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all about Amsterdam, Holland
Getting around Amsterdam
On foot and bike
Amsterdam's centre is fairly small, and almost abnormally flat, so you can easily get to most tourist destinations on foot - from the train station, within a half an hour.
A pleasant way to cover a lot of ground is to rent a bicycle. The are approximately three-quarters of a million people living in Amsterdam and they own about 600,000 bicycles. The city is very, very bike-friendly, and there are separate bike lanes on most major streets. In the city centre, however, there is often not enough space for a bike lane, so cars and cyclists share narrow streets. If you are not used to that, be very careful, and also watch out for other cyclists. Avoid getting your tire in the tram rails; it's a nasty fall. Always cross tram rails at an angle. There are bike rental shops at stations, and several others in and around the city centre. Bikes cost about € 9 to € 20 per day.
Make sure to get a good lock, and to use it. Amsterdam has one of the highest bicycle theft rates in the world, see the Netherlands page. Note also that if buying a bike, prices that seem too good to be true are stolen bikes. Any bike offered for sale to passers-by, on the street, is certainly stolen. There's an old Amsterdam joke; if, to a large group of bicycles going by, you yell out, "Hey, that's my bike!" about five people will jump off "their" bikes and start running.
MacBike Bicycle Rental. Perhaps the most ubiquitous bicycle rental agency in Amsterdam, their bicycles are painted red with a MacBike sign on the front, everyone will know you're visiting. The bicycles are reliable, and in very good condition. Several locations around the city centre for assistance or repairs. Online bicycle reservations at their website. http://www.macbike.nl [edit] Public transport Public transport within the city is operated by the GVB (Gemeentevervoerbedrijf). There is a metro with four lines, including a short underground section in the city centre, but it mainly serves the suburbs. The tram (15 lines) is the main form of public transport system in the central area, and there are also dozens of bus routes. Regional buses, and some suburban buses, are operated by Connexxion [3] and Arriva[4]. Most tram stops have a detailed, but not very legible, map of the system.
Tickets can be bought on bus or tram, but it is always cheaper to buy them before boarding. The standard ticket for bus, tram and metro is the strippenkaart. They are available from machines in the metro and railway stations, from the GVB office opposite Central Station, and from supermarkets, newsagents and tobacconists. This ticket consists of a number of strips, which must be stamped in a validator prior to entering the metro, or by the driver or conductor when boarding a tram or bus. A strippenkaart is also valid for use on NS trains within Amsterdam, validate them on the platform. They are not valid for train trips to Schiphol airport. You can use them on buses to Schiphol but generally it's faster to get there by train. Multiple people can share one strippenkaart.
Travel for one hour through a single zone costs two strips; two zones cost three strips, and so forth. Typically tourists will only be travelling through the central zone of Amsterdam, unless they plan on visiting outer areas. Alternatively, you can get a 24, 48 or 72 hour all zones bus/rail/tram pass for a reasonable price (€ 10 for 48 hr), and less hassle. Don't forget to stamp it before your first journey. If you stay longer in Amsterdam, you can buy discounted weekly or monthly tickets from most post offices or other ticket sale points.
A new national ticketing system is being introduced, based on a contactless card (swipe card). The system is operational on the Amsterdam metro, at first in parallel with the old system. Trams and buses will be converted to the new system in 2007, but exact dates are uncertain.
Most trams these days have conductors, old trams at the rear, new trams more toward the center. The former can be boarded either via the front or rear doors, and passengers alight through the centre doors. The newer trams can be boarded either via the front or the last but one set of doors, and passengers alight through doors at the rear and between the entrance doors. There are still two or three lines without conductors; all doors can be used for entrance, all except the front doors for exit. Enter buses only via the front door. See for some more and newer information on the Dutch Public Transportation-system ('Openbaar Vervoer' or O.V. in Dutch/NL): Other public transport-Info/ Openbaar Vervoer (O.V.)
There are several free ferry services across the IJ river, to Amsterdam North, the most frequent runs every six minutes. They all leave from a new jetty on the northern side of Centraal Station. (From the city centre this is the 'rear entrance', you can walk through Central Station, except for several hours at night, when the passage is closed).
Trains
For journeys outside the city, the train is usually the best option. Besides some exceptions, all trains in the Netherlands are operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS, "Dutch Railways"). Their website has English-language information.
Ticket machines are the standard way to buy a ticket, it costs 50 cents extra to buy a ticket at ticket counters, and at Central Station there are often long lines. Older machines are not in English and as such can be difficult to interpret. New machines come with a language selection, and support English, Dutch, French and German. Foreign credit and debit cards do not work in most NS ticket machines. You face a fine of 35 euros, due immediately, if you are caught on the train without a ticket. The chance of getting caught without a ticket is almost certain on main routes during the day, but there is always a random element.
Car
Using a car in central Amsterdam is something of a pain. Many of the streets are narrow, the traffic (and parking) signs are baroque and obscure, and cyclists and pedestrians may get in your way. You can try parking at one of the secured parking garages, for example under Museumplein, or near the Central Station, and then walk around the city center, or use a tram. Car parking is very expensive in Amsterdam and it's often hard to find a place to park. You can choose to pay by the hour or for the whole day. Parking is free outside the center on Sunday. There is always a spot available on the Albert Cuypstraat. (Which is a market during the rest of the week). From there it is a 5 minute tram ride or 15 minute walk downtown.
Another option is to park your car further outside the city-centre. For € 5,50 you get a full day of parking and a return ticket downtown. The ride takes about 15 minutes. Look for the P+R (Park and Ride) signs.
You can also park for free in some parts of Amsterdam outside the city centre though this may be slowly changing. Most parts of Amsterdam-Noord are still free, and you can just take the bus from the Mosplein stop to the city centre easily. Plenty of buses run through here.
Taxis
Taxis in Amsterdam are plentiful but expensive. Some drivers, particularly at Centraal Station, will refuse short trips, or else they'll quote outrageously high fares, even though all taxis are metered. For reference, no trip within the historic centre should cost more than €10 or so. Amsterdam taxi drivers are not noted for friendly service. However, other than the attempts at price-gouging and the gruffness, taxis are reliable and quick. You should try to avoid taxis that are fitted with luxury items such as LCD screens as these are often twice as expensive as those which are not.
All legal taxis have blue number-plates. Unlicensed, illegal, cabbies operate mainly in Amsterdam Zuidoost. These aren't easily recognized as such, and most certainly don't drive Mercedes cars. They are known as snorders and most easily reached by mobile phone. Rides within Amsterdam Zuidoost (the Bijlmer) range from EUR 2.50 to EUR 5, whereas Zuidoost-Center can run up to EUR 12.50. Snorders have a shady reputation, so consider their services only if you are adventurous.
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