Netherlands travel tips

Following are regularly updated travel tips for the Netherlands.

The text below is from the comprehensive holiday travel tips to be found at
Cheap World Travel Tips.

April 8 2008 Netherlands travel tips

A smoking ban will be introduced in restaurants, bars, hotels and cafes across the Netherlands from July 1, 2008. However, pot will be exempt from the ban in cafes and restaurants as long as it is smoked without tobacco.

Vondelpark in the heart of Amsterdam is a large, attractive recreation reserve, but don't forget the liberal attitudes of the Dutch ... heavy fines are imposed if dogs are allowed off their lead but gay sex is legal in the park at night.

Note: In December 2007, the City of Amsterdam announced a new policy to reduce the number of brothels in the city's red light district and adjoining area surrounding Central Station. The policy is based largely on licensing and auditing regimes, building sales and property rezonings. Many blocks now containing shop windows with prostitutes are expected to be replaced with residential, shopping, restaurant and hotel developments. This adds to a policy started in 2003 and the overhaul of the red light district is expected to be completed in 2012, suggesting the days are numbered for tourists pursuing a "seedy" sojourn in Amsterdam.

It's well worth buying an I amsterdam Card from the Amsterdam Tourist Board to cover tram, bus and underground public transport, various museum entrances, a free canal trip and various other discounts for attractions and bike hire. There are three different Amsterdam Pass types: 24 hours (33 euro or US$46.75 in Oct 2007), 48 hours (43 euro or US$60.91 in Oct 2007) or 72 hours (53 euro or US$75 in Oct 2007).

Note: In October 2007, the Dutch Government decided to ban the sale of magic mushrooms from Amsterdam shops. The city is also planning to close many prostitute windows and coffee shops that sell pot in the the red light district.

Thanks to its history of colonising foreign lands, Holland has a strong multiracial mix - particularly in the cities.

The country's various cities - Haarlem, Delft, Leiden, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht - are all a short train trip from Amsterdam on the punctual and simple Dutch inter-city train system.

A must-see during your Amsterdam holiday is the Rijksmuseum (at Jan Luijkenstraat 1) where you can see masterpieces such as Rembrandt portraits (9am-6pm daily), and just around the corner at Paulus Potterstraat 7 is the Van Gogh Museum (10am-5pm, 11am on weekends).

Tourists who want to see Holland's famous tulip flower industry at its best are advised to travel to Keukenhof, a 32 hectare showpiece of flower beds near the small town of LIsse. Keukenhof (meaning "kitchen garden") is the world's largest floral display and draws millions of travellers each year.

Keukenhof is in flower for just nine weeks of the year. The gardens, with their 15 kilometres of picturesque walkways, close in mid-May so the tulip bulbs can be removed and the grounds prepared for the following year's feast of flowers. Most tour operators offer daily package trips to Keukenhof, which also has numerous displays, shops and restaurants. Keukenhof is about an hour out of Amsterdam by car, bus or train and is open from 8am to 7.30pm (adults about US$15 in 2005, discount for seniors, children 4-11 about US$6).

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