We will be arriving to Amsterdam by train from Paris on May 15th. It's a little over half a mile to our hotel, but weather forecast is predicting rain. Are taxis usually available at the train station?

There is always a line waiting. You find the stand at your right hand side after leaving the main exit.
In the past they were known for not taking passengers for rides they found too short. It seems their behaviour has improved somewhat.

That's good news.

There will be plenty of taxis. Whether or not they will take you a mere half-mile is another question; they may charge you a minimum fee of something like 7 euros. The trams are easy, cheap, and convenient.

<i>Taxis at train station
Posted by: topeater on May 8, 16 at 12:10pm</i>

As stated, there are taxis but probably not for your trip. The driver would lose his position in the rank for a pittance. A half mile would be a 15 minute walk.

As for rain, this site https://www.wunderground.com/q/zmw:00000.2.06247 is calling for no rain on the 15th and a smidgen on the 16th for Haarlem, 10 miles away. Nevertheless, an umbrella is handy in Amsterdam.

That is a problem when you book a hotel too close to your arrival point, I try to avoid that. If it's that close, I only book it if I can get there by metro or something from the train station. It's just a bit too far for me to want to do it with luggage, although you could if you were just packing for a weekend or something or were the super light packers that we see on Fodors sometimes. I'm not so no can do (or wouldn't want to, anyway). It may take longer than a half mile depending on the route they have to take, also, in that area.

A taxi cannot legally arbitrarily charge you some minimum fee other than the meter drop nor refuse you. That fare should be around 6-7 euro anyway, though, if it is that distance (3 euro minimum to start and 2 euro per km plus some waiting time in traffic).

In reality, I've had taxis in Paris refuse to drive me short distances that were a lot longer than that from a train station (more like several km). It's illegal there, also, but you can't really do anything about it. I see their issue but have needed them at times.

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwe...-voor-een-taxi

For the weather have a look at http://buienradar.nl/weer/amsterdam/nl/2759794/#nu. It will tell you current and 5 and 14 day forecasts. It will be cold this coming weekend unfortunately, and could be wet, it is too soon to say.

For information on Taxis in Amsterdam: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visitin...g-around/taxis Taxis must accept you even for a short trip.
Make sure the taxi is an official one, with blue licence plates.

You could put your luggage in a station luggage locker and waltz to your hotel with a day bag and return leisurely for the others.

What hotel is it - may be an easy walk, especially if you have wheelies on your bags.

And there is always Uber:

https://www.uber.com/cities/amsterdam/

What does your hotel recommend?

It would be dumb to take a taxi if the tram went a block or two away.

The area around the Central Station is extremely congested, and a taxi is not very efficient.

There are short-cuts out of Central Station so you do not need to navigate the extremely crowded at many times the main concourses - head to platform 1 and walk west on it until you see the IBIS Hotel, adjacent to platform 1 with a staircase down to it and the street that you may well want to end up on for your hotel - an easy way out perhaps rather than fumbling thru the main exit - I have not been to Central Station however since it was renovated but assume this platform 1 escape is still there.

We are staying at the Sofitel Legend since it's close to the meeting my husband has to attend.

When you say tram, do you mean a subway?

A tram is a street car - which runs on regular streets albeit in special lanes - not a metro though there is one of those in Amsterdam too.

http://en.gvb.nl/

If taking tram first thing I'd do is to hoof over to the GVB or Amsterdam public transport office smack opposite the exit from Central Station (right next to the VVV or Amsterdam Tourist Office which can provide you a map to help going to your hotel) and ask them about tickets - may be cheaper to buy a group of tickets or a day pass or whatever they have now than buying a single ticket on the tram if possible anymore.

Your hotel is a good 15-minute walk I'd say and no tram I believe takes you right to it - take any tram up the Damrak - the main street leading out of the station to the place on the map that follows and walk two short blocks to the hotel. Again print off a map before going. Pretty simple - by foot walk down the Danrak's east side till you're a few blocks from the hotel and hang a left.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ho...84!4d4.8956324

Any tram to Dam, follow Damstraat, cros the first canal you see, turn right along it and the Grand is about 300 meters.

It's pretty difficult for a taxi to get there, because there are only two narrow access streets to OZ Achterburgwal. So you could be circling round for quite a long time, should you go by taxi.

BTW you are right near the redlight district it seems! A few blocks south and you're in it!

A few blocks north, PalenQ. And I want to remar that Damstraat is a clear demarcation line. North from that is RLD, south is quite genteel and artistic bohemian. It's as if it they are two versions of Amsterdam. Amsterdam university has a huge presence on the southern end of OZ Achterburgwal, and the hotel used to be City Hall.

I really wish somebody FROM A-dam would appear on this thread. My understandign is that the taxi regulations are clear: they CANNOT refuse to take you because it isn't "that far."

I really wish somebody FROM A-dam would appear on this thread>

Though I do not think menachem, hetismij2 or tonfromleiden are actually from Amsterdam - menachem I believe grew up there and goes there regularly if not daily and the other two often as well and know of what they are talking IME. What more do you want - hetismij says taxis must accept everyone in line.

The regulations are clear: »Taxi drivers must always accept short trips« (see: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visitin...g-around/taxis).

they may not like it because they suffer on income from short trips so give them a big fat tip!