10 Tips for Travellers to Amsterdam

by Tanja

On a city trip to Amsterdam, you don’t want to waste your precious time.  So how to make your trip to Amsterdam as easy as possible? Get last-minute tickets, find a good restaurant, where to drop your luggage and more tips for travelers on a trip to Amsterdam.

1. Drop your bags before going into town

It’s much easier to see the sights hands-free without the hassle of dragging along your suitcases. But where should you drop your baggage? A simple solution is NannyBag. NannyBag is a luggage storage service provider that lets you find spots near you where you can drop your bags. Nannies can be hotels, shops or other places in the city.

Nannybag keeps your bags safe while you enjoy the city.

With Nannybag, you simply book a storage and drop off your luggage. Enjoy the city without having to worry about your baggage; each luggage dropped, is insured up to € 1,500,- by AXA Assurance. NannyBag provides its services in more than 2,000 places and across more than 250 cities.

Check out the available Nannies at Nannybag.com. Choose your drop-off location and the booking can be done in just a few seconds.

2. Buy tickets to museums and tours in advance

Museums in Amsterdam, especially the popular ones like Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum, are very popular. It’s best to buy tickets online in advance. If you are going to see many museums, it might be cheaper to buy a discount pass. Which one? Compare Amsterdam city passes.

3. Get cheap last minute tickets

Last minute tickets Amsterdam

Want to do something nice in the evening in Amsterdam? Isn’t it a shame when you pay a lot of money without knowing what the show is like?

Amsterdam’s Last Minute Ticket Service offers tickets to classical music performances, opera, ballet, dance performance and theatre that take place the same day for half the price!

Ticket sale starts every day at 10.00 AM on the website Lastminuteticketshop.nl. Be early, because tickets are sold quickly. You can get 2 tickets max per time. Click the show you like and choose English in the upper right corner to change the language. You can pay by iDEAL (for dutch banks) and by credit card. Use your phone to download the tickets and show them at the show.

Lastminuteticketshop.nl

4. How to find a restaurant in Amsterdam

Finding a good restaurant in Amsterdam is difficult. The choice is large, but it’s difficult to find something original and good. You are most likely to end up in an ‘Argentinian’ steak restaurant that has nothing to do with Argentina and even less with Amsterdam.

To find a good restaurant in Amsterdam, you need a good restaurant guide. Read this guide about: where to eat in Amsterdam.

5. Get a ticket to a sold-out concert in Amsterdam

It’s really difficult to see a concert during your stay in Amsterdam. If you can discover what’s playing, tickets are probably sold out anyway. Buying tickets online for a concert that’s sold out can be very tricky and it’s likely to be a fraud.

Tickets to sold out tickets in Amsterdam

Ticketswap is a great website that sells second-hand e-tickets to concerts from person to person. It’s very popular in Amsterdam!

Their system is pretty safe because Tickteswap checks the tickets. You can be sure the tickets are really there when you pay. Also available as an app for your phone.

6. Rent a pram, pushchair or bottle warmer

Travel baby amsterdam

Are you traveling with a baby? Carrying prams and pushchairs while traveling can be a real hassle. 

Travel baby Amsterdam rents out all these things so you can travel light: high chairs and rockers, strollers, prams and pushchairs, travel cots, front and back carriers, car seats, bottle warmers, and room monitors. Easy as pie!

7. How to get a taxi in Amsterdam

In The Netherlands, it’s not common to hail a taxi in the street. Taxis are waiting for customers at specially assigned taxi stands. Find a map of the official taxi stands in Amsterdam. Taxis are expensive in Amsterdam, read about taxis in Amsterdam.

So how do you get a taxi in Amsterdam? You call one. The number is easy to remember. It’s 7×7. Including the Amsterdam 020- prefix and The Netherland pre-fix +31 that’s: 0031 20 7777777.

8. Where to use a computer in a café

At the beginning of the internet days, they popped up everywhere: internet cafés. With the arrival of wifi and the smartphone, they all vanished as quickly as they came.  So if your phone is not big enough and you need some serious and secure internet access, you are most likely to find a computer at your hotel. If not, there are some places in Amsterdam you can go online.

First and probably your best option is the Amsterdam public library. This might seem dull, but once you have checked out the beautiful building and great interior of the Central Amsterdam public library (OBA) near Central Station, with its fantastic view, you probably don’t want to leave again. Find all libraries on the map: (1 is the central one). 

Another good option is Amsterdam smart shop Kokopelli, near Central Station (Warmoesstraat 12). A really relaxed, loungy atmosphere, friendly staff and you may even smoke here!

A list of addresses with free wifi in Amsterdam to access with your own laptop or smartphone

9. How to find a cinema in Amsterdam

All English spoken films in Dutch cinemas are easy to see for tourists because films are always subtitled in Dutch. Seeing a film is a good and budget-friendly way to spend an evening in Amsterdam, but you probably want to choose the film first.

For English speakers, the website of Biosagenda.nl might be handy because it lets you view the cinema on a map. Just click Lees meer beneath the name of the cinema and the cinema appears on a handy map. Cineville also lists arthouse films.

If you are interested in the more alternative cinema scene, check out this article on art house cinemas in Amsterdam.

10. How to take a train in The Netherlands

The train is Holland’s most popular form of public transportation. It’s a dense system and because The Netherlands is so small you can get to the smallest villages by train. It’s also very comfortable and nice to enjoy the view (but it’s not the cheapest in the world).

Reservations for a train in The Netherlands is not possible, except on international train rides. Exploring The Netherlands is easy because of the OV-chipcard (€ 7,50). You get the card at a station and charge it with money. Then you just chip in and go where you want to go, change trains and see where you will end up! 

Just try to avoid the peak hours (from 7.30 – 9.00 AM and from 5.00 to 7.00 PM on weekdays). The Dutch railways are called NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) and their website also has an English section.

Read more about Public transport in The Netherlands. NS: National trains

International trains from The Netherlands
You can buy train tickets for trains to other countries on the website of NS, the international section. NS: International trains

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