Amsterdam

Please note: Most cruise lines just mention only Amsterdam as a destination, but it also can be IJmuiden.

How to get there?

From Amsterdam Schiphol Airport there is a direct train (about 5 trains an hour) to Amsterdam Central Station which takes about 18 minutes. Just use your foreign Credit Card (Maestro or Visa) to check in and use the same card to check out. This applies to all public transportation: Train, Bus, Metro etc. in the Netherlands. Do not forget to check in and out!

Taxi from the airport is around 60 Euro. The official taxis are lined up in front of the airport.

The Schiphol Hotel Shuttle links the airport with almost every hotel in Amsterdam for around 17 Euro per person. The cruise terminal is right next to the Movenpick Hotel.

Direct international trains run to and from Brussels (connecting with Eurostar trains to London, England), Paris, Cologne, Frankfurt and Berlin and more.

For GPS users: Piet Heinkade 27 1019 BR Amsterdam.

The cruise terminal of Amsterdam port is about 10 min walking from the Central Station and the city center. Tip: Use the back exit of the station, from where you will see your ship, and walk along the waterfront. Taxis often refuse short trips. Use tram 26 if you have heavy luggage, stops right in front of the central station (east side)

Please note: that the above cruise terminal will be closed in the future as the city council tries to combat "overtourism". A bike bridge is planned, so no cruise ships are able to dock in the city center anymore. Also there might be enviromental activists blocking the locks in Ijmuiden, keeping the ship from reaching Amsterdam.

The ships for river cruises are either docked on the opposite side of the terminal, which makes the walk to town slightly longer. Many are also docked closer to the station.

All other parts of the port have no good airport connections and an expensive taxi ride is the only option.

If there are more than two ships at the Main Passenger Terminal the VCK Waterland terminal at the Elbaweg 10 will be used, with shuttles in place. This is a industrial port, where Nissan cars and machinery arrive from different factories around the world. There are no facilities here and no public transport. The often free, shuttles will transport you to Sloterdijk station, from where a 10 minute train ride to Central Station in the center of Amsterdam. Check with your cruise line beforehand which services they will offer here.

Take your passport along when you disembark, as it will be checked by customs.

Webcams of the harbor.

Central Station video

There are actually 2 terminals: The "old" ferry terminal called Felison Terminal and the brand new Felison Cruise Terminal (see map)

Only small cruise ships use the Felison terminal, from which buses will transport you to Amsterdam or other destinations. A "Shanty Chorus" is often present to welcome you or say bye-bye. A Taxi to Amsterdam is about 60 Euro. Public transportation is poor. Use ship provided shuttles/excursions.

This terminal is located in an industrial area, however within walking distance to a large marina with a Holiday Inn hotel and several so-so restaurants and outdoor cafes. A little further is the wide beach with many outdoor cafe's and restaurants and can be very enjoyable on a nice day.

In the port area there is a mini bus for disabled passengers to get from the ship to the terminal building

Cruise companies in general offer shuttles to Amsterdam at around 45 Euro a person.

In the cruise terminal the following item are also available a slightly understaffed desk:

Amsterdam: Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket for 1-3 Days This ticket is good for bus, metro, tram and train in the Amsterdam region and is only 21 Euro. See Map.

The 382 runs in daytime every 30 minutes to Amsterdam-Sloterdijk station (41 minute drive) and from there you can take the train or other transportation to an area of your choice. See Video on how to reach the bus stop. The bus stop is only a few minutes walk away. When you exit the terminal take the steps across the terminal. You will have to negotiate some (20) steps up and down. The bus stop is right there. Check and fill in Badweg IJmuiden and as Destination Amsterdam Sloterdijk and day and time. Price one way about 6.30 Per person.

Credit cards are accepted when checking in and out...do not forget....

Please be aware with tram, bus you have to check-in AND check out in the tram or bus. Same with Metro and Train at the entrance ports of the station.

Taxis are €120 each way for 4 seater or €180 each way for 6 seater.

From Schiphol Airport to IJmuiden with light luggage: take the train from the airport to Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station (almost every 10 minutes) and take bus 82 (every half an hour) to the terminal.

Please note: Take your passport along when you disembark, as it will be checked by customs.

Printable map to take along.

Cruise Schedule for Amsterdam. and for IJmuiden

Port Location on Google Maps Amsterdam

If you are visiting Amsterdam then a canal cruise is an absolute 'must'! Cruising along the canals is a real journey of discovery. Many cruise boat operators will take you on an hour-and-a-quarter trip past the stately canal houses, the colorful houseboats, the canal with seven arched bridges, the Dutch East Indies Company replica ship and much more. Besides enjoying the cruise, you will also have the best view of all the splendid sights that Amsterdam has to offer.

In front of the central station you will find many canal cruise companies, all around 15 euro for a tour.

