By tram, bus, and subway in .NET

Draw ECC200 in .NET By tram, bus, and subway

Ten of Amsterdam s 16 tram lines begin and end at Centraal Station (and one more passes through) The Dam, Muntplein, Leidseplein, and Museumplein are the other main tram connection points This is also true for buses The doors on trams and buses don t open automatically; you have to press the DEUR OPEN button On some lines you board at the back of the tram and deal with the conductor, not the driver; on others you have to get a card ahead of time If all else fails, keep in mind that Amsterdam is a city made for walking The city s four Metro (subway) lines 50, 51, 53, and 54 don t serve most areas you ll likely want to visit But from Centraal Station you can use Metro trains to reach both Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein in the central zone

The ring of canals making up the center city are not only easy to get around on foot, they also make for some of the most lovely walking in all of Europe but watch out for bicycles! Amsterdammers really tear down those bike lanes, and tourists unused to this system are constantly getting knocked over Just pretend the bike lane is the same as a street filled with cars, and look both ways before you cross The museums and parks of Museumplein are quite a hike from Damrak; you ll probably want to take a tram (or, more scenically, a canal boat) to get there

So you d rather see Amsterdam as an Amsterdammer would Why not rent a pedal-bike and tool around the canals See More cool things to see and do, later in this chapter for information

Don t drive in Amsterdam, for several reasons: The city is a jumble of one-way streets, narrow bridges, and trams and cyclists darting every which way Tough measures are in place to make driving as difficult as possible No-parking zones are rigorously enforced and the limited parking spaces are expensive And if all that s not bad enough, car break-ins are common Outside the city, driving is a different story and you may want to rent a car to tour

Taxis are easy to find at the stands in front of most major hotels and at Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein, and Centraal Station To call for a taxi, dial % 020-777-7777 Initially, the charge (which includes service) is 310 ($495) and then 190 ($305) per kilometer ( 2 3 mile)

Many of those picturesquely tall, gabled houses lining canals and historic streets have been converted into hotels, but be forewarned: Dutch staircases give new meaning to the word steep The older the building, the more difficult it is for a hotel to get permission to install an elevator (and the more costly it is to do it), so if stairs present a problem for you, be sure to ask before booking A room with a canal view costs more, but it s often worth it for the atmosphere; plus, these rooms are often better outfitted and sometimes larger than the rooms without views All the places that we suggest are located in pleasant, safe neighborhoods For July and August, you want to make hotel reservations well in

HOTELS Acro Hotel 13 Ambassade Hotel 10 Amstel Botel 20 Amsterdam American 11 Avenue Hotel 17 Bilderberg Hotel Jan Luyken 14 The Bridge Hotel 28 Owl Hotel 12 Rembrandt Centrum 6 RHO Hotel 25 Toren 5 RESTAURANTS Bordewijk 1 De Prins 3 D Vijff Vlieghen 7 Fifteen 22 Kantjil & de Tijger 9 Pancake Bakery 2 ATTRACTIONS Amsterdams Historisch Museum 8 Anne Frankhuis 4 Erotic Museum 24 Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum 26 Joods Historisch Museum 27 Ons Lieve Heer op Solder 19 Red-Light District 23 Rijksmuseum 16 Sexmuseum Amsterdam 18 Stedelijk Museum CS 21 Tropenmuseum 29 Van Gogh Museum 15