We needed to come to the Centraal Station to catch a train to visit Zaanse Schans yesterday. You…read moretap in with your credit card (or a pass if you got one for lots of public transit in a week or month). In order to enter the station. The digital directory screen was very easy to follow once we looked online to see which train we needed. There are intercity trains and sprinter trains which are slower or quicker because of the number of stops I think. We needed the 11:13 train on platform 5a to Uitgeest. We were t hungry yet but if we had been, the station has multiple places to buy pastries or snacks for travel. We only had to wait on the platform for about 15 minutes. The seats were comfortable and had options for 2 together or 4 facing each other for families. The ride was very smooth with only 2 stops before ours. You tap out at the platform of arrival at a little tap screen about waist height there.

Very large and a bit daunting for someone new to train travel. Once I figured out the platform…read moresystem, it was a bit easier, but many of the escalators are broken (June 2026), which makes moving around a challenge. Platforms are outside, which is not ideal during the worst heat wave in Amsterdam history.

This particular station is terrible. Really nowhere to sit, no WiFi, and no direction on which bus…read moreto go on. We (after missing our first bus by literally 2 minutes-we watched it pull away) had to choose between waiting in the Eurolines waiting room for 3 hours or the train station-we chose the train station-at least it had free WiFi. When it was time to "board" we were waiting outside, and we had to approach each bus to see where it was going-no labels were on the buses. Eurolines, as a whole, is a cost-efficient way to travel in Europe, but this particular station was definitely no bueno.

Make sure you come early so you'll have enough time to check in .. There are many different buses…read moregoing to multiple locations so everyone is trying to check in at once

The buses & trams run frequently, they are clean & efficient. Each stop has a map & identifies how…read moremany minutes until the next vehicle is arriving. Many begin & end at the central station. Once in a car we tapped our phone or credit card on and off. Posted were the next stops. The mass transit system in Amsterdam was easy to figure out & use..

We took the tram 2 - 3 times while we were in Amsterdam. The lines seem quite convenient at least…read moreto some of the major tourist sites (museums, Anne Frank House). You can check various websites to get the routes. While you are riding, they are good about posting upcoming stops (mostly on LED signs). We did not pre-purchase tickets. Rather, we just used tap-to-pay credit cards. You just tap when you get on and again when you exit. This seemed to work well much of the time, but sometimes it would encounter a card that it could not read. In one case, I had to tap the same card twice (once for me and once for my daughter, whose card failed). It posted some message about using the same card, probably in case you tapped twice by mistake for one person. I was hoping it would not mis-charge us. It seemed confused again at the end when I had to do the same thing again. The fees were reasonable - 2 - 3 Euros per ride, I think. While it is great to just walk around Amsterdam, at some point you may get tired and want to take an easier way back to the hotel. In that case, check these out.

They have an office at central station that sells merchandise and more. I Amsterdam has a card for…read moreusing the city public transportation and admission to many museums and other places. You can buy the card when you get there or buy it online through your smartphone and the app. The app has great tools for planning and finding places for the card. The problem is that if you have trouble with reception or the app, it won't work. There were several times that I couldn't load up the QR code and one person couldn't load it at all and had to go get a paper one. The staff were very friendly and helpful with this. Overall I don't know if it's worth getting you have to plan your travel to see if it would work for you. I didn't have to wait in lines and it is easy to tap and pay everywhere including on public transportation. Overall it's a good idea and they have good service but there needs to be a way to download it onto google or Apple wallet to improve the system.

I was going to attend a Gallery opening and needed a gift suitable for a conceptual artist. I spent…read morea week wracking my brains and finally decided to check out this store and Yee-haw! Found just the perfect gift in the artsy plastic recycled vases they sell, which are a Dutch design & innovation, but made in Mumbai by women and children escaping prostitution and giving them a working wage. Shout-out to a staffer by the name of Giovanni who was super helpful. When at check-out I mentioned it was a gift, he offered me free gift-wrapping which I totally took him up on. He also mentioned that if the gift wasn't to the recipient's taste, if they had the receipt, he could exchange for up to 7 days, which I thought was very useful info & good of him to mention. I didn't really get to browse thru the store much, as had to catch my train to get to the Art Show, but this was a fantastic shopping experience with excellent service rendered, so plan to come back for a longer browse thru all their shelves when have more time. If you too find yourself at Centraal and looking for a gift, think beyond the flower shop or the chocolates/ stroop waffles at Albert Heijn and come and check out this store instead! PS - The artist very much liked his gift and the concept behind it! Yelp 58/ 2019

As I walking I past this location I stopped in because I wanted to do the tour bus hop on, hop off;…read morehowever, I was warned that it was not worth it and the cruise would be a better option. I spoke with the guy in the store and he informed me the night time light cruise was coming to an end for the season-- I decided that would be best to see Amsterdam, at night. The employee here was very helpful and friendly. The tour was good and quite informative. While they do give you directions of how to get there, it's relatively confusing. Luckily they have several locations across the route and I had to pop in to two other locations for further instructions.

