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the main station entrance on Stationsplein (daily 9am–6pm). These two offices share one premium-rate information line on 0900/400 4040, and a website: www.iamsterdam.com. They offer advice and information and sell a range of maps and guidebooks as well as tickets and passes for public transport. They also take in-person bookings for canal cruises and other organized excursions, sell theatre and concert tickets, and operate an extremely efficient accommodation reservation service for just €3 plus a refundable deposit which is subtracted from your final bill – especially useful in high season when finding accommodation isn’t always easy.

Travel essentials |

Time

Amsterdam, and indeed the whole of the Netherlands, is on Central European Time (CET) – one hour ahead of London, six hours ahead of New York, nine hours ahead of Los Angeles and eight hours behind Sydney. Daylight saving operates from the end of March to the end of October.

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Tipping

Tipping isn’t quite as routine a matter as it is in the US or even in the UK. However, you are expected to leave something if you have enjoyed good service – up to around ten percent of the bill should suffice in most restaurants, while hotel porters and taxi drivers may expect a euro or two on top of the fare.

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Tourist information

Information on Amsterdam is easy to get hold of, either before you leave from the Netherlands Board of Tourism, by phone or post or via the internet – the NBT’s all-encompassing website, www.holland.com, highlights upcoming events and is strong on practical information.

For information about what’s on, there’s either the VVV or the Amsterdam Uitburo, the cultural office of the city council, housed in a corner of the Stadsschouwburg theatre on Leidseplein (Mon–Sat 10am–7.30pm, Sun noon–7.30pm; 020/795 9950). You can get advice here on anything remotely cultural, as well as tickets and copies of listings magazines. Among the latter, there’s a choice between the AUB’s own monthly Uitkrant, which is comprehensive and free but in Dutch, or the VVV’s Day by Day in Amsterdam. Alternatively, the free NL20 magazine (in Dutch) is one of the most up-to-date and complete reference sources and can be found in many supermarkets, cafés and shops. The Wednesday entertainment supplement of the newspaper Het Parool also gives a good overview of most cultural activities and Amsterdam Weekly is a free cultural newspaper in English, published every Wednesday, with information on film, music and the arts.

Various tourist passes are available. The VVV’s much-touted Amsterdam Card provides unlimited use of the city’s public transport network, a complimentary canal cruise and free admission to the bulk of the city’s museums and attractions. It costs €38 for one day, €48 for two consecutive days and €58 for three consecutive days. Altogether it’s not a bad deal, but you have to work fairly hard to make it worthwhile. It’s available from any branch of the VVV. An alternative if you’re staying for more than a couple of days is the Museumkaart (museum card), which gives free entry to most museums in the whole of the Netherlands for a year; it costs €40 (less if you’re 24 or under). Full details, including online ordering, are at www.museumkaart.nl, or you can purchase one at any participating museum.

The I Amsterdam card (www.iamsterdamcard.com) serves as a public transport pass and an entrance ticket to all the major museums; it also offers discounts at restaurants and attractions. It’s available in 24hr, 48hr and 72hr versions, costing €38, €48 and €58 respectively. A free canal boat ride is included in the price. You can buy it online, or at any VVV.

Concessionary rates are applied at every city sight and attraction as well as on the public transport system. Rates vary, but usually seniors (65+) get in free or for a discounted price, while children of 5 and under get in for free; family tickets are common too.

Travel essentials | Tourist information |

Guided tours

No one could say the Amsterdam tourist industry doesn’t make the most