Latest corona information
This website from the Dutch government has the up to date information that all foreign travellers should know before visiting The Netherlands: www.government.nl/visit
Official information from the city of Amsterdam is on iamsterdam.com/en
Amsterdam Tourist Information
Official tourist information by the city of Amsterdam: iamsterdam.com/en/. When you arrive at Central Station it is easy to find the Tourist Information office. It is the very first building you see when leaving the main exit of the station. (photo above)
Restaurants
You can find a listing of all restaurants in Amsterdam on thefork.com or in Dutch thefork.nl
Unfortunately not all the reviews and rankings are honest. Restaurants have to pay for it in a dishonest way. Please support the restaurants by booking with them directly. Don’t use The Fork to make a reservation. It is a bit more work for you, but it saves the restaurants a huge amount of money. Thank you, on behalf of the restaurant owners!
Pubic Transport
Public transport in Amsterdam is of a very high quality. But you really need to prepare your trip and understand how the system works before you go to Amsterdam. If you wait until you arrive in Amsterdam, you do not only loose a lot of time. You probably will spend too much money on public transport. I try to explain the system and give you the best advice on the page: Public Transport in Amsterdam.
Take cash with you! And cards as well.
Make sure you always carry some cash with you. Credit cards are not everywhere accepted (because of the high fees they charge)!
Maestro bank cards are widely accepted, but not everywhere! So just make sure you have enough euros in cash with you.
But… some places do NOT accept cash. To prevent robbery, more and more places prefer cards and some don’t accept cash at all anymore. So you will need to take plastic and cash with you. Places who don’t accept cash clearly display “Hier alleen pinnen” or “No cash, cards only”.
In The Netherlands ATM’s are harder to find than other European cities. Why? Because the Dutch want to reduce costs of everything, to stay competitive. But you can find an ATM in many supermarkets, specially those of Albert Heijn (AH).
Shops and restaurants prefer payment with debit card (Maestro) and don’t like credit cards, because of the high costs. Many places will not accept credit cards at all! So be prepared and you have enough cash.
Beware of pickpockets!
Amsterdam is a safe city. Only public transport is known for pickpockets. So put your valuables in a safe place!
Museums
If you want to visit a popular museum, make sure you buy your ticket in advance online.
Corona update: You have to make reservations at almost any place you want to visit. Not only museums, but also restaurants.
The most popular museum “Anne Frank house” is mostly fully booked months in advance! When you buy your ticket online, you skip the waiting line and you have many precious hours you can spend on doing nice things.
Also for the very popular Van Gogh museum a reservation is mandatory!
For the Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk booking in advance is recommended.
Gay life in Amsterdam
Of course I can tell you a lot about it. But here is already some information to prepare your trip.
www.gaylinc.nl
www.gayamsterdam.com
www.gaymap.nl
www.planetromeo.com (if you are looking for some more intimacy with a local)
www.saunanz.com (the only gay sauna in Amsterdam)
Visit the Pink Point gay tourist information center. They are located next to the Homomonument at Westermarkt, just around the corner of Anne Frank house.
Make Pink Point the starting point of your visit to Amsterdam. Pick up the free Amsterdam Gay Map, party flyers and latest edition of Gay News magazine, also for free. This magazine is in Dutch and English and the cover photo is often made by me :-). See www.fotoserie.net/model if you would like to be a cover model too!
Bicycle in Amsterdam
If you are an experienced cyclist, it will be great fun to explore the city by bike. Otherwise, please don’t do it! It is dangerous for yourself and all the others on the road…
Because the locals complain so much about inexperienced cycling tourists, this video was made and is now shown in hotels and other places where tourists stay.
If you still want to ride a bike in Amsterdam, check the Rent a bike in Amsterdam page.
Emergency? Call 112
In case of an emergency, dial 112. If your phone has location enabled, you make it even easier for the police / ambulance / fire department to find your location. You can trust the police. The police is here to help you and they are not corrupt. So if you have a problem, you can always trust a police officer!
If you have any other questions, please let me know!