Transport

Tram
The introduction of the the OV chip fare card, while good for locals, is awful for tourists.  Because tourists basically can’t get the good cards, tram prices have defacto more than doubled. Don’t mourn the end of the cheaper strippenkaart; blame the regional governments. They set the prices and don’t seem to care about visitors. For a good raping, buy a one hour ticket on a tram and pay €2,60 (children too). The one day pass (€7) is a good value only by comparison, although 2, 3, and 4 day passes (€11,50/€15,50/€19,50) combine
convenience and a good price. Check in and out of each vehicle by tapping your card at the sensors by the doors. You can also put up your whole wallet (with a card in it) up to the sensor which is pretty cool.
The trams themselves are quite convenient and go everywhere.  The biggest improvement is the next stop is
displayed on the screens and called out clearly.

Metro
A regular tourist doesn’t need the metro except to see a concert at the Heineken Music Hall, an Ajax game, or an IMAX movie. But the thoughtful visitor who likes the  unbeaten path should head out to Gaasperplas (end of the metro line 53, about 20 minutes). Walk or bike around the multi-cultural “neighborhood of the future” (1970’s thinking) and marvel at the urban planning successes and failures in a beautiful mix of high rises and green, open spaces. Lake Gaasperplas itself is a beautiful nature area with swimming in the summer. Officially you are supposed to pay for your bike on the metro, but then you would be the first person to ever do so.

Bike
Here is the best advice in this magazine: Rent a bike (fiets) and explore on your own. The beautiful countryside filled with windmills really exists. It’s only 30 minutes away by bike. MacBike rents bright red
bikes. The bad news is you look like a tourist. The good news is people know you’re a tourist and give you a bit more space. €9,50 or €14,25/day + €3 optional insurance. They are located at Leidseplein and three other locations.

Mike’s Bikes rents incognito bikes (slightly more hazardous to novices) and also gives good tours of the city and surroundings. Rental €10 or €12/day + €3 optional insurance. They also do a 3hr city tour: 4pm Mar-Oct, 12 noon Nov-Feb €18, €16 students, minus €5 with own bike. 4hr countryside tour: 11am Fri-Sun (daily March-Nov.) €22/€19/minus €5 Keep the bike for the day for €5 more (incl insurance). Kerkstraat
134, near Leidseplein.

Stolen Bikes Thanks to a police crackdown and a gradual shift in attitudes, there are fewer junkies selling stolen bikes on the street these days. Despite the bad karma, however, many young people still buy their bikes this way for about €15. If a shadylooking type peddles slowly by asking “Fiets?” while pointing at his bicycle, you can be sure he’s not proposing an ecologically friendly solution to Amsterdam’s traffic problem.




















Taxi
Don’t get us started. Poor government decisions at every turn almost ensure that many tourists will have a bad taxi experience. To be fair, things have gotten better, but it is still hard to get a cab driver at a taxi stand to take you a short distance on the meter.

We understand why. Since there are too many taxis, drivers need to maximize the few fares they get. No driver wants to wait for more than an hour in line for a short fare. Perhaps by the time you read this, things will be better. Perhaps the city will have set up a different line for short fares to end this nonsense. Probably not.

To avoid problems, call or get in a TCA taxi (tel: 020 777 7777). There you will find an honest driver who speaks English and Dutch. If there are no TCA cabs, pick the nicest car. The better the car -- usually -- the more reliable the driver.

Get ready for sticker shock. You pay €7,50 or €7,80 to step in an Amsterdam cab (gasp!), but that includes the first 2km of travel and the meter never moves in traffic. Why the Netherlands invented this system that neither the drivers nor customers want, is an unanswered question.

Taxi Van Before you get into a van, confirm with him that he is not charging €12,50 to start. That fare is for five people or more.

Short Ride/Leidseplein If you have a short ride, skip the taxi line altogether. If a driver hasn’t waited for an hour, he will probably welcome your €7,50 fare. At night, do not use the line at the Leidseplein unless you want to overpay or fight with a douchebag driver. Just hail any other cab not in line.

At the airport Don’t pick the first taxi in line, but choose a branded taxi. One final quirk is not all cabs have a permit to ride on the tram tracks, which is essential during rush hour. Look for the permit on their dashboard; it is a card with writing and traffic signs. All TCA taxis have this permit.

2012 Improvements We are pleased to announce some (proposed) positive changes. The national government has finally given Amsterdam the power to regulate their own taxis and if necessary revoke
licenses. Although it doesn’t deal with the biggest problem (too many drivers making not enough money), this is certainly welcome. We’ll see if things improve over the next few years.

Zip Line
Soar high in the treetops at Fun Forest. Put on a harness, complete the 20 minute safety instruction and you’re off for obstacle courses in the sky full of rickety bridges, swings, and zip lines. Kids need to be at least eight and 1.3m tall (4”3’). Adults can do the harder courses including, buhm buhm bohm, The Black Course.

In Amsterdamse Bos (forest), €19,50, students €17,50, kids €14,50. Open  April-Oct. From Centraal Station,
Westermarkt, or Leidseplein take very frequent Connexxion bus 170 or 172 to Nijenrodeweg. GVB tickets not valid. Or walk 12 min, from GVB tram 5 stop the Van Boshuizenstraat.