This electronic pass is introduced in stages as the project is technically complicated as it covers the entire network of the country. Thus it is planned to use this card as obligatory in Amsterdam. The card is already in process in Rotterdam. ‘Amsterdam all in 1 travel ticket’ is also available at Schiphol Airport. Through this OV card it will be possible to travel unlimited within Amsterdam on bus, metro or tram for 24 to 96 hours. Besides that 2 single train rides from Amsterdam to Airport has also been included. If you expect to walk more in your trip then the option of buying the disposable card each time you use a tram or bus is possible. It would be a little expensive to buy OV chipkaart on the buses or trams.

Passenger will have to check in and check out while moving on their respective trip. The use of the card is quite simple. You just have to swipe the card in front of OV Chipkaart reader machine installed at platform whenever you enter or leave the vehicle. A sound of beep will indicate you that you are checked in. The same process should be repeated in front of OV Chipkaart machine when you check out the vehicle. At some of the metro and train stations gate barriers have also been used. The Strippenkaart would become invalid in 15 municipalities around Amsterdam such as Marken, Volendam, Aalsmeer along with Amsterdam as this card is being used as an obligatory step in Amsterdam.

Strand West – 80

This expansive beach is open throughout the year and is known for a variety of social events including concerts, dance parties, beach events and kids’ shows. However, since this is a city beach, swimming isn’t really recommended here. It is located at Stavangerweg 900, 1013.

Blijburg aan Zee – 96

Located further east of the city, Blijburg aan Zee this sandy spot is an ideal place for enjoying a beautiful sunset. Besides it also promises snazzy, fun and games along with a host of activities like yoga and Capoeira performances, as well as quirky art events throughout summer. It is located at Bert Haanstrakade 2004.

BovenNEMO – 71

NEMO, the national science museum in the Netherlands, opens up this beach’s wonderful roof area to the public every summer. The place has 48 giant steps along the upper deck, a play area for kids and a wonderful café to tickle your tongue. It is open from Jun 27 to September 6 and is located at Oosterdok 2.

Strand Zuid – 95

Located in one of the southern neighborhoods of Amsterdam, this beach offers terrific views from its terrace viewing platform. The place is known for its Mediterranean varieties of food and also has a quiet café. This beach has a unique parasol system which offers guests shelter on rainy days, and shade when it’s too sunny. It is located at Europaplein 22.

Dam Square and Royal Place:

Dam square and Royal Place are located in the center of Amsterdam. Having the pride of a rich historical background, this jam-packed square keeps jostling with locals and tourists day and night. It was created in the 13th century when a dam was built around the river Amstel to prevent the Zuiderzee sea from swarming the city. It is a good place for concerts and artistic activities. There are food stalls, restaurants and shops galores, including the trendy Bijenkorf, Magna Plaza, Bonneterie and the Amsterdam Diamond centre.

Nieuwe Kerk:

The Nieuwe Kerk (“New Church”) is a 15th-century church in Amsterdam. It is the church located next to Royal Palace in Dam Square. The Nieuwe Kerk is a burial site for Dutch naval heroes, including Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, Commodore Jan van Galen and Jan van Speyk. The poet and playwright Joost van den Vondel is also buried in the church.

Rembrant Square:

This is another well-known, posh and a bit expensive square of Amsterdam. The Square is located at the center of the city of Amsterdam behind the Munt Tower and at the end of the Shopping Street ‘De Kalverstraat’. There are many places for shopping activities and also a famous hotel with the same name. There are also many pubs, discos and bars for night life lovers.

Van Gogh Museum:

This is the famous exhibition center of Amsterdam where millions of art lovers and thousands of artizans come for exhibitions every year. The museum’s permanent collection includes more than 200 paintings by Van Gogh and many drawings and letters. The museum holds an extensive offer of exhibitions on various subjects from 19th-century art history.

Stedelijk Museum:

This museum is the center of modern art. It is located at Museum Square and near to Van Gogh Museum. In this museum, the paintings and drawings of Karel Appel and Kazimir Malevich are exhibited.

Though Amsterdammers do not have very strict codes of etiquettes, they expect you to address them by their titles and last names, unless they invite you to do otherwise. A brief and friendly handshake is usually the customary greeting.

Though hours of Business in Amsterdam vary from one industry to another, in general, banks operate from Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 16:00 and most offices generally are open during the hours of 08:30 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday. Shops tend to be open seven days a week, but many shops have their own individual times. The pharmacies remain open from 08:00 / 09:00 to 17:30 hours but there are always chemists that open 24 hours and at weekends. The majority of Amsterdam restaurants open daily. The breakfast is served in most hotels until 10:00, lunch is usually between 12:00 and 14:00, with light snacks between 15:00 and 17:00. Dinner is served from around 17:00 to 20:00 and many restaurants close at 22:00.

For currency Exchange in Amsterdam, ATMs can be found outside most banks, Post Officers and at the airport, as well as at the Centraal Station. Smart casual is recommended for all forms of social engagement in Amsterdam. For business, however, both men and women will be expected to wear suits.

Though Dutch are usually cool and comfortable people, following a few etiquettes goes a long run in establishing good business relationships.

Located near the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Massage Center is although a small concern, but it has an extensive list of massages and treatments including Swedish, Ayurvedic, deep tissue, hot stone, cranio-sacral and Dorn Breuss massages. Shiatsu and chair massages and foot reflexology are also offered.

Address: Weteringschans 121.

Call: +31 (0)20 427 8176 for an appointment and exact opening times.

