Travel
Contact
Newsletter
To see more of our pictures of Amsterdam go to our Photo Album.
Airports | Climate | Currency | Dining | Getting Around | Language | References | Scene |Shopping | Things to See | Time Zones | Tipping
Mention Amsterdam to someone who's already visited, and you'll more than likely evoke a happy grin. But it stands on reclaimed land, its narrow streets chocker with people en masse, cloudy days are common as is prolonged frost. So what makes Amsterdam so special? It's not merely the potent marijuana available at coffee shops, the tallest men you've ever beheld, the vibrant scene traversed easily by foot, or the "houses of pleasure." Attribute Amsterdam's allure to its amazing tolerance and the bonhomie of its citizens. Holland is one of the only countries in continental Europe where most natives speak English fluently. Homosexuality is legal in the Netherlands. Gays and lesbians even won the right to get legally married since 2001. The age of consent for gay sex is 16, but for prostitutes it’s 18.
Amsterdam is on Continental time 6 hours ahead of New York and seven hours ahead of Chicago. In 1996, members of the European Union agreed to observe a "summertime period" from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. The clocks are an hour ahead of solar time (GMT) in winter, and two hours ahead in summer. The clocks change twice during the year. Check the "Time Ticker" for current time in Amsterdam.
The biggest airport of the Netherlands is Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Schiphol Airport (code AMS) is located about 15km from city center, and can be easily reached by train (20 minutes from Central Station) or taxi . Several of the major hotels operate a shuttle bus service.
For general inquiries you can call Schiphol Airport at +31 20 601 91 11.
A passport is required. A visa is not required for U.S. citizens for visits up to 90 days. For further information on entry requirements for the Netherlands, travelers may contact the Embassy of The Netherlands at 4200 Linnean Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone (202) 244-5300, or the Dutch Consulate in Los Angeles, Chicago (Netherlands Consulate-General - Chicago, Illinois, 303 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2600, Chicago, IL 60601 Tel: 312-856-0110), New York, Houston or Miami.
Forget traveler's checks, cash, or personal checks. All you really need is a valid ATM and credit card. Charge as much as you can, thus ensuring the best exchange rate at all times and only take out cash from an ATM machine as needed. Avoid exchanging back to US currency by paying your hotel bill with excess cash and charging the rest. All major credit cards are accepted everywhere. Keep enough cash to get you to the airport. Remember your fare on the way down and keep that much for the return.
Since 1 January 2002 the EURO (€) is the official currency of The Netherlands (together with 10 other European countries. It is divided in 100 cents. Coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents; and 1 and 2 EURO (€). Notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 EURO (€). Most shops, restaurants and hotels accept all major Credit Cards. Often the easiest and most economical way to get cash from home is through one of the city's many automatic teller machines (geldautomaat), especially if you have a Visa or Master/EuroCard or a debit card on the Cirrus or Plus network. The best place to exchange money and cash traveler's checks is the GWK (open 24 hours a day in Central Station) or at any bank, but it's more expensive. As of printing, one Euro equals about 1.29 USD.
Dutch is spoken everywhere: English in most large cities.
Public Holidays in Netherlands 2006
Though a service charge will be included in hotel, taxi, bar, café and restaurant bills, most Amsterdammers generally round up the change to the nearest Euro. In taxis, the most common tip is around ten per cent for short journeys.
Check out the VVV (Dutch Tourist Bureau) on Platform 1 of Central Station for tourist information, hotel bookings, tour information and local activities. The Netherlands and Amsterdam share a tremendously rich history and culture, which is shown off in everything from our beautiful architecture and world-renowned museums and concert halls to our scenic canals and endless fields of colorful flowers. The VVV can help you plan your time here wisely so you can accomplish all your goals in getting to know our beautiful country.
There is an excelent map at Amsterdam.info with many links to cultural events and sightseeing information.
New to the great resources of the Internet! Check out the Satelite Maps from AmsterdamSat.com. A great way to see the city.
Amsterdam is a compact city, where you can easily walk from one gay area to the other. Most natives travel by bike. It's healthy, cheap and the fastest way to get around. If you feel like going native and you think you can maneuver safely through the dense bicycle, auto, bus, tram and pedestrian traffic without getting killed, you can rent one. Make sure you lock up your bicycle well, using both the rear wheel lock and a nice thick chain.
When you are offered a bicycle on the street for fl. 25, you can be sure that you are buying stolen property, which is guaranteed to bring you much bad karma (and perhaps the angry owner).
