Eating and drinking in the departure lounge
Once you are through security, you have access to the departure lounges with a wide choice:
- Starbucks & Coffee Company: coffee, tea, sandwiches and pastries — standard quality, higher prices than outside the airport
- Burger King / McDonald's: found in several departure lounges, quick and predictable
- Aanzet (Amsterdam brown café): a real brown café in the middle of the airport, bitterballen and beer
- Gooische Brunch: good breakfast and lunch, popular for early flights
- La Place: extensive buffet-style restaurant with Dutch dishes
- Sushi Daily: fresh sushi at the counter, good for a light bite
Expect prices everywhere that are 20–40% higher than in town. A coffee easily costs €4–€5, a sandwich €7–€10.
Good to know
Schiphol has more than 70 places to eat and cafés, spread across the departure and arrivals halls. Most can only be reached after the security check.
Eating cheaply at Schiphol: tips
- Albert Heijn to go: found both before and after security — by far the cheapest option for sandwiches, sushi, salads and snacks
- Bring an empty water bottle: fill it at the drinking water tap after security (Schiphol has several water points)
- Eat before you arrive at Schiphol: prices in Haarlem, Beverwijk or Amsterdam are considerably lower
- Bring a packed lunch: liquids are restricted, but bread and fruit can always go through security
Shopping at Schiphol: what is worth it?
Schiphol is known for its extensive range of shops — but not everything is equally good value:
Genuinely good value:
- Duty-free perfume and cosmetics (up to 20–30% cheaper than in the shops)
- Alcohol (whisky, gin, cognac) in the duty free
- Products exclusive to Schiphol (Delft miniature houses, Gouda cheese)
Not necessarily cheaper:
- Electronics — comparable to or sometimes more expensive than bol.com
- Clothing — convenience prices, no bargains
- Magazines and books — standard bookshop prices
Rituals, Douglas and Swarovski shops are there but are no cheaper than in town.
Waiting at Schiphol: what can you do?
A long wait does not have to be boring at Schiphol:
- Free WiFi: available in all terminals, strong signal
- Schiphol Airport Library: a real library in the departure lounge with free books and magazines
- Art and exhibitions: Schiphol has permanently changing art exhibitions — look out for the Rijksmuseum exhibition in the departure lounge
- Kids Forest: a playground for children in the departure lounge
- Meditation and quiet room: located by the lounge area, open to all passengers
- Schiphol Casino: located in Departure Hall 3, for over-18s
Good to know
Schiphol has its own branch of the Rijksmuseum, free to visit. Location: Holland Boulevard, between piers E and F, after passport control — so you can only reach it when you fly outside Schengen.
In the arrivals hall: picking up and waiting
Are you waiting for someone arriving at Schiphol? In the arrivals hall (ground floor, outside customs) there are also various options:
- Café Brasserie Loetje: close to the arrivals hall, a Dutch restaurant for lunch and drinks
- Grand Café Schiphol Plaza: a spacious café in Schiphol Plaza, suitable for waiting
- Starbucks in Schiphol Plaza: coffee and a place to work on your laptop
Is AMS Taxi Schiphol picking up you or your guest? Then the driver waits upstairs at Departure Hall 2, exit F. We track the flight live, so the driver knows exactly when the passenger arrives.
