Practical information

Flying in | The main airport of The Netherlands is Schiphol Airport. It has its own train station, from which it takes just around 15 minutes to get to the city center (6 minutes to Amsterdam Zuid station for €3,70 and 15 minutes to Amsterdam Central Station for €5,50). A taxi ride into the city takes approximately 30 min and costs around €40 to €60.

The airport keeps track of when to expect crowds. If you want to know how busy they anticipate it to be, check the date of your arrival/departure on Schiphol's website. 

Arriving by train | The main train station is Amsterdam Centraal, connected to Antwerp, Berlin, Brussels, London, Paris and Vienna by just one direct (high speed) train. Amsterdam Zuid train station is equally close to most of our festival locations. From either of the two, you can take a metro or tram to quickly get to your accommodation, cinema, or any of the other venues.

Looking for good hotel options around our festival venues? We've gathered hotel recommendations to help you plan your stay in Amsterdam.

See the IDFA 2026 venues & Hotel Recommendations Map

Our map also offers some recommendations for groups, those traveling with children, and those on a budget.

If you are attending IDFA with children, here are a few tips and services in Amsterdam to help make your visit easier and more comfortable.

Childcare
Below you’ll find a selection of childcare services and babysitting options in Amsterdam.

• Amsterdam Tales
  Amsterdam Tales offers incidental babysitting services. All of their babysitters are qualified professionals—either certified primary school teachers or trained childcare workers. Many of them are also mothers themselves, which means they’re very used to creating a safe, warm environment for children of all ages. Families can choose to have the babysitter come to where they’re staying, or, if preferred, can host children in their own homes—which are fully equipped for little ones. The rate is €29 per hour. 
  AmsterdamTales.com 
   
• Sitly 
  Sitly is an online dashboard where families and childcare providers can connect. There are a lot of babysitters available in the city of Amsterdam; many available for occasional babysitting gigs as well. You can browse around for potential candidates with good reviews free of charge, but the downside is you will have to purchase a subscription (1 month = €19,95) to be able to communicate with them (and then don't forget to cancel your subscription right away). Rates are usually negotiable, but often around €12 per hour.  Sitly.nl/Amsterdam

Kid-friendly cafés
A selection of cafés in Amsterdam that are suitable for children and families during your stay at IDFA.

• Coffee + Kids | A Toy Shop, Coffee Bar, Creative Space in one.
• Groot Melkhuis | Waterside Terrace in the middle of Vondelpark with a kid's playground.
• Minimarkt | Kids Store with Coffee corner for the parents.
• Skatecafé Karin & Yvonne | Open Thursday-Saturday this is the best place to have dinner or drinks with your skate-mad kids. 

Activities for kids

• Pannenkoekenboot (Pancake boat) | A 75-minute boat ride on the IJ-river, with unlimited pancakes and a ball pit. Great place to have lunch or dinner with your kids while sightseeing
• NEMO | The science and technology museum in Amsterdam for all ages. Discover five floors filled with exhibitions, experiments, and workshops.
• Het Muizenhuis | A mini-museum. You might be familiar with the popular book series of the Mouse Mansion, now see where it all began.
• East Indiaman replica ship | Visit the replica of the East Indiaman Amsterdam ship at the National Maritime Museum. Learn about life on board and reflect on our colonial past. 
• Resistance Museum Junior | Learn more about The Netherlands in World War II.
   

Hotels with quadruple or family rooms
November is a busy month in Amsterdam. We recommend booking your accommodation early to ensure availability and reasonable prices. Below is a selection of hotels offering family and multi-person rooms. (Note: Prices below are an indication.)

• Low Price Range (Hostels, <€170 per night)
• StayOkay Amsterdam Oost - Family Room.
• Generator Hostel - Private 4 Bedroom.
• Amsterdam Teleport Hotel - Budget 4-person Family Studio.
   
• Medium Low Price Range (€170-250 per night)
• Volkshotel - L Room.
• The Alfred Hotel - Quadruple Room.
• Meininger Hotel Amsterdam Amstel - Family Room.
• StayOkay Amsterdam Vondelpark - Family Room.
• Ibis Styles Amsterdam Amstel - Family Attic Room. Stadhouderskade 131. 
   
• High Price Range (€300< per night)
• The Social Hub Amsterdam City - Play Room.
• Bunk Amsterdam - Room for 4 (Family).
• Prinsengracht Hotel - Garden House.
• Pulitzer Amsterdam - Family Package. 
• NH Collection Amsterdam Flower Market - Family Room.

Tickets for screenings and talks can be booked at idfa.nl. Log into your MyIDFA account and book the event of your choice. Once booked, you’ll receive a confirmation by email and the ticket will automatically be added to your pass. You can find all your tickets in your MyIDFA account. 

