Amsterdam

ATMs — You’ll find automated-teller machines (ATMs) at Schiphol Airport, Centraal Station, other main rail stations, and throughout the city. Among the centrally located ATMs accessible by cards linked to the Cirrus and Plus networks and the major credit and charge cards are those at ABN AMRO Bank, Dam 2 (tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25) and Leidsestraat 1 (tram: 1, 2, or 5), at Leidseplein; Rabobank, Dam 16 (tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25); and Fortis Bank, Singel 548 (tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25), at the Flower Market.

Babysitters — Many hotels can arrange babysitters. A reliable local organization is the Stichting Oppascentrale Kriterion (tel. 020/624-5848; www.kriterionoppas.org), which has vetted babysitters who are students over 18. Rates are 6€ to 7€ ($7.50-$8.75) an hour, with extra charges for Friday and Saturday evening reservations, and for sending sitters to hotels.

Business Hours — Banks are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4 or 5pm (on Thurs, some stay open until 7pm). Offices are generally open Monday to Friday from 9 or 10am to 4 or 5pm. Regular shopping hours are Monday from 10 or 11am to 6pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9am to 6pm; Thursday from 9am to 9pm; and Saturday from 9am to 5pm. Some stores are open Sunday from noon to 5pm.

Currency Exchange — The best options for changing money are the VVV tourist offices, banks, and, if you carry American Express traveler’s checks, American Express . GWK Travelex exchanges give a fair deal; they’re located at Schiphol Airport (tel. 020/653-5121); Centraal Station (tel. 020/627-2731; tram: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 13, 16, 17, 20, 24, 25, or 26); Damrak 125 (tel. 020/620-3236; tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25); Dam 23-25 (tel. 020/625-0922; tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25); Leidseplein 31A (tel. 020/626-7000; tram: 1, 2, 5, 7, or 10), and at some international border crossings and main rail stations. GWK provides cash advances to holders of American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, and Visa cards, and can arrange transfers through Western Union.

Hotels and bureaux de change (currency-exchange offices), which are open regular hours plus evenings and weekends, often charge a low commission (or none at all) but may give a low exchange rate.

Should you need emergency cash during the weekend when all banks and the American Express office are closed, have money wired to you via Western Union (tel. 800/325-6000; www.westernunion.com); see information for GWK, above.

Doctors & Dentists — For 24-hour emergency medical and dental service, call the Central Doctors Service (tel. 020/592-3434).

Drugstores — For items such as toothpaste, deodorant, and razors, go to a drogerij (drugstore) or a supermarket.

Electricity — Before weighing down your luggage with all your favorite appliances, note that the Netherlands runs on 220-volt electricity (North America uses 110 volts). So take with you a small voltage transformer (available in drug and appliance stores and by mail order) that plugs into the round-holed European electrical outlet and converts the Dutch voltage from 220 volts down to 110 volts for any small appliance up to 1,500 watts. Don’t try to plug an American appliance into a European outlet without a transformer; you may ruin your appliance and possibly even start a fire. Some American appliances (such as electric shavers) are engineered to operate on either 110 or 220 volts, but even with these, you usually need to buy a plug adapter for Dutch outlets.

Embassies & Consulates — Both the U.S. and the U.K. have consulates in Amsterdam and embassies in The Hague (Den Haag). Other English-speaking countries only have embassies in The Hague.

Consulates in Amsterdam:

United Kingdom: Koningslaan 44, 1070 AL Amsterdam (tel. 020/676-4343; www.britain.nl; tram: 2).

United States: Museumplein 19, 1071 DJ Amsterdam (tel. 020/575-5309; http://netherlands.usembassy.gov; tram: 3, 5, 12, or 16).

Embassies in The Hague:

Australia: Carnegielaan 4, 2517 KH Den Haag (tel. 070/310-8200; www.australian-embassy.nl).

Canada: Sophialaan 7, 2514 JP Den Haag (tel. 070/311-1600; www.canada.nl).

