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| BY CAR Car Rental : You will find the main car rental companies in all major cities and at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Costs : Rentals for one week or longer are available at special rates. Some companies offer additional discounts during the off-season and at weekends. VAT (19%, non-refundable) is added to all rental rates. It is usually less expensive to book a car in advance from your home country. Rates vary, according to the model, from approximately EUR 27 to EUR 114 per day, excluding costs for mileage. Please note: Holland uses kilometers instead of miles. One kilometer equals 0.621 miles. Minimum Age : Some firms stipulate a minimum age of 21 years, other companies 23 years. Motorhome Rental : Motorhomes, equipped with kitchenettes, showers and a comfortable sleeping area, offer the budget-minded an easy and dynamic way to tour Holland. The minimum age for motorhome rental is usually 21 - 23. You must have had your driver’s license for at least one year. Driver's license : Whether your driver’s license is valid in Holland depends on where it was issued. - International Driver’s License It is handy, but not compulsory to have an international driver’s license. We do advise to use an international driver’s license if your license is in a language other than English. You can apply for an international license at the automobile association in your own country. - Member States European Union Driver’s licenses issued in one of the member states of the European Union and in Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway are valid in Holland. - Other Countries In all other cases you might have to show an international driver’s license. You can apply for an international license at the automobile association in your own country. Parking : Holland has, like most European countries, many cities in which you have to pay for parking on the streets. Where applicable, observe parking meter regulations carefully. Make sure that the time of your stay does not exceed the parking time you have paid for. Otherwise, you might end up with a severe fine, a wheel clamp or, even worse, find your car has been towed away. Free parking or inexpensive parking is available in the P+R parking areas at railway stations or at transferiums, located on the outskirts of the city. Many people find it easier to choose one of these options and take advantage of public transportation. Signs directing you to P + R parking or transferiums will be shown in our future section ‘traffic signs’. General Parking Rules - Parking and pulling up are prohibited in case this causes danger for other road users or in case there are traffic signs prohibiting this. - It is prohibited to park or stop alongside a uninterrupted yellow line. - It is prohibited to park or stop on biking lanes, bus lanes, railway crossings, crossroads, exits, priority streets outside the city area or at parking areas allocated meant for other vehicles. Petrol : Petrol stations are located in all main cities in Holland and in most smaller towns. In addition, petrol stations are situated along the highways at approximately every 60 kilometers. Fuel prices differ from petrol station to petrol station. The exact price is shown on a notice board outside the gas stations. In general, fuel prices in Holland are quite stable. The difference is EUR 0.02 or EUR 0.03 at the most. Diesel costs EUR 0.77 per liter. Unleaded petrol costs about EUR 1.10 / 1.15 per liter. Roadside assistance : The yellow cars of the ANWB (Royal Dutch Touring Club) patrol most major roads, 24 hours a day. For emergency assistance, travelers may phone the ANWB from the yellow booths located along highways. The (tollfree) emergency ANWB phone number is (+31) (0)800 08 88. Use of cell phones in cars : Effective March 30, 2002 Holland has new legislation regarding the use of cell phones in cars. Drivers/riders of motorized vehicles, mopeds and vehicles for people with disabilities may no longer call or receive calls without an aid, such as a headset or car kit. You may not even hold your cell phone in your hand. This ban does not only apply during actual driving, but also while moving in a traffic jam. It is allowed to use a cell phone while being parked or standing. Violation of this prohibition carries a EUR 138 fine (minimum). In addition, your cell phone may be confiscated. BY TRAIN Holland has a very compact and modern railway network. Each day about 4,200 passenger trains run on the 1,900 miles of tracks. The trains of the Netherlands Railways (NS) are among the most modern in Europe. Some important aspects about traveling by train in Holland are that they arrive and depart on time, they are comfortable and clean, services are fast and frequent and most of the staff speak English. Every village in Holland, no matter how small, can be reached by public transportation. Most routes have departures at least every half hour, busy stretches often as many as four to six departures per hour. There is a direct express train connection between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the main cities in Holland and some cities in Belgium. Even at night, a train runs every hour between Utrecht, Amsterdam, Schiphol, The Hague and Rotterdam. The Netherlands Railways operate an Intercity IC network connecting the big cities. IC trains only stop at the major stations. Local trains provide transportation to smaller cities. Bike And Train : If you are going on a cycling holiday in Holland and would also like to cover some parts of the route by train…This is often possible. The rules are as follows. In addition to a ticket for yourself, you buy one for your bike. If the ticket office is closed, you can buy the tickets from the ticket-machine. You put the bike on the train yourself. The