Amsterdam, Netherlands — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
Tel: (020) 794 0800.
Website: www.schiphol.nl
Schiphol, located 15km (9 miles) southwest of Amsterdam, is the fourth largest airport in Europe (after London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle), and has repeatedly been voted ‘Best Airport in Europe' in numerous magazines and newspapers.
Airport facilities
Facilities at Schiphol are first rate, with bureau de change, currency exchange machines, restaurants, duty-free shops, left-luggage, tour operators, a hotel reservation service and Wi-Fi hotspots. Schiphol also has great business facilities and a press center. Departure lounges have funky chairs and plenty of space to relax before flying. Car hire companies include Avis, Budget, Hertz, National and Sixt.
Transport to the city
Schiphol Sternet (tel: 0900 9292; www.schipholsternet.com) operates regular shuttle bus services to the city center (journey time - 30 minutes). The stop is located at Schiphol Plaza, directly in front of the Arrival and Departure Halls.
Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) (tel: 0900 202 1163; www.ns.nl) trains run regularly and daily between the airport and Amsterdam's Centraal Station. There is also a direct link between Schiphol and Amsterdam's RAI Congress Center. Schiphol station is situated directly below the airport.
Official airport taxis pick up passengers from outside the arrivals hall. The journey takes about 20 minutes. Book in advance online (www.schipholtaxi.nl).
Approximate flight times to Amsterdam
From London is 1 hour 20 minutes; from New York is 7 hours 10 minutes; from Los Angeles is 11 hours; from Toronto is 7 hours; and from Sydney is 21 hours 20 minutes.
Getting There By Road
The Netherlands is connected to the rest of Europe by an excellent network of motorways. 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. The minimum driving age in The Netherlands is 18 years. An International Driving Permit is not required, as long as the driver holds a valid foreign driving license. Green Card is advisable but not compulsory. The Royal Dutch Touring Club, ANWB (tel: (088) 269 2222; www.anwb.nl), patrols major roads 24 hours a day, with qualified mechanics equipped to handle routine repairs.
Emergency breakdown services
ANWB Wegenwacht (tel: (088) 269 2888).
Routes to the city
Schiphol lies on the E19, from where it is an easy 18km (11-mile) 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 with 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.
Driving times to the city
From Brussels - 2 hours 30 minutes; Hanover - 4 hours; Frankfurt - 6 hours 30 minutes.
Coach services
Eurolines (tel: (020) 560 8788; 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.
Getting There By Rail
Rail Services
Centraal Station, Stationsplein, is one of the largest railway terminals in Europe. The station has an impressive array of facilities, from showers and restaurants to hotel and travel-booking services. The national rail provider is NS (tel: 0900 202 1163; www.ns.nl), which runs an efficient network with frequent services covering destinations all over the Netherlands and further afield into the rest of Europe.
Rail Operators
There are regular Eurostar trains (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 9296; www.thalys.com) runs high-speed services connecting Amsterdam with Brussels (journey time - about 2 hours 30 minutes). There are frequent daytime services from many large western European cities as well as night services. More express train links to other European cities are currently under consideration.
Getting Around in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Public Transport
The best way to get around Amsterdam is either on foot, by bike or by using the extensive tram, metro, bus and ferry networks, all run by GVB (www.gvb.nl), which has an information office at Centraal Station. You'll find a useful point-to-point route planner at www.journeyplanner.9292.nl. Trams are a great way of getting around Amsterdam, with routes heading out from the center in all directions. Amsterdam's four metro lines serve the southeastern business district and the suburbs. The outlying areas of the city are served by more than 30 bus lines. Not surprisingly, there are several modes of water travel in Amsterdam. A free ferry service, departing from De Ruijterkade (behind Centraal Station), travels to Amsterdam Noord, the area across the IJ. Canal buses travel between Centraal Station and the Rijksmuseum (tel: 0900 333 4442, www.canal.nl/bus/en). Canal taxis, which can carry up to 40 passengers, are also available. They can either be hailed from the canal side or ordered from Water Taxis (tel: (020) 535 6363; www.water-taxi.nl/watertaxi). Alternatively, visitors can hire pedal boats to explore the canals - available from Canal Bike (tel: (020) 623 9886; www.canal.nl/bike/en); pedal boat landings can be found by the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein. Pay for bus, tram and metro rides with a pre-paid public transport chip card (OV-chipkaart). For short-term visitors, the best option is to purchase single or multi-day cards, allowing unlimited travel on public transport during a specified period. A 24-hour card costs €7, a 48-hour card €11.50, a 72-hour card €16.50 and a 96-hour card €19.50. These can be purchased at the GVB ticket outlets or vending machines. Otherwise, it is possible to purchase a one-hour card when you get on the bus or tram. To use the OV-Chipkaart, hold it on one of the card readers when getting on and off the vehicle. For more information see www.ov-chipkaart.nl.
Taxis
Rather than hailing a taxi in the street, it is more common to either order a taxi by phoning the Central Taxi Office (tel: (020) 677 7777) or pick one up at one of 50 official taxi ranks, including ones at Centraal Station, Rembrandtplein, Dam Square, Leidseplein, Museumplein and Nieuwmarkt. These can be identified by the blue taxi sign. A fixed rate of €7.86 is charged for the first 2km. Environmentally friendly bicycle taxis and tuk-tuk taxis are also available.
Driving in the City
Driving in Amsterdam is not recommended. 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. Locations of these can be found at www.parkeerlijn.nl/pr/amsterdam. Motorists need to watch out for cyclists and the special cycle lanes. In the city center, parking meters can be recognized by a blue sign with the letter ‘P' and charges are split into three zones. Meters accept coins. Parking regulations are quite strict and there are tough measures for violating the city's car-parking laws, with towing of vehicles common.
Car Hire
Conditions vary but in most cases, the driver will have to be at least 21 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. Those hiring a car should always check that the rates include the minimum insurance cover required in Amsterdam. Car hire companies with branches in the city center include Avis (tel: (020) 683 6061; www.avis.com), Hertz (tel: (020) 612 2441; www.hertz.com) and Sixt (tel: (020) 624 2955; www.sixt.com).
Bicycle Hire
The easiest way to get around Amsterdam is by bike. Bicycles can be hired from Bike City, Bloemgracht 68-70 (tel: (020) 626 3721; www.bikecity.nl), Damstraat Rent-A-Bike, Damstraat 20-22 (tel: (020) 625 5029; www.rentabike.nl) or Macbike, Stationsplein 5 (tel: (020) 624 8391; www.macbike.nl). A deposit or a credit card imprint is usually required, along with an additional form of identification. 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.
