Amsterdam Getting there & around

Getting there & around

Straddling one of Europe’s busiest crossroads, Amsterdam has excellent air links, a fine motorway and train lines fanning out to the rest of Europe. Once in town, you’ll find that Amsterdam is very much a walking city; you can traverse the old centre in 30 minutes and reach the outskirts in an hour. The tram system is reliable, though not necessarily faster than a bike, the locals’ preferred way of getting around.

Flights, tours and rail tickets can be booked online at www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings.

Local transport

Taxi

Amsterdam taxis are among Europe’s most expensive. Worse, drivers tend not to know the streets; you often have to tell them how to get there. This is complicated because, as a group, taxi drivers are among the few people you meet in town who may not speak English well. A notable exception is Taxicentrale Amsterdam (TCA; 777 77 77).

You’re not supposed to hail taxis in the many no-stop zones of the city, but many cabs will halt if you do. You can also usually find them at taxi stands at hotels and, especially at night, on Leidseplein.

Flag fall is around €3.40 and the rate is €1.94 per kilometre, plus a 5% to 10% tip. Some independent cabs charge lower fares but many will charge more. There’s also the informal strategy of setting a price with the driver before you get in – figure about two thirds of the metered price. Some haggling is usually involved. If a driver’s been waiting long enough, he may agree.

A cute alternative to regular taxis, the open three-wheeled scooters of TukTuk (0900 993 33 99, per min €0.55) have a Fellini quality about them. Costs are zone-based: €3.50/5/6.50 for one/two/three passengers in the City Centre, plus a flat €3.50 per zone thereafter.

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Bus & tram

Canal boat, bus & bike

Canal Bus (623 98 86; www.canal.nl ; day pass per adult/child €18/12) does several circuits between Centraal Station and the Rijksmuseum between 9.50am and 8pm. The day pass is valid until noon the next day. The same company rents canal bikes (pedal boats) for €8 per person per hour (€7 if more than two people per canal bike). Docks are by Leidseplein and near the Anne Frank Huis.

Tram, bus & metro

Most public transport within the city is by tram; buses and Amsterdam’s metro (subway) serve some outer reaches. Services are run by the local transit authority, the GVB; national railway (NS) tickets are not valid on local transport.

The GVB has an information office (0900 80 11, per min €0.10; www.gvb.nl ; Stationsplein 10; 7am-9pm Mon-Fri, 8am-9pm Sat & Sun) across the tram tracks from the Centraal Station main entrance. Here you can get tickets, maps and the like. The website has lots of useful information including details of how to reach key sights.

You must either purchase a ticket on board or validate it when you board. If you get caught without a ticket or properly stamped strip, playing the ignorant foreigner will guarantee that you get fined €37.50. Some trams have conductors responsible for ticketing (usually towards the rear of the tram), while others do not. Drivers can also handle tickets but prefer not to as it slows things down. If you are transferring from another line, show your ticket to the conductor or driver as you board. Buses are more conventional, with drivers stamping the tickets as you board.

Chances are you won’t use the metro unless you go to the international bus station at Amstelstation, south to the RAI Convention Centre, or to the World Trade Centre.

GVB Fares

Tickets on trams and buses are calculated by zone and are valid for one hour from the time they’re stamped. Within the city centre you are in Zone 1. When in doubt, consult the maps at bus and tram stops, or ask the driver or conductor. Single-trip fares for one/two zones are €1.60/2.40.

GVB passes are valid in all zones, and fares for one/two/three days are €6.50/10.50/13.50. Children (aged four to 11) and seniors can obtain a day pass for €4.50 per day, but multiple day passes are not available.

Strippenkaart

Depending on how much you plan to travel, consider a strippenkaart (‘strip card’; 15-/45-strip cards €6.80/20.10), available at train and bus stations, post offices, many VVV (tourist information) offices, supermarkets and tobacconists.

Each strip is numbered, but there’s a trick: you need to stamp for the number of zones you’re travelling plus one, and you stamp one strip only. In other words, if you’re travelling in Zone 1, stamp the second available strip but not the first (this would invalidate the second stamp). You should begin stamping from the lowest number available. You can also use a strip card if you’re travelling with a companion, so if both of you are travelling within Zone 1, you stamp the second and the fourth strips (two strips plus two strips).

If you’re boarding transport with a conductor, simply state where you’re travelling and the conductor will stamp your card for you. If you need to validate it yourself, fold the card so that the strip you want to stamp is first on the top, and insert it into the machine.

A strippenkaart is valid on local public transport throughout the country; however, in early 2009 they will be replaced by a smart-card system, the OV-chipkaart. A disposable card costs €8 for four journeys – not a great deal. Or you can pay a one-off fee of €7.50 for a regular OV-chipkaart and load it at the GVB ticket vendors and machines (good for longer stays, as single journeys begin at €0.90). Don’t forget to swipe it at the card readers in trams and buses, both upon entering and exiting, or you’ll be ­liable for a fine.

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Water

Ferries

There are free ferries from behind Centraal Station to destinations along the IJ, notably Amsterdam Noord.

The ferry that goes to the Eastern Docklands costs €1.

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Air

Airport

A mere 18km from central Amsterdam, Schiphol airport is the Netherlands’ main international airport and the fourth-busiest passenger terminal in Europe. It’s the hub of Dutch passenger carrier KLM, and over 100 airlines have direct flights and connections to all continents. Its shopping arcades, both in public areas and the See Buy Fly duty-free areas, are renowned.

Meet arrivals in the large lobby known as Schiphol Plaza. For airport and flight information call 0900 01 41 (per minute €0.40) or see www.schiphol.nl.

