An online list of all museums in The Netherlands is available from Holland Museums.
Canal trips
Damrak by Central Station, and Rokin by the Spui. It's worth taking one of
the canal boat tours to see Amsterdam from the water. | They last about 90
minutes, and take you around the city and through the harbour. If you're
feeling energetic, you can hire a Canal Bike from one of the several points
through the city (Westerkerk, Leidseplein, Leidsestraat, Rijksmuseum), and
choose your own route. There are also electric boats to hire (quite expensive
though: around €35 for an hour) at the Nieuwmarkt on the
Kloveniersburgwal, at the corner of Leidsestraat and Prinsengracht, and at
the other end of the Kloveniersburgwal near the Munt tower
|  |
Some things to do for free
Take the free ferry behind central station to the other side of the IJ and
go for a walk along the North Holland Canal.
Walk up the roof of the New Metropolis and admire the view (follow the
rail lines east from Central Station, and cross the footbridge to the big
green building that looks like a ship).
Go to the Begijnhof (entrance from the Spui)
Visit the Historical Museum gallery (take the other exit from the
Begijnhof and turn left).
Wander along the Flower Market (on the Singel).
| Browse the Waterlooplein market (at the Waterlooplein).
Visit the Albert Cuyp market (tram 10 to Frederiksplein, or 4, 16, 24, 25
to Albert Cuyp).
|  |
Go to a free lunch concert in the Concertgebouw (Museumplein).
Browse the internet in medieval surroundings at the Waag (Old Centre).
Go up the tower to the cafe in the Kalvertoren shopping mall, and admire
the view (Kalverstraat near the Munt).
Go to the cafe in Metz and admire the view (corner of Leidsestraat and
Keizersgracht).
What to do on a long layover at Schiphol
There are coach trips for people with a long layover. There is a
desk where you can book at the end of pier E.
Otherwise take a train to Central Station, go on a boat trip for an
hour, and visit the Anne Frank House.
Kids
Some ideas for where to take the kids: The Anne Frank house of course, a
boat trip is always fun, and so are the Canal Bike pedal boats mentioned
earlier. The New Metropolis museum is a
play science museum for kids. The Zoo, mentioned above. The De Mirandabad
swimming pool (end of tram line 25) is good for a rainy day, with lots of fun
things; Sloterparkbad swimming pool is good for all weathers (end of
tramline 14). Madame Tussauds wax museum on the Dam. On the Leidseplein there are
always acts like jugglers and fire-eaters that in our experience kids
love.
The Pancake Bakery restaurant mentioned above is
perfect for taking children.
Trips outside the city
In tulip season (springtime) flower lovers can take a coach trip to Keukenhof, | huge gardens
dedicated to tulips. Trips can be booked from companies on the Damrak (around
€30), or there is a day-trip by train from Central Station for less.
|  |
Not far from Amsterdam, in the former Zuiderzee (now the IJsselmeer) is
Marken, an island now joined to the mainland by a land
bridge. It still has many wooden houses, and you can still see people wearing
local costume, not just for tourists. You should at least visit the harbour.
There are organised coach tours (around €25), but for much less money
(six strips of a strippen-card) you can take bus 111 from Central Station
(times can be got from the public transport telephone information line
0900-9292, €0.50 per minute).
The train to Castricum takes about 25 minutes and costs
€6.80 return. At Castricum station you can hire a bike (phone
0251-654035 to reserve), and in the station restaurant buy a map and a
€1 entrance card to kilometers of bike paths through beautiful
woodlands, meadows, and dunes, with access to the beach. This is also the
filtration area for Amsterdam's drinking water, so you may also see huge carp
swimming in the crystal-clear water of the pools.
The national park Hoge
Veluwe has beautiful surroundings, and free bikes at the gates
to cycle through the grounds. In the middle is the modern art museum Kröller-Müller with
a major collection of works by Van Gogh, Seurat, Redon, Braque, Picasso, Juan
Gris, Mondriaan and others. There is an excellent statue garden too. The NS
Railways have a day trip that takes you nearby by train (about an hour from
Amsterdam), and then by bus to the gates of the park.
There is a group of working windmills along the river at the Zaanse
Schans, | as well as museums and a cheese factory you can visit.
Take the train to Koog-Zaandijk (about 15 minutes), turn left at the bottom
of the steps from the platform, and walk straight on right to the end of the
street (about 5 minutes). Turn left, and ahead of you is a windmill at the
end of a bridge. As you cross the bridge, you can see the working mills on
the left. There is a gate at the end of the bridge, on the left.
|  |
More ideas
Tourist offices in the Netherlands are called VVV. The main one
in Amsterdam is opposite the Central Station (and with a second office on
Platform 1), with a smaller branch at the Leidseplein. There are a number of
tour organisers on the Damrak, near Central Station.
What's On
Not surprisingly, there is an immense choice of activities in the city.
