AmsterdamTips

Amsterdam

The comprehensive description of what Amsterdam has to offer is available at Steven Pemberton's website http://homepages.cwi.nl/~steven/amsterdam.html.

A brief article on Amsterdam appeared in the New York Times on April 22. If you don't have or want to get the free account, see http://www.bugmenot.com/.

David Reid has posted a Feathercast Podcast about visiting Amsterdam for ApacheCon.

Local Google Map of the hotel and closest Albert Heijn Supermarket. NOTE: there has been significant construction since the Google satellite images were taken!

Walking in Amsterdam

Reminder: bicycles and trams are major transportation options in Amsterdam. When walking on most streets, be sure to stay on the sidewalk. There will often be a narrow red roadway with a dashed line; this is only for bikes and mopeds. Then there will be one or more lanes for cars. Then there will also be a set of tram tracks. This makes for interesting sets of stoplights (cars, bikes, trams, and crosswalks).

Getting Around

This may not be the best way to get from the airport to the hotel and back, but it'll do the job! We definitely recommend taking the train to Centraal, since a cab to the hotel is 37EUR.

• Get the train from Amsterdam Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal. Don't get a return (unless you're going back the same day). A single should cost you c. 3.60EUR. Note there are various Train Ticket machines that may accept your credit/debit card. To pay with cash, go to the station entrance itself (at edge of airport) and go to a human teller; there is a .50EUR fee for this per ticket.

• (EITHER) When you get to Amsterdam Centraal, get a ticket for the local transport. You can get day passes from the GVB Tickets & Info place in the station (or at the machines, as long as you don't want a 96h one) - 24h->7EUR; 48h->11.50EUR; 72h->14.50EUR; 96h->17.50EUR. If you don't think you'll use that much transport, get a "strippenkaart". Travelling with the strippenkaart "costs" one strip per journey, plus one strip per zone. So a 1-zone journey is 2 strips, a 2-zone journey is 3 strips etc. Costs are 2-strip->1.60EUR; 3-strip->2.40EUR; 8-strip->6.40EUR (this also works as a day ticket, but I'm not sure how); 15-strip->6.90EUR; 45-strip->20.40EUR

• That's the hard part over! Exit Centraal Station and walk all the way down to the end of the station (to your left, if your back is to the station). This is the side towards the buses and trams; if you are facing a *large* canal, you're on the wrong side of the station (there's a small canal right behind the bus/tram stops tho - lots of canals!).

• The line for Tram 26 should be the one nearest to the station, at this end. If it's not, you've gone the wrong direction

• Get on Tram 26 (it only goes one direction past here - IJburg), and stamp your card (2-strips, if it's a strippenkaart). Go one stop, to the Musiekgebouw, and alight.

• Cross the tram lines, then the bike path, and walk down a bit to your right, until you find a pedestrian bridge. Go over the bridge, down to your left, and you're at the hotel! (Note: it was late, and dark, and I did this bit wrong. But you can see the hotel from the tram stop, so you'll figure it out)

* (OR) Walk! In this case, the easiest way is to go out of Centraal to the north, through the construction, and facing the large canal. Walk straight across the major street alongside the canal (wait for the light). * Turn right, so you are heading east; the large canal will be on your left. Walk along the canal until you come to a very wide bridge sloping gently upwards. * Walk over the bridge until you are almost to the Moevenpick; turn left onto the black arched pedestrian bridge. * Turn left (away from the hotel), walk down the wooden steps, then turn left around and along the ground level to the front of the Moevenpick. * Note: you cannot walk behind the Moevenpick along the canal; there's construction and fences.

Other options are...

• You can walk from Centraal to the hotel - it's probably about a 15min walk. Just maybe not the most pleasant way to go if you have luggage. Be sure the major canal (not the many smaller ones) is on your left as you are walking from Centraal towards the Moevenpick (i.e., the Moevenpick is to the east of Centraal).

* Taxis can be picked up at taxi ranks at various places. The fare from the airport to Moevenpick is about 37EUR; the fare from Centraal to Moevenpick is about 8.50EUR

Moevenpick Guide

If you're staying at the Moevenpick, here are some key tips - especially tips for US travelers to the continent.

* The Moevenpick staff is very helpful and polite, and any major hotel staff will speak english. * Once you get into your room, take your room key and insert it into the small silver box on the wall inside of the room. This is in the same location and the first light switch in US hotel rooms, and serves the same purpose. * Full breakfast is available downstairs until about 10AM for an additional charge. * In the Moevenpick, the light on the far side of the room will turn on the first time you turn on any light. An exercise to the reader is left to figure out how to turn that light off, without removing your room card from the electric switch. * Moevenpick Rooms are small but tastefully appointed. * Moevenpick private baths include showers only, with no shower curtain. The left hand knob on the shower controls the water volume, and the right hand knob controls the temperature. * Turn on the TV and try going into the bathroom. There's no volume control in there, though.

Restaurant Guide

Anyone want to comment on their favorite places to eat? Reminder: many shops and some restaurants may close earlier than you are used to.

For dining, you can simply walk down Leidseplein and find a wide variety of places. Steven Pemberton's website is an excellent resource as well.

Bars

http://www.timeout.com/amsterdam/bars/

Queensday

Queensday, which is on April 30, Amsterdam : http://koninginnedagamsterdam.nl/?en