RIPE 41 Meeting

General Info

The biggest airport of the Netherlands is Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The airport is situated about 15 km south of Amsterdam. There are trains (3 Euro) and taxi's (approx. 32 Euro) going into Amsterdam Center.

Your way around Amsterdam

Everybodys favourite and probably the quickest way around Amsterdam is by Tram. Trams run regularly between 6 a.m. and 12.30 a.m. and will get you to the Dam square easy from almost anywhere in Amsterdam.

In addition to the Tram service, the metro system in Amsterdam is a combination of full metro (underground) and rapid trams (sneltram) which run on the surface. Only 3.5 km in the city centre between Centraal Station and Amstel are underground. Lines 51, 53 and 54 share tracks between Centraal Station and Spaklerweg. Large parts of the metro network run parallel to mainline rail lines and cross-platform interchange is provided at Amstel, Duivendrecht (north-south) and Bijlmer, whereas Sloterdijk, Lelylaan, Zuid, RAI and Diemen Zuid railway stations lie adjacent to the corresponding metro stations.

Climate

The temperature in January is approximately 4 to 6 degree Celsius (39 - 43 F). A wintercoat is preferred.

Electricity

The voltage in Holland is 220 volts. Hotels may have a 110-volt or 120-volt outlet for shavers, but travellers are advised to bring a power converter and an adapter for two-prong, round-prong plugs. Converters can be purchased at Schiphol Airport.

Euro

As of 1 January 2002, Euro bank notes and coins will come into circulation. To stay on the safe side, participants are advised to change currency to EUR upon arrival. The official exchange rate of 1 Euro is NLG 2.20371

Creditcards

All major credit cards are accepted widely, but not everywhere. If in doubt, ask in advance. Cash-on-card services are available from selected American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and VisaCard addresses. These cards are also accepted by all GWK currency exchange outlets and Change Express Offices.

Languages

Dutch is the national language of Holland. However, English is spoken by almost everyone. In addition, many Dutch people speak German and French.

 Embassies

The purpose of the link listed below is to provide you with lists of addresses of Embassies all over the world. If you require information on visa for the Netherlands, please go to this page. The link is: http://www.escapeartist.com/embassy1/embassy1.htm.