Amsterdam Directions Read online

  De Hortus

  Plantage Parklaan 8; tel 020/625 9996, www.hotelhortus.com.

  Smoker-friendly cheapie close to the Hortus Botanicus gardens. Rooms vary in size, from two- to twelve-person, and maintenance is kept to a minimum, but they’re clean, and the common room, equipped with free Internet access, pool table and coffee machine, has a good atmosphere. Note that you need to confirm your booking two days prior, otherwise you’ll lose the room. All rooms €25 per person. Tram #9 from CS to Artis Zoo.

  Hotel Arena

  ’s-Gravesandestraat 51; tel 020/850 2410, www.hotelarena.nl.

  A little way east of the centre, in a renovated old convent on the edge of the Oosterpark, this place has been thoroughly revamped, transforming a popular hostel into a hip three-star hotel complete with split-level rooms and minimalist decor. Despite the odd pretentious flourish, it manages to retain a relaxed vibe attracting both businesspeople and travellers alike. Lively bar, intimate restaurant, and late-night club (Fri & Sat) located within the former chapel. Doubles start at €125. Metro Weesperplein, then walk, or take tram #9 from CS to the Tropenmuseum.

  Kitty

  Plantage Middenlaan 40; tel 020/622 6819.

  Located above a butcher’s and run by the same person for the past 23 years, this quiet, large old house is a little out from the centre, but in an interesting neighbourhood close to the zoo. Popular with visitors looking for somewhere quiet. Decent-sized rooms from €55 a double. Tram #9 from CS to Plantage Badlaan.

  Rembrandt

  Plantage Middenlaan 17; tel 020/627 2714, www.hotelrembrandt.nl.

  Elegant hotel with a dining room dating from the sixteenth century, though the building itself is nowhere near as old. Rooms are decorated in crisp modern style with wood interiors, and all are en suite. Doubles €85 including breakfast. Tram #9 from CS to Artis Zoo. Minimum two-night stay at weekends in high season.

  The Museum Quarter and the Vondelpark

  Acro

  Jan Luyckenstraat 44; tel 020/662 5538, www.acro-hotel.nl.

  Excellent, modern hotel with stylish rooms, a plush bar and self-service restaurant (breakfast only). Well worth the money; reserve at least two months in advance. Doubles from €95 with breakfast. Tram #2 or #5 from CS to Van Baerlestraat.

  AMS Atlas

  Van Eeghenstraat 64; tel 020/676 6336, www.ams.nl.

  Situated near the Vondelpark and occupying an attractive Art Nouveau building, the Atlas is a personable modern hotel with every convenience and comfort, plus an à la carte restaurant. Small, tranquil and very welcoming. Rooms start at an affordable €140 with discounts often available too. Tram #2 from CS to Jacob Obrechtstraat.

  AMS Hotel Holland

  P.C. Hooftstraat 162; tel 020/676 4253, www.ams.nl.

  Comfortable, quiet and welcoming two-starhotel at the end of the street near the Vondelpark. Doubles from €109. Tram #2 to Van Baerlestraat or #5 to Paulus Potterstraat.

  Bema

  Concertgebouwplein 19b; tel 020/679 1396, [email protected].

  Large, clean rooms within a huge house under the canny eye of the friendly English-speaking manager-owner. The rooms aren’t modern (the beds can be a bit uncomfortable), but they’re full of funky character. Handy for concerts and museums. En-suite rooms €85, with breakfast of bread with ham and cheese delivered to your room. Triples, quads and apartments available too. Tram #5 to Museumplein.

  Fita

  Jan Luyckenstraat 37; tel 020/679 0976, www.fita.nl.

  Mid-sized, friendly family-run hotel in a quiet spot between the Vondelpark and the museums. Comfortable en-suite doubles from €120 (extra bed €25). All rooms non-smoking. Tram #2 or #5 to Van Baerlestraat.

  Parkzicht

  Roemer Visscherstraat 33; tel 020/618 1954, fax 020/618 0897.

  Quiet, unassuming little hotel on a pretty backstreet near the Vondelpark, with an appealingly lived-in look. Clean and characterful,some rooms have fireplaces, and are furnished with old Dutch furniture. En suites from €75, including breakfast. Closed between Nov and March. Tram #1 from CS to 1e Constantijn Huygensstraat.

