What to do at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport during a long transit?

Question

I have a 12 hours transit at Amsterdam Schiphol airport but I have no visa to exit the airport, and all hotels inside are fully booked. Shops and restaurants are all closed by the time I arrive at the airport. Are there areas to relax and get some sleep? What else is there to do inside?

Answer 1

I suppose by this time OP has already finished his/her layover. For future visitors, here's another suggestion: Visit the Rijksmuseum at Schiphol at no charge! It is open daily from 6:00 – 20:00 and is located between piers E and F.

http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/see-and-do/things-to-do/museums-and-galleries/museums/rijksmuseum-amsterdam-at-schiphol-airport

Also see this list:

https://www.schiphol.nl/en/what-to-do-at-schiphol/relax/after-security/list/

Answer 2

I recently traveled through Schiphol and there are plenty of comfortable seating areas (well padded couches) and lots of power points so you should be very comfortable.

The specific area I had in mind was next to departures gate E08.

There are also automated relax/massage chairs that operate by coin which you can use to time out for a while.

There are 24 hours food and beverage shops, but strangely available in arrivals and not departure.

There are also meditation areas where you can go to relax (although I am not sure if these are open 24 hours).

So you should easily be able to spend 12 hours.

Answer 3

When I had a long layover at Schiphol I found the airport park a nice place to kill some time. In particular you can actually get outside and have some fresh air, if the weather is nice.