Koan Float is another option where you can get a good range of massages in modern, restful surroundings, including Swedish, Shiatsu, rebalancing, hot stone and Thai. Some lesser well-known massages available are Boja, which combines elements of classic Western massage with Eastern acupressure, and Esalen, a bodywork technique that uses long, tai’chi-like strokes to encourage deep relaxation. Koan Float also offers the unusual “floating” treatment in private tanks. The tanks are filled with highly salted water which buoys up the body, giving a feeling of weightlessness. The tank is warm and quiet and there are no external distractions thus relaxing your muscles and mind at the same time.

Address: Herengracht 321.

Open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Call: +31 (0)20 555 0333 to make an appointment.

Perhaps the most beautiful spa and treatment center in Amsterdam, Suana Deco is small and unprepossessing from the outside. However, in reality, it is a large building, originally designed as an office in 1890 by the Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage.

Almost all of the furnishings of the place were salvaged in the 1970s from the Parisian department store Au Bon Marche, after the board of directors decided that the store needed immediate modernization.

Sauna Deco offers a comparatively smaller number of massages which include Swedish, Shiatsu, hot stone and sports massages. Additional facilities include a Turkish steam bath, two saunas, splash pool, relaxation area, beauty salon, juice bar and terrace.

The theme for the Congress is “Family: more than the sum of its parts”. Founded in 1997 by Allan Carlson, the WCF is a worldwide coalition that stands up for the position of the family and is a project of The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society. More than 30 pro-family groups in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Poland are co-sponsoring the WCF.

WCF Managing Director Larry Jacobs says, “We’re expecting over 1,000 pro-family leaders, activists, scholars and legislators from 61 countries, to participate in the international strategy session for—and celebration of —the natural family.”

For the access to the live casting, you can both go to the World Congress of Families site (www.worldcongress.org) or to the website of the Dutch local organizing committee (www.worldcongress.nl) and follow the instructions. DVDs of the Congress will also be available for sale on the www.worldcongress.org site.

There is a GWK Bank/Travelex currency exchange located within the Central station which is perhaps the best place to change your money in Amsterdam. Your browser may not support display of this image. Just across from Central Station, in the white building across from, and to the left of, the entrance is the Amsterdam Tourist Office, Smits Koffiehuis, providing you all the details about the city. Also nearby is a GVB public transport ticket and information office. A newer, expanded Amsterdam Tourist Office location is found inside Amsterdam Central Station, at Track

If you lost a property, you can collect it at Stationsplein 15. You will need to bring a valid ID. Found items are kept for only 3 days. They are then forwarded to a depot in Utrecht.

You can report lost items by calling 0900- 321 21 00 (Euro 0,80 p.m)

There are a lot of fast-food hotels in and around the Station, and those who want to enjoy the first class quality can step into the 19th century surroundings of Grand Café Restaurant ‘1e Klas.’

Although Amsterdam is quite a safe city, the area around the Central Station requires a bit of caution against pickpockets and luggage thieves. Do not get tempted by the luring offers of anyone to get you a hotel, show you a good place to eat, or wants to help you carry your luggage. More often than not, you will either get robbed or hurt or land up in either an illegal hotel or the one which will charge you exorbitantly.

The Jordaan is the area at the west side of the ‘grachtengordel’ (main canals). De district’s borders are formed by the Lijnbaansgracht, Brouwersgracht, Prinsengracht and the Passeerdersgracht. It is located on walking distance of the Central Station, the Dam or the Leidseplein. It is also easy to reach with public transport as it is very conveniently located on the west side of the centre of Amsterdam. The most streets however, are too small for car traffic. Therefore, most of the time the last meters will have to be taken by foot.

There are many places which are a must visit in Jordaan. One such place is the Anne Frank House which stands at the border of Jordaan. It is the hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her well-known diary during the second world war and it now serves as a museum, where the original diary is part from of the permanent exhibition.

The Westerntower, more than 85 meters high tower, decorated with the emperor crown of Maximiliaan of Austria, is the most popular one in the city. In the summer months you can go inside the tower to the first balcony and enjoy the view of the city.

The monumental Northernchurch, pianolamuseum, and houseboatmuseum are other places worth seeing. This trendy residential area is filled with small and chic restaurants, bistros, cafes, wine bars, and the like. The bars are generally very small and patronized mostly by locals only. The .5 liter beer glasses that the tourist area bars have just for the tourists are hard to find in the Jordaan. Instead you’ll see locals drinking from their .25 liter glasses exclusively.

The Amsterdam Jordaan is undoubtedly the most sung about, described and romanced town district of the Netherlands and a hot favorite for students, artists and young professionals.

2. Avoid talking loudly in English or looking drunk because the British here do not hold a very high reputation. So, play yourself down and learning a few handy Dutch phrases would be of a great help.

3. Though smoking is okay in most Dutch Clubs, just watch out as the rules vary from venue to venue. Though E is generally accepted in most clubs with some even offering testing facilities, other harder drugs are less tolerated. Take heed as the beer is strong here (5% min), and served in small glasses and also Dutch drugs, (cannabis, speed, X.T.C) are all top quality. Even the most regular ones can get drugged out easily if they don’t watch their quantity.

4. Tipping the doorman is the best way to ensure your return entry. Just slipping the bouncer 10 guldens accompanied by a polite ‘bedankt’ (Ber-dankt or Thank you) would secure you a trouble free evening and a shorter queue on your next visit.

5. DO NOT mess up with Dutch police as it could result in a severe beating followed by a night in the cells. Even Dutch tolerance has its limits.