You can find a list of what's on this week hanging in most cafés, and in
newspapers published Wednesday night and Thursday morning. There is a central
entertainments information and ticket reservation service called AUB
on the Leidseplein. They have a Web Site at www.aub.nl.
Guides.
There is an English Language guide to the week's
events called What's On. It is published by the VVV and is available
in most hotels.
Music.
You can find music of all sorts. Pop and rock
lovers should check out the multi-media Melkweg, and Paradiso both near the
Leidseplein, and discos Mazzo
(Rozengracht, near Westerkerk) and Odeon (opposite the end of the
Spui). For jazz try the Bimhuis
in the Old Centre. Classical and opera try the Muziektheater at
Waterlooplein and the Concertgebouw on
Museumplein.
Films.
There are more than 50 cinema screens in
Amsterdam. This
week's films are online, and you will find the list of current films
hanging in most cafes. Non-Dutch films are always subtitled, so you can
always see films in your own language. There are many cinemas around the
Leidseplein and the Rembrandtplein; Fridays and Saturdays you should buy your
ticket early -- you can do this by telephone if you want, if they
answer the phone. There are two magnificent art deco cinemas you should try
not to miss: Tuschinski near the Rembrandtplein (screen 1 is the
most impressive), and The Movies on the Haarlemmerstraat near the
Jordaan, which has a good restaurant too, and offers a special
'film dinner' for around €30, which includes reserved seats
for the film (telephone 6267069).
Transport
Amsterdam has superb public transport facilities. There are many trams,
and good facilities for cyclists, like special bike lanes, and traffic lights
for cyclists.
There is a national public transport information service: you say when and
where you want to go, anywhere in the Netherlands, and they tell you how to
get there. The telephone number is 0900-9292; it costs €0.50 per minute,
though in our experience the quality of the service is variable, especially
considering how much you end up paying for it. They also have a website with a form where you can
fill in the start and end points of your journey, and it will work out a
number of routes for you (alas, not in English: click on 'reisadvies' when
you get to their home page; 'vertrekadres' is the departure address,
'aankomstadress' the destination; 'plaats' is the town, 'straat' the street,
and 'huisnr' an optional house number; 'datum' is date, and 'tijd' is time of
departure or arrival).
Trams
The best way to travel is by tram. They are frequent, fast and dependable.
You can buy a ticket from the driver, the conductor at the back of the tram,
or a machine in the middle of the tram, depending on the sort of tram it is.
However, it is considerably cheaper if you buy a 'strippenkaart' from a
tobacconist, post office or railway station beforehand, for €5.90 for 15
strips. On most trams you stamp these yourself in the yellow machines in the
tram: each journey uses one strip plus a strip for every zone you travel in.
If you stay within the centre of town, that is one zone, so you leave one
strip blank and stamp the second. If you travel over a zone border, you are
travelling in two zones, so you leave two strips blank, and stamp the
third.
On some trams there is a conductor: you get on at the back of the tram and
the conductor stamps your ticket for you.
Once stamped, a ticket is valid for an hour, regardless of how often you
change tram or bus.
Several people can travel on one strippenkaart: you just stamp it for the
first person, and then for the second, and so on.
There are also day and week passes available.
Day and week passes and strippencards are valid on all trams, buses and
metros, and also on trains within the city boundaries (thus not to Schiphol
airport: then you have to buy a train ticket). You must stamp a day or week
pass the first time you use it only.
You should hail a tram to indicate you want to get on. Press the button
near the door to open it. If the tram has a conductor you must use the rear
door to get on. You have to press one of the red STOP buttons inside the tram
to indicate that you want to get off at the next stop (although there is
rarely a stop where no one wants to get out). Again press the button near the
door to open it when the tram has stopped.
There is a free map of all tram and bus routes in Amsterdam available from
tourist offices or the GVB office in front of Central Station.
The trams run until just after midnight (the last trams leave Central
Station at 12.15). After that there is an hourly service of night buses from
Central Station.
Bicycles
The fastest way to travel is by bike. There are several addresses around
town where you can hire (rent) a bike, for very reasonable prices.
Traditionally, Dutch bikes have no hand-brakes, but back-pedal brakes. If you
think you can't handle this, ask the hirer for a bike with hand-brakes.
When cycling, cross tram lines at a good angle to avoid getting your wheel
caught in the rail. For obvious reasons, lock your bike to something solid
when leaving it unattended, and lock the frame, not just the front wheel
(otherwise they unbolt your front wheel, take your frame and someone else's
front wheel, and have a complete bike).
When hiring a bike, you will be required to pay a deposit, and you should
take some form of identification. Addresses:
Bike City, Bloemgracht 68
(Westerkerk), 6263721
Damstraat Rent a Bike, P
Jacobszoondwarsstraat 11 (Dam), 6255029.
