Amsterdam - Amsterdam Bruges and Brussels - page 34

the Rijks and Van Gogh museums.
At Amsterdam's TIs, consider buying a city map (€2) and any
of the walking-tour brochures (€2 each, including Discovery Tour
hrough the Center , The Former Jewish Quarter , and Walks Through
Jordaan ). For entertainment, pick up the €2 Day by Day calendar;
for additional entertainment ideas, see the free papers listed later in
this chapter (under “Helpful Hints”) and in the Nightlife chapter.
At Amsterdam's Central Station, GWK Change has hotel
reservation windows whose clerks sell local and international
phone cards, mobile-phone SIM cards, and city maps (€2), and can
answer basic tourist questions, with shorter lines (in west tunnel,
at right end of station as you leave platform, tel. [phone]).
Don't use the TI or GWK to book a room; you'll pay €5 per
person and your host loses 13 percent—meaning you'll likely be
charged a higher rate. The phone system is easy, everyone speaks
English, and the listings in this topic are a better value than the
potluck booking you'd get from the TI.
Advance Tickets and Sightseeing Cards
Buying Tickets in Advance for the Major Sights: If you'll be vis-
iting Amsterdam in high season (late March through September)
and want to avoid standing in long ticket-buying lines, it's smart to
book your tickets online for the Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum,
and Van Gogh Museum.
It's easy to buy tickets through each museum's website: www
.annefrank.org (€0.50 surcharge per ticket, but worth it), www
.rijksmuseum.nl, and www.vangoghmuseum.com (no extra fee for
the Rijks or Van Gogh). For the Rijks and Van Gogh museums,
print out your reservation and bring it with you to the ticket-
holder's line for a quick entry. For the Anne Frank House (if you don't
have access to a printer), simply bring your confirmation number.
You can also buy tickets for these sights in advance at
Amsterdam's TIs (see “Tourist Information,” previous page), but
the lines at the TIs seem as long as the ones you're trying to avoid
at the sights.
Tips if You Don't Have Advance Tickets: If you haven't
booked ahead, here are a few tips for beating the lines. Going
to the Anne Frank House late in the day can help trim your wait
in line; this works better in early spring and fall than in sum-
mer, when even after-dinner lines can be long. The Museumkaart
pass can get you in quickly at the Van Gogh Museum (details
in “Sightseeing Cards,” next). Or visit the Van Gogh and Rijks
museums on a Friday evening, when they're open late (until 22:00
and 20:30, respectively), with no lines and few crowds, even in
peak season.
Sightseeing Cards: There are two cards for heavy-duty