Have you ever been to Amsterdam? Then you must have at least once gone through its heart!
Right in the center of this gorgeous city, you will find the Amsterdam Central Station, which proudly wears its nickname “Heart of Amsterdam”! It geographically and literally is the city’s heart, and it connects it with quite a few different parts of the continent.
Roughly 250,000 people go through the Amsterdam Central Station on a daily basis, making it the biggest public transport transfer spot in the city which is both, successfully serving tourists that are visiting Amsterdam, as well as its locals.
Here you will find the final stops of several lines of city trams and buses, as well as waterfront stations of city ferry lines which transfer cars and passengers to Amsterdam North (Amsterdam Noord).
Unfortunately, if you are driving to Amsterdam Central Station, you should probably know that you won’t find an easy access Station nor accessible parking. The only access by car is from the Ij-zijde, where you may only stop to drop off passengers and luggage. Taxis and city buses have a better way of reaching the station and will most likely bring you closer. The Meeting Point is located directly at the Central Station main entry, outside the station hall.
If you are a tourist, it would be of great help for you to know that this is where the main Amsterdam Tourist Office is based, as well as departure quays for the tourist boats cruising around the city canals. In front of the station’s Main Entry, the main Amsterdam Tourist Office is located in a traditional wooden white Dutch coffee house. It opens every day from 9 am until 5 pm, on Sundays from 9 am until 4 pm! But it is closed on December 25th, though on January 1st it opens at 10 am.
Make sure you remember that the local trains to the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport during the day depart every ten minutes from platform 14a or platform 15. However, the night trains to the Airport depart from other platforms.
And after a long trip, any tired tourists would be thinking about a nice and cozy hotel room or a place to leave their luggage at. However, make sure you book your accommodation on time! There are several hotels based in front of the Central Station and also near it. Best known five-star hotels are NH Barbizon Palace and Hotel Victoria, Ibis Centre, Bellevue Hotel, A-Train Hotel and Multatuli Hotel, and many others.
For tourists who have to wait until their check-in time in hotels or transportation, there is an option to leave their luggage at the station luggage lockers, which are open 24/7. There is also a cheaper option for travelers on a budget – an independent Amsterdam luggage storage 5 minutes walk from the station.
Don’t worry about getting lost or misinformed! You will find information desks at the entry and a great number of vending machines, some of which even sell train tickets to other stations in the Netherlands.
What makes the Amsterdam Central Station, one of the best ones in the world is the fact that it is entirely accessible for disabled people. It is also an open shopping center, and most shops open at 7 am. You will also be able to find GWK Travelex Change offices here.
Also, you don’t need to worry that you will be bored while waiting for your train! You may take your time to enjoy several different cafés and fast-food restaurants. This would be yet another excellent reason for you to visit the beautiful city of Amsterdam!