amsterdam trip (part II)

Factual Questions
1

In a previous thread I looked for general info on an upcoming trip to Amsterdam. Here are some specific questions about the journey from the airport to the hotel. (and yes; we can all agree I’m unsophisticated and unworldly)

By the way, below is the unedited ramblings of my thought process. It’s a little disjointed.

I’ll be arriving at the Schiphol airport (How do you pronounce it?). What do I do next? I have to go through customs; will it be obvious where I need to go?

I think I can handle customs; just answer the questions, let them look through my stuff.

I need to take the train to Centraal Station (Train!?..never been on a train!). Is it similar to the Metro Subway in Washington DC? I’ve done that. How do I get a ticket? Is there a machine or a person? I prefer a person so I can tell them what I need. If its a machine I’ll just stare at it in a befuddled fashion wondering why it isn’t answering my questions…(me LOUDLY to machine “I SAID; I WOULD LIKE A TICKET TO CENTRAAL STATION PLEASE.”).

Once I somehow have gotten my ticket; I need to find the train. Is there more than one… If so, which one do I get on? I think if I see Centraal station coming up, I’ll be able to figure out how to get off.

Next I need to take a cab to the hotel. Where the hell are the cabs? Do I hail one, or is there a line somewhere I stand in?

Do the cabs take credit cards? Is there anything special about the cabs I should know about. I’m not planning on tipping the cab driver except to round up to the nearest euro…Is that acceptable?
Oh, and one more thing. I feel I should have a few small gifts for the people I will be working with who very well might invite me to their homes. I would like to bring something Americanish they would not have easy access to, that they would be appreciative of, but isn’t too expensive or too cheap…(and must be legal to bring over) Any suggestions.
Thanks for the help…must not melt down…must not melt down…must not melt down…!

2

Calm Down first of all! Amsterdam is a wonderful place. Most people speak English. Change some money before you go…Bring enough cash for thecabby’s. Cabs are much better in my opinion than the train especially if you do not know where you are going. As for what to bring for your friends… A bottle of wine if sort of universal.

3

Sigene, I can understand you’re a bit nervous. I was, last year, when I took my first transatlantic flight, on my own, no less. But I found out that flying is a piece of cake. Anyone with half a brain can do it. Seriously. Airports are designed to guide you through the process.

And if you have any questions, ask anyone around you. Everybody is waiting around for something to happen and will be glad they can help you.

*I’ll be arriving at the Schiphol airport (How do you pronounce it?). What do I do next? I have to go through customs; will it be obvious where I need to go? * Yes. If you try to go anywhere else, a kind officer will set you straigth. And just pronounce Schiphol any way you like; all English speakers are expected to.
Just go through " noting to declare" ask the officers anything you’re not sure offand you’ll be fine.

The trainstation to Amsterdam is right below Schiphol. You can walk from the airport to your train.
There is a manned ticket-office in the main entrance hall in Schiphol where they will explain
-what trainstation is closes to your hotel;
-what ticket you need;
-sell it to you,
-and point out what platform your train departs from.
The trains to Amsterdam depart every 15 minutes.

If the prospect of going by public transport seems to complicated, by all means, take a cab. They’re lined in front of the stations. But cabs are expensive.
A better way would be to take a train-taxi-ticket (ask about them at schiphol) .
Such a ticket costs 9 dollars and means you share a cab, for a fixed price, but it might take you 10-15 minutes later to arrive at your hotel.

Rounding up carfare is fine. Two euro’s tip if the cabdraiver has helped you unload your bags is plenty.

Do however, keep cash money with you. You can get cash in with your creditcard in Schiphol, no problem. As I said before, creditgards are accepted in most hotels, some restaurants, and all ATM-machines, but as a rule nowhere else.