  Piet Hein

  Vossiusstraat 53; tel 020/662 7205, www.hotelpiethein.nl.

  Calm, low-key and stylish, tucked away on a quiet street running past the Vondelpark, midway between Leidseplein and the Concertgebouw. Bar open till 1am. Lift access. Rooms from €140.Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Leidseplein. Recommended.

  Prinsen

  Vondelstraat 38; tel 020/616 2323, www.prinsenhotel.demon.nl.

  Family-style hotel on the edge of the Vondelpark; quiet and with a large, secluded back garden. Marginally higher rates at the weekend, otherwise €120 with breakfast. Tram #1 from CS to 1e Constantijn Huygensstraat.

  Zandbergen

  Willemsparkweg 205; tel 020/676 9321, www.hotel-zandbergen.com.

  Light, airy, family-run hotel on a busy street near the Vondelpark; the rooms are clean and spacious. Non-smoking rooms from €130. Minimum two-night stay during peak periods.Tram #2 from CS to Emma Street.

  Hostels

  If you’re on a tight budget, the least expensive central option is to take a dormitory bed in a hostel – and there are plenty to choose from: Hostelling International places, unofficial private hostels, even Christian hostels. Most hostels will either provide (relatively) clean bed linen or charge a few euros for it, though frankly your own sleeping bag might be a better option. Many hostels also lock guests out for a short period each day to clean the place, and some set a nightly curfew, though these are usually late enough not to cause too much of a problem. Many hostels don’t accept reservations from June to August.

  The Old Centre

  Bob’s Youth Hostel

  Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 92; tel 020/623 0063, www.bobshostel.nl.

  An old favourite with backpackers and a grungy crowd, Bob’s is lively and smoky. Small dorms at €18 per person, including breakfast in the coffeeshop on the ground floor (which does light snacks). They also let four apartments (€70 for two people, €80 for three). However, they kick everyone out at 10.30am to clean, which is not so good if you want a lie-in; 10min from CS.

  Bulldog Low-Budget Hotel

  Oudezijds Voorburgwal 220; tel 020/620 3822, www.bulldog.nl.

  Part of the Bulldog coffeeshop chain, and recently renovated into "a five-star hotel for backpackers". Bar and DVD lounge downstairs complete with leather couches and soft lighting. Dorm beds with TV and shower start at €26, including breakfast and wake-up service, linen €3 extra. Also double rooms, as well as fully equipped luxury apartments available from €135. Tram #4, #9, #16 or #24 from CS to Dam, then a 3min walk.

  Flying Pig Downtown

  Nieuwendijk 100; tel 020/420 6822, www.flyingpig.nl.

  Clean, large and well run by ex-travellers familiar with the needs of backpackers. Free use of kitchen facilities, no curfew, and there’s a late-night coffeeshop next door. Hostel bar open all night. Justifiably popular, and a very good deal, with dorm beds from just €21 depending on the size of the dorm; queensize bunks sleeping two also available; €10 deposit for sheets and keys. During the peak season you’ll need to book well in advance. also the Flying Pig Palace, 5min from CS.

  Kabul

  Warmoesstraat 38; tel 020/623 7158, [email protected].

  Large and bustling cheapie, open 24 hours, with basic rooms sleeping between one and sixteen people; €22 in peak season, including use of all facilities. Not always as clean as it might be, but there’s no lockout or curfew and you can book in advance. Groups welcome; 3min from CS.

  Meeting Point

  Warmoesstraat 14; tel 020/627 7499, [email protected].

  Warm and cosy central hostel with space in twelve- to eighteen-bed dorms going for €18 per person during the week. Four-person dorms also available from €92. Breakfast of bread, jam and eggs €2.50. Checkout 10am; 24-hour private bar and pool table for guests; 2min from CS.

  The Shelter City

  Ba
rndesteeg 21; tel 020/625 3230, www.shelter.nl.

  A non-evangelical Christian youth hostel smack in the middle of the Red-Light District. At €18.50 these are some of the best-value beds in Amsterdam, with bed linen, shower and sizeable breakfast included. Dorms are single-sex; lockers require a €5 deposit and there’s a midnight curfew (1am at weekends). You might be handed a booklet on Jesus when you check in, but you’ll get a quiet night’s sleep and the sheets are clean. Metro Nieuwmarkt.