Macbike, Leidseplein
(next to Paradiso) 528 7688, Mr. Visserplein 2 (Waterlooplein),
6200985, and Central Station, 625 3845
Taxis
Taxis are normally not hailed in the Netherlands, but taken from a taxi
rank, of which there are many (there is an environmental advantage to this:
taxis aren't constantly driving round looking for custom). You can order a
taxi by phoning +31 (0)6 1820 12 38. A taxi will arrive almost immediately
(though be prepared to wait if it is raining on a Friday or Saturday
evening). Taxis are good quality but relatively expensive; around €1.50
per km regardless of day or time. You don't need to tip more than rounding
up: they are already expensive enough.
Car hire
Driving in Amsterdam is not recommended. Even for longer distances it is
far better to take a train.
If you do need to hire a car, look in the Gouden
Gids for addresses of the normal car hire firms
('Autoverhuur').
Trains
Trains in the Netherlands are fast, frequent, comfortable, punctual and
cheap; well, they were until they got privatised, when their
punctuality started to suffer. Many stations have a taxi-sharing scheme called "Train Taxis" which
cost only €3.50: ask for a Train Taxi ticket when you buy your train
ticket. You can look train times up online at the Dutch National Railways (NS)
site, though to be perfectly honest the German Railways site is
better, especially for international travel (and people who don't use
Microsoft Internet Explorer).
Walking
Central Amsterdam is very small: most distances are walkable, and walking
is pleasurable, giving the best chance to appreciate the Amsterdam
architecture. Beware of walking on bike paths, which are distinguished by
their reddish colour: cyclists will show no mercy. Also take care when
crossing roads, even at a green pedestrian light. Cyclists consider
themselves pedestrians in Amsterdam, and so tend to ignore traffic lights.
Note that in true European style, streets may change name along their
length.
Amsterdam is, as you may have noticed, structured as a half wheel. In the
middle you have the old centre bounded by the canal called the Singel. It
contains the Red-Light district around the Oude Kerk, the Nes theatre street, a
quaint maze of small streets and quiet canals, and the Royal Palace at the
Dam, with pedestrian shopping streets going north and south.
Surrounding the old centre, you have the three concentric ring canals
Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht (it can help to note that
they're in alphabetic order). All four canals (with the Singel) are nice to
walk along. The Herengracht is the grandest, especially along the 'Golden
Crescent' to the east of the Leidsestraat, the Prinsengracht is perhaps the
friendliest with its houseboats. The streets that connect the ring canals,
especially in the section between the Brouwersgracht and the Leidsestraat
shouldn't be missed for their lovely individual shops.
To the west of the ring canals, in the area on the map where the streets
all run at an angle to the canals, is the Jordaan, a lovely area to
walk, with quiet canals, and tiny streets, and many unusual shops. You'll
find a lot of the better restaurants and more interesting bars there too.
Transport to the Airport
Schiphol airport is very close to
Amsterdam centre. There are trains day and night, seven times an hour through
the day, hourly in the dead of night, and which take about 15 minutes. A
single journey costs €2.90. Or you can pay €30 for a taxi, and be
there in 10 minutes. The choice is yours.
By the way, Schiphol has been voted the best airport in the world several
times, and not without reason: the shops there are great, and of a wide
range, from drink and chocolates to fashions and electronics. You might want
to leave yourself some extra time for shopping. If you want to know what to
take back for people, Dutch chocolate and cheese are very good. There are
also nice stoneware bottles of Dutch gin (called Jenever) in two types Jong
(young) and Oud (old). The Dutch also invented Brandy (Brandewijn
means 'burnt wine') which they call "Vieux" (Yes, the Dutch call it by a
French name and the French call it by a Dutch name).
Schiphol's Duty-free Shops
are online. You can even phone them to order and pick your goods up when you
leave.
Shopping
Traditionally, shops and markets are closed all day Sunday and Monday
mornings. Normal shopping hours are 09:00 or 10:00 to 18:00 (17:00 on
Saturday) although some are now beginning to stay open later in the evenings
and about half of the shops on the main shopping streets are even open on
Sundays. There is late-night shopping on Thursdays until 21:00, when most
shops on the main streets are open.
The main shopping areas are the Leidsestraat between the
Leidseplein and Spui, and the Kalverstraat and Nieuwendijk,
leading from the Munt Tower via the Dam to near the Central Station. There
are large stores near the Munt Tower (V&D and Hema),
and at the Dam (Bijenkorf and Magna Plaza). There
is a large supermarket behind the Palace at the Dam, open until 22:00, even
Sundays.
The Jordaan and the streets around it contain many small interesting
individual shops. The PC Hooftstraat and district, near the museums,
contains many of the more chic shops.
There is an interesting daily clothes and second-hand market around the
City Hall and Opera (trams 9, 14, 51 to Waterlooplein); there is a busy
cosmopolitan food and clothes market in the Albert Cuypstraat (trams 4, 6, 10
and 16). The flower market on the Singel (between the top of the Leidsestraat
and the Munt Tower) is not to be missed (trams 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 14, 16, 24,
25).
Buying food in supermarkets is straightforward, with one exception: buy
the milk in blue cartons. The red cartons are buttermilk
(karnemelk), which is probably not what you want.
|
