Tourist Offices

Before leaving for the Netherlands, you can obtain information on the country and its travel facilities by contacting the Netherlands Board of Tourism (NBT), which maintains offices in countries around the world. Their Internet address is www.goholland.com, and the e-mail address is info@goholland.com.

For the U.S. and Canada, you can reach them at: 355 Lexington Ave., 19th Floor, New York, NY 10017 (tel. 888/464-6552 or 212/557-3500; fax 212/370-9507).

For Britain and Ireland, NBT has a mailing address only: PO Box 30783, London WC2B 6DH (tel. 020/7539-7950; premium-rate brochure order line tel. 09068/717777; fax 020/7539-7953; www.visitholland.com/uk; information@nbt.org.uk).

You can also contact the umbrella organization in the Netherlands for the country's many local tourist information organizations: Netherlands Board of Tourism (NBT), Vlietweg 15, Postbus 458, 2260 MG Leidschendam (tel. 070/371-5705; fax 070/320-1654; www.visitholland.com; info@nbt.nl). In addition, see Visitor Information under "Orientation," in chapter 3 for the VVV Amsterdam tourist information office.

On the Web

The official site from the Netherlands Board of Tourism, www.visitholland.com, has useful advice. The most comprehensive site is VVV Amsterdam's www.visitamsterdam.nl. For a tighter focus on places to see and be seen, try www.amsterdamhotspots.nl. One of the best virtual tours on the Net is www.channels.nl -- the images are clear, you can direct your own tour, and you can chat with others about Amsterdam. Visitors give their impressions of restaurants, hotels, museums, and hash houses.

For information on many of Amsterdam's more than 40 museums, go to www.hollandmuseums.nl. To book a hotel online, visit www.go-amsterdam.org. Good eating out info is available from www.specialbite.nl.