Even though the best way to get around Amsterdam is by bike and nobody would recommend you get a car if you are planning on living in the city, taxis are very common. Despite taxis not being the first option for most Dutch, tourists and expats tend to use them a lot in order to move around the city, go to the airport or avoid getting wet during the rainy days.
Amsterdam has uber and many taxi companies with a relatively high rate. The international taxi company, Uber, is very commonly used in the capital of the Netherlands, with Ubervan, UberX and Uber Black available too. As always, you can order it on your phone and pay automatically.
Taxis in general and Uber in particular, have a relatively higher rate here than in other European capitals. The good part about using Uber is that you know beforehand how much the trip is going to be, which is an advantage in comparison to taxis. It is also good to indicate on your phone your location and not have to worry about explaining where you are staying.
Uber in Amsterdam
Driving in Amsterdam is not recommended: add up to the difficulty of driving close to a canal with people cycling all around you and tourists walking around taking photos in the middle of the street, having to pay a fortune to park your car close to the city centre.
A great solution for any Amsterdamer or tourist to move around the city if you don’t want to get wet from the rain, you are getting late or you are having a lazy day is getting a taxi.
Instead of getting a regular taxi, one of the best things to do is downloading the app of Uber and ordering one if you need that type of service. It is available in Amsterdam and it is a great option.
Why Uber is a Great Option to Use in Amsterdam
- International: Uber is an international company and one of the advantages that they have is being able to use the same app you use for your country but in Amsterdam. The way Uber works is that it tells you according to your location what type of cars are available, how far away and where, which means if it is available in another country, you are also able to use your app, without having to install anything, add any other type of personal information, etc. Besides, having the reliability of knowing how it works and that it works while being abroad is priceless. At least for me.
- All types of Uber: you can count on finding Ubervan (larger minivans for more people if you need to), UberX (lower cost than average Uber) and Uber Black (VIP taxi sedans that sometimes costs a little bit more). It is a great advantage if you are looking for a specific type of car if you want to use Uber with many more people and so on.
- Price: Even though Amsterdam is a safe city and I don’t really think anyone would have many troubles while being there, but being asked for more money for the same product it is very common. Taking a taxi at the airport or the centre would end up being more expensive if you don’t arrange it in advance alone or through the hotel. With Uber, you will be able to see exactly how much you will have to pay beforehand. Therefore, even if it normally isn’t the cheapest option, you know for sure what you will end up paying.
- Payment Method: maybe coming from another European country it is not the biggest advantage… but if you come from a country with a different currency, then it is very convenient to have Uber connected to your phone and pay thought there.
- Location: if you are in the centre of Amsterdam sometimes it is quite hard to find a taxi. Unlike other cities like the filmographic New York taxis passing by the street every minute, seeing a car at all in certain parts, downtown, it is almost impossible. If you don’t know where to find a taxi and you don’t want to call a taxi, it is way easier to just send your location to your Uber, which will also indicate where the car is waiting for you when it arrives.
- Airport Uber: Yes!! you can have Uber coming to pick you up at the airport. I have done it once to go to the centre of Amsterdam and it was rather convenient. Of course, it wouldn’t really go pick you up at the entrance of the airport but your phone will indicate you where you have to go get the Uber driver.
- Waiting time: another advantage of using Uber, in comparison to calling a taxi, is that you know exactly when and for how long you have to wait until your ride arrives. This means less time waiting outside under the rain, less time in a corner just hanging there or maybe it is enough to convince you to walk home or back to your hotel.
Personally, I have had many good experiences with Uber and these are all the good tips I can think of. Therefore, I can’t recommend enough downloading the Uber App before traveling to Amsterdam, at least to have the option to do it if you need it. You never know if you need to get a taxi to go to the airport, if you need to quickly reach the restaurant where you have a booking or if it started raining in the middle of your walk and you got lost.
Uber Prices: Estimate
According to my experience, doing approximately 8-10 km would cost you 25-35 euros or more if the demand is too high. On the other hand, taking an Uber from Schiphol to the centre of Amsterdam (let’s say Museumplein, for example), would cost you at least 60 euros, which would also depend on availability and other things.
Amsterdam Tips gives some extra information about Uber rates:
| UberX | UberBlack | UberVan | |
| Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam RAI | €19-25 | €33-43 | €36-47 |
| Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam Central | €28-38 | €49-64 | €53-69 |
| Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam Zuid | €18-25 | €32-42 | €35-45 |
| Amsterdam RAI to Leidseplein | €8-12 | €16-22 | €18-23 |
| Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam Bijlmer-Arena | €25-33 | €43-56 | €47-61 |
If you are thinking: this is really expensive, which it is, indeed, you will have to consider that Amsterdam, in general, is expensive, including taxis. Taking a taxi to the airport from the centre will cost you around 50-60 euros, a taxi to go 4km away will also cost around 15-20 euros but unless you ask for a taxi at the hotel where you are staying, you don’t know if they are going to ask for more money than they should.
Important to Know: Inconvenience of Using Uber
Amsterdam, all in all, is a very crowded city and like any other capitals in the world, there are always troubles and inconveniences, even with good ideas likes Uber.
What can go wrong with Uber? Well, I have experienced many times that there is a really high demand for people using Uber, which means prices go higher and you end up paying way more for the same trip you normally do for less.
Another option is that the same taxi that confirmed that it is picking you up, stopped to pick up some other Uber customer that was closer to their way and that you end up waiting even more for another taxi to come to pick you up. That can end up being disappointing but at least you know that you will get another car, eventually.
Uber Eats in Amsterdam
Besides the fact that Uber is very popular in Amsterdam, another popular invention from Uber is Uber eats, but something different to the original Uber and what Uber eats does in the rest of the world is: Uber eats are bicycles instead of in the world capital of bicycles.
If you download the Uber Eats App or if you already have it on your phone, you will be able to add your postcode as always and check all the restaurants that do deliveries to you around your area.
Take away in a city like Amsterdam is very common. With Uber, you can check exactly how much each delivery will cost you and what you can order around you. There are many other options for delivery but Uber is always a popular one. Another popular one in Amsterdam is Thuisbezorgd, the Dutch version of Uber eats, also with bicycles (even though every now and then they also come with a scooter) where you will also have a long list of restaurants to choose from.
UberEats is available from 11 am until 11 pm in the Amsterdam area, every day of the week. The exact time will also depend on the restaurant is open, but it is a good option for any given moment of the day. Some of the most popular restaurants you will be able to find in Uber Eats Amsterdam are:
- Subway
- Poke Bowl
- McDonald’s
- Domino’s
- Pasta
- The Butcher
- Mr Sushi
- etc
