I took a slightly unconventional route when heading to Stockholm in December. Due to a mixture of late booking and being poor, what would’ve been a two-and-a-half-hour direct flight from Manchester to Arlanda Airport actually took me 12 hours. Each way.

But it wasn’t all bad – this arrangement saved me a few pretty pennies and gave me an 8-hour stopover in Amsterdam on each leg of my journey.

I fully intended on making the most of my time on the way home by heading into Amsterdam entre, but on my journey out to Stockholm, funds and morale were low. Having been out for a regrettable amount of drinks the night before, I decided it was probably best to just mope around the airport. Within 20 minutes of arriving, I was sitting in Starbucks with my Mango-Passionfruit Frappuccino and thinking ‘now what?‘

But it turns out, Schiphol Airport is amazing. Here’s what I got up to on my first stopover in Amsterdam.

Rijksmuseum

A quick Google told me that Schiphol is home to the world’s first permanent museum in an airport, as well as a library. The museum is an annex of the world famous Rijksmuseum, which shows art chronicling the development of Amsterdam in various different artistic styles.

Rijksmuseum, Schiphol Airport

The exhibition room is only small, but it really does feel a world away from the bustling airport. There is also, of course, an extensive giftshop.

Quirky interiors

The space around and beneath the museum is full of quirky furniture I really didn’t expect to find in an airport: a grand piano (which really works), bean bags, arm chairs, pod chairs, cushions and benches. It’s a great space to chill out or nap in – there are plug sockets for charging devices everywhere.

High-end sitting room

In the adjacent cafe you can also eat your meal in an Alice-in-Wonderland style giant teacup – if that’s your cup of tea.

Down the rabbit hole… with a croissant

Comfort chairs

After perusing the museum, I headed to the comfort chairs. God knows why more airports don’t have more of these. Comfort chairs might not look all that comfortable, but I have never sat in a more heavily nap-inducing chair. And in Schiphol Airport, they are everywhere.

Parklife

The final bit of proof I needed that I was in some sort of airport-nirvana came when I had gone back through security to make my connecting flight. That’s when I stumbled upon the park.

Yes, that’s right – Schiphol airport has gone to the effort to recreate a park within the terminal, complete with faux trees, birdhouses, fake grass, beanbags, log motifs and false back-drop scenery. They even have a wildlife soundtrack of birds tweeting and dogs barking. Again, there are a shed load of plugs, comfort chairs and games for kids.

The park

I was almost sad to board my plane and leave.

And so, while I left Schiphol Airport excited at the prospect of getting out to Amsterdam city centre on my return, I really did have a great day spent solely in the airport itself. It’s never going to rank highly on a list of things to do when visiting Amsterdam, but it’s good to know that if the weather is bad, funds are low or if you just don’t have the energy to make it to the city centre, there is plenty to keep you entertained at Schiphol. In my experience, only Singapore does more to make you feel at home.

What’s been your favourite stopover? Comment below!