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Getting There By Air:

Schiphol International Airport (AMS)
Tel: (0900) 7244 7465. Fax: (020) 604 1475.
E-mail: schiphol@xxlink.nl
Website: www.schiphol.nl

Schiphol, located 15km (9 miles) southwest of Amsterdam, is the fourth largest airport in Europe, with over 100 airlines flying to over 200 destinations. Schiphol ranks fourth behind London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle, and has repeatedly been voted ‘Best Airport in Europe’ in numerous magazines and newspapers. The New Privium program offers frequent flyers speedy transit through passport control and security (website: www.schiphol.nl/privium).

Major airlines: The national airline, KLM – Royal Dutch Airlines (tel: (020) 474 7747; website: www.klm.nl), flies direct to all major European, North American and Asia-Pacific cities. KLM UK (tel: (020) 474 7747; website: www.klmuk.com) flies to London Stansted and several regional airports throughout the UK. Transavia (tel: (020) 406 0406 or 0900 0737; website: www.transavia.nl), 80% of which is owned by KLM, operates scheduled flights to London Gatwick and Barcelona. Transavia has also recently launched a budget offshoot, using Schiphol as its hub, called Basiq Air (tel: (0900) 0737; website: www.basiqair.com). On the domestic front, KLM Cityhopper (tel: (020) 648 3456; website: www.klmcityhopper.nl) operates services between Amsterdam and Eindhoven. Other major airlines serving the airport include Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Easyjet, Egypt Air, Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines.

Approximate flight times to Amsterdam: From London is 50 minutes; from New York is 7 hours; from Los Angeles is 10 hours 25 minutes; from Toronto is 7 hours; and from Sydney is 21 hours 20 minutes.

Airport facilities: Facilities at Schiphol are first rate, with bureaux de change, currency exchange machines, restaurants, duty-free shops, left-luggage, tour operators, a hotel reservation service and prayer rooms. Departure lounges also have funky chairs and plenty of space in which to relax before flying. Shower facilities and day rooms are available at the airport hotels. Wi-fi hot spots are also available. Car hire companies include Avis, Budget, Hertz, National and Sixt.

Business facilities: The Schiphol Business Center (tel: (020) 653 2480; fax: (020) 653 2566) is open to all passengers. Facilities include fax, personal computer, telephone and secretarial services. The center is open Monday to Friday 0830–1900. There is one conference room in the terminal, which can cater for groups of up to 55 delegates and must be booked in advance through the business center. Coin operated fax machines are located throughout the airport terminal. Computers, printers and mobile telephones (for making and receiving both local and international calls) can be hired from KPN Telecom Rentcenter (tel: (020) 653 0999; fax: (020) 653 0998). There is also a press center. Some major airlines provide executive lounges, which offer some business facilities.

Arrival/departure tax: None.

Transport to the city: Connexxtions (tel: (020) 405 6506) operates a shuttle bus service to the city center, every 20 minutes daily between 0600-2100 (journey time – approximately 20-30 minutes, although due to numerous stops, journeys can sometimes take up to an hour). The 55 hotels serviced include the Pulitzer, Krasnapolsky, Grand, Crowne Plaza, Renaissance, Carlton, Okura, Holiday Inn, Novotel and Park.

NS (tel: (0900) 9292/6; website: www.ns.nl) trains run between the airport and Amsterdam’s Centraal Station, daily every 15 minutes 0600-2400 (journey time – 20 minutes) and every hour throughout the night. A one-way, second-class ticket costs €3.10, or €5.50 return. There is also a direct link between Schiphol and Amsterdam’s RAI Congress Center, with trains running every 15 minutes 0525-2410. Schiphol also has direct links to The Hague, Rotterdam and Vlissingen and other destinations throughout Holland and on into Belgium and France.

Official airport taxis pick up passengers from outside the arrivals hall. The journey to the city costs from €40 and takes approximately 15-25 minutes, depending on which part of the city is required. Book in advance at www.schipholtaxi.nl.

