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The luggage lockers at the train station in Amsterdam are located on the right side of the main concourse. The large locker costs €5 for 24-hr period. When inserting the correct change into the machine, you should make sure that the number shown on the screen is your locker number. The way it works is only one locker door can be closed at a time and the number on the screen will reflect that locker's number so if you are not paying attention, you may end up paying and receiving ticket for someone else's locker instead.
There is no key so when you are ready to retrieve your luggage, just insert the ticket into the machine, the locker's door will pop open. Leave a Comment
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The main busy street leading away from the Central Station is called the Damrak. It is bustling and a bit overwhelming for the inexperienced Amsterdam visitor. After walking with the crowds for a block or two--I pleaded with Becky for a quick stop at the outdoor cafe so that we could plan our further venturings. We eventually decided to forasake the busy Damrak and steered eastwards into the narrow alleyways which comprise the Red Light District and its environs.
This photo shows the small canal, also known as Damrak, from which the many canal boat tours originate. We did not choose to take the time necessary for a boat tour feeling that we were better off on foot. Leave a Comment
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As with so many other countries, those who are not from the capital are supposed to show a healthy dose of scepticism towards the mundane city-dwellers. And, of course, those from the capital are supposed to view all others as a lower form of the human species. It's not really very different in Holland. But I must say (not being from here), Amsterdam is growing on me very fast. I'm getting quite smitten with the beautiful canal-vistas and the cosy little corners you find almost anywhere in this town.
In the picture you see the St. Nicolas Church across the water from the Central Station. Through the little canal in the red light district you can spot the outline of the Montelbaanstoren. I pass this quay every day by bus on my way to and from home and it's a nice way of being greeted by Amsterdam upon arrival :)
There are a lot of things one can miss when leaving Amsterdam. For me it would be its plethora of hangouts. Food, drink and entertainment are all big business here and nowhere else in Holland you can find such a wealth of it all! Leave a Comment
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By the time we reached Holland, it had been almost 16 months since I had last been on the European mainland, and I only felt like I'd really arrived back here when we got to Amsterdam Central.
Firstly, there were smokers everywhere! Smoking has been banned in many public places in Britain, so I had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by them. Furthermore, when walking around just outside the station, we noticed there were quite a few people smoking some of the stronger stuff too. I had read that this was mostly confined to coffee shops - actually, over the next few days I discovered it more or less was - so this was an initial surprise. Party on!! Leave a Comment
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Right opposite Centraal Station is the Tourist Information Office - the VVV - and Smits Coffee House. There are also landing stages for all the canal boat companies here.
The VVV is good if you have arrived without pre-booking your accommodation, as they will help you find some. You can also pre-book museum tickets here. You won't get a discount, but it does mean that you can jump the queues and go straight in.
After visiting the VVV, go downstairs to Smits Koffie Huis. Smits has been around since 1919 and I gather it is one of the oldest wooden buildings in the area. You can sit on the terrace with a coffee and watch the river traffic. I also recommend the ice-cream that contains the orange liquer, it has quite a kick! Leave a Comment
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The late 19th century Stock Exchange, designed by the stararchitect of the day Hendrik Berlage (1856-1934), is one of the classic Art Nouveau buildings of Amsterdam - really, for all of Europe. It was considered to be radically modern in its time, a kind of analog of the stripped-down "minimalism" being practiced at the same time in places as diverse as Vienna and Chicago.
Henrdik Berlage was a progressive designer who actively sought to celebrate the "common man" - as much if not more than the stockbrokers who were his clients. If you look carefully, you'll notice that the decorations of the building consistently celebrate the workingman and and the artist - not the capitalist. I've read that Berlage even believed that each of the nine million bricks used in the structure was a symbolic representation of an individual - all coming together to produce a harmonic whole.
Perhaps it's entirely fitting that today - in the 21st century - the Berlage is no longer used as a stock exchange - its original purpose - but instead as a community center, with public space, cafes and a conference center. Leave a Comment
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The Central rail station is currently undergoing a mammoth renovation and improvement project which will dramatically modernize this vitally important transportation hub. The work being done is especially challenging for several reasons: because the station was constructed on infill land; is a valuable historic landmark in its own right; and because it is imperative to keep the station open and operating during the whole restoration process. I think I read somewhere that the project will not be completed until 2012.
In the meantime, the Central Station can seem like a harried, cluttered place - and one that is hard to get to! But the exterior is certainly a monument to a certain period of Dutch pride and glory. This neo-Renaissance, red-brick "Dutch gothic" style was the rage in the late 1800s, and can be seen in many places across Amsterdam. The architect for the station was a 19th century genius, PJH Cuypers (1827-1921) - who also designed the Riiksmuseum in a similar style on the other side of town. Leave a Comment
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Several of the buildings along Damrak are considered to be classics of the late 19th and early 20th century. The structure at Damrak 62 was built to be the headquarters of the publishing firm Allert de Lange, an internationally famous firm that was subsequently persecuted by the Nazis. The neo-gothic gabled building on Damrak is interestingly decorated in an elaborate style. It's currently occupied by the N.V. Bever Holding Company (real estate).
The architect was G. Van Looy (1852-1911). Leave a Comment
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When you take the train from Schiphol airport in around 12 minutes you arrive to Amsterdam centaal station and the cost of travel is 3,20 Euro..
Centraal station is definitely one of the most important sites of the city.. Though the picture was taken during some repair works.. Th building itself has a wonderfullooking.. Leave a Comment
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This is the place to go when you want to know anything about nothing and nothing about everything. You book your accommodation and tours here and ask the people at the VVV anything you wnat and they will gladly oblidge. What alovely crowd. Do not try and sleep here at the station however, they will chase you immediately Leave a Comment
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