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Useful Tips
When you arrive at Schipol Airport, you can either hire a taxi to
take you into town (30 to 40€ including tip), or you can spend
3.80€ and catch the train - this takes about fifteen minutes
and goes to Central Station, which is right in the center of the town.
Amsterdam is a small city, and if you are staying in the center, you
can pretty much walk everywhere. Do be careful when you cross the
street, please remember to look both ways as Bicycles Rule - and they
will not stop for you! Public transportation is excellent and you
can save money if you buy a "strippenkaart" at any tobacco
shop or post office as opposed to paying each time you board. If you
feel adventurous - rent a bicycle. This is probably the best and most
fun way to enjoy Amsterdam. As the city is bike friendly, most streets
have a designated bike path, which is usually noted by the red asphalt.
It is NOT a good idea to use your car. The streets are small and crowded.
Parking, especially in the Center of town is almost impossible and
extremely costly - if you do happen to find a spot on the street,
it will cost you 2.20€ per hour, and the police are vigilant.
As in any city, beware of pickpockets, especially on the trams and
buses.
If you want to buy hash or grass go to a coffee shop. There are more
than a hundred of these in Amsterdam. Most all of them have a good
variety, good quality and fair prices. DO NOT buy drugs on the street,
it's unnecessary, and the chances are pretty good you will be ripped
off.
The Police will not approach and ask you to produce your passport
or money - unless of course you have been caught committing a crime!
So ignore any one who does ask you to show them your money and passport,
they are con artists. Walk away.
If by chance someone offers to sell you a bike on the street for 10€
it's hot. Walk away.
Again, doing business on the street is not good business. Want to
exchange your money? You will find the rates are pretty much the same
all over the city.
For an emergency call 112 and if it's not an emergency but you need
the police call 0900-8844
The ferryboat, behind Central Station, connects northern part of Amsterdam
with the rest of the city. Bikes and pedestrians are not allowed to
use the IJ Tunnel, the Coen Tunnel or the ring road. If you don't
like to take the bus, you can use the ferry service, which is free
of charge. It is a pleasant ride and leaves every few minutes.
The CryingTower, Schreierstoren in Dutch, is close to the Central
Station. Hundreds of years ago it served as a defensive tower and
was part of the cities walls. Now it's a cafe! It is believed to date
from the 1480s, but how it got its name is debatable. Some say it
was because the tower was positioned on a sharp 90 degree turn in
the city walls. Others hold the more romanticised notion that it was
named after the weeping women who gathered there to wave their men
off to sea!
The Brouwerij t' IJ is a brewery producing Trapisten style beers in
an old windmill on Funenkade 7. A little bit out of the center of
town, you can reach it by trams 6 or 10. Opening hours are limited
(guidebooks say Wednesday to Sunday 3-8pm) so it's worth phoning them
first 020 622 8325. In good weather you can sit outside next to the
canal. The beer at is strong - 9% alcohol by volume, so take it easy
if you plan to do much afterwards!
These warehouses were used by the Dutch East Indies Company in the
early 17th Century. It was the largest warehouse complex in Europe.
They have of course since been renovated and now contain housing,
offices, cafes and restaurants. During the summer there are many outdoor
cafes to sit at, and watch the world go by.
Rijks Museum
The Rijks Museum (National Museum) is the largest and most
famous museum in Netherlands
Sorry for the inconvenience, but from December 2003 to 2012/2013 it
is undergoing the biggest renovation in its history. Unfortunately
this means there is only a fraction of it which is open to the public.
That doesn't mean one should pass up the opportunity for a visit.
On display are the highlights of the Dutch Golden Age (17th Century).
The exhibit on the ground floor in rooms one and two, show the history
of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces and follows the growth
of Holland into a world power. An example of their great maritime
domination is a 4 meter long model of the 1698, 74 gun warship the
"William Rex". (photo)
Room 3 shows the famous Doll's Houses. In rooms 4 and 5 there is an
exhibit of silverware and Delftware The porcelain violin, is not a
real musical instrument, but purely ornamental. Dated around 1705-1710,
the design on the front of the violin shows a ballroom and a gallery
in which the musicians are playing their instruments. (photo)
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn is certainly the most famous 17th century
Dutch painter. He was born in 1606 in Leiden and died in 1669. His
body is buried in Amsterdam's Westerkerk in the Jordaan district.
The house where he lived and worked from 1639 till 1658 is open to
the public. The photo shows his 1631 masterpiece "The Prophetess
Anna" (known as Rembrandt's Mother). Like all his paintings,
the main characteristic is the light coming from behind, touching
her oriental dress and bringing attention to her hand.
The Museumplein is a park behind the Rijks and next door to the Van
Gogh Museum. It offers a nice break for the museum goer, weather permitting,
to sit outdoors, relax and do some people watching while having a
coffee.
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