Getting There By Water:

Amsterdam is a busy port city and one of the top 10 most important cruise ship harbors in Europe, with around 100 cruise ships visiting the city annually. Amsterdam’s business ports are run by Ports of Amsterdam (tel: (020) 523 4500; website: www.amsterdamports.nl), while information on cruise ship services is available from Amsterdamcruise (tel: (020) 551 2557; fax: (020) 625 2869; website: www.amsterdamcruise.com). The main cruise hub, which can handle two cruise ships at one time, is based at the funky passenger terminal at Oostelijke Handelskade, located on the edge of the city center (tel: (020) 5091 000; website: www.ptamsterdam.com), which is equipped with restaurants, bars and ATMs. The Felison Terminal, on the IJ meer (tel: (0255) 521 111; website: www.felisonterminal.nl), was opened by the same operator in 2003. The main ferry terminal for services around Europe is situated further south, at Hook of Holland (tel: (017) 438 9333), where the terminal has a restaurant but no banking or exchange facilities.

Ferry services: Cross-channel ferries are run by StenaLine (tel: (08705) 70 70 70; website www.stenaline.co.uk), which operates a rail/fast-ferry service from London (Liverpool Street) to Amsterdam (Centraal Station), via Harwich and the Hook of Holland. There are two services daily, one in the morning and one in the evening (journey time – 8 hour 40 minutes).

Transport to the city: Although within walking distance, trains and buses connect the new cruise terminals with Amsterdam city center. The Hook of Holland is connected by an express rail link with Centraal Station.

Getting There By Road:

The Netherlands is connected to the rest of Europe by a superb network of motorways. Green ‘E’s indicate international highways, red ‘A’s indicate national highways and yellow ‘N’s indicate smaller routes. Although frontier formalities between The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium have now all but vanished, motorists (particularly on smaller roads) should be prepared to stop when asked to do so by a customs official.

Driving is on the right. Speed limits are 120kph (75mph) on motorways, 80kph (50mph) on major roads and 50kph (30mph) in towns. Children under 12 years should not travel in the front seat. Seatbelts are compulsory. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.05%. The minimum driving age in The Netherlands is 18 years. An International Driving Permit is not required, as long as a national driving license from the country of origin is held. EU pink format licenses are accepted. Trailers and caravans are allowed in without documentation. A Green Card is advisable but not compulsory. Without it, drivers with motor insurance policies in their home country are granted only the minimum legal cover in The Netherlands – the Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the driver’s own policy.

The yellow cars of the Royal Dutch Touring Club, ANWB/Wegenwacht (tel: (070) 314 1420; website: www.anwb.nl), patrol major roads 24 hours a day, with qualified mechanics equipped to handle routine repairs.

Emergency breakdown service:
ANWB (0800) 0888

Routes to the city: Schiphol lies on the E19, from where it is an easy 18km (11 miles) drive into Amsterdam. The A10 is the Amsterdam ring road. The main route out of Amsterdam, toward Brussels, is the A2, heading south to join the A27 and finally the A16/E19 at Breda, which continues across the border to Antwerp. The A2 also connects wth Utrecht, from where the A12/E35 travels directly through the Duisburg-Essen conurbation, passing Düsseldorf, Cologne and continuing southeast until Frankfurt. Hanover is best reached by taking the E231 out of the city to connect with the A1/E30, becoming the A30/E30, which continues east to Hanover.

Approximate driving times to Amsterdam: From Brussels – 2 hours 30 minutes; from Hanover – 4 hours; from Frankfurt – 6 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services: Eurolines (tel: (020) 560 8788; e-mail: info@eurolines.nl; website: www.eurolines.nl) operates coach services, sometimes in conjunction with other national companies, to major cities throughout Europe, including London, Paris, Brussels and Frankfurt. Offices are located at Rokin 10 and the coach station, Amstelstation, Julianaplein 5 (tel: (020) 560 8787).

Getting There By Rail:

Centraal Station, Stationsplein, is one of the largest railway terminals in Europe and is currently in the midst of a major renovation program to make it more efficient and also a more salubrious place to be. The station has an impressive array of facilities, from showers and restaurants to hotel and travel booking services. The national rail provider is Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS (tel: (0900) 9292/6; website: www.ns.nl), which runs an efficient network with frequent services covering destinations all over Holland and further afield into the rest of Europe. International tickets should ideally be reserved at least a week in advance.

Rail services: There are regular Eurostar trains (tel: (0990) 186 186, in the UK; website: www.eurostar.com) from London to Brussels, where a direct connection to Amsterdam can be caught after a short wait (journey time – 3 hours). THALYS (tel: (0900) 9228; website: www.thalys.com) high-speed services connect Amsterdam with Brussels (journey time – approximately 2 hours 30 minutes). There are frequent daytime services from many large Western European cities as well as night services.

