Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Winter art exhibit at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Art, ,

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has a lot going for it.

Besides being just 20 minutes from downtown Amsterdam, the airport is just a fun place to hang around.

Amsterdan Schiphol play area for kids

There are really fun play areas for kids, a casino for adults, a short-stay Yotel hotel perfect for napping and refreshing up, lounge chairs, a library and some really great artwork.

The airport is also home to a branch of Amsterdam’s infamous Rijksmuseum.

Loocated on Holland Boulevard, post-security, between Piers E and F, the museum is open every day and there is no admission fee charged.

The museum has a permanent exhibition of ten works by Dutch masters of the Golden Age as well as temporary exhibitions that change several times a year.

The current special exhibition, ‘Dutch Winters,’ will be up through March 2011.

Isaac Israëls, Two Girls in the Snow, ca. 1890-94

Traveling Art exhibition at Schiphol Airport

Air Travel, Art, Baggage, Exhibits, Fun Stuff, Layover, Openings, ,

Traveling art show at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has a new Traveling Art exhibition space devoted to the work of Dutch artists and designers.  The work displayed will change every three months, but right now the exhibit cases include “Flexible Volume” bags designed Gonnie Janssen.

For example, the Harmonica Bag has a flexible bottom that can be adjusted to its contents.

Harmonica Bag

And the senz° umbrella, which seems to be both stylish and, as a series of videos show, incredibly wind resistant.

I can’t wait to see what pops up next!

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has world’s first airport library

Airport guides, Airport shops, Alcohol, Exhibits, Layover,

Here’s a brilliant idea:

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has partnered with the Dutch Public Libraries to open the world’s first airport library.  The library is just past passport control, on Holland Boulevard, and offers passengers waiting for a flight a place to read books in 29 different languages, listen to music, watch films and download material free of charge.

This from an airport that already offers travelers a great collection of art, a casino, a seafood bar, a chocolate bar, a fun forest for kids, a branch of the Rijksmuseum and lots more.

Schiphol opens world's first airport library

Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands was on hand for the opening of the Schiphol Airport Library on Holland Boulevard

Now… when we will have library branches in US airports? 

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport upgrades departure gate experience

Layover, Museums, ,

I’m a big fan of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. The amenities there – from the play areas and the first-class art collection to the plentiful lounge chairs, the casino and floating branch of the Rijksmuseum – make long layovers more of an adventure than a chore.

Now they’ve turned their attention to the departure gate experience with a new waiting area intended to make the time passengers spend waiting for flights “as pleasant and inspirational as possible.”

Inspirational? That’s a tall order. But the first new-style gate area rolled out, which will be used first by Cathay Pacific, does look different and quite promising. The seating area looks more like a living room than a ‘holding area.’ And there’s a concierge desk, binoculars for plane spotting, water fountains, work desks and “daylight capturing devices” that will “change the lighting from ‘warm’ to cool’ during the boarding announcement in order to get people going.”

One problem: if these new gate are as nice they sound, it may be hard to get people to go!

Schiphol getting world’s first airport library

Air Travel, Airports, Delays, Entertainment, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Layover, Reading, , ,

Library at Strahov Monastery

(Strahov Monastery library, Prague. Photos courtesy Curious Expeditions , via Flickr)

Over the years I’ve heard from one or two US airports that were toying with the idea of letting their local library have a cart somewhere in the terminal where travelers could check out and return library books.

But so far, it seems nothing much has come of that.

Now comes word that, come July, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport will have the world’s first airport library, complete with books, films and music. According to Radio Netherlands:

As the airport library is a place where people will pass time and then leave on their flights, visitors will not be allowed to take books, DVDs or other items away. There will, however, be a separate ‘download room’. A new device will allow visitors to not only watch films, but also to download them to mobile phones.

A brilliant idea! Hopefully other airports will team up with local libraries and do the same.

And, for fun and inspiration, take a look at this Librophiliac Love Letter from Curious Expeditions – a round-up of some of the world’s most beautiful libraries. Schiphol’s new library may not end up looking like any of these, but I bet they’ll create something quite inviting.