Note: There is no admission after the screening starts. 

Have you booked a ticket for IDFA? We look forward to seeing you!  Every visitor helps make IDFA special. Can't make it to a screening after all? Please cancel your reservation at least 24 hours in advance via your MyIDFA account, or the link in the service email you’ll receive the day before. This frees up your seat, so someone else can enjoy the film.

Don’t forget to have your ticket scanned on arrival, so we know you’re there. Please note that if you make three reservations and don’t attend or cancel them, we may have to block your account and cancel your reservations.

Location: Pathé City  
All films selected for the International and Envision Competitions, as well as all world premieres in the Luminous and Frontlight program sections, are available to all passholders (with exception of film students). 

Passholders must reserve a free ticket online. Tickets become available the day before the screening and will be added to your pass. If you can’t make your screening or event, please cancel your reservation. See Cancelling tickets and reservations above for details. 

Find the daily screening schedule in the Industry Schedule, starting on idfa.nl/pressscreenings  

Nov 14–18 

Location: Het Documentaire Paviljoen 

Market Screenings for award-season campaigning take place as part of the Press & Industry Screenings schedule and are accessible to all passholders (with exception of film students). 

Passholders must reserve a free ticket online for admission. For more information and the schedule visit idfa.nl/marketscreenings 

Nov 14–17 

Amsterdam in November brings temperatures from between 3 to 10°C (37 to 50 °F), with a high chance of rain. We recommend bringing a warm coat, waterproof jackets, and an umbrella (flying: checked luggage only). Pack a warm sweater, as it's the kind of weather best spent indoors in the cinema.

Layers are strongly recommended, as indoor venues are well heated and you'll be comfortable inside even when it's cold outside. Extra socks can be useful, in case you get caught in the rain and your shoes get wet. If you tend to feel cold easily, a hot water bottle can also be useful to warm up your hotel bed at night.

IDFA does not have a dress code. Wear what makes you feel comfortable—whether you're attending premiere screenings, the Opening Night, or Awards Ceremony. Most attendees wear smart casual attire for these events—but it ranges from people in jeans to people in cocktail attire.

Amsterdam is generally safe and easy to navigate, including the city center at night.

Public transport operates until around midnight, with nighttime bus lines still operating throughout the night. As in any major city, we recommend staying aware of pickpockets and watch your belongings in busy areas. If you leave your coat or bag at a coatrack, please take your valuables with you.

Amsterdam is a cycling city, and trams and bicycles are part of daily traffic. Walking in central Amsterdam can feel quite busy if you are not used to this shared street space. Cyclists are everywhere, and not all of them strictly follow traffic rules. Please pay attention when crossing streets.

Be aware that cycle lanes can sometimes look like pedestrian paths, but are not. They are usually marked in red or green and/or feature a bicycle symbol on the ground. Please avoid walking on these lanes.

Also take care when crossing tram tracks, as trams often have the right of way and can approach quickly.

In the Netherlands, the standard plug types are C and F, with a voltage of 230V and frequency of 50Hz. Like almost all Continental European countries, the Netherlands has standardized on the German plug and socket system. More info can be found on worldstandards.eu.

Events in the Netherlands typically start on time. Dutch people tend to value punctuality, so when an event is scheduled for a specific time, that is usually the exact starting time.

If there is a reception or walk-in period before the start, this will always be clearly indicated in the schedule.

When meeting each other for the first time, the Dutch usually shake hands. When they are familiar with one another / friends, they give three kisses on alternating cheeks. Covid has changed these things over the past years and we do still see some elbow bumps, but mostly it is returning to pre-covid times.

In professional settings, people in the Netherlands usually greet each other with a handshake. Among friends, greetings may include three kisses on alternating cheeks, though this varies and has changed since Covid.

You can find these codes in the confirmation email after having filled in the Screening Participation Form. Subject line of mail is: "IDFA 2026: Confirmation Screening Participation form + Voucher codes".

These codes are for you to distribute freely to whomever you might want to invite to a screening of your film, whether it be a film team member, a sales agent, or family and friends. This is up to your film team to decide and distribute.

Go to our website and select the screening you want tickets for. Follow the regular process to purchase tickets, but when selecting your type of ticket click on the text above the type of tickets that reads "Do you want to insert an action code? Click here". Then enter your voucher code there, and a new ticket type called action code will appear for you to book. 

You can use these codes from start of the general ticket sale on 28 October 12pm, and we recommend you do this as early as possible to guarantee a seat in your film's screening. 

Is the screening marked as sold out online, please check in with your guest services contact and ask them to check whether they still have room for your guests to book with your voucher codes. Please send the voucher codes you want to use along in the email. If this is very last minute, we cannot guarantee seats for your guests, but all in all a sold out screening is great news!