Train, Amsterdam

Hi

Amsterdam is a great location for onward train travel.

You can reach (with high speed train):

Germany:
Berlin in 6.5 hours, Bonn in 3, Dusseldorf is 2 hours, koln is 3 and frankfurt is 3.5 hours (ICE trains)

Belgium
1h 54 to Brussels and 1h 12 to Antwerp on Thalys
Brugges in 3 hours (wonderful town plagued by tourists)

United Kingdom
London in 5 hours

France
3h 18 to Paris
A bit further but worth it is, during the july and august holiday period, the ZonThalys train that goes through Brussels to the south of france - you can get off at marseille or aix en provence in 7 hours!

Switzerland

You can also get to Basel in 7 hours

A bit further but worth it is, during the july and august holiday period, the ZonThalys train that goes through Brussels to the south of france - you can get off at marseille or aix en provence in 7 hours!

useful sites

www.bahn.de
www.thalys.fr
www.seat61.com

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When a German consortium stated building InterCityExpress (ICE) trains in the early 1990s, they thought they could market them worldwide and make a bit hit on the export market. Up to now, though, only one non-German railway has ever ordered any of these trains. That is the Netherlands Railway System, which runs them mainly on German tracks between Frankfurt am Main and Amsterdam.

The journey takes only four hours and twenty minutes because part of it is over the new high speed line between Frankfurt and Cologne, where speeds of up to three hundred kilometers per hour are possible.

Second photo: Where the new tracks run parallel to the freeway, you can sit back and watch all those fancy sports cars get left behind by the train.

Third photo: A second-class coach in the ICE International.

Fourth photo: Selling coffee in the ICE International.

Fifth photo: Boarding the ICE International at Cologne (Köln), Germany.

We took a train (Thalys) from Paris to Amsterdam and arrived at the Central Station. We had no Hotel reservation nor departure tickets. But we found all of the help we needed right there at the train station. We bought our tickets (Amsterdam to Prague) at the conviently located ticket office. We then walked down the street and got a couple of great rooms at the Swissotel Amsterdam.

You can use a train to get to/from Amsterdam.
The trains are on the central station (north part of Amsterdam).
I used the train to get to Zaansee Schans - a 2 way ticket cost me 6 Euros (while organized trip will cost 30 Euros).
There are a lot of places in the station to buy tickets and Information center.

Traveling by Train (2nd Class):

Schiphol (Airport) to Amsterdam Central: € 3.70

Amsterdam Central to Den Haag Central: € 10.70

Amsterdam Central to Utrecht Central: € 6.70

- By a ticket at a kiosk (check for payment by coins or credit).
- Second Class is cheaper.
- After ticket purchase, check the time/departure board for your platform number.

Traveling by Tram: € 2.60

- Enter either front of back of the tram (check for payee stand).
- After you purchase a ticket, swipe it in front of the chip card reader (and again when you exit
the tram).
- Tram will announce stops and a LED sign will list the upcoming and next two stops.
- The payee attendant can give you a tram map (Public Transport/Tour Guide booklet).
- Trams buses and metros run from 06.00 to 00.30. Night buses run from 00.30 to 07.00.

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The Amstel Station is one of the Amsterdam train stations at the line to the South (City of Utrecht). It was enlarged to accomodate the metro lines to the South (Amstelveen, Bijlmermeer & Arena stadium).

The original building called Weesperpoort station at the end of the railroad to the East dated from December 18, 1843. It was replaced by the present building by architect H.G.J. Schelling, dating from October 15, 1939 as part of the Eastern Amsterdam railroad works.
The Amstel Station is a monument since 2003.

Street address: Julanaplein 1 - 1097 DN Amsterdam.

Public transport available at this station:

GVB metro:
51-Amstelveen Westwijk & Centraal station
53-Gaasperplas & Centraal station
54-Gein & Centraal station

GVB tram:
12-Sloterdijk station

GVB bus:
15-Sloterdijk station & Muiderpoort station
37-Molenwijk - Amstelstation
40-Muiderpoort station
62-Lelylaan station
135-Diemen

Connexxion bus:
101-Blaricum
152-Almere Stad
157-Almere Haven

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The impressively designed red huge train station sits on a man made island right in front of the harbor was constructed with controversies - well that's the story or history - which you may not notice unless maybe if you're a city planner or ...uv read the story online.

Anyhoo, chances are you'll end up here if you're getting in or out of Amsterdam to/from your next destination. There are lots of tram that starts and end here - but I prefer to walk, Amsterdam is not that big. The train from Haarlem stops here - a 15 miuntes ride.

For me, it does not only serves as a transport hub, I used it for other handy things. for one, There is a "I amsterdam" tourist office inside the station where I bought a shirt and some other stuff, while most people buy their tours from there, transport cards, maps, and free tourist info.

Secondly, it's a good place to meet up with friends, almost everyone knows the place.

Third, there are some fastfood restaurants inside, stores, a toilet for EUR0.50 and lastly ---

....I took a shower there for EUR5 before boarding the overnight train to Munich - juz cuz checkout time in hotels is normally before noontime and I roam around the city the whole day until late afternoon and feeling dirty. Cost not including towel though which is an extra. Well worth it instead of paying a hefty extra extention rate from the hotel.

Amsterdam is the center of Holland, the center of excitment, the center for taking the trains to get around Holland. The rail tickets for a day, of on and off at selected cities you want to see, eat, or shop in, may begin early in the morning and you can board your last train a few minutes before midnight.

You can see quite a bit of Holland on this type of day trip. The train cars are kept extremely clean and the ride is smooth and I found it to be one of the better ways to get around Holland.