- Emergencies
- 112. 112 reaches police, ambulance and fire from any phone, in English. For non-urgent police matters, call 0900 8844.
- Tipping
- Not expected; service is included. Rounding up or leaving 5–10% for good table service is kind. No cover charge. Tap water is safe; some cafés charge for a glass, so ask.
- Cards and cash
- Cards and phones work almost everywhere, and some places are card-only. A few small shops and market stalls take only Dutch debit cards (check). Euros. Use bank ATMs ('geldautomaat'); many places prefer cards, so you need little cash.
- Phone
- An eSIM bought before you go is usually the cheapest data; most 'Europe' plans include the Netherlands (check). KPN, Vodafone and Odido sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at Schiphol.
- Plugs
- Type C, F, 230 V. Two round pins (Type C and F). Australian and NZ plugs are Type I, so bring an adapter.
- Tourist tax
- Cities charge a tourist tax, a share of the room price: Amsterdam's is 12.5% of the room, among Europe's highest; elsewhere usually a few euros a night (check).
- Book the big museums
- The Anne Frank House sells tickets online only, usually released weeks ahead; the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum use timed tickets too. Book before you go.
- Bike lanes are for bikes
- Red-paved lanes are cycle paths: don't walk in them, and look both ways for bikes as well as cars. Hire a bike to get around like a local.
- Tap in, tap out
- Tap a contactless card or phone on trains, trams and buses (OVpay), and tap out at the end, or you pay a higher fare.
- King's Day
- On 27 April (26 April if the 27th is a Sunday) Amsterdam fills with orange-clad crowds, street markets and parties; beds cost far more.
- Coffeeshops
- Cannabis is tolerated in licensed coffeeshops for over-18s, but it isn't legal everywhere, and carrying it across any border is a crime.
- Free drinking water