You probably do not have to use public transportation in front of the Central Station. If you do (inclement weather or difficulties with walking) just buy the ticket from the driver (bus) or from the ticket checker (tram) or ticket machine (metro). It is a little more expensive, but a lot less hassle. 2.60 Euro for a one hour card, 7 Euro for a day card. Important do not forget to check in and out, otherwise your ticket will become useless. These tickets are only valid on transport with the GVB logo and not on trains and other bus companies.

The world-famous fishing villages of Volendam (bus 110 or 118) and Marken (bus 111) - on the coast of the former Zuiderzee (now called IJsselmeer). With its wooden houses and locals wearing their colorful style of dress.

The Marken Express boat connects Volendam with Marken and vice versa with every 30/45 min daily daytime departures.

In springtime: nowhere else in the world are the flowers and colors of the spring as glorious as at the Keukenhof.

The Zaanse Schans is a delightful old hamlet on the banks of the river Zaan with characteristic green wooden houses, charming stylized gardens, small hump-backed bridges, tradesmen's workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops. This enchanting hamlet gives an excellent impression of how a typical Zaanse village must have looked like in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Apart from the cluster of windmills and houses, there are also several museums, restaurants and a visitors' center to be found as well as the possibility of taking a boat trip on the river. The Zaanse Schans has become one of the top tourist destinations in…

Haarlem, With its ancient buildings, cobbled streets and winding waterways, the medieval city of Haarlem is one of the most photogenic destinations in the Netherlands. Easily reachable by train (just fifteen minutes from Amsterdam Central Station) Haarlem is often referred to as a scaled-down version of its more famous neighbor.

Kalverstraat is the longest shopping street in Amsterdam. It starts at Dam square and goes all the way to the Muntplein. When you turn right at Heiligeweg, you'll find some more exclusive shops, (at the end on Koningsplein at your left: Amsterdam's famous floating flower market and more when you continue straight on Leidsestraat, which will lead you to Leidseplein.

If you're feeling rich or simply want to feast your eyes on lovely things (fashion, antiques, and art), begin at the Concertgebouw (Concerthall) and walk (northwest) along Van Baerlestraat toward Vondelpark. Turn right onto elegant PC Hooftstraat. At the end of the street, by the canal, turn right again and walk to the Rijksmuseum, then turn left across the canal. Straight ahead is Spiegelgracht, a small and quiet bit of canal that's the gateway to the best antiques-shop street in Amsterdam, Nieuwe Spiegelstraat.

With such an international population, Amsterdam offers restaurants and cafés with everything from genuine Indonesian food to Mediterranean tapas.

A very popular snack is a kroket which consists of a thick ragout, shaped into a cylinder of about 10 cm in length and 4 cm thick, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. They are usually made from beef or veal. Even McDonalds serves a MacKroket.

Don't forget to taste the herring: raw with some onions!

Euros are divided into 100 cents. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 euros. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros (note the pattern 1, 2, 5). Some shops do not accept large denomination notes, and many don't like the 1 and 2 cent coins, and so round cash amounts to the nearest 5 cents.

Credit cards are not as widely accepted in the Netherlands as in many other countries because of the high fees retailers have to pay. Always enquire first if you want to pay by credit card. Cash is preferred. Public transportation does not accept credit cards!

Just about everyone speaks English in Amsterdam, and is proud of the fact. Many speak German and French too. If you are English speaking, speak English (unless you speak Dutch too): you are more likely to offend than do anyone a favor by trying out your French or German.

A common misconception is that Dutch is very close to German. In truth they are not mutually intelligible: Dutch people have to learn German at school, and in general they speak better English than German. German and Dutch are similar in the same sort of way that French and Italian are similar.

Free Wifi in the Amsterdam cruise terminal. Get login and password from the reception desk in the terminal. At port side on the ship you will have a good connection on the promenade deck. Also free Wifi at the Felison Cruise terminal. Login details are displayed at the monitors in the terminal.

In general, shop-opening hours are 1-6pm on Mondays and 9/10am-6pm Tuesday to Friday. Most have late night shopping on Thursday until 9pm, and close earlier on Saturdays, at 5pm. Some supermarkets, like Albert Heijn, stay open until 8 or 10 pm. On Sundays, you can shop in the city center, Kalverstraat, Damrak, Leidsestraat, and near the Noorderkerk.

Bank holidays in the Netherlands:

In addition, there are two World War II Remembrance Days, neither of which is an official holiday, though some establishments close. May 4 honors all those who died in the war, May 5 celebrates the Liberation.

• New Year's Day (Jan 1);
• Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday;
• Ascension Day (Thursday, 40 days after Easter);
• King's Day - April 27. Amsterdam is one giant party, not to be missed.
• Pentecost Sunday (7th Sunday after Easter) and Pentecost Monday;
• Christmas Day (December 25) and Boxing Day (December 26).