Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
get off. The scanner will beep and flash a green light after a successful scan. Be careful not
to accidentally scan your ticket or pass twice while boarding, or it becomes invalid. Check-
ing in and out is very important, as controllers do pass through and fine violators. To open
the door when you reach your stop, press a green button on one of the poles near an exit.
Trams #2
(Nieuw Sloten)
and #5
(A'veen Binnenhof)
travel the north-south axis, from
Central Station to Dam Square to Leidseplein to Museumplein (Van Gogh and Rijks mu-
seums). Tram #1 (marked
Osdorp
) also runs to Leidseplein. At Central Station, these three
tramsdepartfromthewestsideofStationsplein (withthestationbehindyou,they'retoyour
right).
Tram #14, which doesn't connect to Central Station, goes east-west (Westerkerk-Dam
Square-Muntplein-Waterlooplein-Plantage). If you get lost in Amsterdam, don't sweat
it—10 of the city's 17 trams take you back to Central Station.
BusesandMetro:
Ticketsandpassesworkonbusesandthemetrojustastheydoonthe
trams—scan your ticket or pass to “check in” as you enter and again to “check out” when
you leave. The metro system is scant—used mostly for commuting to the suburbs—but it
does connect Central Station with some sights east of Damrak (Nieuwmarkt-Waterlooplein-
Weesperplein). The glacial speed of the metro-expansion project is a running joke among
cynical Amsterdammers.
By Bike
Everyone—bank managers, students, pizza delivery boys, and police—uses this mode of
transport. It's by far the smartest way to travel in a city where 40 percent of all traffic rolls
on two wheels. You'll get around town by bike faster than you can by taxi. On my last visit,
I rented a bike for five days, chained it to the rack outside my hotel at night, and enjoyed
wonderful mobility. I highly encourage this for anyone who wants to get maximum fun per
hour in Amsterdam. One-speed bikes, with
“brrringing”
bells, rent for about €10 per day
(cheaper for longer periods) at any number of places—hotels can send you to the nearest
spot.
Rental Shops: Star Bikes Rental
has cheap rates, long hours, and inconspicuous black
bikes. They're happy to arrange an after-hours drop-off if you give them your credit-
card number and prepay (€5/3 hours, €7/day, €9/24 hours, €12/2 days, €17/3 days, daily
9:00-19:00, requires ID but no monetary deposit, 5-minute walk from east end of Central
Station—walk underneath tracks near Doubletree Hotel and then turn right, De Ruyterkade
127, tel. 020/620-3215,
www.starbikesrental.com
)
.
MacBike,
withthousandsofbikes,isthecity'sbike-rentalpowerhouse—you'llseetheir
bright-red bikes all over town (they do stick out a bit). It has a huge and efficient outlet at
Central Station (€7/3 hours, €9.50/24 hours, €14/48 hours, €19/72 hours, more for 3 gears,
25 percent discount with I amsterdam Card; either leave €50 deposit plus a copy of your
