Hip Guide to Amsterdam

And just to keep things in perspective we also have a thread of the 100 Things You Dislike about the Netherlands. I recommend all Dutch people have a look at that, and see how many of those things you're willing to acknowledge about your own country.

The best way to pay for public transport in the Netherlands is to purchase a strippenkaart, available in most tobacco shops, post offices or any railway ticket office. These multiuse tickets allow travel on any city bus, tram or metro in Holland.

You must have these strips stamped when you board, either by using a yellow machine, or by the conductor in front or back of a tram or a bus conductor. To use the machine you fold over the kaart to the line you want stamped, and insert it into the horizontal slot until you hear the "ding." The penalty for not having a valid ticket with stamp is around 30 Euros. And they do check when you least expect it!

The most difficult part of the strippenkaart is figuring out the proper way to stamp it. As you can see in the sample at left, there are 15 spaces for stamps (A 45 space kaart is also available). If you are staying in the same zone, you need to have it stamped two lines down from the last stamp. Note the first row is in red, indicating that would not be valid stamp. Two lines is the minimum.

Now if your trip takes you out of your zone into the next one, you must stamp it 3 lines down. Likewise a trip involving 3 zones would require a stamp four lines down.

If you're not sure how many zones you're going, you can either look on a map which usually has the zones outlined. Or if you're getting on a tram or bus you can tell the conductor your destination, and they'll put the proper stamp. If you know how many zones your trip is, tell the conductor (one zone please) and they'll make the appropriate stamp.

If you're staying in Amsterdam's Centrum, within the outer canal ring, it's all one zone, so you just need to stamp it two lines down.

The stamp is good for one hour for one to three zones, longer if your trip takes you thru more zones. This info is on the back of the strippenkaart. So you could conceivably take a trip somewhere, do what you need to do, and return all with just one stamp! In addition the stamp includes any transfers even if you're getting on another form of transport like bus to metro or tram.

So why bother with this? Well you'll save money and hassle because the strippenkaarts (6.20 Euros for 7 short trips) work out to less than 1 Euro per trip, as opposed to about $1.30 or 1.40 Euros if you pay for each trip separately. You can also pay for your companion(s) using the strippenkaart, just stamp it more times for each person.

If you get to the end of your strippenkaart, and there's just one space left, you can still use that (as every Dutch person would), by stamping that one, plus one line on another strippenkaart. That would equal the required two lines for a one zone trip, so you wouldn't waste it!

If you're a student or senior or get in on some discount plan, you can purchase monthly or yearly discounts, and you'll get a photo ID so you don't need to pay everytime, just flash your card. Discounted strippenkaarts available for those over 65 (with valid ID), students and children aged 4-11. These strippenkaarts have a red color.

If you're still confused by all this (who isn't?), you can go to this website and read ALL about it...

You can also find several smaller Internet Cafes in the area including the CyberCafe on the Nieuwendyke and The Internet Cafe on Martelaarsgracht 11. Many more computers with Internet access can be found in Coffeeshops scattered around the Centrum. Some charge for access, some don't.

If you're going to be living in Amsterdam for some time, you'll want to check out establishing an Internet account with one of the local service providers (ISPs). You'll have quite a choice with KPN, the Dutch phone company, offering ISDN and DSL options. Wanadoo, a French company offers FREE dialup access, as well as a paid DSL service in Amsterdam.

But the biggest high speed provider is UPC, which offers high speed cable Internet along with cable and digital TV and phone service, all over one cable via the Chello service out of England. UPC has been the source of much scorn and has earned the ire of everyone who has used their service at one time or another. But today their service is much improved and the speed of their network (when it's running right) is unsurpassed by any.

If you factor in the TV service (lots of English channels including CNN, BBC1+2, TCM, MTV, Discovery, and more), the nearly free phone lines (you get two automatically!), and the fastest Internet access, at a GREAT Price, it's hard to beat. Residential service for all the above runs about 60 Euros a month! But be warned, their Internet service can go down for days at a time (TV & phone are unaffected)! Although this is becoming more rare.

The Dutch have been on the cutting edge of the Internet, and Dutch websites tend to be very well done, with plenty of style, and lots of good information. You can now find many official websites with English versions, including the City of Amsterdam and other national information sites with official documents translated into English.

However if you wish to explore other parts of Holland or plan to travel to neighboring countries then you'll need to rent a car. Fortunately there are several excellent deals available. The best deal by far, especially if you only want to rent for a few days, is EasyCar, located right across from Amstel Station (behind the Renault dealer). They rent Mercedes A class cars that can seat up to five and has more storage than a normal sedan. The further in advance you reserve, the better deal you'll get, as the prices vary with demand. You MUST reserve online for EasyCar (formerly known as Easy Rent-A-Car). Note: They don't allow walk-ins! Also they keep changing their pricing policies, and now charge a 16 Euro cleaning fee! So beware, this isn't such a good deal anymore, unless you're renting for more than a couple of days. I also had an incident where I was charged 240 Euros for a small crack in the windshield, their standard fee, no matter how much damage was done to it!

If you need a car for a longer period then Budget-Rent-A-Car is ideal with special deals on weekly rentals, and lots of very reasonably priced models from which to choose. There are several rental offices in Amsterdam, and you'll save money if you don't rent it at Schipol airport, although if you're just arriving that would be most convenient and worth the extra charge. You can make a reservation or check prices online with Budget.

Other major rental companies include Avis, Hertz and Europcar, but none of these offer the same kind of deal as those we've mentioned.

Please note that Budget allows you to drop off your car at another location, whereas, with Easy Rent-A-Car you must return it back to the same place.

Rental company policies vary. Often there are only certain countries you can drive to. Usually Eastern Europe is out of the question and some don't allow travel to Italy (lots of car theft there). If you are taking the rental car out of Holland, be sure to check if your itinerary is allowed.