The airport is in the same telephone area code as Amsterdam proper (020).

Luggage may be deposited at the left luggage office (601 24 43) in the basement between arrival areas One and Two. Cost is €5 per item per day. Lockers are available from €5 to €9 per day (depending on size) and luggage can be stored for up to a week.

Scooter hire

The best bet for scooter hire is to try Moped Rental Service Gilex (623 45 50; www.gilex.nl ; Marnixstraat 208; weekday/weekend day €37.50/42.50, weekend/week €80/210, plus deposit €450). Scooters come in all colours, as long as it’s yellow.

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Car & motorcycle

We absolutely don’t recommend having a car in Amsterdam.

Hire

Local companies are usually cheaper than the big multinationals, but don’t offer as much backup or flexibility. Rates start at around €34/40 per day for a two-/four-person car, but they do change frequently, so call around. Rentals at Schiphol airport incur a €40 ­surcharge.

Look for local car-rental firms in telephone directories under the heading Autoverhuur. Following is a list of some of the better-known car-rental companies:

Avis Autoverhuur (683 60 61; www.avis.nl ; Nassaukade 380)

easyCar (www.easycar.nl)

Europcar (683 21 23; www.europcar.nl ; Overtoom 197)

Hertz (612 24 41; www.hertz.nl ; Overtoom 333)

National Car Rental (616 24 66; www.nationalcar-rental.com ; Overtoom 184)

Sixt (023-405 90 90; www.e-sixt.nl ; Schiphol Plaza)

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Train

Trains are frequent and serve domestic destinations at regular intervals, sometimes five or six times an hour. However, the network has been plagued by poor punctuality in recent years, particularly at rush hour.

Amsterdam’s main train station is Centraal Station (CS). There’s a left-luggage desk downstairs from Track 2, near the ­southeastern corner of the station.

Domestic tickets

Tickets can be bought at the window or ticketing machines. Buying a ticket on board means you’ll pay almost double the normal fare.

To use the ticketing machines, find your destination on the alphabetical list of place names, enter the code into the machine, then choose 1st or 2nd class (there’s little difference in comfort, but if the train is crowded there are usually more seats in 1st class). Then choose with/without discount, the former only if you have a Railrunner or Voordeel-Urenkaart and the period of validity, ie ‘today’ or ‘without date’ for a future trip. For tickets without date, be sure to validate the ticket in a yellow punch gadget near the platform before you board. The machines take coins and PIN cards, but not credit cards.

With a valid ticket you can break your journey along the direct route. Day return tickets are 10% to 15% cheaper than two one-ways.

Children under four travel free if they don’t take up a seat. Ages four to 11 pay a ‘Railrunner’ fare of €2 as long as an adult comes along.

If you plan to do a lot of travelling, a one-day travel card costs €40.30. For longer stays, the €55 Voordeel-Urenkaart is valid for one year and gives a 40% discount on train travel weekdays after 9am, as well as weekends, public holidays and the whole months of July and August. The discount also applies to up to three people travelling with you on the same trip. Seniors (60-plus) can pay an extra €14 for seven days of fare-free travel a year.

International tickets

For details of international trains and reservations, visit the NS international office (www.ns.nl ; Centraal Station; 6.30am-9pm) facing Track 2 and see Dutch inefficiency at its worst. At peak times (eg summer) the queues can be up to two hours.

Upon entering, pick up a numbered ticket based on the kind of train ticket you need: advance, pick-up of a reservation, or departing within an hour. Pick-ups and immediate departures get higher priority. Don’t even think of taking a number for other than what you’re planning to buy – you’ll be sent to the back of the queue.

You may also purchase tickets by phone (0900 92 96, per minute €0.35, 8am to midnight), or by credit card online, but you must pick them up here. Be sure to reserve international seats in advance during peak periods.

Schedules

In stations, schedules are posted by route, though trip duration and arrival time information aren’t. Outside of the station, contact the NS (0900 92 92, per min €0.70; www.ns.nl ; 7am-midnight).

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Bicycle

Bicycle hire

All the companies listed here require ID plus a credit card imprint or a cash deposit with a passport. Many rental agencies require that you bring your passport as proof of ID. Prices are for basic ‘coaster-brake’ bikes; gears and handbrakes, and especially insurance, usually cost more.

Bike City (626 37 21; www.bikecity.nl ; Bloemgracht 68-70; per day/week €8.50/41, plus credit card imprint deposit) There’s no advertising on the bikes, so you can pretend you’re a local.

Damstraat Rent-a-Bike (625 50 29; www.bikes.nl ; Damstraat 20-2; per day/week €7/31, plus credit card imprint deposit)

Holland Rent-a-Bike (622 32 07; Damrak 247; per day/week €6.40/34.50, plus deposit €150 or credit card imprint)

MacBike (620 09 85; www.macbike.nl ; per day/week €8.50/29.75, plus ID & €50 deposit or credit card imprint) Centraal Station; Visserplein; Weteringschans The most expensive (and the bikes are equipped with big signs that say ‘LOOK OUT!’ to locals), but it has the most locations.

Mike’s Bike Tours (622 79 70; www.mikesbiketours.com ; Kerkstraat 134; half-day/full day/additional day €5/7/5, plus €200 deposit or passport or other ID)

To carry a bike aboard a train, you’ll need to purchase a bike day pass (€6), valid throughout the country, and carriage is subject to availability of space. Many train stations also have bike rental facilities on the spot. Collapsible bikes can be carried for free. An alternative to renting a bike is to buy one. Figure on about €80 for a used bike and maybe €40 for two good locks.

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