Netherlands
The Amsterdam flag (above) has three X’s. Our tourboat guide said it is to remember the three things which almost destroyed the city: fire, floods, and plague. However, this seems to be urban legend and the crosses have other historical meanings you can read about here.
Getting Around
From the airport: We chose public transportation over an Uber or taxi because it was significantly cheaper.
From the airport, follow signs to the trains. Use any of the kiosks in the great train hall to purchase a ticket into town, which costs about 12 Euros.
Look on the departure/arrivals board for the train platform. There are numerous trains that go all the way to city center (Amsterdam Centraal train station or Lelylaan train station) and you can take any of them. There will be a train every few minutes, so no need to panic or rush.
Get off the train and take the appropriate tram to your final destination. We used Googlemaps for this. You can buy a ticket on the tram; each ride is 3.5 Euros.
You can buy tram tickets at most stops. However, if there isn’t a machine at your chosen stop, there is a ticket seller on the second (last) car of each tram and you can buy onboard.
Special note: Amsterdam public transit ticket machines (train, tram, subway and bus) are some of the very few places in Europe that require a PIN for your credit card. So, be sure to get the PIN before you travel. Some credit cards allow you to do this online and instantaneously; however, some cards send you a PIN by mail, so plan ahead.
Amsterdam is very walkable. On our second stay we were located in the Latin Quarter (de Pijp), quite close to the Albert Cuyp Market. We usually walked towards the 9 Streets, which is the center of town, but you can also take a tram or the subway with great ease.
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