Netherlands Taxis and Car Rental

It’s not hard to spot a taxi in the Netherlands as they have a brightly lit sign on their roof, but it’s more common for cabs to be booked over the phone than hailed in the street. You’ll also find the unique Treintaxis (train taxis) at a number of train stations in the Netherlands, which encourages passengers to share a ride to significantly reduce costs. Treintaxis are available in 30 different Dutch cities, but unfortunately they are not in place in Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Den Haag yet. For more information or to book a train taxi call 0900-873-4682.

For those looking to rent a car during their stay, all major airports, popular hotels and city locations, have cars available from major European companies, such as Budget, Europcar and Easy Car. Drivers must be at least 21 years of age to rent a vehicle.

Netherlands Water Taxis

Traveling around the Netherlands by boat is not always the cheapest or quickest way to get between or within large cities, but it can be an enjoyable and stress-free mode of transportation. To explore the Wadden or Frisian Islands, the main ferry operator is called Teso and tickets can be planned and purchased online (http://www.teso.nl). For canal and river cruises around the Netherlands, there are a vast number of large and private operators. For travel further afield, the port of Amsterdam is where you’ll find a number of cruise ship stops and international ferry locations at the Amsterdam Passenger Terminal (http://www.ptamsterdam.nl), which is close to downtown.

Netherlands Trains and Trams

The Netherlands has an exceptionally well developed and smoothly run rail network, connecting all towns, cities and locations of interest, with journeys generally on the cheap side. Major routes tend to run at 30-minute intervals, with bus lines and timetables set up to coincide with train arrivals and departures, making trip planning very easy and in tune with the Dutch way of life. The national rail service is NV Nederlandse Spoorwegen (http://www.ns.nl), with some regional routes covered by Syntus (http://www.syntus.nl) and Arriva (http://www.arriva.nl). Amsterdam is exceptionally easy to get around, with a color-coded and numbered tram network fully encircling the city in both directions.

Netherlands Buses

Most cities and towns of the Netherlands have a good network of bus routes, though trains and trams tend to be the same cost (if not cheaper) and quicker. The same goes for longer journeys, with coach companies such as Interliner (http://www.reiziger.connexxion.nl), offering trips between most major towns and cities.