Amsterdam

“Venice of the North”

On the peninsula of North Holland, the Dutch national capital of Amsterdam has expanded over the centuries as a trade city through its direct access to the North Sea.

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From its core at Amsterdam Centraal, the city radiates outward in a semicircular layout. The center is composed of the “canal ring”—land segments between waterways—and is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is very accessible on foot. We chose accommodations in the southern ring in a flat overlooking the canal.

Basics

City: Capital of the Netherlands
Languages: Dutch and English
Currency: Euro €
When to go: Spring from March to May is the best time to see tulips in bloom and prime for the flower market, Bloemenmarkt;
Autumn temperatures are pleasant; Summer is the busier peak season with warm days and long daylight hours;
Winters are relatively mild and gray but may get cold enough to ice skate when the lakes and canals freeze over.
Airport: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Train Station: Amsterdam Centraal
Transportation: metro and tram stops link with train stations of a well-connected Dutch rail system — purchase all-in-one, metro/tram/bus passes at tourist office across from Centraal Station (Note: many automated machines only accept Dutch credit cards);
Bikes and boats are popular forms of transportation
Waterways: Amstel River connects with several canals in a semicircular ring and flows into the Het IJ river channel (once a bay)
Safety: Amsterdam ranked a safe city, but be aware of trams, fast-moving bikes, and scams and pickpockets, particularly in tourist areas and public transit areas

Rail

• EuroStar — the high-speed train connecting Amsterdam to London via a 3 1/2-hour ride through Brussels, Belgium; reservations are required
• Thalys — another high-speed train option, takes under 3 1/2 hours to travel between Amsterdam and Paris, France through Belgium (also to Germany); reservations are required
• Rail Europe is a great source for making necessary train reservations—find more travel information at Northwestern Europe
• InterCity Express (ICE) trains operate between Amsterdam and major German cities; reservations are not required, but recommended when busy
• Relatively fast InterCity (IC) trains link larger Dutch cities—some continue on to Brussels, Belgium and Berlin, Germany—while slower Sprinter trains connect regional Dutch stations; reservations are not required, but recommended when busy
• Our Eurail passes covered our train travel between cities and villages within our selected countries on the continent
• For local travel throughout the Netherlands, we purchased OV Chipkaart tram/metro passes from the GVB (transportation) office at the tourist office (located in the Stationplein, across from Amsterdam Centraal Station)
• Metro maps were stored on our phones for quick reference, such as this one for Amsterdam:

Read More

All About the Netherlands

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