baggage compartment is easily recognizable by a blue sticker with a bicycle on it above one of the doors. Full bags cannot be left on the bike. Remove them beforehand: it makes "loading and unloading" easier. In addition, it is wise to place your bike in the most stable position in the baggage compartment. Some trains have special clamps for this purpose. In the months of July and August, at the weekends and on public holidays you can take your bike with you whenever you like. However, during the rest of the year there are some restrictions. For example you are not allowed to take your bike on a train during the morning and evening peak periods (6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.). In the summer months, transporting a bike costs a little more than the standard rate. You can buy a day pass for your bike for EUR 6.00. You have to make a reservation for some trains, and other conditions/prices may apply. Bike Rental At Train Stations : You can rent a bike at 100 stations in Holland for just one day (from EUR 4.75). However, you will need valid ID and you will have to pay a security in advance. This ranges from EUR 25.00 to EUR 135.00. Of course, your money will be returned when you return the bike in good order. For more information you can contact the NS, the Netherlands Railways, at telephone number (+31) (0)900 92 92 for travelling within the Netherlands (EUR 0.50 per minute) or (+31) (0)900 92 96 for international travel (EUR 0.25 per minute). Amsterdam Airport Schiphol By Train : If you travel to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol by train to fly to your destination on KLM, or its partners Northwest Airlines, KLM, Kenya Airways, Air Engiadina or Air Alps, the train trip is complimentary. Your ticket for one of these airlines, if purchased in the Netherlands, is also valid on the Netherlands Railways. You can travel second class to the airport and back. If you fly Business Class, you can travel first class on the train. If you have an Economy Class ticket for your flight, but would like to travel first class on the train, you can pay a surcharge. You receive this complimentary train ticket if you travel to and from Schiphol on KLM or on one of the partners mentioned above. If you only travel one way on KLM or one of its partners and you return with another airline, you can only use the complimentary train ticket one way. For the other leg of the train journey you will have to buy a ticket. Timetable and fares : Departure and arrival times of intercity trains and local trains are shown on the website of the NS, the Netherlands Railways. The link http://www.ns.nl/domestic/index.cgi leads you straight to it. You can also contact the Netherlands Railways, at telephone number (+31) (0)900 92 92 for travelling within the Netherlands (EUR 0.50 per minute) or (+31) (0)900 92 96 for international travel (EUR 0.25 per minute). Train Taxi : When you arrive by train in a certain town, you can use the "train taxi" (treintaxi) within that town. You can also make use of the train taxi without a valid train ticket. Train Taxi Ticket : You share the taxi with others and thereby travel at a reduced rate. Train taxi take you to and from 114 railway stations in Holland. You pay the fixed price of € 3,50 per person per ride, regardless of the distance. When purchased from a Train taxi driver, the ticket costs € 4,50. Train taxi is available from the first until the last train on the timetable. Train Taxi Area : Train taxis serve a certain area, which is shown at the Train taxi stand at the station. Tickets can be used in every city where Train taxi is available, until a year after a change in price of the tickets. A separate ticket must be purchased for the return trip. Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague have no train taxis. How To Get A Train Taxi : In the town where you wish to use Train taxi, you simply go to the Train taxi stand outside the railway station, or you push the blue button at the stand to contact the Train taxi operator, who will then call a Train taxi for you. The chauffeur waits for a maximum of 10 minutes for any other possible customers to share this Train taxi. Trips To The Railway Station : For the return trip to the railway station, you call the Train taxi call-center at least half an hour prior to being collected. The telephone number is 0900-TREINTAXI (0900-873 4682) (€ 0,35 per minute, only in Holland). Types of trains : There are two types of trains; intercity trains and local trains. Intercity or express trains provide direct connections between the main cities. The routes covered by the local trains also include the intercity network, but they stop at every station. The Schiphol Line is a special intercity link connecting the national airport at Schiphol with the centers of the main Dutch cities. Information about intercity timetables is given in the section ‘timetables and costs’. Seat reservation is not possible and unneccessary. Wheelchairs welcome : If you are traveling to Holland by train and need assistance, please contact the railway company in your country at least one week before departure. They should be able to advise you about services assisting disabled people. For information about travel assistance when traveling by train within Holland, you can contact the Nederlandse Spoorwegen Bureau Assistentieverlening Gehandicapten: telephone (+31) (0)30 230 55 66. Please note, you always have to contact them at least one day before departure. In addition, you must bear in mind that not every train station in Holland offers this facility. BY BUS, TRAM, METRO, TAXI By bus For relatively short distances, and if you travel to areas without railway lines, the bus is an excellent means of transportation. Most bus services run from 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Holland