Amsterdam

Jolly_Roger

In April, I have to go to an expo at Amsterdam's main expo site. I have never been to the city, can anybody give me some advice?
What is the best way to travel from Schiphol AP to the city centre?
Can you recommend a 3-4 star hotel in the central area?
Do restaurants have menus in English?
Is Amsterdam expensive?
Where are the best shops?
Is it easy to get around by public transport? Do ticket machines have instructions in English? Is the 33euro day ticket value for money if you are only making maybe six trips a day or are individual tickets better?
Thanks.

Glittermonkey

I found the easiest way to travel from the airport was by tram - ticket was brought at the airport on arrival.

I stayed here http://www.boogaardsbnb.com/ - cant fault it all. Beautiful place right in the centre, nice and quiet. Owners are very friendly and cook a lovely breakfast. Friend had 40th birthday while we were there so cakes and beers were brought for us which we enjoyed on their rooftop patio.

Yes, menus were in English.

I didn't find it too expensive, cheaper than London anyway. We ate out everynight and food was lovely, filling portions that weren't expensive.

Shops - sorry cant help you there as we didnt really go shopping.

Very easy to get around, by foot or by tram. Im sure we got a one day ticket or something similar but think it was cheaper than 33 euros. We got it from the tourist information places that are dotted around.

Have a great time!

Donnie

I think that Glittermonkey means the train, not the tram. Takes around 20 mins and costs around three euros.

Do you mean THE RAI or somewhere else? Are we supposed to guess?

Jolly_Roger

Yes, the RAI.

cowbutt

Jolly_Roger wrote: »

In April, I have to go to an expo at Amsterdam's main expo site. I have never been to the city, can anybody give me some advice?
What is the best way to travel from Schiphol AP to the city centre?

Train to the Central Station. From there, trams or taxis. The trams are cheap, but you need to keep an eye on the stops, as it's easy to miss the one you're after!

Can you recommend a 3-4 star hotel in the central area?

I stayed at http://www.thetoren.nl/ and was very happy with it. It's listed on various hotel booking sites.

Do restaurants have menus in English?

I don't recall any problems there, so I think the answer must have been yes. Admittedly, I didn't get round to eating at any Dutch restaurants - pizza, Indonesian, veggie (twice) and the bakeries met my needs.

Is Amsterdam expensive?

Not as expensive as I was expecting. Reckon on 15-20 quid for a nice restaurant meal, including drink.

Where are the best shops?

Dam Square and Kalverstraat - http://www.amsterdam.info/shopping/malls/

Is it easy to get around by public transport?

Yup, but it's compact and flat, so walking is pleasant enough too.

Do ticket machines have instructions in English?

Again, I don't recall any difficulties, so probably yes. I think there were generally always conductors/ticket sellers too, who understood English. I seem to recall that not all ticket machines took cash (only chip and pin cards) so that might scupper your plans a little.

Is the 33euro day ticket value for money if you are only making maybe six trips a day or are individual tickets better?
Thanks.

I bought individual tickets as and when I needed them (generally only one or two a day at 2-3euros each).

123oleary

english is spoken everywhere , ticket machines have a langauge button on them or use the counter staff. menus usually have an english translation and if not the waiters will look after you .
amsterdam is very easy to walk round alternatively use the trams. the dutch are very friendly but just watch yourself and use your noddle if you go in the red light area.
the nh chain of hotels are very good there's two in the centre near dam square .

Donnie

For the RAI(South Amsterdam), I stay in a nice B&B nearby, for around 60 euros. The RAI is just a short walk away.

Sadly, the contact number is in my UK mobile. I'll dig it out if you really need it.

An example: http://www.bbholland.com/rooms/nh077.htm

Either way, I recommend that you stay in the area, so you can go their directly from the airport and begin to settle in.

Staying in the centre, say Dam Square, could be a pain.

From Schiphol, go to Amsterdam RAI station. You can just buy a Strippenkart when you arrive at Amsterdam RAI, for when you wish to take a look around Amsterdam. They'll endorse some of the strips for each journey.
Nothing about which to be concerned. The Dutch are quite pleasant and helpful....and their English is invariably excellent.

stefejb

There is an excellent tourist information opposite amsterdam central - it has a big VVV sign on it - they will be able to tell you all you need to know about strippenkarts as I've never understood them but in any case as cowbutt has said it is a pretty compact city and very flat if you don't count the bridges. You could also hire a bike