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Cost Of Living  Finding
a way to compare cost of living is the subject of many a graduate thesis.
Since that's not the issue here, we'll keep it simple: in Amsterdam a Big
Mac will currently set you back €3.
Take what you would normally spend vacationing in your own country and,
wether you like them or not, correct it for the price difference between
our Big Mac and your Big Mac. Voila!
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Getting A Job Getting a - temporary - job means getting a work permit first, see below. After that the usual route is through a temp agency. Especially in the IT field it seems relatively easy to find something. Usually the forum has some current threads on this topic, try a forum search on 'job'. Getting Around  Public
transportation is well organized. The center has a dense tram network, which
will pretty much get you anywhere. Trams are a place to keep a hand on your
money since especially during the tourist season they attract pickpockets.
Another good way to take in the sights is to rent a bike. You could also take the Canal Bus (sponsored page), which allows you to explore the city while sampling some great canal views at the same time.
Amsterdam has a metro line as well, running North-South through the city,
but with only a few stops in the center this has limited value for visitors.
 The ticket system is currently going through a major change: the old-style 'strippenkaart' is phased out in favor of the 'OV Chip Card'. You can buy disposable 1, 2 and 3-hour tickets from bus drivers or tram conductors. Alternatively you can buy a rechargeable Chip Card at most tobacco shops, which comes preloaded with an Euro amount of your choice. With this card you need to check-in upon entering tram, bus, or metro, by swiping the card along a check-in pad, and of course you need to check-out again in the same manner. After each journey the travel cost is deducted from the card's amount.  For a limited time the old-style 'strippenkaart'
can still be bought in advance at the post office or tobacco shops. You first determine through how much
'zones' your trip will take you, using the map on display at every tram/bus
stop. You then want to stamp the strippenkaart the number of zones you're
traveling through PLUS one. Usually a tram ride in Amsterdam center is
within 1 zone, so that means 2 'strips' have to be stamped. You either stamp
the card yourself (metro and some trams), or have it stamped by the bus
driver or tram conductor. Several people can travel on the same card, as
long as the correct number of strips is stamped.Liquor Laws From the age of 16 you're legally allowed to buy beer and wine. To buy liquor you must be 18 years old. Alcoholic beverages are for sale at liquor stores and supermarkets. Supermarkets only sell beer, wine and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol percentage up to 13 percent. Drinking and driving: it is prohibited to drive if your blood-alcohol ratio is higher than 0.5 promille. This applies to driving a car and riding a motor bike, scooter, moped or bicycle. Driving under influence is considered a criminal offense; you risk high fines, and your drivers license may - temporarily - be revoked. |
Money
The currency used is the Euro, symbol '€'. Here's a currency
converter. Read more about the Euro. Paying
in cash is still common practice, but nowadays plastic is becoming more
widely accepted for anything above €10. Note however that especially
restaurants sometimes do not accept credit cards, however high the bill
may be! Cash machines can be found troughout the center, and most of them
accept the major credit cards. Also there are a lot of small 'change' offices
in the center, which will happily convert your foreign bills or traveller
checks into Dutch guilders, for a small fee of course. Tipping is common
in restaurants, in bars and when paying for taxi's. As a general rule tipping
between 5 - 10% should be OK.
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