Amsterdam Central Station (Amsterdam Centraal), on Stationsplein (1012 AB Amsterdam), is both the city's main gateway and one of its most photographed landmarks. Designed by Pierre Cuypers, the architect of the Rijksmuseum, it opened on 15 October 1889 on three artificial islands reclaimed from the IJ. The station is open day and night, and you can walk freely into the halls; only the platforms require a ticket. National and international trains, the metro, trams, regional buses and free ferries to Amsterdam-Noord all meet here.
Highlights
Pierre Cuypers' facade
This long red-brick facade, trimmed with pale stone, sculptures and coats of arms, blends Gothic and Renaissance influences in the spirit of the Rijksmuseum built in the same period. Of the two central towers, one carries a clock and the other a dial showing the wind direction. The building stands on 8,687 wooden piles driven into the soft ground.
The underwater bike park
Opened in 2023 beneath the Open Havenfront basin in front of the station, the Stationsplein bike park holds 7,000 bicycles; the IJboulevard one, at the back, holds 4,000. Open 24 hours a day, it is free for the first 24 hours, and its bright halls beneath the water are worth a look.
The Cuyperspassage
This tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists runs under the tracks and links the city centre with the IJ waterfront. Its walls are covered in blue-and-white Delft-style tiles showing a large scene of ships, and bikes ride in a separate lane.
The former first-class waiting room
Along platform 2, the station's old waiting rooms were long home to the Grand Café Restaurant 1e Klas. It went bankrupt and closed in August 2025. After the murals were restored, the travelling restaurant De Maaltuin is serving five-course evening dinners there, by reservation, from 4 September to 25 October 2026; NS is still looking for a permanent use of the rooms. The Royal Waiting Room (Koninklijke Wachtkamer), reserved for the royal family, is not open to visitors.
Ferries to Amsterdam-Noord
Behind the station, on the IJ side, the free GVB ferries cross the river: the F3 to Buiksloterweg, day and night, for the [EYE Filmmuseum](/fr/attractions/eye-filmmuseum) and [A'DAM Lookout](/fr/attractions/a-dam-lookout), and the F4 to the NDSM shipyard.
Opening hours and services
The station is open 24 hours a day; at night, only some entrances stay open. You will find NS automatic luggage lockers, plus shops and cafés in the underground passages. The I amsterdam Store, a tourist information point where you can collect the I amsterdam City Card, is close by at De Ruijterkade 28b-d, open on weekdays from 9am to 7pm.
Infos pratiques
Tips
To photograph the whole facade, stand on the far side of the Open Havenfront basin or on Prins Hendrikkade. The halls and passages are very busy: keep your belongings close in the crowds and only buy tickets from the official machines and counters. Coming from the airport, the train is the easiest option (see [Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam city centre](/fr/articles/aeroport-schiphol-centre-amsterdam)).
How to get there
Stationsplein, 1012 AB Amsterdam. Metro lines 51, 52, 53 and 54 (Centraal Station stop); around ten tram lines stop on Stationsplein, including line 2 to Museumplein; regional buses from the bus station on the IJ side. Direct train from Schiphol Airport in about 15 to 20 minutes; free ferries from Amsterdam-Noord; on foot, 10 minutes from Dam Square along Damrak.
Opening hours
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