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| Business hours : Shops : Mon-Fri 8:30/9 a.m. - 5:30/6 p.m. Sat 8:30/9 - 4/5 p.m. Most cities have late-night shopping on Thursdays or Fridays. In holiday and tourist resorts many shops are open at night and on Sundays. For opening hours on Sundays or late night shopping nights, please call the local tourist information office of the town in question. Banks : Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 4/5 p.m. sometimes also on late night shopping nights and on Saturdays. Post Offices : Mon-Fri 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. bigger ones also Sat 9 a.m. - 12 noon/12:30 p.m. Chemists : Mon-Fri 8/9 a.m. - 5:30/6 p.m. Chemists are open on a rotation schedule to cover nights and weekends. Restaurants : Opening hours vary, but usually open for lunch from 11 a.m. - 2:30/3 p.m. and for dinner from 5:30-10/11 p.m. Museums : Opening hours vary, however, most museums are open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. every day of the week, except Mondays. Clothing : Summers are lovely but along with your shorts and beachwear pack a light-weight raincoat - the odd shower cannot be ruled out. Winter winds can be cold and you should certainly wrap up well in January and February. The average temperature in these months hovers just above 2 degrees centrigrade. One of the nice things about Holland is that the Dutch are relaxed about clothes. You wear what you feel good in - particularly in Amsterdam when an opera audience happily turns up in jeans and t-shirts. Which is not to say you cannot wear dress if you want to. Men should bring a tie and women a skirt or dress if you plan dining up-market. Otherwise feel free. Coffee shops : A coffee shop can best be described as a café, which does not sell alcoholic beverages, and in which, under certain circumstances, soft drugs may be sold. Although the sale of soft drugs is an offence, low priority is given to the prosecution of coffee shop owners, provided they sell small quantities only and meet the following conditions: - no more than five grams per person may be sold in any one transaction; - no hard drugs may be sold; - drugs may not be advertised; - the coffee shop must not cause any nuisance; - no drugs may be sold to persons under the age of 18, nor may minors be admitted on the premises. The mayor of a city has authority to close coffee shops, which do not meet these conditions Electricity : The voltage in Holland is 220 volts. Hotels may have a 110-volt or 120-volt outlet for shavers, but travellers are advised to bring a power converter and an adapter for two-prong, round-prong plugs with side grounding contacts. If you plan on staying in The Netherlands for a while, you might want to buy a hair dryer or electric razor here. Battery operated appliances are another option if you don't mind replacing the batteries Import/Export regulations As a passenger you should take into account that the import of articles into the country of destination is usually subject to restrictions. Also when you are flying back to the Netherlands from a country outside the EU the import of articles is subject to restrictions. Import Regulations For The Netherlands When you are returning from a country outside the European Union, you will be subject to the Dutch import regulations. So make sure that you do not bring back too much, in particular liquor and tobacco articles. Every person of 17 and older is allowed to import into the Netherlands : - 200 cigarettes or 250 grammes of tobacco (shag or pipe tobacco) or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars. - 1 liter of liquor or 2 liters of sparkling wine or liqueur wines such as sherry or port. - 2 liters of non-sparkling wine. - 50 grammes of perfume and 0.25 liters of eau de toilette. - 500 grammes coffee or 200 grammes coffee extracts or coffee essence. - 100 grammes tea or 40 grammes tea extracts or tea essence. If you are importing more than these maximum quantities, you will have to pay VAT on this and possibly also taxes and import duties. For further information you can contact the Customs Tax Line. Flying to a destination within The EU When you are flying to a destination within the European Union, there are no restrictions with regard to the amount of articles that you are allowed to import. This applies to all See Buy Fly articles, including liquor. So it is perfectly alright to bring something extra. But note: tobacco articles form an exception to this rule. Stopover at a destination within The EU If you are flying to a destination within the EU, and can demonstrate that you are continuing your journey to a destination outside the EU within the next 24 hours, you will be regarded as a non-EU traveller. In that case the same rules apply to you as for those travelling to destinations outside the EU. EU destinations are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Great-Britain, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. The Canary Islands and the British Channel Isles are considered non-EU destinations. Flying to destinations outside The EU For destinations outside the European Union the restrictions apply of the country that you are flying to. These are different for each country. For further information with regard to the import regulations of your country of destination you should contact your travel agent or the embassy of the country of destination in advance. You will find the addresses of the Dutch embassies and consulates on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Vat Refund Non-EU residents that have purchased goods in Europe and are entitled to a VAT refund, can have their VAT paid out in cash at Schiphol. VAT cheques of the Global Refund organization can be cashed at one of the branches of ABN AMRO Bank and GWK. Cheques issued by the Cashback and Easy Tax Free organizations can be cashed at the desk of the Communication Centre in Lounge Central. To qualify for a VAT refund the following points are important: - BEFORE passing passport control, the purchases, receipts, relevant VAT cheque(s) and passport have to be shown at the customs office that is located in Departures 3. It is important therefore that you do not check in the goods that you have purchased before going to the customs office! - Customs officers will check the documents and goods and then stamp the VAT cheque. - The completely filled in and stamped cheque can then be cashed at one of the branches of ABN AMRO Bank and GWK (Global Refund) or at the Communication Centre in Lounge Central (Easy Tax Free and Cashback). For questions regarding VAT refund you can contact Douane Schiphol (Customs Schiphol) at: +31 (0)20 316 47 00. *Note: this information has been reproduced from the websites of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and the Dutch Customs website. Telephone