Visitor Information

Before leaving for the Netherlands, obtain information on the country and its travel facilities by contacting the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC), which maintains offices around the world. Their Internet address is www.holland.com.

For the U.S. and Canada, they're at 215 Park Avenue South, Suite 2005, New York, NY 10003 (tel. 212/370-7360; fax 212/370-9507). For Great Britain and Ireland (no walk-in service), the info is P.O. Box 30783, London WC2B 6DH (tel. 020/7539-7950; fax 020/7539-7953).

Or contact the Dutch umbrella organization for the country's many local tourist information organizations (no walk-in service): Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions, Vlietweg 15, 2260 KA Leidschendam (tel. 070/370-5705; fax 070/320-1654). In addition, for those flying into Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, there's the Holland Tourist Information office (www.holland.com).

Amsterdam's own tourist information organization (no walk-in service) is the Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board, P.O. Box 3901, 1001 AS Amsterdam (tel. 0900/400-4040, or 31-20/201-8800 from outside the Netherlands; fax 020/201-8850; www.iamsterdam.nl). The 0900 phone number costs .40€ per minute, which is tolerable if you get a fast response and not so good if you have to hold. Calls made from outside the Netherlands are at the usual international rate.

This organization operates two Amsterdam Tourist Information offices. Both offices are efficient and have multilingual attendants on duty. They can help you with almost any question about the city, and provide brochures and maps, and reserve last-minute hotel rooms.

One office is inside Centraal Station, on platform 2B, open Monday to Wednesday from 9am to 8pm, Thursday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm, and Sunday and holidays from 9am to 6pm. A second office is right in front of the station, at Stationsplein 10, open daily from 8am to 9pm (tram for both offices: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 13, 16, 17, 24, 25, or 26). Both offices are invariably extremely busy.

Be sure to pick up a copy of Time Out Amsterdam, for 2.95€. This monthly magazine in English is full of details about the month's art exhibits, concerts, and theater performances, and lists restaurants, bars, dance clubs, and more. Or get a free copy of the yellow Visitors Guide, which is a directory with a wealth of addresses and phone numbers, from any tourist office and some hotels.

The Times, also free, covers Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam and is available from select outlets like the American Book Center.

One of the best virtual tours on the Net is www.channels.nl -- the images are clear, you can direct your own tour, and you can chat with others about Amsterdam. Visitors provide their impressions of restaurants, hotels, museums, and hash houses. At www.amsterdamhotspots.nl, they really do mean "hot." Here are the places to fill your nights, from eating and drinking to where to toke, what the top gay bars are, and where to see those famous working girls on display behind picture windows. Good eating-out info is available from www.dinnersite.nl.

Buying a street map will make detailed navigation easier. The most cost-effective map is Amsterdam Tourism & Congress Bureau's Amsterdam City Map, available from VVV Amsterdam offices for 2€. It shows every street and canal, museums and churches, and tram routes and stops, extending as far as the ring road. For even more meticulous coverage of the city (and its suburbs), purchase the Falk Easy City Amsterdam Professional Map for 9.95€.

Your Passport To Amsterdam

To get the most out of your trip, avail yourself of the I amsterdam Card. The card, valid for 1 day for 38€, 2 days for 48€, and 3 days for 58€, affords free travel on public transportation, free admission to more than 20 museums and attractions, including the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum (but not both). The card also provides for discounted admission to additional museums and attractions, a free canal-boat cruise, discounted excursions, including reduced rates on the Hop On Hop Off Museum Line and the Canal Bus, and discounts in certain restaurants and stores. The card comes with a public transportation ticket and a color information booklet. Total possible savings: Around 150€.

Before purchasing, though, consider carefully whether you'll get your money's worth out of this card. Remember, this is Holland, where local fondness for the coin of the realm is proverbial, and bargains are thin on the ground. You'll have to work pretty hard to come out ahead on the cost of the card, jumping on and off trams, buses, and canal boats, and running in and out of museums that fall mostly into the culture class.

Some of Amsterdam's most memorable experiences come from idle strolling, hanging out on cafe terraces, and visiting offbeat stores and attractions. But if a cram course of solid culture is what you're here for, and you're ready to work to achieve it, the card could be a sound investment.

The I amsterdam Card is available from Holland Tourist Information at Schiphol Airport and from VVV tourist information offices in the city. Note that only the person who signs the card can use it. Further details are available from www.iamsterdamcard.com.