Amsterdam (Passenger Terminal Amsterdam)

About Passenger Terminal Amsterdam

Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) is the city’s main cruise terminal, opened in 2000 on Piet Heinkade along the IJ waterfront. It handles around 100 ocean-going cruise calls a year plus river cruise traffic, with a typical turnaround day moving several thousand passengers across check-in, baggage and shore excursions. The terminal sits about 3 km east of Amsterdam Centraal and is one of the closer cruise ports in Europe to a city’s historic centre.

The terminal building is single-level for arriving passengers, with a clearly signposted exit onto Piet Heinkade. From there, taxis, coaches and pre-booked transfers use the dedicated kerbside lane immediately outside. Tram line 26 runs from the terminal back to Centraal in around 8 minutes for visitors travelling light, but with cruise luggage a private transfer is the simpler option.

Getting from Passenger Terminal Amsterdam to Amsterdam

The drive to the historic centre is short, typically 8 to 15 minutes, along Piet Heinkade and Prins Hendrikkade. Hotels in De Wallen, Dam Square and Jordaan are all within that window. Hotels in De Pijp, Vondelpark and Museumplein add 5 to 10 minutes depending on which canal-belt crossing the driver takes.

For onward travel to Schiphol the same day, allow 30 to 45 minutes door to door, with the A10 ring road handling most of the journey. On peak cruise turnaround days (typically May to September on Saturdays), the immediate streets around PTA can back up, so a pre-booked driver who knows the routing in and out is worth more than a hailed cab.

Terminals and pickup points

PTA operates as a single passenger terminal, with one main entrance facing Piet Heinkade. Pre-booked drivers meet inside the terminal at the main entrance with a name sign, then walk to the dedicated pickup lane on Piet Heinkade for loading. The terminal address is Piet Heinkade 27, 1019 BR Amsterdam.

For river cruises, the embarkation point varies (some lines berth at PTA, others at Veemkade or further west near Westerdok). Confirm the exact berth at booking, and the driver will be repositioned to the right kerb.

Common transfer routes from Passenger Terminal Amsterdam

• PTA to Amsterdam city centre / Dam Square: 3 km, 8–15 minutes
• PTA to Amsterdam Centraal Station: 3 km, 5–10 minutes
• PTA to Schiphol Airport (AMS): 22 km, 30–45 minutes
• PTA to Eindhoven Airport (EIN): 125 km, 90–110 minutes
• PTA to Rotterdam: 75 km, 60–75 minutes
• PTA to Brussels: 210 km, 130–160 minutes

Booking your Passenger Terminal Amsterdam transfer

Cruise turnaround days are unforgiving on timing, especially when one shuttle bus delay can cascade across the whole queue at the kerb. With a pre-booked transfer, your driver is in position before disembarkation, holds a name sign at the main terminal entrance and uses the dedicated kerbside lane on Piet Heinkade for loading.

The fare is fixed at checkout, free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before pickup and the first 60 minutes of waiting are included. Payment is handled online via Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, iDEAL, Wero or PayPal, with no extra charge for cruise pickups.