Oh, and one more thing. I feel I should have a few small gifts for the people I will be working with who very well might invite me to their homes. I would like to bring something Americanish they would not have easy access to, that they would be appreciative of, but isn’t too expensive or too cheap…(and must be legal to bring over)
Bring a pot of that marshmellow fluff you weird Americans put on bread. Or grapejelly. Neither are available over here. Wine and flowers are the traditional gift, when you are invited to somebodys home, but you can buy those in Amsterdam as well. No need to sclepp bottles of alcohol on the plane.

Relax, you’ll do fine!

4

The train system from the airport is, as others have noted, exceedingly easy to work out-- there are many many Americans that come through that airport, many of them clueless old ladies from eastern Montana who marvel at escalators, many others incredibly stoned.
Follow the signs to the choo choo and there’s a couple of guys at the counter if the machines are confusing. Then there’s a big sign pointing you to the right platform. There are a couple of suburban stops before you hit the center, but the center will be pretty darn clear (and usually the end of the line).
There’s at least one ATM very close to the exit from customs. Look for the line, heh.

5

Amsterdam :wink: :wink: :wink:

6

I went to Amsterdam for a week last summer, and had the same concerns as you. Fortunately, there’s a very convenient shuttle that connects the airport to most of the hotels. After you go through customs, you’ll find an information booth. Ask them to direct you to the “KLM” or “Connex” Shuttle into the city. I don’t remember how much it costs, but it was worth it, and it’s cheaper if you buy a round-trip. Just tell the driver which hotel you’re staying in. For the return trip, tell the person at your hotel desk, 24 hours in advance, when you’d like to be picked up; they’ll notify the shuttle company.

Aside from the shuttle to/from the airport, I took no public transportation during my stay; everything was within walking distance. And it’s a truly wonderful city; you’ll wish you could stay longer.

7

I had no problem using the ATM at central station, cabs are lined up out front, make sure you order something with whipped cream, you will NEVER look at coolwhip the same, try and gain at least 5 pounds

Amsterdam hmmmmmmmmmmmm

8

Really, there’s no need. Just use an ATM. If that fails, get a Visa advance or change some dollars at a bureau de change.

The train’s good, but there are lots of cabs in a rank just outside the airport - if you’re feeling lazy, grab one of them straight to the hotel and save worrying about the trains (that’s what my wife always makes us do). They all speak English, and the one I had last time had a TV on his dashboard that we all watched. :eek:

9

BTW, my Dutch colleague informed me that “Schipol” is pronounced “sXipoll”, where X is a rough “ch” in the back of the throat, like in the Scots “loch”. And good morning is “Xood morXen”, with the same rough “ch” sound inserted at the X. (And Van Gogh is pronounced “Van XoX”).

10

Follow the crowd of people from your flight. There will very probably also be some signs in English (and other languages).

Just remember to stand in the Non-EU passport line (which will probably be one of the longer lines). Have your passport and forms (see below) out and ready by the time you get to the front of the line.

You will probably get some Customs and Immigration forms to fill out before your plane lands. Have your passport somewhere that you can get to it easily while you’re on the plane- you’ll need the number for those forms. It is also helpful to have a pen- the flight attendants run out of them.

In my experience, the items most likely to cause issues with Customs (coming or going) are food and plant products. If you do take food with you through Customs, take packaged food in an unopened package. A bottle of marshmallow fluff or grape jelly shouldn’t be a problem. Meat products are more likely to be problematic (going either way) because of mad-cow disease.

If you haven’t bought your plane ticket yet, I would strongly recommend, if possible, buying a ticket that has you arriving between 8am-5pm. You’re more likely to be able to find a person to sell you a ticket then.

I’ll second the hotel-shuttle idea.

If you, like a lot of Americans, can’t manage that sound, a “kh” or “k” sound will probably be close enough to make yourself understood.

We do? :confused: I’ve never known anyone who did that.

It’ll be OK. {{Sigene}}

11

Absolutely. I’m pretty sure you could pass through Schipol without realising you’d left the English-speaking world behind.

