General information
You should avoid driving into the city center of Amsterdam as the streets are sometimes very narrow and mostly overcrowded. The tram always has right of way at intersections without right of way. Parking is prohibited on yellow curbs. Violations of the traffic regulations are sometimes extremely punished. For example, unauthorized parking in a disabled parking lot with fines and towing fees can amount to over € 1,000.
Maximum speed
in the city area – as in Germany – 50 km / h – any deviations from this are indicated by appropriate signs.
Since March 16, 2020, there has been a maximum speed of 100 km / h on motorways between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Alcohol
per mille limit This is 0.5 per mille blood alcohol.
Air traffic
Airport Schiphol
About 18 km southwest of Amsterdam is the international airport Schiphol. From here there are scheduled flights to all major European and non-European cities. The best way to get to the city center is by train, which runs every 15 minutes. This takes about 20 minutes from the airport to the central station.
More information: www.schiphol.nl
Arrival by train or long-distance bus
Zug
The Centraal Station was built on around 9,000 tree trunks in the style of the Dutch Neo-Renaissance. The magnificent 306 meter long station building stands on the river IJ. Trains to Cologne, Paris and Frankfurt, among others, run from the Central Station. There are also connections to Berlin, Zurich and Munich.
You can find detailed information on all connections from Germany under the following link:
https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de
Long-distance buses
An inexpensive and comfortable journey is by bus:
https://www.flixbus.de/busverbindungen
Public transportation
With the exception of the night buses, the same tickets are valid for all public transport. The fare depends on how many zones you drive. Amsterdam is divided into five driving zones. The inner city is considered a zone. Tickets are available as single tickets, day tickets, weekly tickets or as collective tickets, the so-called Strippenkaarten. These can be bought with 15 or 45 strings. You have to pay two strings for one zone. One line for each additional line. The day and week tickets are available at the GVB Tickets & Info Office, opposite the main train station, Strippenkaarten can also be bought in some magazine stores. There are also ticket machines in the underground stations. Single tickets are also available from the bus driver or conductor, but they are more expensive there.
More information: www.gvb.nl
Trams
The tram is the main form of public transport in Amsterdam. 16 lines operate in the city. The tram line 20 ( Circletram ) is recommended. It leads past numerous sights of the city. You get into the tram at the back and show the conductor sitting there your ticket. If there is no conductor, you have to validate your ticket yourself in the stamping machine.
The tram runs from around 6:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Metro
The Amsterdam Metro is a mixture of a subway and a fast tram. The rail network consists of 4 lines that serve 52 stations. A fifth line is currently under construction. Line 50 runs from north-west to south-east, lines 51, 53 and 54 run from the Central Station to south-west (line 51) and via various routes to the south-east (lines 53 and 54) the metro go from about 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
The metro network
map can be found at: www.gvb.nl/reizigers/plattegronden/metrokaart.html
Buses
The city center is rarely used by buses during the day. These are therefore only available if you want to drive to the outer parts of the city. Most bus routes depart from Centraal Station. The same tickets are valid as for the metro and tram. You get in at the front of the driver.
The buses run from around 6:00 a.m. to 0:30 a.m.
At night, the night buses run in the city between around 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. and cover a large part of the route network. Extra tickets must be purchased for the night buses.
Taxis
Taxis can be found at the airport, at the main train station, in front of large hotels and in large squares. You can of course also order them to the desired location. Driving taxis are difficult to stop. The price depends on the distance traveled and is determined by the taximeter. A small tip is customary. As a rule, one of the taxi drivers takes the shortest route to the destination. To make sure that there is no detour, you can find out about the expected price before starting your journey.
Taxi: 0331- (0) 20-677 77 77
Boats and ferries
Canal tours
Since Amsterdam is criss-crossed by countless canals, it is a good idea to take a canal tour. These are offered by various companies. It is also possible to rent boats for special occasions.
A list of different providers can be found at:
www.amsterdamtourist.nl/de/home/suche/Transport/bootsvermietung.aspx
Canal Bus
There is also the Canal Bus, which takes you to a number of sights on various routes. The Canal Company offers a cruise with pizza on board and a cruise with jazz music. At Canal Bike, you can rent pedal boats. More information: www.canal.nl
Note
There are also around 2,400 houseboats in Amsterdam.
Bicycle traffic
According to Abbreviationfinder, bicycles are one of the main modes of transport in Amsterdam and are used in all weathers. In the city you can see countless bicycles, mostly in a rather old condition, as new bicycles are quickly stolen. The bicycle paths (fietspaden) in the city are extremely well developed. As a pedestrian, however, you should be careful of the cyclists, they can appear from all possible directions without being noticed.
If you don’t have your own bike, you can borrow one from one of the city’s numerous bike rental companies.
Bicycle parking garage In
2001, the world’s first bicycle parking garage was opened in the immediate vicinity of Amsterdam Central Station.