Traveling to Amsterdam (and getting around the city)You can travel to Amsterdam, the Dutch capital, in many different ways, and travel around the city in many more; this section describes some of those options. Getting to AmsterdamIf you're traveling to the Netherlands by plane, chances are that you'll arrive at the largest airport in the Netherlands: Schiphol, located near the Dutch capital. (You can book flights to Schiphol, with the call letters "AMS", from any travel agency.) From the airport, there are several ways you can get to downtown Amsterdam and its attractions, but the easiest is the train.  Schiphol has its own train station, so you can walk directly to the platforms and board a train to many other cities in the Netherlands. If you want to go to the heart of the city, you will want to follow the signs to trains going to "Amsterdam Centraal". Depending on the type of train you’ll be taking, you could be going to Amsterdam Centraal directly (Intercity) or with two short stops (sneltrein). Regardless, the trip should take only about 20 minutes, with trains leaving approximately every ten minutes. If you'd like to know more about traveling across Holland by train, make sure you check the trains page. This page contains all the information you need to quickly and safely use the Dutch railroad system. Amsterdam Airport (Schiphol) also has a taxi stand, just outside the train station at Schiphol Plaza. The taxi's can take you to any address in the Netherlands, and can even take you to foreign destinations. Taking a taxi is definitely a possibility if you need a luxury ride and can afford to spend some more money; otherwise, the trains are your best bet - they're cheap, comfortable and safe. And what's more: they don't get stuck in the heavy Dutch road traffic. If you're already in a European country, you also have the option of taking an international train instead of an airplane. You can reach Amsterdam by train from Germany, Belgium, France, Italy (Milan), Austria (Vienna) and the Czech Republic (Prague). For more information about this option, please see the trains page on this site. Getting around AmsterdamFound your way to the city? Good! Now it's time to find out how to make your way around the city - after all, you'll want to get the most out of your limited time and visit as many attractions as you can. In this section, the most common modes of transport around the city will be discussed. In addition, some alternative forms of transportation will be discussed to allow you to taste the atmosphere of the city and even to adapt to the way Dutch people go around the town. Using the tram system Amsterdam, along with The Hague and Rotterdam, is one of the few cities in the Netherlands where a tram system still exists. The tram allows you to go to nearly every address of the city, since it has so many stops. Most trams depart from the central train station (Centraal), but not all trams return to the central train station. Make sure you check where a tram is headed before you board (signs are available at every stop) or ask the on-board conductor.  Bus, subway, taxi Amsterdam also has an extensive bus and subway system; the subways mostly lead to the outer parts of town. Of course, a taxi can also take you to any address in the city. Getting a transport ticket For all forms of public transport (except taxi's) in this city (and the rest of the Netherlands), you can obtain a universally accepted transport ticket called the "strippenkaart". A strippenkaart is a ticket that you can use several times on several different modes of transport, so you don't have to buy a separate ticket every time you want to go somewhere. The idea behind the strippenkaart is fairly simple. The entire city is divided up in zones; a trip always costs one “strip” plus an as many extra strips as the number of zones you’ll be traveling in. If you travel within one zone, you "pay" two so-called "strips", if you travel within two zones you pay three strips, and so forth. Usually, if you're just traveling around downtown, you'll only have to pay two strips. When you're boarding a tram or bus, you can just tell the conductor/driver where you want to go and he or she will stamp the appropriate number of strips. If you know you'll be using public transportation many times on a certain day, you might want to consider getting a day pass. That's cheaper than a strippenkaart and you don't have to worry about paying "strips". It is possible to buy day passes for up to three days. Both strippenkaarten and day passes are available at the GVB ticket shops at the central train station, Museumplein, and Leidseplein. You can also get a zone map at these shops that will show you how Amsterdam is divided up in zones. Strippenkaarten are also available at other train stations in the "Kiosk" or "Wizzl" shop, as well as in Albert Heijn grocery stores, post offices, and bookstores like AKO, Primera and Bruna. Alternative forms of transportation around AmsterdamThe bike Holland is a country of bikers; when you're in the Netherlands, you will see them everywhere. In Amsterdam and around the country, many people use their bike to get to and from work. So many, in fact, that we've even created separate bike paths and stoplights for them around the country. If you're interested to experience this typically Dutch form of transportation, you have the option of renting a bicycle. You'll love the experience of discovering the canals by bike. You'll be able to go places that you wouldn't be able to see when you're walking or using public transportation. Several companies in Amsterdam rent out bikes, the most well-known being MacBike (with the red bicycles) and Yellow Bikes Guided Tours (with the yellow bicycles). Both companies have an office close to the Amsterdam central train station. The pedal boat Many people say that you haven't seen Amsterdam until you've taken a tour of its canals. There are several different options for exploring the canals, with canal tour boats being the most famous option. However, a fun alternative is renting a Dutch-style pedal boat! You can rent a pedal boat at several locations (of course, the central train station is one of them, as are the Westertoren and the Rijksmuseum). A fun idea might be to rent a pedal boat at the central train station and to pedal your way to the Westertoren, where you can leave your pedal boat at the appropriate dock; this should take about an hour. You can then pay a visit to the Anne Frank House, and perhaps even get another pedal boat after that and pedal on to the Rijskmuseum. Canal tour boats
Museum boat Amsterdam also has a so-called museum boat. The museum boat stops at all well-known museums in the capital, like the Maritime Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Anne Frank House. You can hop on and hop off wherever you want, whether to visit a museum, see some sights or do some shopping. The museum boat is owned by Rederij Lovers; you can board the boat at any of the aforementioned stops or near the central train station. Bicycle-taxi A relatively new form of transport in Amsterdam is the bicycle-taxi. If you want to make use of this unique taxi service, you can just signal them at your convenience and let the driver know where you'd like to go. The tariff is €1 per 3 minutes per person. The best place to find a bicycle-taxi is in downtown Amsterdam (especially near the Dam) as there aren’t very many of them. This is a fun and easy way to get around town. And don't worry: the bicycle-taxis are covered, so you'll keep dry even if it should rain! "Opstapper" The "Opstapper" is a special bus that drives back and forth along Prinsengracht between the central train station and Amsterdam city hall. Because this canal is very long, you'll pass several important intersections along the way, like Utrechtsestraat (which is close to Rembrandtplein) and Leidsestraat (close to Leidseplein and the Bloemmarkt). The Opstapper also drives past the Anne Frank House, the Jordaan neighborhood and the Stopera (a music theater near city hall). The Opstapper can also be used to get to certain bus- and tram lines you might want to take to get to other parts of Amsterdam. Since there are no set stops for the Opstapper, you can hail it wherever you see it and get off wherever you want. Related articles about AmsterdamReturn to the Holland-Travel-Guide.com homepage |
