Amsterdam: Tips for the visitor
 Traveling
with pets
If you wish to take your dog, cat or ferret with you to Holland,
you will need to have the following veterinary documents:
A valid health certificate signed by an authorized veterinary surgeon;
A rabies certificate signed by a local inspector of the veterinary
service or another official. The animal should have been vaccinated
against rabies at least 28 days prior to departure.
EUROPEAN
PASSPORT FOR ANIMALS
Effective 1 October 2004, owners of dogs, cats and ferrets who live
in the European Union (EU) need a European animal passport if they
wish to travel within the EU with their pet. This uniform document
replaces similar passports and documents which are currently in
use.
In addition to general information, the passport proves that the
pet has been inoculated against rabies. New is that owners must
ensure that their pets are micro-chipped or tattooed.
Pets from non-EU countries traveling to Holland also need to be
inoculated and micro-chipped or tattooed, they will also need a
veterinary certificate with the relevant information, issued by
an authorized vet.
Credit Cards
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 Visa
Card addresses. These cards are also accepted by all GWK currency
exchange outlets and Change Express Offices.
AMERICAN
EXPRESS
Head Office: Amsteldijk 166/5, 1079 LH Amsterdam, tel. (+31)(0)20
504 80 00 or 0800 0220100 (lost and stolen cards).
DINERS
CLUB
Head Office: Entrada 221, 1096 EG Amsterdam, tel. +31 (0)20 654
55 00 or (+31) (0)20 654 55 11 (lost and stolen cards), fax: (+31)
(0)20 654 55 04.
INTERPAY EUROCARD/MASTERCARD
NEDERLAND
Head Office: Eendrachtlaan 315, 3526 LB Utrecht, tel. (+31) (0)30
283 51 11 or (+31) (0)20 283 55 55 (lost and stolen cards).
VISA CARD SERVICES
Head Office: Wisselwerking 32, 1112 XP Diemen, tel.(+31) (0)20 660
07 89 or (+31) (0)20 660 06 11 (lost and stolen cards), fax: (+31)
(0)20 660 06 68.
The 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.
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 (+31) (0)900 88 44. Please note that this is not
a free call.
Useful telephone
numbers
Please note: the telephone numbers below are only useful during
your stay in Holland. Most numbers can not be reached from abroad.
NATIONAL EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Police, fire brigade, ambulance: 112
National number police, no emergency: 0900 8844
ROAD PATROL
ANWB: 0800 0888
EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES
Dutch embassies and consulates abroad and foreign embassies and
consulates in Holland can be found on Netherlands Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (embassies and consulates)
Tourism
information offices VVV
The local tourist office in the city you intend to visit can answer
most of your questions.
VVV Stationsplein (KCS)
Address: Stationsplein 10
City: 1012 AB Amsterdam
Phone: (+31) (0)20 201 88 00
Fax: (+31) (0)20 201 88 50
E-mail: info@atcb.nl
Services: cinema voucher
cycling routes
group tours
hiking routes
reservation services
theatre voucher
VVV package sales
Wadden travel guides sales
Open (d/m/y):
02/01/2006- 30/12/2006 Monday- Sunday 09:00- 17:00
25/12/2006 Christmas Day closed
31/12/2006 New Year's Eve 09:00- 16:00
Website: www.amsterdamtourist.nl
Did you know that;
The Netherlands and Holland are the same place?
One-quarter of Holland is below sea level ?
The International Court of Justice (at the Peace Palace) and the
International Criminal Court are both in The Hague?
Holland still has around a thousand old-fashioned working windmills?
Holland is the third biggest exporter of agricultural produce, trailing
only the US and France, even though only 3% of the Dutch population
works in the agriculture sector?
Holland has no less than 15,000 km of cycle paths?
Flevoland, the twelfth province, was reclaimed from the Zuider Zee
in 1986?
The Dutch are the tallest people in Europe?
Amsterdam is built entirely on pillings?
Holland always has a coalition government, so it is a land of compromise?
Every Dutch person has a bike and there are twice as many bikes
as cars?
The Van Gogh collections in the Van Gogh Museum and the Kröller-Müllers
Museum are the largest in the world?
Holland has the highest concentration of museums in the world, with
42 in Amsterdam alone?
Holland was one of the six founding members of the European Community?
