Amsterdam Travel Tips
Public holidays in Amsterdam
1st January: New Year's Day
March/April: Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday
30th April: Queen's Day
May: Ascension day (sixth Thursday after Easter)
May/June: Whit Monday (eighth Monday after Easter)
25th/26th December: Christmas Day, Boxing Day
Amsterdam customs
Personal possessions are not liable to duty and tax provided you are staying for less than six months and you intend to take them out of the country again. There is no restriction on the amount of currency that you can bring into the Netherlands. Among prohibited or restricted goods are plants, flowers, weapons and recreational drugs.
Duty-free shopping is no longer available to travellers within the European Union. For travel within the EU, customs restrictions on alcohol, cigarettes and some other items no longer apply, although there are guide levels designed to prevent illegal trading.
Despite this, travellers departing from Schiphol Airport to destinations in and out of the EU may still take advantage of reduced prices on all goods except for alcoholic beverages and tobacco. In a unique action, the airport and the shop-owners decided to band together to pay the sales tax themselves; in this way the prices for perfume, electronic equipment, cameras and other items remain at duty-free levels. Alcohol and tobacco are still available for sale, but at prices comparable to normal shops in the city. Travellers to the Canary Islands (Spain) and the Channel Islands (UK) are not affected by the ruling.
Amsterdam visas
Visitors from the European Union, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most other European countries require only a valid passport. Citizens of most other countries must obtain a visa in advance from Dutch embassies or consulates in their home countries.
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Amsterdam health
No health certificates or vaccinations are required for European Union citizens. EU citizens who have obtained an E111 form from their local post office before departure are entitled to free treatment by a doctor and free prescribed medicines. This insurance is not comprehensive and won't cover you, for example, for holiday cancellation or the cost of repatriation. For full cover, take out separate medical insurance.
The most central hospital in Amsterdam is the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, le (first) 279 Oosterparkstraat, tel: 599 9111. The main hospital is the Academisch Medisch Centrum (AMC), 9 Meibergdreef, tel: 566 3333. Both hospitals have an out-patients department and an emergency casualty ward.
For emergency services, the two hospitals (ziekenhuizen) listed above provide excellent care. As long as one is medically insured, services are rendered and are billed at a later date to your home address.
Pharmacies (apotheken) are normally open Monday to Friday 9am-5.30pm or 6pm. Weekend and late-night pharmacies operate on a rotating basis. If you have a general question about your state of health, a pharmacist will generally suggest an over-the-counter remedy. A list of out-of-hours pharmacies is posted on the front of every apotheek.
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Amsterdam money matters
The unit of currency in the Netherlands (and in most other countries of the European Union) is the euro (€). A euro is divided into 100 cents. Euro notes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500; coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, €1 and €2.
The best rates of exchange are at national banks; beware high commission rates at hotels. Major credit cards and eurocheques are accepted in all main hotels, restaurants and shops.
The GWK (Grenswisselkantoren NV) is a national financial institution where you can exchange any currency and also use credit cards or travellers' cheques. The GWK exchange office inside Centraal Station is open long hours: Mon-Sat 7am-10.30pm, Sun 9am- 10.30pm. Change is also available at post offices (at good rates) and banks.
There can be a considerable difference in commission charged between the various institutions and at the different times of night or day. There are automatic cash-dispensers all over the city. Most can be accessed by foreign credit cards and charge cards, or cash cards with the Cirrus or Plus symbol. GWK and other currency exchange outlets also accept major credit cards.
Credit cards are accepted at hotels, restaurants, shops, car hire companies and airlines. MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, Eurocard, Visa and JCB are all recognised, plus many more.
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Crime & security in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a centre of the drugs trade and much crime here is drugs-related. As a visitor, you are unlikely to be affected by big-time drugs-related crime, but you should take sensible precautions against becoming a victim of petty crime like pickpocketing and bag-snatching, and of the less common but more serious robberies with threats or violence.
Keep a careful watch on wallets, bags and other valuables, especially on public transport, at busy transport nodes like Centraal Station and Schiphol Airport. And exercise some caution in certain areas after dark: the Red Light District - mostly safe but some of its narrow alleys may not be; deserted canal-sides; and Vondelpark.
In an emergency, call the police (politie) on 112. For non-emergencies, there are police stations around the city. Police headquarters is at 117 Elandsgracht, tel: 559 9111.
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Amsterdam tourist information
The main tourist office (VVV) is opposite Centraal Station at 10 Stationsplein, tel: 0900 400 4040, or 551 2525 (call centre) (www.visitamsterdam.nl), open daily 9am-5pm. There is another office inside the station at platform 2, open Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-5pm, and a VVV bureau at 104 Leidsestraat, open Sun-Wed 9am-5pm, Thurs-Sat until 8pm.
There is a tourist information office at the airport, which is useful if you have not already booked your accommodation. The booklet What's On in Amsterdam lists events in the city. Other guides can also be bought at the VVV.
The GVB Tickets and Information office, also at Stationsplein, alongside the dock to your left as you exit, tel: 0900 9292 (50 cents per minute), provides information and ticket sales for local and city public transport. Open Monday-Friday 7am-9pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am-9pm.
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Transport in Amsterdam
Getting there from the airport: there is a 24-hour rail service from Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam Centraal Station, with up to six trains an hour at peak times, and in late evenings around once an hour. Trains also depart frequently to Amsterdam rail Station and Amsterdam Zuid/wtc (South/World Trade Centre) Station. The journey time to Centraal Station is about 20 minutes. Taxis to the city centre leave from in front of Schiphol Plaza and cost around €45. Connexxion operates a hotel shuttle bus from the airport, serving 16 city-centre hotels every 20-30 minutes from 7am-9.30pm. It costs more than twice the price of the train.
Public Transport: Amsterdam's public transport network consists of tram and bus routes and four Metro lines. All operate from 6am until midnight, after which there are night buses.
One-day or multiple-day tickets are valid on all public transport lines within the city and can save you time and money. Otherwise, use a strippenkaart - strip ticket; the more strips you buy, the cheaper they come. These are valid for one hour's travel, and the amount you use depends on the number of public transport zones you cover. The city is divided into zones and you cancel one strip more than the number of zones, you will be travelling within - two strips for one zone, three strips for two zones, and so on. It sounds complicated, but in practice everything works well.
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Tickets are available from the GVB Tickets & Info office next to Centraal Station, as well as at railway stations, tourist offices, post offices, some tobacconists and at major hotels. Tickets purchased on trams and buses cost more than those bought in advance.
Bicycles: being a city of cyclists, Amsterdam has numerous bike lanes. Cycling is a fun way of getting around but bear in mind that there are 600,000 other cyclists in the city, and a lot of chaotic traffic to contend with. Locals run the red lights, taxis drive on tram tracks. Be careful of tram tracks - they should only be crossed at right angles!
Two of the main places for renting cycles are Damstraat Rent-a-bike (tel: 625 5029) and MacBike (tel: 620 0985). Bicycle theft is rife (hence high deposits on rentals), so lock up at all times - wherever possible attaching your bike to railings or some other immovable object.
If you prefer safety in numbers, why not take a Yellow Bike tour of the city? Yellow Bike: 29 Nieuwezijds Kolk, tel: 620 6940.
For tours outside of the city try Let's Go (tel: 600 1809) or Mike's Bike Tours (tel: 622 7970).
Useful numbers
Emergency Fire, Police and Ambulance, tel: 112
General Doctors' and Dental Service, tel: 592 3434
(for urgent medical or dental treatment; open 24 hours).
Updated May 2005.