System To call Holland you dial your international dialing code, followed by 31 (country code for Holland), then the area code (omit the first zero) and the local number. Some important area codes: Amsterdam - (0)20 Rotterdam - (0)10 Utrecht - (0)30 Maastricht - (0)43 The Hague - (0)70 Calling Within Holland Orange-and-gray colored telephone booths are located inside and around most Netherlands Railways stations. From these booths you can make calls with coins, credit cards and special telephone cards. Telfort telephone cards are available from the GWK – Holland Welcome Service, Wizzl Shops at a wide range of railway stations and all ticket offices at the Netherlands Railway stations. The Telfort booths have a starting tariff of EUR 0.10. The consequent units cost EUR 0.10 per unit. It follows that a telephone call from one of these booths costs a minimum of EUR 0.20. If you wish to make a telephone call from a green telephone booth (located outside railway stations) you need a different telephone card. These are available from, among other places, the GWK - Holland Welcome Service offices, post offices and major department stores. If you are not in an emergency situation, but you wish to contact the police, call 0900-8844. Please note that this is not a free call. Time zones Holland is in the Central European Time Zone, one hour ahead of GMT. During daylight saving time clocks are turned forward one hour. As a result, in summer Holland is on GMT +2. In 2002 the daylight saving period starts on March 31 and ends on October 26. Visa A valid passport is all you need to enter Holland. Check with the Dutch Embassy or Consulate in your own country whether you need a visa. They also have the necessary forms you have to complete. Weather Lots of tourists visit Holland in summer. There is no denying that this is the best time of the year to sit by the canals or take a bike trip through the country. Spring is a good time to visit too, as the bulb flowers are in full bloom in this season. April is the best month for daffodils, May for tulips. The Keukenhof flower exhibition is a wonderful place to visit during spring. Rain is spread pretty evenly over the year, so there is not much point in trying to avoid the Dutch drizzle. Winter can be quite cold, but you will find that the museums are not very busy, which is not a bad thing. If it gets cold enough for the canals and waterways to freeze over, the Dutch enjoy skating on the canals and flood plains. Tipping Value added TAX and service charges are included in hotel, restaurant, shopping bills and taxi fares. Tips for extra service are always appreciated but not necessary. It is customary to give taxi drivers and waiters a tip of about 10 percent. A lavatory attendant is usually tipped EUR 0.10 or EUR 0.20. Religion Freedom of religion and religious beliefs is a fundamental right in Holland. This means that people are free to worship as they choose, either individually or in groups, provided they remain within the boundaries imposed by the law and respect others (for example with regard to noise levels, health hazards and disturbances of the peace). In Holland, church and state are separate. The government does not interfere in the internal affairs of organizations that profess religious or philosophical beliefs, and the latter do not interfere with matters of state. There are approximately 400 mosques and prayer centers in Holland (245 Turkish, 130 Moroccan and 25 Surinamese). Islamic burial grounds have also been established in many places. Language Dutch is the national language of Holland. However, English is spoken by almost everyone. In addition, many Dutch people speak German and French. Dutch is the mother tongue of well over 21 million Dutch people and Flemish people (Dutch- speaking nationals of Belgium). In addition, some 60.000 people in Northwest France speak a Dutch dialect. On the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, which islands are a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and in the former Dutch colony of Surinam, Dutch is used in government institutions and in schools. Because of the historical ties, many lawyers and historians in Indonesia speak Dutch. Dutch was the basis for Afrikaans, the language spoken in South Africa. Dutch has also influenced other languages, as shipping, agriculture and hydraulic engineering terms in various languages testify. Friesian Language The people in the province of Friesland speak Fries, in addition to Dutch. The Dutch outside this province do not understand this language. For many Friesians, the use of their own language is essential for the way they function in society. The language is alive as never before and is being used extensively, recent research shows. More than 90 percent of the inhabitants of this province understand the Friesian language, nearly three-quarters speak it, 65 percent reads it and some 70 percent can write it. Drugs policy For the record, trafficking in (importing or exporting), selling, producing and processing either hard or soft drugs are offences in Holland. However, the use of softdrugs is not an offence because the aim of Dutch policy is to prevent and limit the damage drug use causes both the individual and society. To this end, assistance is given to drug addicts to promote their rehabilitation, and to improve their physical and mental condition and their social circumstances. They are more likely to seek assistance because they need not fear prosecution nor risk being branded criminals. The possession of soft drugs for personal use (up to 30 grammes) is a summary, non-indictable offence. Coffee shops can sell soft drugs without being prosecuted, providing they observe strict rules. The aim of this policy is to prevent users of soft drugs from becoming marginalised and prevent users of soft drugs from being exposed to more harmful drugs. Automatic Teller Machines If you have a foreign bank pass with a Cirrus logo you can get money from an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM). Some ATMs of the ABN AMRO bank also accept passes with the PLUS logo. Also check your pass and the ATM for EDC, EC and Maestro logos. Of course, you can also use most credit cards to obtain money from an ATM. The many ATMs are usually open 24 hours per day. Creditcards All major credit cards are accepted widely, but not everywhere. If in doubt, ask in advance. Cash-on-card services are available from selected American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and VisaCard addresses. These cards are also accepted by all GWK currency exchange outlets and Change Express Offices. Traveller cheques It is handy to take some cash with you for the first few days in Holland. Traveller’s checks are a safe alternative to cash and are handy if you do not have a credit card. |
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