across the River Ij out the back door, and a big ticket office and Canal cruises outside the front door. It made life very easy.
Written 7 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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CENTRAAL STATION (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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