Over the last few years, the reputation of The Netherlands’ railway network has suffered domestically, after part-privatization led to maintenance problems, cancelled services and a public perception that the railways are not as efficient as they once were. There might be some light at the end of the train tunnel, with recent talk of new high-speed connections to France and Germany and an extension of the Eurostar service to Amsterdam.

Transport to the city: Centraal Station is located in the city center. A number of trams and buses, as well as taxis, are available in the area immediately outside the main building.

Getting Around:

Public Transport
Amsterdam’s integrated public transport system is run by the municipal transport company, GVB (tel: (020) 460 6060; website: www.gvb.nl), which has an information office at Centraal Station. The best way for one to get around the city is either on foot or by using the extensive tram, metro, bus and ferry networks. A map of all tram and bus routes in Amsterdam is available from tourist offices or the GVB office by Centraal Station, costing €1.

The Circle Tram 20 that used to ferry tourists around a city loop is no more, but trams are still a great way of getting around. Trams operate Monday to Friday 0600-2400 (Saturday from 0630 and Sunday from 0730). All trams leave from Centraal Station – trams 1 and 2 traverse the main canals, tram 17 provides a frequent, fast and dependable service, tram 16 takes a route to Museumplein and Concertgebouw, while trams 9 and 14 go to the Muziektheater and Waterlooplein market.

Amsterdam’s four metro lines all start at Centraal Station and serve the southeastern business district and the suburbs. The trains run Monday to Friday 0600-2415 (Saturday from 0630 and Sunday from 0730). An extension south to the RAI is planned for completion in 2011.

The outlying areas of the city (mostly the suburbs that the trams do not reach) are served by more than 30 bus lines, which run until midnight. Night buses run nightly from 0030-0730, after the other services have stopped (numbered from 71 to 79).

A free ferry service provides cyclists and pedestrians with connections to Amsterdam Noord, the area across the IJ. The main ferry landing is on De Ruijterkade (behind the Centraal Station). Ferries are frequent and operate between 0615-2057, with a limited service at the weekend (most ferries do not operate on Sunday). When taking a bicycle aboard, passengers should make sure to not break local etiquette and always go through the cyclist channel rather the pedestrian one. The Noord Canal across the IJ is a quiet and less taxing cycle route for visitors who find navigating the busy city too traumatic.

For single rides, a strippenkaart can be used. This needs to be stamped every time a tram, bus or metro is boarded – each journey uses one strip, plus a strip for every zone traveled. Once stamped, a ticket is valid for an hour, regardless of how often a change of tram or bus is made. It is cheaper for one to buy a strippenkaart before boarding the public transport system than it is to pay a cash fare. Strippenkaarten are available from tourist offices, tobacconists and large hotels for €1.60 for two units (the minimum required for travel in one zone), €6.20 for 15 units or €18.30 for 45 units. Not having a valid ticket incurs a spot fine of €37.40, plus the cost of the ticket; ticket inspections are common.

Visitors spending plenty of time traveling around the city are advised to buy a dagkaarten day pass, for €6.30, two-day pass for €10 and three-day pass for €13.

Water Travel
Not surprisingly, there are several modes of water travel in Amsterdam. In addition to public ferries, canal buses (tel: (020) 626 5574; website: www.canal.nl) travel between Centraal Station and the Rijksmuseum, every 25-45 minutes – fares vary between the different service providers, but expect to pay around €16 for a day pass or €1.50 for a single ticket. The special Museum Boat departs from Prins Hendrikkade, every 30 minutes in summer and every 45 minutes in winter, stopping off at the city’s main museums. Call (020) 622 2181 for more information.

Canal taxis, which can carry up to 40 passengers, are also available. They can either be hailed from the canal-side or ordered in advance daily 0800-0100, from Water Taxis (tel: (020) 535 6363; website: www.water-taxi.nl). The smallest taxi costs €85 for the first 30 minutes and €70 for each subsequent 30 minutes within the city limits.

Alternatively, visitors can hire pedalos (also known as canal bikes) and boats to explore the canals. These are available from Canal Bike, Weteringschans 24 (tel: (020) 626 5574; fax: (020) 624 1033; website: www.canal.nl), who have 100 canal bikes and are open daily 0900-1800. A four-person canal bike costs €8 per person per hour, if there is only one or two passengers, and €7 per person per hour, if there are three or four passengers. A deposit of €50 per canal bike is required. Canal Bike also organizes group tours of Amsterdam and Utrecht.

