Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. The city, which had a population of 747,290 on 1 January 2008, comprises the northern part of the Randstad, the 6th-largest metropolitan area in Europe, with a population of around 6.7 million.
Its name is derived from Amstel dam, indicative of the city's origin: a dam on the river Amstel. Founded as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During this time, the city was the leading centre for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were formed.
The city is the financial and cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and 7 of the worlds top 500 companies, including Philips and ING are based in the city. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, part of Euronext, is located in the city centre. Amsterdam's main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, its red-light district and its many cannabis coffee shops, draw 4.2 million tourists annually.
More Information: Amsterdam Tourist & Amsterdam Info
Travel Information
Amsterdam has on of the largest European airports: Schiphol. The airport is located just west of the main conference location. Six trains per hour connect Schiphol and Amsterdam Zuid (trainstation nearest to conference location). Besides Holland's main airport there are two "low-cost" airports: Rotterdam Airport and Eindhoven Airport, both with direct train connections to Amsterdam Zuid.
More Airport Information: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol website , Rotterdam Airport website, Eindhoven Airport website.
More Railway Information: Dutch Railway website
"Strippenkaarten" - tickets for Bus, Tram and Metro
A 'strippenkaart' or season ticket is required within bus, tram and metro. Strippenkaarten are available in blue (full fare) and red (reduced fare). The reduced fare 'strippenkaart' is only available as '15-strippenkaart' and can only used by:
- Passengers aged 65 and up who can demonstrate their age by means of a senior citizens pass or another valid identification card (eg. passport).
- Holders of a student pass.
- Children between 4 and 11 years of age.
OV shops
'Strippenkaarten' and season tickets can be purchased at the bookshop in the VU main building of the VUA University and often in shops just around the corner. These shops can often be recognized by a window sticker, a specific sign mentioning the opening hours and the fact that it is an official 'OV shop'. A few examples of shops which sell strippenkaarten (recognizable as OV shops) are: supermarkets, book & magazine shops, tobacco shops and department stores. But there are more outlets where tickets can be bought: post offices, post agencies, TGP-Service Shops and the ticket offices of the urban and regional transport companies.
