Need To Know

Amsterdam is the perfect city for a small break! I am sure you will love it, with its delicious cheese, interesting museums and beautiful canals. Here are some tips that might come in handy during your stay.  

Netherlands prefix: +31 Local timetable Central European Time (GMT / UTC + 1h)

Electricity The Dutch plugs have two cylindrical plugs and the current is 220V.

Tips Between 5 and 10% in restaurants and taxis, or round the figure in euros.

Amsterdam is a very safe city, you don't have to worry!

Keep in mind you are not allowed to take pictures of the girls in the Red Lights District.

Business hours are from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm.

On Monday mornings, most shops are usually closed until 1 pm and many open on Thursdays until 8 pm.

Souvenir shops are usually open until 10pm.

The best way to move around the city is by metro, tram or bus.

You can buy a transport card in this link, you can choose the number of days you need it for and use the trams, buses, ferries and metro.

Bikes

Riding a bike in Amsterdam is definitely a cool and local experience. If you want, you can rent bikes through this link

Hop-on Hop-off buses and boats

Another good option to make the most of your time in the city is taking this buses and boats. We recommend the City Sightseeing ones. In this link you can buy tickets to use both boats and buses, being able to get on and off at the different attractions that they have stops at.

Dutch but everyone knows English so you shouldn't have problems communicating! Here are some words and their pronunciation in case you want to try some Dutch:

- Hello = Hallo (the same)

- Good morning = Goedemorgen (hudehmorhe)

- Goodbye = Varweel (farvel)

- Thank you = Dank je (dahnkieh)

- Please = Behagen (behahe)

Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport is located just 20 km away from the city center. There are different transport options to do the commute, but as it's one of the biggest airports in Europe and it's usually crowded I'd suggest preparing your transfer in advance to avoid delays and complications.

The easiest and fastest way: Train

This train will take you to Amsterdam Centraal Station in 15 minutes. One ticket costs €9,50 and you should definitely buy it online in advance to avoid lots of people and confusing machines (you can use this link). From 6:00 till 1:00 it leaves every 10 to 15 minutes and from 1:00 to 6:00 at night it leaves every hour on the 00 minute.

The most comfortable and best door-to-door option: Private Transfer

If you book a private transfer in advance you'll have someone waiting for you as soon as you get off your flight. It's more expensive, it costs from € 76.50 per group up to 3, but it's definitely more comfortable than the train because you'll be left off at the door of your accomodation. It's also easier than taking a taxi because there's usually large queues for them. You could book a private transfer through this link.

The other door-to-door option: Taxi

Taxis are usually a little bit cheaper than a private transfer, sometimes up to €55, but Schiphol Airport is a very busy one and finding a taxi can be difficult and take lots of time.

The I Amsterdam City Card is available to purchase for 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120 hours. With it you'll have access to lots of museums, like the Rijksmuseum, the Amsterdam Museum, the Museum Het Rembrandhuits, the Van Gogh Museum and much more. It also includes GVB public transport in Amsterdam (metro, tram, bus, but not the NS trains) and a canal boat tour. Some attractions of other cities (Haarlem, Zaanse Schans, Volendam, Marken, Muiden and Enkhuizen) are included, but not the transport between Amsterdam and those places, neither the public transport in those cities.

You can check all that it includes and the price through this link.