Ireland: Dr. Kuijperstraat 9, 2514 BA Den Haag (tel. 070/363-0993; www.irishembassy.nl).

New Zealand: Carnegielaan 10, 2517 KH Den Haag (tel. 070/346-9324; www.nzembassy.com).

United Kingdom: Lange Voorhout 10, 2514 EG Den Haag (tel. 070/427-0427; www.britain.nl).

United States: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ Den Haag (tel. 070/310-2209; http://netherlands.usembassy.gov).

Emergencies — For police assistance, an ambulance, or the fire department, call tel. 112.

Hospitals — Two hospitals with an emergency service are the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Gasthuis, Oosterpark 9 (tel. 020/599-9111; www.olvg.nl; tram: 3, 7, or 10), Amsterdam-Oost; and the giant Academisch Medisch Centrum (AMC), Meibergdreef 9 (tel. 020/566-9111; www.amc.uva.nl; Metro: Holendrecht), Amsterdam-Zuidoost.

Hotlines — Rape and sexual abuse: De Eerste Lijn (tel. 020/612-7576); drugs: Drug Prevention Center (tel. 020/626-7176).

Internet Access — In the center, easyInternetcafe, Damrak 33 (www.easyinternetcafe.com; tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25), is open daily from 9am to 10pm, and access is 2€ ($2.50) an hour. For something alternative, try the smoking “coffeeshop” Freeworld Internetcafé, Nieuwendijk 30 (tel. 020/620-0902; www.freeworld-internetcafe.nl; tram: 1, 2, 5, 13, or 17), or the Lost in Amsterdam Lounge Café, Nieuwendijk 19 (tel. 06/2547-7333; www.lostinamsterdam.com; tram: 1, 2, 5, 13, or 17), where you can smoke before or after you surf; access is 3€ ($3.75) an hour.

Language — Dutch people speak Dutch, of course, but English is the second language of the Netherlands and is taught in school from the early grades. The result is that nearly everyone speaks fluently — so you may speak English in Amsterdam almost as freely as you do at home, particularly to anyone providing tourist services, whether cab driver, hotel receptionist, waitperson, or store clerk.

Laundromats — A laundromat is called a wassalon or wasserette in the Netherlands. These are generally open daily from 7 or 8am to 9 or 10pm. Some central locations: Oudebrugsgracht 22 (tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25), between Damrak and Nieuwendijk; Ferdinand Bolstraat 9 (tram: 16, 24, or 25), near the Heineken Experience; and Rozengracht 59 (tram: 13, 14, or 17), or on the edge of the Jordaan. For dry cleaning, go to Palthé, Vijzelstraat 59 (tel. 020/623-0337; tram: 16, 24, or 25), just south of Muntplein.

Lost & Found — Don’t be optimistic about your chances. There are plenty of honest Amsterdammers, but they’re usually out of town when you lose something. Call tel. 0900/8011 for tram, bus, and Metro; tel. 020/557-8544 for trains and stations; and tel. 020/649-1433 for Schiphol Airport.

Be sure to notify all your credit card companies the minute you discover your wallet has been lost or stolen and file a report at the nearest police precinct. Visa’s U.S. emergency number is tel. 800/847-2911 or 410/581-9994. American Express cardholders and traveler’s check holders should call tel. 800/221-7282. MasterCard holders should call tel. 800/307-7309 or 636/722-7111. For other credit cards, call the toll-free number directory at tel. 800/555-1212.

Mail — Standard postage for a postcard or letter to the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand is 0.80€ ($1); to the U.K. and Ireland, it’s 0.65€ (80¢). To appear really conversant, address your letters home in Dutch: Verenigde Staten van Amerika, Kanada, Groot-Britannië, Ierland, Australië, Nieuw-Zeeland.

Most TPG post offices are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. The office at Singel 250, at the corner of Raadhuisstraat (tram: 13, 14, or 17), is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm, and Saturday from 10am to 1:30pm.

