Tips for visitors

Whether you’re staying for a day, two, three or more days, Amsterdam is a vibrant city and you’ll find plenty of things to do to keep yourself busy. We’d like to share our recommendations with you to give you an overview of what this city has to offer.

Amsterdam tours

Mike’s Bike Tours are organized year-round and offer the possibility to combine your tour with a visit to the country side during the high season. The daily tour will take you through city and country side where you can visit windmills, a cheese factory and a wooden shoe workshop.

Pay attention

We’d like to point out that you should be very careful when using the roads in Amsterdam. Please pay attention to bike traffic crossing the lanes and also mind the public transport and safety of other visitors. Please remember that smoking is prohibited in public buildings.

I Amsterdam Card & Museum card

The ‘I Amsterdam Card’, formerly known as the Amsterdam pass, is an official product of the Amsterdam Tourist Information Office. It will serve as your entry ticket for a large number of museums, attractions, but can also be used in all buses, trolleys and subways in Amsterdam. This card can be purchased from Tourist Information Offices in the airport or across from the Central Station. It can also be bought at many other outlets in the city. The Museum Card will give access to over 400 museums in Holland.

Tourist Information Office Amsterdam

The local Tourist Information Office is an excellent source of information and will introduce you to Amsterdam’s tourist attractions. They do charge a small fee for booking hotel rooms.

Navigation Systems / Renting a GPS

Never get lost again with the hand-held City Navigator GPS. This clever device contains all the routes to all of Amsterdam’s interesting locations, walking routes and other recommendations. All of this in the palm of your hand.

Calling

Public phones are found throughout Amsterdam. You can often find them at train stations, post offices and bars or restaurants. Using them is fairly easy, but you’ll need a proper phone card. You’ll find out which stores sell phone cards and which when phones accept credit or call-direct cards soon enough. The reception desk at your hotel will be able to answer any questions you might have.

Sending postcards

Most souvenir shops that sell postcards will also sell stamps. Mailboxes in Amsterdam are a bright red color (the newer ones are orange). They are emptied every day around 6 p.m. except on Saturdays. When sending mail abroad (overseas mail in particular), the fastest way is the Express Delivery. These are usually delivered within a few business days. If you’d like to use this service, be sure to stick the blue Express label on your card or envelope. Mailing shipments are largely automated, so writing Express or Par Avion on your mail won’t work. This will only slow your mail down.

Main post office

If you’d like to mail something but you are unsure about the postage, or if you’d like to send a small package, head by the main post office. Here you can also purchase phone cards and stationary paper. Changing money is also possible, although it might be cheaper elsewhere in the city. The address is Singel 250 (on the corner of the Raadhuisstraat).

Money and exchange rates

In Amsterdam, Holland and most other European countries that are members of the EU, the currency used is the Euro (€). Paying with other currencies is not possible. You’ll have to exchange your dollars, sterlings, yens and other currencies for euros. Credit cards are often accepted, but keep in mind that smaller shops and hotels may charge you extra for the use of one (2-6%). Sometimes you’ll be asked to show your passport to complete the transaction. Generally speaking, cash is preferred. Paper money comes in notes of 5 to 500 euros.

Safety

Amsterdam is a safe city and you have nothing to be afraid of while exploring it. Do remember not to leave your personal possessions unattended. Keep your bags with you in coffee shops, cafes and restaurants, for example beneath the table near your legs. Just like in every other major city in the world, there’s always the risk of pickpockets. The chances of this happening depend on the area of the city that you are in, so please be careful.

Mansions in Amsterdam

Authentic and beautiful facades and souvenirs that reflect the picturesque nature of the city of canals. If you’re looking for a souvenir with a practical, cultural and memorable value, try one of the many household items for sale in shops in Amsterdam.

The Dutch language

Dutch is the language of Holland. Many people in Amsterdam also speak English well, and most Dutch people have a fair grasp of German and French. Nowadays, Dutch is the native tongue of over 21 million Dutch and Flemish people. The Flemish population speaks Dutch but lives in Belgium. Here are some commonly used Dutch sentences and phrases.

Phones

Most public phones require phone cards. These cards may be purchased from post offices, tobacco stores and tourist information offices. The international access code you should use to call abroad from Holland is 00. When calling Amsterdam from abroad, use 0031 (for Holland).

General opening hours

Stores are open Monday – Saturday from 09:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m. (Saturdays open till 05:00 p.m. and Thursdays open till 09:00 p.m.). Some supermarkets stay open till 08:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. on week days. Dutch office hours are Monday – Friday from 08:30 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. Banks are open on weekdays from 09:00 a.m. to 04:00 p.m.

Public transport

Amsterdam’s public transport is excellent. The central point for getting on is the Central Station of Amsterdam. Here, bus, trolley and subway come together. Tickets for public transport work with zones. You can use one and the same ticket in buses, trolleys and subway. Outlets throughout Amsterdam will sell tickets and you can also buy tickets in trolleys and buses. The trolley is the best way to navigate the city. City buses will take you to destinations outside of the city center. The subway is the easiest way to get to the bus.

Amsterdam by car

The city is a maze of one-way streets, narrow bridges and no-parking zones. This makes the city difficult to drive through. If you’d like to park you should put money in a parking machine or own a parking license or dispensation for your vehicle.

Amsterdam by bike

You can rent bikes from train stations and several companies in the city. There are special bike lanes throughout the city. Biking is an excellent way to avoid the chaotic traffic. A bike can be parked almost anywhere, but make sure to lock it well. Bike theft is very common in Amsterdam.

The Dutch climate

Because of the influence of the North Sea, Amsterdam has a temperate climate with mild winters, cool summers and quite some precipitation. It can get windy, especially in the spring and fall. In the summer, the average temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius and it might rain a bit. Days with average temperatures of over 24 degrees Celsius are considered warm.

Tipping

Tipping money is always included in the price of your meal. However, tipping is common in restaurants and cabs. Generally speaking, tips are 5-10%.

Things to avoid

General knowledge of what to avoid in Amsterdam, concerns the car driving, bicycle lanes, public transportation and visitor's safety, as well as smoking at public areas. More information can be read here