Holland
 

I intend visiting Holland shortly.
a) is the airport far from the centre
Amsterdam
b) is it possible to visit keukenhof by
train/bus for the day
c) also Delft for another day
d) Is there an efficient transport service


VERNIE

In answer to your questions:
a) Yes
b) Yes
c) Yes
d) Yes

Good luck.

Is there a bus/train transport service from airport to Amsterdam centre - how far is it - thanks Wayne. VERNIE

vernie,

here's the answer to your questions:

a) NO! There's very frequent train service between the airport and town as well as a bus service operated by KLM which goes to most large hotels.
Check:
http://www.ns.nl/domestic/index.cgi
Enter "Schiphol" (the name of Amsterdam's airport) as your point of departure and "Amsterdam Centraal" as your point of arrival.

b) YES - check
www.keukenhof.nl
and use the link mentioned in a) for train schedules. You take the train to Leiden, then the local bus to Keukenhof.

c) YES, see a) for link to train schedules.

d) If you mean urban transportation, the answer is YES again, there is a great network of tram and bus lines in the city center. Buy a day pass or a punch-as-you-go "Strippenkaart" at a tobacconist (your hotel concierge may also sell them).

In general, public transportation is extremely efficient in the Netherlands, if rather delay-prone.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Schiphol Airport (AMS) is not far from central Amsterdam - about 10 miles. Being one of the busiest airports in the world, you will find all kinds of transportation options available (taxi, bus, hotel shuttles, train, rental car, etc). The easiest is to use the rail service from the station in the airport. Go down the escalators in the arrivals hall shopping plaza, buy a ticket for Amsterdam Centraal Station for about E3.50, go to the platform (usually 3A I think). Centraal Station will be the third stop. Trains run every 15 min from 6a - midnight.

A taxi will easily cost 10x the fare of the train -- and as taxi licenses have been deregulated in recent years it can be a crap shoot to find consistence in service and fares.

You say you are going soon - Keukenhof doesn't open until mid/late March. Blooming usually starts then and continues sometimes into early/mid May. April is the best bet for flowers.

The VVV tourist info center at the airport or Centraal Station can give you all the information you need when you get there - as can a search of this site or google search engine.

C. Yes, we took the train between Delft and Amsterdam. We also got a day pass and hopped trains all over the country.

The Netherlands has arguably the best transportation network anywhere. Trains are frequent, efficient and relatively inexpensive. The link between Schipol Airport and central Amsterdam is cheap (about 3.50 euro) and leaves every 10 minutes. The trams within Amsterdam are excellent, and it's easy to get from A'dam to any point in the Netherlands in no time with the national rail network.

Thank you all for the help you have given me. Vernie