AMSTERDAM
is a beguiling capital, a compact mix of the provincial and the cosmopolitan. It has a welcoming attitude towards visitors and a uniquely youthful orientation. For many, however, its world-class museums and galleries - notably the Rijksmuseum, with its collection of seventeenth-century Dutch paintings, and the Van Gogh Museum - are reason enough to visit.
Arrival And Information :
Schiphol
airport
( www.schiphol.nl ) is connected by train with the main
Centraal Station
(every 15min; hourly at night). Centraal Station is at the hub of all
bus
and
tram
routes and just five minutes' walk from central Dam Square. International buses arrive at Amstel Station, ten minutes south of Centraal Station by metro. For
information
, the main VVV is outside Centraal Station, Stationsplein 10 (daily 9am-5pm; tel 0900/400 4040, www.visitamsterdam.nl ); there's another branch inside the station (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-5pm), a smaller kiosk on the Leidseplein corner of Leidsestraat (daily 9am-5pm, Thurs-Sat closes 7pm), and an office in the airport (daily 7am-10pm). Any of these can sell you a map, book accommodation and provide answers to most enquiries, though summer queues can be a nightmare; they can also sell you an
Amsterdam Culture & Leisure Pass
(?29), which gives free or reduced entry to a selection of major attractions as well as free public transport for three days and discounts at some restaurants. The VVV's monthly listings guide, Day to Day , costs ?1. Infopocket Amsterdam , written in four languages, costs ?3 and contains photographs and practical information about the city. More Amsterdam information...
CITY CENTER / RAI / AMSTERDAM The Hotel Okura Amsterdam is located on the banks of the Amstel Canal, close to the financial, cultural and entertainment district of Amsterdam.
CITY CENTER / RAI / AMSTERDAM The Bilderberg Garden Hotel is a luxury hotel located in a residential section of Amsterdam, right off the elegant Apollolaan, yet convenient to the RAI, shopping and the major attractions.
CITY CENTER / NIEUWMARKT / AMSTERDAM The Radisson SAS Hotel Amsterdam is a luxury class hotel located in the heart of old Amsterdam with it's quaint historic shops and canals. It is twenty kilometers from Schiphol International Airport.