Narcotics — Using narcotic drugs is officially illegal in the Netherlands, but in licensed premises, Amsterdam allows the sale of up to 5 grams (1/5 oz.), and possession of 30 grams (1/5 oz.) of hashish or marijuana for personal use. Not every municipality in the Netherlands is as liberal-minded as Amsterdam when it comes to smoking pot — and even Amsterdam isn’t so tolerant that you should just light up on the street, in cafes, or on trams and trains (though enough dopey people do). Possessing and using hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy is an offense, and the police have swept most of the downtown heroin-shooters away from the tourist centers, and drug abusers are considered a medical and social problem rather than merely a law-enforcement issue. Peddling drugs is a serious offense.

Newspapers & Magazines — The main British and Irish daily newspapers, and the International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal Europe, USA Today, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, Business Week, Fortune, The Economist, and more are available at the American Book Center, Spui 12 (tel. 020/625-5537; tram: 1, 2, or 5), and Waterstone’s, Kalverstraat 152 (tel. 020/638-3821; tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25). Newsstands at Schiphol Airport and Centraal Station also stock a wide range of international publications.

Passports — Allow plenty of time before your trip to apply for a passport; processing normally takes 3 weeks but can take longer during busy periods (especially spring). Keep in mind that if you need a passport in a hurry, you’ll pay a higher processing fee.

For Residents of Australia: Pick up an application from your local post office or any branch of Passports Australia, but you must schedule an interview at the passport office to present your application materials. Call the Australian Passport Information Service at tel. 131-232, or visit www.passports.gov.au.

For Residents of Canada: Passport applications are available at travel agencies throughout Canada or from the central Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 (tel. 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca).

For Residents of Ireland: Apply for a 10-year passport at the Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/671-1633; www.irlgov.ie/iveagh). Those under age 18 and over 65 must apply for a 3-year passport. You can also apply at 1A South Mall, Cork (tel. 021/272-525) or at most main post offices.

For Residents of New Zealand: Get an application at any New Zealand Passports Office or download it from their website (www.passports.govt.nz). Contact the Passports Office (tel. 0800/225-050 or 04/474-8100).

For Residents of the United Kingdom: To pick up an application for a standard 10-year passport (children under 16 get a 5-year passport), visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency or contact the United Kingdom Passport Service at tel. 0870/521-0410 or at www.ukpa.gov.uk.

For Residents of the United States: Whether you’re applying in person or by mail, you can download passport applications from the U.S. State Department website at http://travel.state.gov. To find your regional passport office, check the U.S. State Department website or call the National Passport Information Center toll-free number (tel. 877/487-2778) for automated information.

Pharmacies — In the Netherlands a pharmacy is called an apotheek, and dispenses both prescription and non-prescription medicines. Regular hours are Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5:30pm. A centrally located pharmacy is Dam Apotheek, Damstraat 2 (tel. 020/624-4331; tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25), close to the National Monument on the Dam. Pharmacies post details of nearby all-night and Sunday pharmacies on their doors.

Police — Holland’s emergency phone number for the police (politie), fire department, and ambulance is tel. 112. For routine matters, visit a district police office; a centrally located one is at Lijnbaansgracht 219 (tel. 0900/8844; tram: 1, 2, 5, 7, or 10), just off Leidseplein; calling their number can also provide details about other district police offices.

Restrooms — Maybe you better sit down for this one. The most important thing to remember about public toilets in Amsterdam — apart from calling them toiletten (twa-lett-en) or “WC” (vay say) and not restrooms — is not the usual male/female (heren/dames) distinction (important though that is), but to pay the person who sits at the entrance to many such places of relief.

He or she has a saucer in which you’re supposed to deposit your payment. If you don’t, you may have a vexed visitor in the inner sanctum while you transact your business. It’s tiresome, but toilets usually cost only about 0.30€ (40¢), and the attendant makes sure they’re clean.

