Lounge Review: KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

KLM Crown Lounge 52 Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Location and Hours

Amsterdam Schiphol airport doesn’t make it easy to find airline lounges. The signs pointing to the lounges have lounge numbers instead of more descriptive names, such as KLM Business Lounge or Star Alliance business lounge. I was glad I Googled the location before my flight, so I knew to look out for signs for Lounge 52.

There are two KLM Crown Lounges: one in the non-Schengen area and one in the Schengen area. I was connecting from an intra-Europe flight to my U.S.-bound flight so I had access to a lounge located in the non-Schengen area.

Schiphol Airport can be confusing, but at least all the terminals are connected and there’re no trains between terminals, so just follow the signs to airline Lounge 52 to find this lounge.

The lounge is open every day from 4:45 a.m. to 10 p.m.

KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Access and Entry Requirements

Passengers are eligible to visit this lounge on the same day of travel on a KLM-operated flight or an international SkyTeam-operated flight. The access is included for passengers traveling in business class on KLM-operated flights or flights operated by SkyTeam airlines.

Flying Blue Platinum and Gold members and SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers can visit the Crown Lounges as well and get to bring one guest free of charge.

Other passengers can access the non-Schengen Crown Lounge for 65 euros ($71.50).

KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Layout and Amenities

To access the lounge, you’ll need to take the elevator from the ground level to the first floor. The lounge itself has two floors connected by an elevator and a set of escalators. You’ll find lockers close to the entrance where you can store your larger carry-on items if you don’t need them during your lounge visit. I actually really like this feature, and I wish more lounges had lockers.

It’s easier to move around without bulky carry-on bags, and when the lounge is crowded, like it was during my visit, you’re also making it easier for other passengers.

I was there in late morning/early afternoon and found the first floor to be extremely crowded, to the point where I had to make a few laps to find an open seat.

The second floor was a bit less crowded, but there’s no food there, only a bar.

On the way to the second floor, you get to enjoy a huge glass wall displaying cute KLM Dutch ceramic houses.

On the second floor, there’s a nice outdoor terrace where you can do some plane spotting—always a fun activity, especially if you have kids.

The lounge has showers, and to access them I had to scan my boarding pass at an automated kiosk on the first floor. In my opinion, showers are one of the best and most important features of any lounge, but sadly, the kiosk told me I don’t have enough time before my flight to get a place in line for the showers.

There are two sets of bathrooms: one downstairs and one on the second floor. The second floor bathroom was empty and looked much cleaner than the first floor bathroom, so I’d recommend heading straight upstairs to use the bathroom. It’s tucked away behind what looks like a closed restaurant, so probably not a lot of people find it.

Food and Beverage at KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

I arrived just before the staff started changing the food from breakfast to lunch. The breakfast food options had the standard European breakfast staples, such as pastries, yogurt, cheese and cold cuts, and a couple of hot dishes that I didn’t get to check out because they were whisked away before I had a chance to try them.

Unfortunately, because the lounge was so crowded, I couldn’t take a lot of pictures of the food, especially after the staff swapped breakfast for lunch. The lounge is huge, but the food is served in a small, cramped area, and as soon as they laid out the lunch buffet, there was already a huge line. The dining area remained mobbed for the rest of my lounge visit.

Hot lunch options included a chicken dish that I couldn’t identify and that didn’t look too appetizing, a vegetable curry and white rice. The cold cuts and cheese tray remained there from breakfast, so you could still make a sandwich.

I tried both the chicken dish and the vegetable curry, and both were pretty inedible and reminded me of bad college cafeteria food.

Once I got my food, I had to do a couple of laps around the dining area to find an available seat at the table. Most tables were larger, where you sat communal-style with other passengers, but they were all already full.

There were no grab-and-go options available.

The two bars, one downstairs, one upstairs, were always busy. There simply aren’t enough staff for the number of thirsty travelers.

At least the upstairs bar had some snacks.

With the exception of water stations, where I could get my own still or sparkling water, all other drinks had to be made by the bar staff. Most drinks were complimentary, but there’s also a small menu of premium wines and spirits with prices ranging from 5 to 9 euros ($5.50 to $9.90).

To sum it up, the food was sub-par for a business class lounge, and I left the lounge still feeling hungry.

I also wished that the huge closed off area on the second floor that looked like a closed restaurant was open for general seating. This would’ve greatly alleviated the crowding issue on the first floor.

Unique Features of KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

I loved all the displays of cute ceramic Delft houses that business-class passengers get as a souvenir on long-haul KLM flights. Airport lounges are often sterile-looking and completely devoid of character and without any sense of place.

The Delf houses displays do remind you that you’re in Amsterdam, and bring in some local charm and character.

How Much Time Would You Spend at KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

I definitely won’t spend more time than necessary at the KLM Crown Lounge. If I had a longer layover, I would’ve loved to use the shower facilities, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to schedule a long layover in Amsterdam just to hang out in the lounge.

This is definitely not a lounge I’d pay cash to visit or arrive earlier than necessary for my flight just to spend some time there.

Final Thoughts of KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Amsterdam Airport is crowded and extremely busy, so I was glad I had lounge access with my business-class ticket. Even though the food was disappointing, and the lounge crowded, it was not the worst place to be in the crowded airport.