Taxis
Rather than hailing a taxi in the street, it is more usual in Amsterdam for one to either order a taxi by phoning the Central Taxi Office (tel: (020) 677 7777) or pick one up at a taxi rank, which are located at Centraal Station, Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein. Taxis, which have an illuminated ‘taxi’ sign on the roof, usually come quickly – unless it is raining or a Friday or Saturday night. Although they provide a good service, taxis are relatively expensive. A new system allows taxi drivers to set meters at different rates, so keep a keen eye on the rate in play.

Limousines
There are a number of limousine companies in Amsterdam, offering airport transfers and hourly or daily hire. Two possibilities are CS Limousine Service (tel: (020) 673 7888; fax: (020) 673 9045; website: www.limousineamsterdam.com) and Delden Limousine Service (tel: (020) 684 8408; fax: (020) 686 3638). Prices start at €145 for an airport transfer or €85 per hour, plus an extra €1.60 per kilometer traveled over 15 kilometers. Many of the drivers provide an informal guide service.

Driving in the City
Driving in Amsterdam is not recommended. Even for excursions outside the city, it is preferable to take the train. The city’s streets are not big enough to accommodate the tens of thousands of cars owned by the city’s residents, let alone the 500,000 tourists who annually arrive in their cars. As a result, parking spots are limited and expensive. Visitors are advised to park their car at a P+R (park and ride) lot, from where there are bus, tram and subway lines into the city center. Motorists also need to watch out for cyclists and the special cycle lanes. Rush hours (0700-0900 and 1700-1900) are best avoided. Car headlights should be dimmed in built-up areas and it is illegal to use sidelights only.

Parking at the massive ArenA P+R, reached by the A1, A2 and A9 into the city, or the Stadionplein P+R, situated next to the Olympisch Stadion, costs €5.70 a day, which includes two free public transport tickets. In the city center, cars must be parked in a designated parking space or in a car park. Parking meters can be recognized by a yellow sign with the letter ‘P’ and charges are split into three zones. Parking tickets for the most central zone A and zone B cost €2.80 per hour, while parking in zone C costs €1.70 per hour. City center parking spaces can be reserved in advance, by going online (website: www.parkeerlijn.nl). Parking regulations are quite strict and there are tough measures for violating the city’s car parking laws, with wheel clamping common. The car pound (tel: (020) 555 9833) is located at Cruquiuskade 25 in Havens Oost, the Eastern Harbour district.

Car Hire
Conditions of hire vary, although, in most cases, the driver will have to be 25 years old and have held a valid national license for one year. An International Driving Permit (IDP) is not needed, as long as a valid national license is produced. Payment is usually made with a credit card bearing the name of the driver.

The major European firms are represented in Amsterdam. Cars are also available for hire through the airport and most hotels. The companies that have branches in the city center include Avis, Nassaukade 380 (tel: (020) 683 6061; website: www.avis.com), Budget Car, Overtoom 121 (tel: (020) 612 6066; website: www.budget.com) and Hertz, Overtoom 333 (tel: (020) 612 2441; website: www.hertz.com).

Rates start at approximately €50 per day and €220 a week. Fare conditions vary and some companies have an additional mileage charge. Those hiring a car should always check that the rates include the minimum insurance cover required in Amsterdam.

Bicycle Hire
There are bicycle lanes that are marked out by white lines but cyclists will still need to watch out for cars, trams and pedestrians. Bicycles can be hired from Bike City, Bloemgracht 68-70 in Westerkerk (tel: (020) 626 3721; website: www.bikecity.nl), Damstraat Rent-A-Bike, Damstraat 20-22 (tel: (020) 625 5029; website: www.bikes.nl) and Macbike Too, Marnixstraat 220 (tel: (020) 626 6964; website: www.macbike.nl).

Bike hire (for a one-speed bicycle) costs approximately €7 for the first day and €5 for subsequent days. A deposit from €30 to €100 or a credit card imprint is usually required, along with an additional form of identification. Optional insurance, at around 50% of the hire charge, can also be taken.

When cycling around Amsterdam, cycling two abreast is illegal, as is a bicycle without reflector bands on both front and back wheels. Bikes should always be securely locked with two locks (one connecting the front wheel to a lamppost or railing and one securing the frame to something similarly as solid) as there is a thriving stolen bike market in the city.

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