If you have a toilet emergency in the Center, a great place to find relief is the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. Just breeze in as if you own the “Kras,” swing left past the front desk and along the corridor, past the Winter Garden restaurant, then up some steps. Another option: The restrooms at the University of Amsterdam’s Atrium cafeteria are clean and open to all. Restrooms in department stores are also useful. Try to avoid visiting a urinoir (or pissoir) — these malodorous, open-air, male-only “comfort stations” are a standing provocation to feminists.

Salons — In addition to the salons and barbershops in many major hotels, stylish hairdressers are to be found on Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat and on Rokin. George en Leon, Leidsegracht 104 (tel. 020/626-3831; tram: 7 or 10), and the Hair en Beauty Center, Rokin 140-142 (tel. 020/623-2381; tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25), are smooth performers. For something a little (or a lot) out of the ordinary, try Hair Police, Kerkstraat 113 (tel. 020/420-5841; tram: 16, 24, or 25).

Smoking — In a city where smoking hashish is an acceptable use of the public air, no one shows any mercy to anyone who squirms at the thought of mere tobacco. Expect to be inhaling clouds of second-hand cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoke in virtually all social situations. Those much-loved “brown cafes” got their moniker from having walls stained with ages of nicotine. Trams, buses, and Metro trains are, however, smoke-free. So too are a few restaurants, and some upmarket hotels maintain nonsmoking floors.

Taxes — There’s a value-added tax (BTW) of 6% on hotel and restaurant bills (19% on beer, wine, and liquor), and 6% or 19% (depending on the product) on purchases. This tax is always included in the price. People residing outside the European Union can shop tax-free in Amsterdam. Stores that offer tax-free shopping advertise with a HOLLAND TAX-FREE SHOPPING sign in the window, and provide the form you need to recover taxes when you leave the European Union. Refunds are available only when you spend more than 137€ ($171) in a store.

Telephones — To call Amsterdam from the United States:

1. Dial the international access code: 011.

2. Dial the country code for the Netherlands: 31.

3. Dial the area code 20 and then the number. So the whole number you’d dial would be 011-31-20-000-0000.

Area Codes: The area code for Amsterdam is 020 (use just 20 when you’re calling from outside the Netherlands). When making local calls in Amsterdam, you don’t need to use this area code. When making local calls within other cities, you don’t need to use the city’s area code. You do, however, need to use an area code between towns and cities.

There are two main formats for Dutch phone numbers: For cities and large towns, a three-digit area code is followed by a seven-digit number. For smaller towns and villages a four-digit area code is followed by a six-digit number. In addition to Amsterdam’s, some other area codes used in this book are: Haarlem, 023; The Hague and Scheveningen, 070; Rotterdam, 010; Delft, 015; Leiden, 071; and Gouda, 0182.

Operator assistance: Call tel. 0800/0410.

Information: For numbers inside the Netherlands, call tel. 0900/8008; for international numbers, call tel. 0900/8418.

Toll-free numbers: Numbers beginning with 0800 within Holland are toll-free, but calling a 1-800 number in the States from Holland is not toll-free. In fact, it costs the same as an overseas call.

Special numbers: Watch out for the special Dutch numbers that begin with 0900. Calls to these are charged at a higher rate than ordinary local calls. Depending on whom you call, it can be up to 0.90€ ($1.20) a minute.

International calls: To make international calls from Amsterdam, first dial 00 and then the country code. To call the United States or Canada, dial 00 (the international access code) + 1 (the country code) + the area code + the number. For example, if you wanted to call the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., you would dial 00-1-202-588-7800. Other country codes are: United Kingdom, 44; Ireland, 353; Australia, 61; New Zealand, 64.

International calls, per minute, are: U.S. and Canada: 0.30€ (40¢); U.K. and Ireland: 0.35€ (45¢); Australia and New Zealand: 0.40€ (50¢).

