Page 449 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands

TR A VEL INFORM A TION  447

Metro the cost of each trip from the Taxis
Amsterdam and Rotterdam available credit. OV-chipkaarts are If you need a taxi, the best
are the only towns in the also available for train journeys. thing is to either go to a taxi-
Netherlands with a metro. The ticketing system works stand or phone a Taxicentrale:
Both networks are fairly via the OV-chipkaart (www. numbers can be found in the
extensive. Amsterdam’s metro wov-chipkaart.nl). They are of phone directory and in the
has three lines, two of which two types: paper and plastic. Yellow Pages. It is less common
begin at the Centraal Station, Paper OV-chipkaarts are best to hail a taxi in the
and the third at Station used for shorter journeys. street, although it
Sloterdijk. They go as far as These can be can be done.
Gaasperplas and Gein. From purchased Taxis are
Centraal Station there is also a from most metered and
suburban tram to Amstelveen. tram and after an initial
The Rotterdam metro system bus drivers, charge, the fare
comprises two lines which many VVVs A treintaxi depends on the
cross one another, the north– and a few hotels. distance travelled
south line going from Centraal They need to be checked and the time. Taxis cost more
Station to Spijkenisse, and against an electronic reader at night.
the west–east line from when you enter and leave
Marconiplein to Capelle, the public transport system. Rail Taxis
with a branch to Ommoord- For longer stays, purchasing
Zevenkamp. The first metro a rechargeable, plastic Around 100 Dutch railway
leaves the terminus at around OV-chipkaart is advisable. stations operate a rail taxi, or
6am (around 7:45am on It comes in two main types, treintaxi, service which enables
Sundays), and the last train personalized and anonymous you to travel cheaply to a
arrives at its destination at and both cost €7.50. Valid for destination in the same or
approximately 0:15 or 0:30am. five years, these are sold at nearby district. The price of a
train and bus stations. single ticket starts from €6 and
Also, please note that the is valid whatever the length of
plastic (but not paper) the journey. The taxi will also
OV-chipkaart can also be take other passengers to their
used on the NS train network. destinations, and so will usually
In order to validate a journey, take a roundabout route.
users need to hold the Rail taxis operate from
OV-chipkaart in front of 7am (8am on Sundays and
OV-chipkaart, a smartcard required for the grey card reader at metro public holidays) until just
travelling on public transport or platform gates and on after the arrival of the last train.
boarding a bus or tram; You can book by phoning
Tram, Bus, Metro and remember to swipe again 0900-TRE INTAXI/8734682 or
Train Tickets on disembarking, or you will via the Reisplanner Xtra travel
To travel on buses, trams and be charged the full fare to planner app. At the station,
metro systems throughout the the terminus. Children under book by pressing the button on
Netherlands you must have an 4 travel free; seniors and the blue-yellow column. Inform-
OV-chipkaart: a “smartcard” that 4–11-year-olds can claim a ation on places covered by the
works much like a pay-as-you- discount if they buy their cards ser vice is given in the NS leaflet
go phone card, deducting in advance. Treintaxi-stations op een rijtje.
Special Outings
The Canal Bus is an excellent way to get around Amsterdam’s waterways. They operate on
three circular routes: the green route, the red route and the blue route, which meet at various
points, including the jetty outside Centraal Station
and on the Singelgracht between the Rijksmuseum
and Leidseplein. There are 17 stops in all and
together they provide easy access to most major
sights. During high season, boats leave from
opposite Centraal Station every half an hour
between 9:30am and 6pm. A day ticket for all
three routes, which costs €19 per adult, and
€9.50 for children (aged 4–12 years), allows
you to hop on and off as many times as you
like. Another reasonable offer is the 24-hour
ticket, which costs just €2.50 more. The Canal Bus in Amsterdam

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