The former island of Schokland, the fortifications around Amsterdam,
the windmills of Kinderdijk-Elshout, Willemstad (in the Netherlands
Antilles) and the Rietveld-Schröderhuis are all on UNESCO’s
World Heritage List?
The highest point in Holland is 323 meters above sea level, and
is referred to as a ‘mountain’?
Amsterdam is the capital, but the government is in The Hague?
Most Dutch people speak a foreign language as well as Dutch?
Rotterdam is the second largest port in the world?
Holland is 6.7 meters below sea level at its lowest point?
Amsterdam has 1,281 bridges?
Prince Willem-Alexander, the heir to the Dutch throne, takes personal
interest in water management?
When you arrive at Schiphol Airport, you are four meters below sea
level?
Holland has more than 4,400 km of navigable rivers, canals and lakes?
At Neeltje Jans in Zeeland, you can see how Holland waged war against
the sea?
When in Holland eat
like the Dutch
The daily eating pattern of the Dutch: round the clock breakfast,
lunch and dinner and in between a cup of coffee at 10.30 a.m. The
‘borrel’ (a drink) at 5 p.m. sharp.
All that cycling, the traditional mode of transport in Holland,
creates a healthy appetite. The bicycle, combined with the unpredictable
Dutch weather, heavily influenced Dutch cuisine, which offers substantial,
simple, and straight-forward fare.
BREAKFAST
Start your day with a wholesome Dutch breakfast: fresh bread with
butter, jam, cheese, ham or chocolate sprinkles (hagelslag). Yes,
you’ve read it correctly: Scatter chocolate sprinkles on your
buttered bread. You might also want to eat a slice of Breakfast
cake (ontbijtkoek), a cake containing cinnamon and cloves as well
as ground ginger. Be sure to drink lots of coffee or tea! Get yourself
ready for the chilly rain, strong wind, wet snow storm or radiant
sunny day. The Dutch climate is full of whimsical surprises.
10:30 am.... time for a cup of coffee
COFFEE
At 10:30 a.m. it’s time for the traditional cup of coffee.
‘A cup of coffee’ is not just a cup of coffee in Holland.
The small, but strong, cup is to be savored while reading the newspaper
or conversing at length with friends. Coffee is given as much time
and consideration as a full meal! It is served and 'observed' everywhere:
at home, at the office, in shops or at school.
LUNCH
Lunch is another bread and butter meal, the same as breakfast, perhaps
served with thinly sliced cold meats. More coffee, tea, milk or
buttermilk. An ‘uitsmijter’ will satisfy your hunger pangs.
It consists of bread with slices of cheese or meat, topped with
fried eggs. In winter a simple order of Dutch pea soup (erwtensoep)
will satisfy your hunger and re-charge your batteries. Look for
these specialities on the menu.
TEA
TIME
At 4 p.m. it's time for tea. Be sure to try a delicious Dutch pastry
(‘gebak’) or a piece of ‘vlaai’ from the province
of Limburg. If you walk past a cafe‚ or small restaurant that
advertises ‘poffertjes’, be sure to walk in and try these
mini pancakes with lashings of butter and sugar. If you’re
in the mood for a snack while on the move, grab a cone of French
fries (patat) smothered in mayonnaise or sate sauce. Try it before
you judge!
THE 'BORREL'
At 5 p.m. it's time for a "drink", a ‘borrel’
as the Dutch call it. A glass of beer, a nip of Dutch jenever (Dutch
gin), a glass of wine or sherry accompanied by cheese, nuts, or
crackers. A favorite snack is 'bitterballen’, deep-fried breaded
meat balls, eaten by toothpick and dipped in mustard. Mmmm! Lekker
(as the Dutch say!)
Speaking of mustard: In the picturesque restored village of Zaanse
Schans, you can visit a genuine mustard mill and see how mustard
seeds are actually ground into the delicious result. The Zaanse
Schans mustard is well worth tasting and purchasing!
DINNER
Come dinnertime, the choice of food in Holland is as varied as the
weather. Restaurants representing Holland’s multicultural backgrounds
have mushroomed all over, ranging from French to Indonesian to Thai
to Pakistani. However, in Dutch homes old traditions die hard and
the simple, substantial meals of potatoes, fresh vegetables, meat,
chicken, fish or salad, followed by a milk-based dessert, are still
a favorite. If you ask a Dutch man or woman what is being served
for dinner, he or she will first mention the vegetable being served.
