Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
IamsterdamCard,
whichfocusesonAmsterdamandincludesmosttransportation,
is not worth the cost unless you're planning on a day or two of nonstop sightseeing, and
connecting it all by public transit (it doesn't cover bike rental). This pass doesn't cover
the Rijksmuseum or the Anne Frank House. It does, however, include most other Amster-
dam sights (including the Van Gogh Museum), one free canal boat tour (otherwise about
€13), and unlimited use of trams, buses, and metro (except for the canal tour, all of these
public-transit options are also covered by a normal transit pass—see “Getting Around Am-
sterdam,” later). Remember, this card's line-skipping perks are limited to the Van Gogh
Museum. You have a set number of consecutive hours to use it (for example: Visit your
first museum at 14:00 Monday with a 24-hour pass, and it's good until 13:59 on Tuesday).
It's sold at major museums, TIs, and with shorter lines at the GVB public-transit office
across from Central Station, next to the TI (€40/24 hours, €50/48 hours, or €60/72 hours;
By Train
The portal connecting Amsterdam to the world is its aptly named Central Station (Amster-
dam Centraal). Through at least 2014, expect the station and the plaza in front of it to be a
construction zone and therefore in a state of some flux.
Trains arrive on a level above the station. Go down the stairs or the escalator (at the “A”
end of the platform). As you descend from the platforms, you'll find yourself in one of the
corridors leading to the street exit for the city center
(Centrum).
Those wanting buses and
river ferries should head in the opposite direction—to the north
(Noord)
exit.
Thestationisfullyequippedforthetraveler.You'llfindGWKTravelexcountersinboth
the east and west corridors, and international train-ticket offices near the exit of both cor-
ridors. Luggage lockers are in the east corridor, under the “B” end of the platforms (€5-7/
24 hours, depending on size of bag, always open, can fill up on busy summer weekends).
The station has plenty of shops and places to grab a bite to eat. On the train level, platform
2 is lined with eateries, including the tall, venerable, 1920s-style
First Class Grand Café.
Handy
AlbertHeijn
“togo”supermarketsareeasytofindattheendoftheeastcorridorand
in the main north-south underground passage.
Exiting the station, you're in the heart of the city. Straight ahead, just past the canal, is
Damrakstreet,leadingtoDamSquare.ToyourleftaretheTIandGVBpublic-transitoffice.
Farther to your left is a fascinating exhibit about the big construction project going on all
around you (specifically, the digging of a new subway line). Past the exhibit are two bike
rental places:
MacBike
(in the station building), and
Star Bikes
(a five-minute walk past
the station), both listed on
here
. To the right of the station are the postcard-perfect neighbor-
hoods of West Amsterdam; some of my recommended hotels are within walking distance.