12

Yup. Just google Fluff Or Fluffernutters
“Whipped marshmellow spread that you put on peanut butter sandwiches which then turn into fluffernutter sandwiches.”

13

How about taking peanut butter to The Netherlands? Is that still hard to get in Europe?

14

Ah, it appears to be a New England regional thing. I’ve never known anyone in Maryland or California (the places in the US where I have lived) who made fluffernutter sandwiches. Though they do sound good…

15

Make sure you watch the movie Hostel before you go.

16

Amsterdam has one of the best and easiest to use airport to city-centre transportation systems I’ve had the pleasure to experience. If you can’t figure it out on your own, well my friend, you’ve got bigger problems. Also, don’t worry, everybody speaks English (at least enough to understand any question you would ask a normal stranger).

Personal story: When I flew into Amsterdam, the first thing we did after passing through customs was go outside for a cigarette. I pushed open my smoke pack to discover I had just smuggled a joint into Holland :smack:

17

I don’t know about the rest of Europe, but in the Netherlands, peanutbutter is the second most popular thing to put on bread, right after cheese. Bringing it into Holland is like… well, like doing what Spezza did. :slight_smile:
The Dutch sometimes put sambal (Indonesian red pepper sauce) on our peanutbuttersandwiches, though. Try it, it’s good.

Anne Neville, I learnt about fluffernuttersandwiches from a Bostonian, so you are probably right.

18

Some suggestions for American type gifts

Maple syrup
Something with pecans in it
BBQ sauce/Hot sauce - make sure it’s not some sort of generic brand
Something sports related - especially if you have a local college team
Anything unique from you local city or State

19

I was in Amsterdam for the first time in November, and I had no trouble with the train (although I’m a hardened veteran of the NYC and Boston transit systems, so take that as you will). It’s not hard to figure out, and you can always ask someone for help.

As others have said, there’s a large staffed ticket office off to the side in the main hall of Schiphol. Just tell the clerk that you want a ticket to Centraal Station. They’ll add a handling charge of 0.50 Euros since you’re not using a machine, but who cares. (There are ticket machines for the train too, but as far as my boyfriend and I could figure out, they would only take coins. Neither of us had enough change for one ticket, and the machines certainly wouldn’t accept our bank cards.)

The stairways to the train platforms are right there. Trains to Amsterdam leave often, about every 15 minutes.

In Amsterdam we traveled on the cheap by taking the light rail/tram and going on foot. We bought–what do you call them, a strippenkaart?–from a newstand in Centraal Station; using one is cheaper than paying the fare each time. We took the tram from there to our hotel, but then we only had two duffel bags between us. If you have a lot of luggage, maybe you’ll want to take a taxi.

I had no problem finding and going through customs. I don’t remember that part of the trip, since I wasn’t bringing anything into the country, but I think I just followed the horde. However, I wasn’t prepared for leaving the Netherlands. Security was at the gates instead of being in one central area before the gates like I’m used to, and I was grilled by a security guard for around 5 minutes. The guards will ask you lots of questions about why you came to the Netherlands, what you did on the trip, who you were with, etc.

Since someone mentioned ATMs, let me tell my ATM story… There’s this ATM in the international terminal that I still have a grudge against. I wanted to buy postage to send some postcards before getting on my plane. The vendor was willing to accept American dollars, but I had stupidly left all of my dollar bills in my checked luggage, I had no Euros left, and I was by myself. They wouldn’t take credit because it was such a small purchase. So I went downstairs to the ATM where one could purchase American dollars, but the damn thing wouldn’t accept Visa. Only Mastercard. My bank card didn’t have Mastercard capability, nor did it belong to any of the other networks that the ATM would accept. So I waited in line at the money-changing kiosk, while the minutes to my flight back to the US ticked by. Stupid ATM. Arrgh!

20

If on my next trip to A’dam, I encounter fluffernutter herring, I’ll know who’s responsible.