  Stay Okay Stadsdoelen

  Kloveniersburgwal 97; tel 020/624 6832, www.stayokay.com/stadsdoelen.

  The closest to Centraal Station of the two official hostels, with clean, semi-private dorms at €20 for members, who get priority in high season; non-members pay €22.50. Price includes linen, breakfast and locker, plus use of communal kitchen. Guests get a range of discounts on activities in the city too, and you can also book Eurolines bus tickets here, with card holders receiving a ten-percent discount. The bar overlooks the canal and serves good-value if basic food, and there’s a 2am curfew (though the door opens for three 15min intervals between 2am and 7am). Metro Nieuwmarkt, or tram #4, #9, #16, #24 or #25 from CS to Muntplein. The other HI hostel is the Stay Okay Vondelpark, which is better equipped for large groups.

  Grachtengordel

  Euphemia

  Fokke Simonszstraat 1–9; tel & fax 020/622 9045, www.euphemiahotel.com.

  Situated a shortish walk from Leidseplein and the major museums, with a likeable laid-back atmosphere and basic but large rooms. Doubles €78.50, triples from €87 and four-bed rooms for €35 per person, but prices are half that during the low season. Breakfast extra €5. Booking advised. Tram #16, #24 or #25 from CS to Weteringcircuit.

  Hans Brinker

  Kerkstraat 136; tel 020/622 0687, fax 020/638 2060.

  Well-established and raucously popular Amsterdam hostel, with 580 beds. Dorm beds go for around €24 including breakfast, and singles, doubles and triples are also available. All rooms en suite. The facilities are good: free Internet after 10pm, disco every night, and dorms are basic and clean – it’s near to the buzz of Leidseplein too. A hostel to head for if you’re out for a good time (and not too bothered about getting a solid night’s sleep), though be prepared to change dorms during your stay. Walk-in policy only. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Prinsengracht.

  International Budget Hotel

  Leidsegracht 76; tel 020/624 2784, [email protected].

  An excellent budget option on a peaceful little canal in the heart of the city, with the same owners as the Euphemia. Small, simple rooms sleeping up to four, with singles and doubles available; twins from €65. Young, friendly staff. Tram #1, #2 or #5 to Prinsengracht.

  Western canals and the Jordaan

  The Shelter Jordan

  Bloemstraat 179; tel 020/624 4717, www.shelter.nl.

  The second of Amsterdam’s two Christian youth hostels (the other is Shelter City). Great value at €18.50 per dorm bed, with breakfast and bed linen included. Dorms are single-sex, lockers require a €5 deposit and there’s a 2am curfew. Friendly and helpful staff, plus a decent café. Sited in a particularly beautiful part of the Jordaan, close to the Lijnbaansgracht canal. Non-smoking rooms. Tram #6, #13 or #17 from CS to Marnixstraat.

  The Museum Quarter and the Vondelpark

  Flying Pig Palace

  Vossiusstraat 46; tel 020/400 4187, www.flyingpig.nl.

  The better of the two Flying Pig hostels, facing the Vondelpark and close to the city’s most important museums. Immaculately clean and well maintained by a staff of travellers, who understand their backpacking guests. Free use of kitchen facilities, no curfew and good tourist information. Ten-bed dorms start at €21.70 per person and there are a few two-person queensize bunks at €31.80, as well as double rooms. Great value. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Leidseplein, then walk.

  Stay Okay Vondelpark

  Zandpad 5; tel 020/589 8996, www.stayokay.com/vondelpark.

  Well located and, for facilities, the better of the city’s two HI hostels, with a bar, restaurant, TV lounge, Internet access and bicycle shed, plus various discount facilities for tours and museums. HI members have priority in high season and pay €2.50 less than non-members. Non-member rates are €23 per person in the dorms, including use of all facilities, shower, sheets and breakfast. Singles, doubles and rooms sleeping up to eight are available. Secure lockers and no curfew. To be sure of a place in high season you’ll need to book at least two months ahead. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Leidseplein, then walk.

  Essential

  Arrival

  Red tape and visas

  City transport

  Information and maps

  Banks and exchange

  Communications

  Opening hours

  Public holidays

  Festivals and events

  Entertainment and nightlife

  Drugs

  Directory

  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.

