Which side of the plane to sit on: Amsterdam to San Francisco?
Flying from Amsterdam to San Francisco? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.
The best window changes along the way.
Confidence: lowTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Amsterdam toward the northwest over the North Sea, the left window looks out over the Flemish Ardennes and Van Nellefabriek (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Haltern Hills and Grachtengordel on the right.
- rightView of Haltern Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Flemish Ardennes (mountain range)
- rightView of Grachtengordel (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Van Nellefabriek (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Flight path features
2:41 PMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Pinguarssuk, the Niaqornarssuit and Surtsey (mountain ridges and peaks), with Aasivissuit, Nipisat on the right.
- leftView of Pinguarssuk (mountain range)
- leftView of Niaqornarssuit (mountain range)
- leftView of Surtsey (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Aasivissuit, Nipisat (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Landing views
11:16 AMDescending into San Francisco from the northeast, the right window looks out over the Vaca Mountains, the Sand Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Niles Canyon on the left.
- rightView of Vaca Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Sand Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- leftView of Niles Canyon (deep canyon)
Good to know
- Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
- "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
- Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Amsterdam to San Francisco?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Pinguarssuk, the Niaqornarssuit and Surtsey (mountain ridges and peaks), with Aasivissuit, Nipisat on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Amsterdam?
Climbing out of Amsterdam toward the northwest over the North Sea, the left window looks out over the Flemish Ardennes and Van Nellefabriek (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Haltern Hills and Grachtengordel on the right.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the northeast, the right window looks out over the Vaca Mountains, the Sand Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Niles Canyon on the left.