Amsterdam City
Amsterdam
is an unusual city in
that it has all the advantages of a big city -- culture, history, food,
entertainment, good transport -- with relatively few of the disadvantages:
it is physically small, beautiful, relatively quiet, and largely thanks to
the canals, has relatively little traffic.
This guide page tells you
something about Amsterdam in the hope that it will improve your enjoyment
while here.
Amsterdam is
a magic city, full of surprising things and you can explore Amsterdam and
its surroundings on foot, by bike, coach or boat. Among the city you can
find many VVV tourist information office where you can find a lot of
information about accommodation, museums, excursions, canal cruises, etc.
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Amsterdam was
originally established as a fishing village at the mouth of the Amstel
River during the 13th century. The city prospered over the years, with its
wealth and power peaking during the 17th century's Golden Age. Today the
restored façades of buildings representing all periods in Amsterdam's
history await your visit. When you first arrive, you are stunned by its
well preserved beauty. Be it sunny, cloudy or rainy: in any weather the
city can hypnotize you with a sense of timelessness, but the summer is
perfect for walking around and exploring this fine city.
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* WEATHER
The
summer is the best time of the year to sit by the canals or take a bike
trip through the country. Spring is a good time to visit too, as the bulb
flowers are in full bloom in this season. April is the best month for
daffodils, May for tulips. The Keuhttp://www.goamsterdam.nl/uk/history.htmlkenhof
flower exhibition is a wonderful place to visit during spring.
Rain is spread pretty evenly over the year, so there is not much point in
trying to avoid the Dutch drizzle. Winter can be quite cold, but you will
find that the museums are not very busy, which is not a bad thing. If it
gets cold enough for the canals and waterways to freeze over, the Dutch
enjoy skating on the canals and flood plains.
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SHOPS
Most shops are open from Tuesday to Friday between 9 am and 6 pm. On
Saturdays business hours differ between 8:30/9 - 4/5 pm. Mondays shops
open between 11 am and 1 pm and close at 6 pm.
Most cities have late-night shopping (until 9 pm) on Thursdays or Fridays.
In holiday and tourist resorts many shops are open at night and on
Sundays. For business hours on Sundays or late night shopping, please call
a local tourist information office.
SUNDAY SHOPPING AND LATE-NIGHT
SHOPPING IN THE MAIN CITIES
Amsterdam
Sunday: every week from 12 am to 7 pm
Late night shopping: every Thursday until 9 pm
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* TELEPHONE SYSTEM
To call Holland you dial
your international dialing code, followed by 31 (country code for
Holland), then the area code (omit the first zero) and the local number.
Some important area codes:
Amsterdam - (0)20
Rotterdam - (0)10
Utrecht - (0)30
Maastricht - (0)43
The Hague - (0)70
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* MOVING
AROUND The
cities of Amsterdam offers transportation by tram. Amsterdam also have a
subway system. Most tram and subway services start at 6 a.m. and run until
approximately 12 midnight. The subway trains and trams are usually faster
than the city buses. You do not have to buy a ticket on the tram/subway
but you use the so-called "strippen
card". Of course bicycles are available for rent in practically
every city, town and village in Holland at bike dealers, repair shops and
rental agencies. The rate is approximately EUR 5.90 per day or EUR 41 per
week for a standard model. Prices vary according to location and quality
of the bicycle, as well as to the demand for rentals at any particular
time of the year.
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* TIPPING
All prices in the
Netherlands by law include tax and tips: the price you see is the price
you pay. Normal Dutch practice in restaurants is to round up to some whole
number of euros, so that the tip is about 5%. Don't feel obliged to leave
a tip. If the bill says "service not included" they are just trying to rip
you off. You don't need to tip in taxis either.
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* SAFETY &
HEALTH
Amsterdam is a safe city,
and there is nothing to fear from walking in any part of the city. Even in
the red-light district around the Oude Kerk, there are always lots of
tourists wandering around. As in any large city you should beware of pick
pockets. Don't try to photograph the women in the red-light district
though: that would be risky!
The water from taps is
perfectly drinkable.
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