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➢ Weather wise, May-sep is best time to visit, the glorious outdoors is in full swing, though so are the hordes ➢ Winter can be chilly, grey and drizzly, but crowd-free ➢ AMS airport to city: 20 mins / €45 by cab, train 20 mins / €4 ➢ Just about everyone speaks English well, and often ➢ Best place to get a taxi is at stands but can be a lottery; get the Uber app for hassle-free hailing (see V. Useful) ➢ No other city confers as many rights to cyclists. Being an infant or infirm is no excuse, get out of their way! ➢ No other city has as many bike thieves – lock your bike ➢ Trams are easy, regular and cover most of the city. Buy tix onboard or at ticket machines; trip planner at / gvb.nl ➢ Buy a 1-4 day pass for unlimited tram, bus and metro rides. Check in and check out EVERY time you board/exit ➢ Redlightdistrict,rembrandtplein,leidsepleinanddam Square = stags, hens, stoners, hookers and lookers ➢ Many old hotels have steep, narrow stairs, not good for those with clicky hips or big suitcases, check ahead ➢ Most shops close Sun and Mon am, but open late Thu ➢ Thu/fri best nights out, Sat can be vile, quiet other days ➢ Book restos ahead, esp. on w/ends and in peak season ➢ Servicelevelscanbewoefulandtippingisnotrequired, though 5-10% left as cash is nice when it’s good ➢ Most restos offer value set menus on top of à la carte ➢ Some estabs don’t accept credit cards, and some don’t even accept cash, though most take PIN/ATM cards ➢ Smoking is banned indoors except in designated lounges ➢ A café is for coffee, a coffeeshop is for wacky backy ➢ International code for Netherlands is +31; Amsterdam landlines begin with 020, most mobiles begin with 06 ➢ In emergencies, call 112

Some handy Dutch phrases to get your chords warmed up

Goedemorgen / Goedeavond : Good morning / evening Alstublieft / Dankuwel : Please / thank you Gezellig : It’s cosy/nice/sweet/fun (if you like it, use it) Doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg : Enough already, what crazy language is this? ’kay, pluk de dag