Public transportation is easy to use, with lots of trams, buses, Metro, and trains. The system operates from approximately 6 a.m. to midnight, although there are night buses for partygoers as well. If you'll be in town for a while, then buy a pass from the little GVB kiosk across from Central Station. If you're here for a shorter time, you can buy a punch card ("strippenkaart", still economical) at Central Station and many other places, or just pay cash to the driver when you get on (the most expensive way). Don't bother trying to figure out the complicated zone system, just tell the driver or the conductor at the back of the tram where you're going and they'll tell you how much to pay or punch on your card.
If you need to make calls from public phones, buy a phone card, most don't take coins. Many phones also take major credit cards, which is especially convenient. If you need a taxi, have your hotel call for one or go to a taxi stand. Most taxis won't stop for you on the street. When you are traveling by car, you should know that anywhere you park you have to pay. It can be hard to find a parking space. If you forget to pay or park illegally, a wheel clamp will be put on your car, and you have to pay about fl.150 to get the clamp off.
Amsterdam is a relatively safe city, but, like in every city in the world, use your common sense. While walking around with a backpack or a camcorder, it’s pretty obvious that you are a tourist and thus a prime target for thieves. The best thing to do is leave your valuables in your hotel’s safe. Around Central Station and especially in the Red Light District, the chances are pretty high that a friendly man will offer you drugs. The best thing to do is ignore them completely, or just say NO. If you want to buy grass, buy it in a coffee shop. Hard-drugs like cocaine and XTC are not legal. Smartdrugs are legally accepted though, and provide a safe alternative. The Red Light District is Amsterdam’s best known tourist attraction where you’ll find hundreds of prostitutes behind the windows and junkies on the streets who are always desperate for money, so be careful in this area. Taking pictures or videotaping a prostitute is asking for trouble anyhow, for obvious reasons. As much as it might seem like it, the Red Light District is not a zoo. If a beggar approaches you with a sad story, you should know that Holland has one of the best welfare systems in the world, so the beggar is likely not going to spend your money on food or childcare.
Bringing a car into the center. Not only is it expensive and difficult to park, but also clampers enjoy specifically attending foreign cars. If clamped a yellow sticker on the window will tell you where to pay the 121Dfl fine. For an extra 29Dfl a courier will get your car (Tel. 620-3750). Getting towed (illegal parking and failure to pay the fine in 24 hrs) will set you back another 300Dfl Tram riding without a ticket. Getting caught by the infrequent spot-checks will set you back 100Dfl. Wandering along bike lanes. Or worse standing on a bike line looking at maps, views, chatting - It drives locals mad.
The Alleyways of Nieuwendijk after dark (a mugger's delight) Damrak - the worst, tackiest, neon infested tourist excess in the country (especially after dark). Amsterdam is a relatively safe city, but, like in every city in the world, use your common sense. While walking around with a backpack or a camcorder, it's pretty obvious that you are a tourist and thus a prime target for thieves. The best thing to do is leave your valuables in your hotel's safe.
Around Central Station and especially in the Red Light District, the chances are pretty high that a friendly man will offer you drugs. The best thing to do is ignoring them completely, or just says NO. If you want to buy grass, buy it in a coffee shop. Hard-drugs like cocaine and XTC are not legal. Smart drugs are legally accepted though, and provide a safe alternative. The Red Light District is Amsterdam's best known tourist attraction where you'll find hundreds of prostitutes behind the windows and junkies on the streets who are always desperate for money, so be careful in this area. Taking pictures or videotaping a prostitute is asking for trouble anyhow, for obvious reasons. As much as it might seem like it, the Red Light District is not a zoo. If a beggar approaches you with a sad story, you should know that Holland has one of the best welfare systems in the world, so the beggar is likely not going to spend your money on food or childcare.
Amsterdam is probably the gayest city in Europe, with something to offer everyone. Gay Games Amsterdam 1998 left them with a new sense of pride and a stronger community that they're eager to share with visitors from around the world. Amsterdam offers almost 100 gay bars, discos, shops and cafes, some of the world's best and weirdest museums, classic architecture, and 350 coffee shops, all within walking distance from Central Station. Combine that with the unique spirit of tolerance and freedom of the Netherlands, and that's why Mayor Schelto Patijn proudly calls Amsterdam "the gay way to Europe".
While Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands, you don't have to bother trying to learn the difficult language; Holland is one of the only countries in continental Europe where most natives speak English fluently. Homosexuality is legal in the Netherlands. Gays and lesbians even won the right to get legally married this year. The age of consent for gay sex is 16, but for prostitutes it's 18.. Start your exploration by stopping at the Pink Point the Gay & Lesbian Information and Souvenirs at the Homomonument Amsterdam. Tel: 20-428-1070. Email. Run by volunteers the stad dispenses information on the latest happenings, gay maps, tickets sales, ad souvenirs. THey are also the publishers of The Bent Guide. Unlike all the other gay guides to Amsterdam, the "Bent Guide to Gay and Lesbian Amsterdam" has been compiled with the help from locals. And not just people who live (and drink) in Amsterdam but who also give out information to queer tourists: the volunteers of Pink Point. Written by Pink Pointer Darren Reynoldson, it is a culmination of Pink Point's 8 years of telling visiting gays and lesbians where to go, what to do and generally how to get bent in Amsterdam. And its a total bargain at only €9.95. The Bent Guide is not only available at Pink Point, but also in the following shops in Amsterdam: Vrolijk, Intermale, Vrouwenindruk, American Book Center, and Atheneum. Or you can order this beautiful 134 page book with illustrations from Amsterdam artist Eddie Varenkamp for just € 9.95 plus postage. Just send us an email to Pink Point
We would like to refer you to Gay Amsterdam 
for an updated gay scene in Amsterdam
Practically every cuisine in the world is represented in Amsterdam, from sophisticated French fare to Indonesian 'rijsttafel'. No visit to Amsterdam is complete without trying a cone of French fries served with mayonnaise or peanut butter sauce. Other Dutch specialties reflect the close relationship with the sea: smoked eel, for example, and raw herring (which is usually eaten whole with chopped onions).
In the winter locals savor hearty meals of mashed potatoes combined with various vegetables (hutspot) topped with smoked sausage; or snert (also called erwtensoep), a thick pea soup. Make a meal of pannenkoeken, large Dutch pancakes with bacon, cheese, apples or other ingredients, or poffertjes, tiny pancakes with powdered sugar.
Relive Amsterdam's history in "Brown Cafes". Throughout the city you'll find old-fashioned cafés in all shapes and sizes. Many owe their existence to the locals who come to play cards. Generally they are called 'brown' cafés; walls and ceilings have yellowed by age, historical artifacts are cherished and rather than music, you hear other customers and the sound of glasses being rinsed.
Looking for class? Try The Grand Cafes -Amsterdam has a long and rich café tradition. A trend of the last 10 to 15 years is the 'grand café'. This type of café is distinctly different from the traditional brown cafés in both size and interior. The design is usually spacious and trendy, combined with an unmistakable international flair. Often you'll find a reading table with Dutch and international newspapers and magazines to peruse. cafés with class -Not only trendy Amsterdam citizens seem to feel right at home here, but foreign visitors looking for international flair are comfortable, too. Most grand cafés offer, in addition to an extensive beverage menu, interesting snacks and sometimes even complete meals.
What all coffeeshops have in common is the manner in which hashish and marijuana are sold (anything stronger is definitely frowned upon). Almost all coffeeshops have a menu card either on the bar or just behind it. Most hash and weed is sold in bags of f10 - around a gram's worth, depending on quality - or larger f25 bags.
Good coffeeshops have a bewildering array of comestibles. The hash side of things is fairly clear, as varieties are generally named after the country of origin. Weed is a bit more complicated. It divides roughly into two categories: bush weeds grown naturally, such as Thai; and Nederwiet or Skunk, an indigenous Dutch product grown under UV lights for maximum THC (the active ingredient). As with Guinness in Ireland - well, kind of - the skunk here is worlds away from anything-available elsewhere, and caution is advisable if you are at all interested in remembering anything. The same caution should be exercised when it comes to most of the space cake on offer: return to planet Earth can be a decidedly protracted affair. Don't mix alcohol and smoking if you're not used to it, and if you do overdo it, eat or drink something sweet.
However, the only don't that really needs to be stressed is that you should never, ever buy anything from street dealers. Junkies proliferate in certain areas of town, and if a street deal is not a precursor to a mugging, then you can count yourself lucky. Common sense is all that's needed: there are coffeeshops everywhere. It's also important to bear in mind that there are places where smoking is frowned upon. Not everyone in Amsterdam is going to smile and wave a peace sign if you have a joint in your hand. If in doubt, don't be afraid to ask: the worst you will get is a 'no'. But in the meantime, happy smoking!
Amsterdam has been a shopper's paradise since the Dutch Golden Age. Choice! Variety! Novelty! And style! From sidewalk vendor to chic boutique.
To make shopping in Amsterdam even more enjoyable for you, the main shopping areas indicated on the map above. You can choose from five shopping routes. The popular Must-see Shopping route winds through the city center and takes you along the main (and busiest) shopping streets of Amsterdam.
Site created and maintained by GLBTEvents - Bill Rattan webmaster.