Arrival in Amsterdam
 

Just to get started going into Amsterdam, have a couple of questions that the answers will make me sleep better! 1.) Exchanging money at airport - is that how you do it in order to have whatever you need for transportation and where? A kiosk? Or is it better to have money before you leave the US? 2.) Is it a train or bus to get to hotel? I believe we will be at a hotel in Central area.

Thanks so much for help. I have scoured the sites but cannot get definite answers.

Get Euros at an ATM. Take a tram or taxi to your hotel.

I typically take a smallish amount, not more than $100 US in foreign currency that I get at my bank before I leave (They have a foreign currency service at some branches, but exchange rate not that great) Then I get local currency via ATM using Debit Visa (tied directly to my bank account) to minimize some fees.

Train by all means. It is great! It will take you to Centraal Station, from there you can easily take a tram if needed. Find out if your hotel is on what tram route.

There is both an ABN-AMRO bank window and ATM right smack outside Customs exits - ATMs get better exchange rates.

IMO train is best way in - fastest if going to the central part of town around Amsterdam Centraal station - you can use a credit card to buy tickets I believe (one of few such train stations in Holland that has a machine that accepts our now out-dated in security threads cards.

Buses however go direct to some hotels so that could be a factor.

Be sure to board a train marked Amsterdam C.S. as trains from the airport split on the way into Amsterdam, with many going not into Amsterdam proper but on a ring railway - stations like Amsterdam WTC-Zuid station and Amsterdam RAI stations are on this route - they could be convenient for some hotels a few miles out near those stations.

But trains use the same platform so be sure to board the right train - I ride these trains a lot and when going to say Station RAI I nearly always seem flummoxed tourists who got on the wrong train and are headed away from Amsterdam, not into it.

Unless you have special circumstances, from the exchange rate point of view get EURO from ATM. You don't exchange cash unless you have to (e.g. well/ill-meaning relative giving you last minutes spending money in US$ cash...) and pay ~10% fee in the process.

You posting history shows you have gone or attempted to go to London, Venice, Athens, Egypt, Sydney, China, Tokyo, Carcassonne, Frankfurt, Prague. How did you get local currencies on these trips?

Unless you have chip and pin CC, forget about using unmanned ticket Kiosk or even manned ticket counter. Assume you need Euro cash for all your transportation needs.

The mode of transportation depends on where in you are going -- Central where? how much luggage you have, how many of you are there?

Tough to take a tram from Schiphol HappyTrvlr!.
Taxis are expensive.
There is a bus which serves many central hotels www.airporthotelshuttle.nl, or get the train in and either walk or get a tram/taxi from Centraal, depening on how much luggage you have.

Us an ATM at the airport to get cash, and as greg says unless you have a chip and pin credit card assume you will pay cash for everything.
At the airport if you are getting the train you will need to buy a ticket at the window rather than a machine for instance.

Once in Amsterdam if you intend to use public transport then you need to visit the GVB office to buy a suitable ticket from them to cover the duration of your stay. They will help you decide which is best.

Thanks all - I am set - just got nervous there for awhile. Note to hetismij2 - do people ever offer to have you travel with them???