  By air

  Amsterdam’s international airport, Schiphol (tel 0900/7244 7465, www.schiphol.nl), is located about 18km southwest of the city centre. Trains run from there to Amsterdam Centraal Station every ten minutes during the day, every hour at night (midnight–6am); the journey takes 15–20 minutes and costs €3.10 each way. The main alternative to the train is the Airport Hotel Shuttle Bus (tel 020/653 4975), which departs from the designated bus stop outside the Arrivals hall. Most of these buses – but not all – sport a "Connexxion" logo, though otherwise liveries vary; note also that you don’t have to be a guest to use them. Departures are every 20–30 minutes from 6am to 8pm and the cost is €10.50, €19 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 Old Centre. Finally, the taxi fare from Schiphol to the Old Centre is €40–45.

  By train

  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 also has several suburban train stations, but these are principally for the convenience of commuters. For all rail enquiries contact NS (Netherlands Railways; international enquiries; tel 0900/9296; domestic enquiries; tel 0900/9292, www.ns.nl).

  By bus

  Eurolines (tel 020/560 8788, www.eurolines.nl) long-distance, international buses arrive at Amstel Station, about 3.5km to the southeast of Centraal Station. The metro journey to Centraal Station takes about ten minutes.

  Red tape and visas

  Citizens of the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US do not need a visa to enter the Netherlands if staying for three months or less. However, citizens of these countries do need to be in possession of a passport valid for at least six months after arrival, as well as a return airline ticket and/or funds deemed to be sufficient to fund their stay.

  There are no customs restrictions on importing goods (except tobacco) from another EU country, as long as they are not duty-free and you can prove that the goods are for personal use. If you are arriving in the Netherlands from a non-EU country, the following import limits apply: 200g cigarettes or 250g tobacco, 1 litre of spirits or 2 litres of wine, 50g perfume. If you’re caught with more than these amounts, you’ll have to pay tax on them, and possibly import duties as well. When you leave the Netherlands, there are no export restrictions on goods if you’re travelling on to an EU country, but if you’re travelling to a non-EU destination, you will be subject to the import regulations of your destination country. There are no restrictions on the import and export of currency.

  City transport

  Almost all of Am
sterdam’s leading attractions are clustered in or near the city centre, within easy walking – and even easier cycling distance of each other. For longer jaunts, the city has a first-rate public transport system, run by the GVB, comprising trams, buses, a smallish metro and four passenger ferries across the river IJ to the northern suburbs. Centraal Station is the hub of the system with a multitude of trams and buses departing from outside on Stationsplein, which is also the location of a metro station and a GVB public transport information office. There’s a taxi rank on Stationsplein too.

  Trams, buses and the metro

  The city centre is crisscrossed by trams. Two of the more useful are trams #2 and #5, which link Centraal Station with Leidsestraat and the Rijksmuseum every ten minutes or so during the day. Buses are mainly useful for going to the outskirts, and the same applies to the metro, which has just two downtown stations, Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein. Trams, buses and the metro operate daily between 6am and midnight, supplemented by a limited number of nightbuses (nachtbussen). All tram and bus stops display a detailed map of the network. For further details on all services, head for the main GVB information office (Mon–Fri 7am–9pm, Sat & Sun 8am–9pm; tel 0900/8011, www.gvb.nl) on Stationsplein. Their free, English-language Tourist Guide to Public Transport is very helpful.

  The most common type of ticket, usable on all forms of GVB transport, is the strippenkaart, a card divided into strips: fold your strippenkaart over to expose the number of strips required for your journey and then insert it into the on-board franking machine. Amsterdam’s public transport system is divided into zones, and one person making a journey within one zone costs two strips. The "Centre" zone covers the city centre and its immediate surroundings (well beyond Singelgracht), and thus two strips will cover more or less every journey you’re likely to make. If you travel into an additional zone, it costs three strips, and so on. More than one person can use a strippenkaart, as long as the requisite number of strips is stamped. After franking, you can use any GVB tram, bus and the metro for up to one hour. Currently, a two-strip strippenkaart costs €1.60, three-strip €2.40, fifteen-strip €6.40 and a 45-strip €18.90.