Private Driver
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is canals, bridges and bicycles, in that order of priority. A private driver at your disposal is what keeps a business day or a family visit on schedule in a city where stopping a car is the hardest part of driving one.
My Private Service provides a private chauffeur service in Amsterdam, airport transfers Schiphol, executive car hire and VIP transportation available 24/7.
The canals are beautiful.
They are also the road plan.
The canal ring is one way, narrow and shared with thousands of bicycles that have right of way. Parking in the centre is among the most expensive in Europe and often simply unavailable. The distances are tiny, which is exactly why the time goes on the last hundred metres rather than the journey.
Someone else deals with the bridges
An hourly booking here buys the stopping and the waiting. The chauffeur knows which bank of which canal a car can use, waits while you are inside, and holds what you are carrying.
- From four hours, with the same chauffeur from the first pickup to the last drop off
- Drop-off points chosen on the usable side of the canal rather than the nearest address
- Unlimited stops inside the agreed area, so a museum running long costs nothing
- Luggage and purchases stay in the car between stops
- The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht handled inside the same booking rather than as separate transfers
Amsterdam and the Randstad
The Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh and the Concertgebouw, with drop-offs at the right entrance.
The Jordaan, the Nine Streets and the Dam, reached from whichever side is open.
The business district south of the centre, with the courts, the banks and the RAI nearby.
Government, embassies and the international courts, under an hour on the motorway.
Spring only, roughly late March to mid May, as a full day with the car staying with you.
Seventeen kilometres south-west, plus the private aviation terminal.
A centre built for boats and bicycles.
And a country that fits inside an afternoon.
Nobody should drive themselves in the canal belt. The streets are one lane wide with water on one side, the bridges are narrow, and the bicycle always has priority both legally and practically. A chauffeur who works here knows which quays a car can actually stop on, where a hotel entrance is reachable and where it is not, and how to time a pickup so you are not standing on a bridge in the rain while a car circles the block.
That is why the hourly booking in Amsterdam tends to be used as a base rather than as a tour. The car waits somewhere sensible while you walk the few hundred metres that make the city worth visiting, then takes you to the Zuidas for a meeting, out to the RAI for a fair, or across to a restaurant in the east that would be a long ride otherwise. Between stops the shopping and the coats stay in the car.
The other advantage is the size of the country. The Hague and Rotterdam are short runs, Delft and Haarlem shorter, Keukenhof fills a spring morning, and Antwerp and Brussels are a comfortable day out with time to do something at the other end. Since the booking is counted in hours rather than in journeys, one of those can be decided the same morning.
On the practical side, the environmental zone covering the city applies to our vehicles like any other and they meet it. Schiphol pickups, hotel doors on the Herengracht and private addresses in the Jordaan are all handled the same way: the chauffeur confirms the point where a car can legally and sensibly stand, and tells you before you go out.
The distances are small and that changes how a day is built. Schiphol is about eighteen kilometres from the centre, usually half an hour. Haarlem is twenty kilometres, Keukenhof around thirty-five, The Hague sixty, Delft seventy, Rotterdam eighty, Utrecht fifty, Antwerp a hundred and sixty and Brussels two hundred and ten. Inside Amsterdam almost nothing takes more than twenty minutes by car, and the walking between the car and the door is often the longer part.
What is the minimum booking?
Four hours. For a single Schiphol run the point to point transfer is better value and we will say so.
How close can the car get to a canal address?
Usually to the same canal, not always to the same side. The chauffeur picks the bank a car can actually use and tells you which bridge to cross.
Are stops limited?
No, not inside the area agreed at booking. A museum visit running long simply moves the afternoon.
Can you do The Hague or Rotterdam in the same day?
Yes, both are under an hour and both are routine as part of a full day booking rather than a separate transfer.
Is Keukenhof possible?
Yes, in season, roughly late March to mid May. It works best as a full day, since the approach roads slow down considerably at weekends.
Which vehicles are available?
Mercedes E-Class and S-Class for one to three passengers, V-Class for groups and luggage.
Can a car reach my hotel in the canal belt?
Usually to the door, sometimes to the nearest quay where stopping is allowed. The chauffeur checks it in advance and tells you the exact point rather than letting you discover it with luggage in the rain.
Can we go to The Hague, Rotterdam or Antwerp for the day?
Yes. The Hague, Rotterdam, Delft, Haarlem, Antwerp and Brussels all work as a day out from Amsterdam. Say so when you book so we plan the hours properly.
Do you cover Keukenhof in tulip season?
Yes, and we recommend an early start. The gardens and the bulb fields around Lisse are busiest in the middle of the day, and the drive is much more pleasant before it.
Is your fleet allowed in the environmental zone?
Yes. Our vehicles meet the requirements of the zone covering the city, so access is never something you need to check.
Do the chauffeurs speak English?
Dutch and English as standard, which in the Netherlands is close to universal. French, Spanish and Arabic speaking chauffeurs are available when requested in advance.
Which vehicle suits a day in Amsterdam?
An E-Class for one or two passengers, an S-Class when the day runs on meetings in the Zuidas, and a V-Class for a family or a group of four or more. A smaller car is genuinely easier on the narrow quays, so we do not oversize without reason.
Can the booking be extended on the day?
Usually, if the chauffeur is free afterwards. Ask during the afternoon rather than at the last stop and we will extend the same car or arrange a handover.
How does payment work?
The rate is agreed before the day and invoiced afterwards, by card or bank transfer. Nothing is settled in the car and the chauffeur never discusses money.
Book your private driver
in Amsterdam
Tell us the date, the start time and how long you need. You get the rate and your driver's name before you confirm. For a simple point to point run, see our private chauffeur in Amsterdam page instead.