Can I leave the airport during a layover on an international flight? (rent, hotel)
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I'm thinking about catching a flight from Seattle to Budapest that's gonna have like a 6-hour layover in Amsterdam (there are other flights I might take, the specific city where the layover is isn't important here).
I've only been overseas once, a long time ago, and I didn't organize that trip, so I'm not familiar with the immigration/international security process. How much additional time would that add, for an American citizen taking a layover in an EU country en route to another EU country, as opposed to the typical time to get through security on a flight that's entirely within the US? Is it just another 5 or 10 minutes for the vast majority of cases, assuming I don't have any drugs or weapons or whatever on me?
Is an itinerary like the following realistic?
0:00 - plane lands
0:20 - be off the plane and in the gate
0:40 - pick up suitcase
(go briefly into the city, look around, take a few pictures)
4:00 - be back at the airport, get in line for security
6:00 - next plane leaves
0:00 - plane lands
0:20 - be off the plane and in the gate
0:40 - pick up suitcase
(go briefly into the city, get high, look around, take a few pictures, get high again)
4:00 - be back at the airport, get in line for security
6:00 - next plane leaves
My edit(s) are bolded.
Just kidding. But, seriously, it's a great idea. One of my favorite layovers was 8 hours in San Salvador. Check the arriving country and make sure you're good with your Visa, if necessary. I had to purchase a brief $33 tourist visa in El Salvador in order to exit the airport.
The answer to the title question is YES, as long as you don't need a visa, or are willing to buy one, which can be up to $100 (Qatar) or more.
Amsterdam, it is quick and hassle-free. There is a shopping mall in the terminal building, but out the door, you can't take much of a walk, it is busy streets and ugly buildings with no shop-fronts or open space..
The answer to the title question is YES, as long as you don't need a visa, or are willing to buy one, which can be up to $100 (Qatar) or more.
Amsterdam, it is quick and hassle-free. There is a shopping mall in the terminal building, but out the door, you can't take much of a walk, it is busy streets and ugly buildings with no shop-fronts or open space..
But they have taxis and buses, or he could rent a bike, no?
He needs a plan for what to see not how to see it... because the "how" part it's easy and all that is in detail explained in my links.
I have done that in several airports - the most memorable was the bus tour in Reykjavik and the 23 hrs layover in Istambul. Actually, when looking for flights, I am intentionally looking for a long layover in places that I didn't see, yet.
But they have taxis and buses, or he could rent a bike, no?
He needs a plan for what to see not how to see it... because the "how" part it's easy and all that is in detail explained in my links.
I have done that in several airports - the most memorable was the bus tour in Reykjavik and the 23 hrs layover in Istambul. Actually, when looking for flights, I am intentionally looking for a long layover in places that I didn't see, yet.
I don’t know if I’d rent a bike in a foreign country after a long (and possibly sleepless) flight with a short layover.
Icelandair has the best “layover” offer - a few years ago I stayed 2 days on my way back and drove the golden circle route in a cheap Dacia 4WD rental and stayed in a cheap apartment in central Reykjavik.
While it can be done, I always err on the side of caution as missing a connection can be expensive. No matter which city where the connection is include the time to pickup bags, transportation into city, traffic delays, return to airport, reentry/security, time of day etc... You can run out of time fairly quickly. Things do happen!
Qatar Airlines and Turkish have the best layover deals. If your layover is long enough, they'll pay for your hotel for one night so you can explore the cities.
As for your plan, totally do it. I've done the same multiple times. London, Lima, Munich. Just make sure you've budgeted your time well. Also, if you're just on a layover, you don't get your bag, as it's likely been coded through to your final destination.
...(there are other flights I might take, the specific city where the layover is isn't important here).
Yes it is. It's not EU membership that matters, it's participation in the "Schengen" treaty, which allows paperless travel between member states. Whenever you land in a Schengen country (for example both the Netherlands and Hungary are members) you will go through passport control/immigration upon entering, but if your bags are checked through, you'll go through customs at the final destination, say Budapest.
If you land in a non-Schengen country, say the UK, then you'd have to go through UK border controls on entering (which can take a very long time) and then go through the Schengen border when you land somewhere within the Schengen zone. If you stay in the airport in a non-Schengen country (say Heathrow) you won't need to pass through passport control or customs, although there will be a security check before your next flight.
In the case of Amsterdam, your timing scenario is a bit too rushed if you need to claim bags (why?) but it's reasonable to estimate you could be in central Amsterdam within an 60 to 90 minutes of landing, if you go straight to the train station inside Schiphol and catch the (fast, frequent) train to Centraal Station.
Counting a conservative time for clearing security for the connecting flight, that would probably give you a couple of hours within the central part of the city, enough time to look at the canals, eat a pancake, have a beer or... and make it back. But I wouldn't dally.
In other connection cities - London, Paris, Frankfurt... I probably wouldn't do it as the distances and times are less favorable.
The answer is...it depends...it depends on WHERE and it depends on your luck. And it depends on your tolerance for stress and uncertainty. And it depends on whether your ticket is changeable or not.
I have been stuck in customs/ immigration lines for an hour or more. And not just Italy- I am talking LA.
Of course, sometimes you get lucky and your flight arrives early- maybe by an hour sometimes.
A couple of hours doesn't give you a chance to do much of anything. Either schedule for at least an overnight or spend the bucks on a lounge visit.
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