I am assuming that the tram number you get from Centraal Station will be the same one that you get when you are going back to Centraal Station. Obviously at the other side of the road from where you got off.
Am I right?
Also, I'm interested in picking up and Iamsterdam card while I'm there (72 hour one should do it). It will cost about 53 Euros and I've seen that they sell at the train station and tourist offices around the city. Basically offers free tram transport and free entry to museums and other places and discounts. Sounds like a bargain if you use it to the max.
The trams are a bit fucked up at the moment due to all the construction thats being done at the minute but your basically right about getting from and to Central station, as far as the Iamsterdam pass is concerned you have to do loads of museums to make it pay, I get a weeks pass for just over €10 that covers trams, buses and the Metro 24/7for this you need a passport sized photo (there is a photo booth in central station) then just pop into the VVV (out the front of central station, turn left and its a big white buiding by the metro entrance, just ask for the 7 day pass (they'll probaly say its for locals only but thats BS)
Well there's still 28 days to go before I touch down in the end zone, so I'm kinda hoping that Bob The Builder will get his ass into gear.
Quite a few coffeeshops in the area of the Rho and quite a few others that aren't too far away on foot.
The trams were mainly for the sight seeing (Rijksmuseum and Zoo) as well as a few restaurants I wanted to check out.
I know what'll happen though, I'll sit down in a shop with my chosen poison, roll a regular joint in the machine and glue myself to the seat as I smoke it.
We were there for a week and got through 2 strippenkarts between the 2 of us. We used the tram for the journey to & from central station with our luggage and then maybe once a day - would have been less if it hadn't been rainy February because everything is really very compact. Strippenkarts are are around 6.5 euro and good for 7 or 8 journeys - you get it stamped on entering the tram and each stamp lasts an hour, you can hop on & off trams during that time. So may be worth going for instead of a more expensive card if you don't plan to be racing round and round the city on public transport!
I think this is going to be something that can only be decided when I actually get there and I see what's happening around town.
There are more than enough coffee shops around my hotel to keep a novice smoker like me happy and, after looking at the ACD map, I really don't think it would kill me to go to the museums on foot. Plenty of places along the way to stop for a minute if I get tired or soaked in sweat.
If the worst comes to the worst then what can't be done on land could probably be done on water with a canal boat/bus/taxi (whatever they're called)
Doog wrote:Anyone got any good links for a map that shows the routes that the trams take around the centre of Amsterdam?
Mainly interested in the area shown on the main ACD map with Centraal Station at the top and the museums at the bottom.
I've been to the GVB site but it's hard to pinpoint the right area, or get a large andf clear enough map to print out.
I found an excellent set of maps from a group called Insideout (www.mapgroup.net) which has virtually every detailed street name, museums and tourist attractions, plus tram and Metro routes. The only details missing are the coffeeshops... They package it as a compact 3X5" format with a few gimmicks (like a compass that doesn't work and a pen hidden in the spine) for 15.00Cdn - 6.95Sterling - 11.00Euro from major bookshops.
Prior to my last trip I scanned the two largest maps, then used Photoshop to annotate my coffeeshop destinations. OfficeDepot (Kinko's, Staples, etc) laminated them for a few dollars and I had a waterproof map (which was also the perfect surface for rolling up). The very best bit of pre-planning I've done, I'll never leave home without it.
The Rho hotel rent their own bikes, that's your best bet. The Zoo and the museums are all within a mile of the hotel, any further out than that and it's entering the twighlight zone.
DC wrote:The Rho hotel rent their own bikes, that's your best bet. The Zoo and the museums are all within a mile of the hotel, any further out than that and it's entering the twighlight zone.
The hotel is within easy walking distance of Centraal Station and I suppose that's where I would go to get on a tram to go some place. I could always get off nearer the hotel on my way back.
Riding a bike would not be a good idea (for me), far too much going on around with trams and other transport. Would lead to problems such as crashing or the bike being stolen (I've heard bike theft is the most common crime in Amsterdam)