Amsterdam Travel Guide (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Schiphol airport ( www.schiphol.nl ) is connected by train with the main Centraal Station (every 15min; hourly at night). Centraal Station is at the hub of all bus and tram routes and just five minutes' walk from central Dam Square. International buses arrive at Amstel Station, ten minutes south of Centraal Station by metro. For information , the main VVV is outside Centraal Station, Stationsplein 10 (daily 9am-5pm; tel 0900/400 4040, www.visitamsterdam.nl ); there's another branch inside the station (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-5pm), a smaller kiosk on the Leidseplein corner of Leidsestraat (daily 9am-5pm, Thurs-Sat closes 7pm), and an office in the airport (daily 7am-10pm). Any of these can sell you a map, book accommodation and provide answers to most enquiries, though summer queues can be a nightmare; they can also sell you an Amsterdam Culture & Leisure Pass (€29), which gives free or reduced entry to a selection of major attractions as well as free public transport for three days and discounts at some restaurants. The VVV's monthly listings guide, Day to Day , costs €1. Infopocket Amsterdam , written in four languages, costs €3 and contains photographs and practical information about the city.

The excellent network of trams , buses and the small metro (all daily 6/7am-midnight) isn't expensive. The GVB public transport office in front of Centraal Station (Mon-Fri 7am-9pm, Sat & Sun 8am-9pm; winter until 7pm; tel 0900/9292) has free route maps and an English guide to the ticketing system. As with the rest of the country, you use a strippenkaart - available from any GVB office, post offices, selected tobacconists, train stations and VVVs. Since you rarely need to travel outside the central zone, cancelling two strips is normally sufficient; this gives you an hour's travel (all trams display instructions in English for how to cancel strips). Dagkaarten (day tickets) cost €5 for one day, €8 for two, then €2 for each additional day. If caught without a ticket, you're liable for a €30 spot fine plus the journey fare. After midnight, night buses take over, running roughly hourly from Centraal Station to most parts of the city. Taxis are expensive, found in ranks on main city squares (Stationsplein, Dam Square, Leidseplein); to book one call 020/677 7777. Bikes can be rented from Centraal Station or from a number of firms around town.