has four types of services: City Bus, Regional Bus And Express Service : The city buses run within the boundaries of larger towns. The regional buses travel in and around main cities and the smaller towns nearby. The timetable is mainly geared to traveling during peak hours. The express services have fewer stops than the regional buses, run very frequently during peak hours to destinations in and around the main cities. In addition to the above three types of services, Holland also has the Interliner. This bus service is used for longer distances and links various towns. It is an ideal means of transportation for commuters. The Interliner has very few stops. Connexxion : This bus company serves the major part of Holland: the provinces of Noord and Zuid Holland, Gelderland, Overijssel and Zeeland. By Taxi You can book a taxi in advance with local taxi companies. In some larger cities you can also hail a taxi on the street. Taxis take you to any desired destination against payment in cash. Prices may vary per region and are sometimes open to negotiation. Taxis have blue license plates with black letters and figures. By Tram and MetroThe cities of The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam offer transportation by tram. Amsterdam and Rotterdam also have a subway system. Most tram and subway services start at 6 a.m. and run until approximately 12 midnight. The subway trains and trams are usually faster than the city buses. You do not have to buy a ticket on the tram/subway but you use the so-called ‘strippen card’. The local The Hague tram company is HTM, in Amsterdam the GVB company offers tram and subway services, while the Rotterdam equivalent is RET. For more information on public transportation: Tel: 0900 92 92 (€ 0.50 per minute, only in Holland). Public transport tickets : Holland’s network of buses and trams serves both urban and regional districts. Most services start at around 6 a.m. and end at around 12 midnight. A wide range of tickets is available. Only two of these are of relevance if you stay in Holland for a short time. National ‘Strippen Card’ : The ‘Strippen Card’ is valid throughout the country for travel on buses, trams and subways. It is also valid on trains which travel within the city boundaries of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague/Zoetermeer. Holland has been divided into transportation zones with set tariffs. To travel one zone you have to pay two ‘strippen’. You pay an extra ‘strip’ for each subsequent zone. Within the same zone you may change within a time limit mentioned on the back of the card. You can buy a ‘Strippen Card’ with 15 strips (EUR 5.90) or with 45 strips (EUR 17.40). For children aged 4 to 11 you can buy a reduced fare card (EUR 3.70). You can buy ‘Strippen Cards’ at railway stations, in post offices, department stores and tobacconists. You can also buy it on the tram or bus, but the price is quite a bit higher. Day Tickets : If you visit Amsterdam, Rotterdam or The Hague for just one day, your best bet is a one-day travel card. This is valid on all public transportation. A special ‘Strippen Card’ with eight strips (EUR 5.60) entitles you to tour these cities by tram, bus or subway for a whole day and night. For two of these 8-strippen cards you can tour the whole country by bus for a day. Day tickets are available from tram and bus drivers and at subway stations. If you wish to spend more time in Amsterdam, Rotterdam or The Hague, we recommend you buy the local tickets available for all means of public transportation. Local day tickets can be purchased both individually and in bulk from: - GVB (Amsterdam Municipal Transportation Company) information and ticket offices opposite Central Railway Station, and from the GVB counter in Amstel Station; - HTM (The Hague Municipal Transportation Company) information and ticket offices, including the Central Railway station and Hollands Spoor Station; - RET (Rotterdam Municipal Transportation Company) information and ticket offices on Stationsplein and Coolsingel and from ticket machines in the subway stations. Please note that bus connections are often slower and more complicated, when covering long distances, than train connections. By Bicycle In Holland cycling is part and parcel of daily life. Holland's 16 million people own approximately 13 million bicycles. The Dutch use their bicycles as a mean of transportation rather than just a recreational sport. The bike is used for grocery shopping and to commute to work. Hollands moderate climate, the short distances and its flat roads all serve to make the bicycle a logical means of transportation. Add to this the beautiful scenery and about 15,000 kilometers/9,300 miles of specially designated bicycle paths and routes and you will understand why cycling in Holland is not only practical, but also very enjoyable. Clearly Marked Bicycle Paths : Holland's excellent bicycle path network is clearly marked with the ANWB's (Royal Dutch Touring Club) red and white signs and mushrooms-shaped posts, indicating the quickest route from A to B. Obligatory separate bicycle lanes for cyclist are indicated by round blue signs with a white bicycle. Bike rental : Bicycles are available for rent in practically every city, town and village in Holland at bike dealers, repair shops and rental agencies. The rate is approximately EUR 5.90 per day or EUR 41 per week for a standard model. Prices vary according to location and quality of the bicycle, as well as to the demand for rentals at any particular time of the year. Most dealers require a deposit of between EUR 23 and EUR 45. Furthermore you must show a passport for identification purposes. Some 100 railway stations rent out bicycles too; more about renting a bike at railway stations in our section ‘by train’. |
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