Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [7]
STA Travel UK 0871/2300 040, US 1-800/781-4040, Australia 134 STA, New Zealand 0800/474 400, SA 0861/781 781; www.statravel.com. Worldwide specialists in independent travel; also student IDs, travel insurance, car rental, rail passes and more. Good discounts for students and under-26s.
Trailfinders UK 0845/058 5858, Republic of Ireland 01/677 7888, Australia 1300/780 212; www.trailfinders.com. One of the best-informed and most efficient agents for independent travellers.
Getting there | Airlines and agents |
Rail contacts
Dutchflyer UK 08705 455 455, www.dutchflyer.co.uk.
European Rail UK 020/7619 1083, www.europeanrail.com.
Europrail International Canada 1-888/667-9734, www.europrail.net.
Eurostar UK 0870/518 6186, outside UK 0044/12336 17575; www.eurostar.com.
National Express East Anglia UK 0845 600 7245, www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com.
Rail Europe UK 0844/848 4064, US 1-800/622-8600, Canada 1-800/361-RAIL, www.raileurope.co.uk, www.raileurope.com/us.
Getting there | Airlines and agents |
Bus contacts
Eurolines UK 0871/781 8181, www.eurolines.co.uk.
Getting there | Airlines and agents |
Ferry contacts
DFDS Seaways UK 0871/522 9955, www.dfdsseaways.co.uk.
Norfolkline UK 0844/847 5042, www.norfolkline.com.
P&O Ferries UK 0871/664 5645, www.poferries.com.
Stena Line UK 0870/570 7070, Northern Ireland 0870/520 4204, Republic of Ireland 021/427 2965, www.stenaline.co.uk.
Getting there | Airlines and agents |
Channel tunnel
Eurotunnel UK 0870/535 3535, www.eurotunnel.com.
Arrival
Arriving in Amsterdam by train and plane could hardly be easier. Schiphol, Amsterdam’s international airport, is a quick and convenient train ride away from Centraal Station, the city’s international train station, which is itself just a ten-minute metro ride from Amstel Station, the terminus for long-distance and international buses. Centraal Station is also the hub of Amsterdam’s excellent public transport network, whose trams, buses and metro combine to reach every corner of the city and its suburbs.
Arrival |
By air
Amsterdam’s international airport, Schiphol (0900/0141, www.schiphol.nl), is located about 15km southwest of the city centre. It’s one of the busiest airports in Europe, and one of the best organized, with an efficient transfer system to the city and indeed the rest of the country. Arriving passengers are channelled through to a large and well-signposted plaza, which has all the facilities you would expect – car rental desks, banks, exchange offices, left-luggage facilities, ATMs and a VVV (tourist office) with accommodation booking service, as well as a Netherlands Railways ticket office and access to the train station.
Trains run from the airport’s train station to Amsterdam’s Centraal Station every ten minutes during the day and every hour at night (midnight–6am); the journey takes 15–20 minutes and costs €3.90 one-way, €6.70 return, with a 50c surcharge if you buy from the ticket office rather than the ticket machines. Be aware that you cannot buy tickets on the train; if you are caught without a valid ticket, you have to pay the regular fare plus a €35 fine. Hotel shuttles are another option; the Connexxion service (038/339 4741, www.schipholhotelshuttle.nl) departs from the designated bus stop outside the Arrivals Hall every thirty minutes (on the half-hour) from 6am to 9pm at a cost of €14.50 one-way, €22.50 return. The route varies with the needs of the passengers it picks up at the airport, but buses take about thirty minutes to get from the airport to the city centre. Tickets are available from the Connexxion desk in the Arrivals Hall. There are also plenty of taxis; the fare from Schiphol to most parts of the city centre is €40–45.
Arrival |
By train and bus
Amsterdam’s Centraal Station (CS) has regular connections with key cities in Germany, Belgium and France, as well as all the larger towns and cities of the Netherlands. Amsterdam