Travel information

Netherlands

Passport and visa service: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Diplomatic representations: Dutch Embassies and Consulates.
For more information: Embassy of the Netherlands in Tunisia
6-8, Rue Meycen
1002 Tunis
Phone: 71 799 442
Fax: 71 785 557

Recommendation: Taxis are relatively expensive. They know all the destinations within the city (and outside) especially the very touristic ones. In general taxi drivers have a decent command of the English language. Other ways of getting around in the city are by tram (in cities such as The Hague and Utrecht) and metro (only in Rotterdam and Amsterdam). Traveling by bike is also possible, there are special bicycle paths in most cities.
Maps of urban networks: Metro and Bus Transportation Maps - Amsterdam

Recommendation: There are excellent international links to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Rental cars are available at numerous locations; the downside of using a car is that there are a lot of traffic jams in the Randstad area, especially in the morning and evening when people go to and return from work. Parking a car in the city center is hard especially when you are not willing to pay for a parking spot. Even though all the road signs are in Dutch it is not very difficult to find your way around.
The train can be used to get from city to city. The train network is quite extensive and the trains run frequently.This frequency compensates for the number of stops.
Rail companies: Dutch Railway

Flight from Tunisia: Distance between capital cities in km: 1 776
Flight duration between capital cities: 4h40 (via Munich)

Airlines offering direct flights from/to Tunisia
Airline	Low-cost solution	From	To
http://www.nouvelair.com/Publish/index.asp		Djerba, Monastir, Tunis, Tozeur	Amsterdam

Recommendation: The highway network is dense, free and well-maintained but it is often jammed (truck traffic). Secondary roads can be taken... unless you are in a hurry. Exceeding the speed limit is severely punished (fine, disqualification from driving, seizure of vehicle). Because of the high risk of accidents due to numerous cyclists in the cities, drivers who are not used to such situations are advised to be even more careful when turning right. Tramways have right of way, it is therefore necessary to look right and left before moving in any direction on the roads, either when walking, driving or cycling.
Road maps: Google Maps
Find an itinerary: Via Michelin
ANWB
Route Net

Historical: There are a lot of historic sights to see, mainly in the big cities but also in the country side. Think of the Waterlinie and the Canals of Amsterdam.
Cultural: The Netherlands is renowned for its museums. Some Dutch sites are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, consult the website to see which they are.
Nature: There are a number of parks, such as de Keukenhof and other nature parks such as de Veluwe. Some Dutch sites are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, consult the website to see which they are.
Religious: All religious sites in the Netherlands.
Thermal: None.
Beach: All costal activities.
Winter sports: None outdoor, apart from when there is a rigorous winter, then ice skating outside is popular (Elfstedentocht); indoors there is skiing and ice skating.
Outdoor activities: Cycling, walking, swimming, golf.
Shopping: Special purchases include Delft (between The Hague and Rotterdam) blue pottery and pottery from Makkum and Workum, costume dolls, silverware from Schoonhoven, glass and crystal from Leerdam and diamonds from Amsterdam. Shopping hours: Mon 1100-1800; Tues-Fri 0900-1800; Sat 0900-1700. In Amsterdam, Rotterdam and other big cities, supermarkets are open from 0800-2000/2100. In large city centres, shops are open Sun 1200-1700. Shopping malls are also open on Sunday. Some cities also have late-night shopping on Thursdays or Fridays.

Top Highlights in the main cities
Anne Frank House
Palace de Dam
Artis Zoo
Westerkerk
Leidseplein
The Rembrandt House
De Wallen (Red Light District)
Van Gogh Museum
The Amsterdam Maritime Museum
Stedelijk Museum

Top highlights of the country
De Keukenhof
Madurodam
Deltawerken
Kinderdijk
Volendam
Cheese market
Waddeneilanden
Palace Het Loo
Domkerk
Port of Rotterdam

Food specialties: Among others, the Dutch specialties are:
Boerenkool: curled cabbage with smoked sausage
Hutspot: Dutch stew
Haagse Bluf: whipped eggs
Speculoos: traditional Saint Nicolas cake
Borstplaat or the fondant: titbit, mainly eaten between Saint Nicolas and New Year's day.
Anijsmelk: aniseed milk: one of the favourite drinks of the Dutch just as hot chocolate is.
Bisschopswijn: heated wine
Boerenmeisjes: apricot brandy.
Drinks: Beer, wine and sodas.

Domestic currency: Euro
ISO Code: EUR
To obtain domestic currency: Since 1 January 2002, the currency in circulation has been the euro. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros. The nominal values of the coins are the following : 1 cent (or 1/100 of euro), 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 euro and 2 euros.
Possible means of payment: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are accepted, as well as Eurocheque cards. ATMs are widely available.
Exchange rate on
Automatic Teller Machines (ATM): To find out the locations of ATMs in in the Netherlands, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Official language: Official languages: Dutch and Frisian.
Other languages spoken: Commercial languages: English, German and Spanish. In the Netherlands, the official language is Dutch. However, it is important to note the growing use of English, German and Spanish in business.
Business language: The majority of the population speaks English, which is the most used language in trade.
Getting some knowledge: Some basic Dutch can be found here.
Free translation tools: Babel Fish - Basic word / sentence translator
Free Translations - Basic word / sentence translator
Translated - Free translation arabic-dutch-arabic
TV5 - Free translation arabic-dutch-arabic
lexicool - Free dictionary arabic-dutch-arabic