This comment is to report the driver of bus number 161 (who refused to identify himself when we…read moreasked his name). He wouldn't let us board, claiming he had to wait for his passengers, even though we had purchased tickets. No bus number was assigned, only the time. His attitude was extremely rude, and the bus was at least 50% full. We wasted over 30 minutes looking for another bus despite having purchased tickets. Your seat depends on the drivers and their arrogant attitude.

The canal cruise is a relaxing way to get to some major sites in Amsterdam. Stop 1 Rijksmuseum, Van…read moreGogh, Stedelijk and Moco museum area, Stop 2 Leidseplesh Square, bars, restaurants and theater area, Stop 3 Waterlooplein Square, National Opera house and flea Market area, Stop 4 Old Town and Red Light District, Stop 5 Maritime and Nemo Science Museum, Stop 6 A'bam Look-out, Stop 7 Central Station and Stop 8 Anne Frank House. Tickets can be purchased online for a 2 Euro discount or pay for a 24 hour pass (23 Euro) or a 48 hour pass (30.50 Euro). The complete canal tour without stops ixs about 2 hours. Social distancing is observed. I choose a starting point at Central Station. I suggest you bring your own headphones. The city of Amsterdam has 165 inter-connected canals. The combined length of the canals is 60 miles. While Venice has 400 bridges, Amsterdam has 3 times that amount. The ring of canals is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Dinner cruises, sightseeing and candlelight cruises are also offered.

Amsterdam was originally founded in the 12th century as a fishing village named after the Amstel…read moreRiver. Over time, it developed into the current canal system which consists of 165 inter-connecting canals with a combined length of over 60 miles, and over 1,200 bridges (3 times as many as Venice). In 2010, the canal rings became part of the UNESCO World Heritage list. Obviously, a visit to Amsterdam is definitely incomplete without a canal cruise. Holland International (not to be confused with the cruise line Holland America) offers a wide variety of canal cruises -- daytime sightseeing cruise, cocktail cruise, candlelight cruise, dinner cruise, etc. I would highly recommend the dinner cruise for 79 Euros per person (which includes wine served throughout the dinner) as a nice dinner in a good restaurant with wine costs just about as much. TIP: Book your reservation online, print out the confirmation and go to the ticket office early to exchange it for you boarding pass. There are no seat reservations and tables are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis. So to get a table by the window, arrive half an hour or more early to be at the front of the line. There were 3 menu choices: meat, fish or vegetarian. We both opted for the meat menu, and here's what we got: The Amuse Bouche: Dutch herb-flavored poffertje with goat cheese and honey. Poffertjes are traditional Dutch small fluffy pancakes with a light, airy and somewhat spongy texture. Paired with the delicious goat cheese and a hint of honey, they definitely served the purpose of the "amuse" course, which was to stimulate the palate. Appetizer: Salad of baby potatoes with Parma ham, Amsterdam pickles. Those Dutch baby potatoes were so yummy and so naturally sweet. The dressing, made with fresh cream, was light and refreshing. The Parma ham, rich in flavor but not overly salty, was the perfect companion of the potato salad. Soup: Cappuccino from sweet red pepper. This was served the traditional Dutch way - in a glass coffee mug. You are supposed to drink it, just like you drink coffee, and not to spoon it. This tasted like a chicken based broth cooked with red pepper among other spices. It was absolutely delicious. WOW! Main Course: Veal escalope with cauliflower mousseline and asparagus. This dish was very flavorful and the veggies were so fresh and crispy. The only slight disappointment was that the veal was a bit tough and chewy. It might have been overcooked a bit. Personally I'm not a fan of a veal steak that thick. A thinly sliced scaloppini version might be better. Dessert: Strawberries with sabayon and a hint of tarragon. Sabayon is a French mousse-like creamy dessert that's light, slightly sweet, and with a hint of white wine. It's a refreshing pairing with strawberries which I really liked. Service has been awesome throughout the night and our wine glasses were refilled promptly and often. There was no guided tour or narration so you could enjoy your dinner and conversation. However, The boat did stop at various important landmarks where the captain would give us a quick history about the place and also allow for a picture opportunity. We were so glad that we took this dinner cruise on our first trip to Amsterdam, and I would highly recommend that you do the same on your first trip there. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars.

Small underground, non-attended station in Oost right past the Amstel. Can get a metro to anywhere…read moreor go outside and catch a tram. The 1 - 7 - 19 tram lines are hear. Or walk to the Amstel River and see the famous "skinny bridge"!. This used to be a sewer or water plant, since it has some former pipes and big metal doors on display behind glass. There are 4-5 ways out from underground too. A few nice retail shops are here, outside the pay entrance. A small Albert Heijn one store.

Yeah - not happy with the lack of directions for the trams in this station! Instead of signs for…read morethe tram it would have been much more helpful if the tram sign actually also indicated the direction of the tram I missed my tram because I went to the other side some English translation to be nice as well. Anyway, this Station has only two platforms and is located in the southeastern suburbs of Amsterdam and no connecting buses, just the following transportation links: Tram Lines - 1, 7 and 19 Metro - 51, 53 and 54 Yelp 225/ 2018

From the owner: Canal Bike, Canal Bus, Canal toursread more