|
|
| *Travel Tips>>>Netherlands Travel Tips |
I would like to travel to Haarlem, Holland. Can you recommend a good travel agent & do you have advice? |
Travel Info I've never travelled outside of the US alone (I went went on a mission trip to Central America...but that was through a mission organization) and I would really like to take this trip with my mom. However, I need lots of help with travelling, hotel accomodations, exchanging currency, etc. How exactly do travel agents work and how do I get one? Thank you so much! Travel Tips Actually... You're probably best of not changing more than $200 to Euro's (that should get you about 鈧?50/Euro's). I'm pretty sure it's a lot more expensive to change $ to 鈧?in the USA than in the Netherlands. You can use your Visa card in all good hotels/restaurants (and purchases in many stores for about 鈧?0 and up) and you can take cash out of an ATM (they're all over the place) as needed... Mastercard and American Express are well excepted too, but a bit less than Visa. If you have a bank debit card you might be able to use that in Dutch ATM's too, check with your bank... Walking around with more cash than that is never a good idea, even in The Netherlands... You'll probably find that the Netherlands are a lot more like the USA than Central America was though... You'll do well to book your hotel from the USA to get best rates... If you just show up at one with no reservation you'll probably be charged more, if they have rooms... Be prepared for European room sizes though (small!). Isn't there a good local travel agent in your town? If you're going to use the Internet you can do it all yourself but if you're new at this a travel agent might not be a bad idea... The Dutch national airline is KLM and they are excellent... They are partners with NorthWest and Air France... Other airlines of course also fly to Holland from USA and might offer you a very good deal... Of course it depends on where you're leaving from (NYC, LA or Circleville, Ohio)... I suggest (if you can afford it) to stay at a hotel that belongs to a big chain... (Hilton, Holiday Inn, Tulip, etc.) Staying at a smaller privately owned one could be a wonderful experience, and it could not be... Enjoy our country! :) http://www.haarlem.nl/smartsite9.htm... http://www.iamsterdam.com http://www.denhaag.com http://www.hotels.nl/indexen.html... http://www.ns.nl the Netherlands Railways... There's a link to an English version at the top of the page... The Dutch railroad system is very advanced and easy to use and goes everywhere... There's a railroad station beneath the national airport Schiphol with trains going to Haarlem several times an hour, depending on the time of day... A taxi to Haarlem would cost you about 鈧?0 to 鈧?00 I think...If you have a lot of luggage and are not really too sure about finding your way it might be the best option... You could also take the train to Haarlem and a taxi from there to your hotel, that will save you some money. If you stay at a big hotel they might be able to arrange transportation too. http://www.klm.com Royal Dutch Airlines Others You don't really need a travel agent. You can book your flights at home on the web. Amsterdam Airport is called Schiphol (pronounced "Skippol", more-or-less) and it is very well connected to rail and bus. Book a hotel over the web (e.g. www.hotelsin.com). Almost all Dutch adults speak English very well indeed, so when you arrive at Schiphol you will have no trouble getting to Amsterdam Central Station or Haarlem. You could take a cab, but why spend the money? Go by train. It's faster, cheaper and nicer (1/2 an hour with 1 connection, 鈧? each way) You will need to change money to Euros, but this is best done at home. You will obviously need a passport, too! If you are a forward-planning freak then you may find the following web sites useful: * Amsterdam bus/tram/metro: http://www.gvb.nl/english/default.asp... * Dutch maps by postcode: http://www.kaart.nl/ (just paste any postcode in the search box, e.g. "2022 BL") * Dutch rail: http://www.ns.nl (click on the 'English' link then enter "Schiphol" and "Haarlem") Holland is very easy to get around. Signposts are often in both English and Dutch. Public transport is reasonably priced, reliable and clearly timetabled. Any passing Dutch person will help a tourist out. Just do it! |
| Tags |
| Rhone-Alpes General - France Belgium Denmark Greece Netherlands Poland Portugal Russia Turkey General - Europe (Continental) |
Travel Info Categories--Copyright/IP Policy--Contact Webmaster |