You can use pay phones in booths all around town with a KPN, and at some places with a Telfort telefoonkaart (phone card) — but note that neither company’s cards work with the other company’s phones. KPN cards sell for 5€ ($6.25), 10€ ($13), 20€ ($25), and 50€ ($63), from post offices, train-ticket counters, VVV tourist information offices, GWK Travelex currency exchange offices, and some tobacconists and newsstands. Telfort cards sell for 8€ ($10), which includes an additional 2€ ($2.50) worth of time free.

There are, however, alternatives to buying the Telfort card: Some pay phones take credit cards, and a few take coins of 0.10€, 0.20€, 0.50€, 1€, and 2€.

Tip: Use smaller coins whenever possible, at least until you are connected with the right person, as no change is given from an individual coin — and once the call has begun, excess coins will not be returned when you hang up.

A busy signal sounds like a sustained dial tone, then a beep-beep sound. Should there be no answer, hang up and the coin comes back to you. On both card and coin phones, a digital reading tracks your decreasing balance so that you know when to add another card or more coins. To make additional calls when you still have a coin or card inserted, briefly break the connection; you’ll get a new dial tone for another call.

Both local and long-distance calls from a pay phone cost 0.30€ (40¢) a minute. Note that calls placed through your hotel switchboard or dialed direct from your room phone are usually more than twice the standard rate.

To charge a call to your calling card, call AT&T (tel. 0800/022-9111), MCI (tel. 0800/022-9122), Sprint (tel. 0800/022-9119), Canada Direct (tel. 0800/022-9116), British Telecom (tel. 0800/022-9944), or Telecom New Zealand (tel. 0800/022-4295).

Time Zone — Amsterdam is on Western European Time (WET), which is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) plus 1 hour. Americans can orient themselves to the time difference with the knowledge that Amsterdam is normally 6 hours ahead of New York City time, and 9 hours ahead of Los Angeles time. There is one slight complication, though: Clocks are advanced by 1 hour for Western European Summer Time (WEST) between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October. For the exact time from the local “speaking clock,” dial tel. 0900/8002.

Tipping — The Dutch government requires that all taxes and service charges be included in the published prices of hotels, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, salons, and sightseeing companies. Even taxi fare includes taxes and a standard 15% service charge. To be absolutely sure in a restaurant that tax and service are included, look for the words inclusief BTW en service (BTW is the abbreviation for the Dutch words that mean value-added tax), or ask the waiter.

Dutch waiters and hotel staff often “forget” that a service charge and a tip are in effect the same thing. If you query them, they’ll likely tell you that the tip isn’t included in the bill — slightly true, since it’s not called a tip but a service charge. Customers pay a standard 15% whether they liked the service or not. The VVV tourist office’s advice is: “Tips for extra service are always appreciated but not necessary.”

To tip like the Dutch — no, seriously! — in a cafe or snack bar, leave some small change on the counter or table. In a restaurant, leave 1€ to 2€ ($1.25-$2.50) per person, or to generously reward good service, 5€ ($6.25) per person or 10% of the tab. Since service can tend toward the lackadaisical, you may need to make due allowance for what constitutes “good.” If another staffer took the payment, give the tip to your waitperson directly.

In a hotel, tip if you wish for a long stay or extra service, but don’t worry about not tipping — you’re unlikely to be hassled by a bellboy who lights every lamp in your room until he hears the rattle of spare change.

Should you feel an irrational compulsion to tip taxi drivers, round up the fare by a euro or two, or splash out 5% to 10%.

Transit Info — For information regarding tram, bus, Metro, and train services in Amsterdam and around the Netherlands, call tel. 0900/9292, or visit www.9292ov.nl.

Water — Faucet water in Amsterdam is safe to drink — it’s referred to locally as gemeente pils (municipal beer). Many people drink bottled mineral water, generically called spa even though it’s not all from the Belgian Spa brand.

Weather — For weather information, call tel. 0900/8003 or visit www.weather.com.

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