The meat, fish or chicken takes second place.
AFTER
DINNER
After dinner, the Dutch enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. In fact, if
you are invited to someone’s home after dinner, you’ll
first be served coffee or tea with a piece of cake or pie. This
is followed by a drink. Visiting friends and family in each other's
homes is part of traditional, fine Dutch hospitality. It's a way
of life.
DELICIOUS DUTCH TREATS
BITTERBALLEN
Savory Creamy Meatballs would be an appropriate translation of the
word 'bitterballen'. These deep-fried meatballs are filled with
a beef ragout and have a crispy outside. They are often served at
cocktail parties or as a snack with a pre-dinner drink. You eat
these tasty deep-fried morsels hot, on a toothpick, dipped in mustard.
KROKETTEN
These golden brown fried tasty tidbits can be eaten as a cocktail
treat, but they can also be inserted in a bread roll, smothered
in mustard, and devoured as a tasty mini-sandwich. The kroket is
the larger version of the bitterbal. Any snack bar has a kroket
for you.
BEER
There are many famous Dutch beer brands, some of them are probably
familiar to you. Names such as Heineken, Amstel, Bavaria, Dommelsch
and Oranjeboom: they are all Dutch and sold worldwide. Would you
like to see how Dutch beer is made? At the Heineken Experience,
located in the former brewery of Heineken, you can experience the
history of Heineken and enjoy a tour where you can see the process
of making beer, test your knowledge and even taste some! The Heineken
Experience is located at Stadhouderskade 78 in Amsterdam.
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Traditions
The Dutch culture is unique. This can, of course, be said of each
culture. However, the Dutch culture is one of the few cultures with
many contradictions. The Dutch want to be modern and progressive,
but also wish to preserve their standards and values. The following
are a number of pointers to help you understand the complex way
of
life of the Dutch.
GETTING ACQUAINTED
The Dutch are known for their professionalism; they like to get
down to business straight away and have a no-nonsense culture. At
the first meeting hands are shaken. When introducing someone, his/her
function is explained briefly and any applicable titles are mentioned.
After this, people are called by their surnames or even by their
first names. Titles are not used after the introduction. Many foreigners
who come to Holland to work find it surprising that even the managing
director of the company is called by his/her first name! It is not
done for the managing director of a Dutch company to drive too large
a car.
PRESENTS
It is a custom in Holland that presents are unwrapped straight away.
People in the group are often curious as to what is in the parcel.
The person receiving the present is supposed to show it or even
hand it around. The person giving the present is thanked on the
spot. It is not the custom in Holland, as it is in many other cultures,
to give someone a gift in return straight away. A Dutch person who
is invited for dinner at someone's house, will usually bring some
flowers or chocolates. The Dutch like to receive items which they
cannot buy in their own country.
COMMUNICATIONS
The Dutch make a clear distinction between their private lives and
their business lives. When negotiating they use a straightforward
business strategy. They do not spend days getting to know their
business partners, in contrast to Asian cultures. The Dutch are
used to getting to the point straightaway. It is not done to start
negotiations all over again after a contract has been signed. To
the Dutch a contract means the end of the negotiations: agreed is
agreed. Words, invitations and promises are often taken literally.
FOOD
Food is the motor for everyone's daily activities, and is essential.
To the Dutch the social aspect is more important than the food itself.
Many Dutch skip breakfast on workdays. Lunch, in contrast, is an
important meal. To the non-Dutch this is a somewhat simple meal,
including bread and coffee, tea, dairy products (very popular) and
some fruit.
TALKING ABOUT...
At informal gatherings people do talk about more personal topics.
However, the Dutch are reserved about their private lives. Some
Dutch people consider certain topics personal, however, there are
no specific topics that you cannot discuss.
It is not appropriate to ask a Dutch acquaintance how much he or
she earns, something which is quite acceptable in some other cultures.
National Holidays 2006
New Year's Day: 1 January
Good Friday: 14 April
Easter Sunday: 16 April
Easter Monday: 17 April
Queen's Birthday: 30 April
Liberation Day: 5 May
Ascension Day: 25 May
Whit Sunday: 4 June
Whit Monday: 5 June
Christmas Day: 25 December
Boxing Day: 26 December |
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