Car Rental Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Amsterdam is a fairly small city and easy to navigate by car, but because the centre is compact and there is such a demand for parking spaces, it’s a good idea to use one of the park and ride (P+R Amsterdam) facilities dotted around the edges of the city.

The old centre is easily explored on foot or by bike, however if you do decide to drive, parking can be expensive. Also, when driving in the city centre, cyclists are king, with a high volume of bicycles on the road.

Outside of the main city centres, driving in the Netherlands is generally straightforward, with roads and highways clearly signposted. As with most of Europe, driving is on the right and speed limits are usually 50km/h in urban areas and 80km/h in the countryside – unless marked otherwise.

On major highways the speed limit varies between 100km/h and 130km/h.It’s best to avoid driving on major routes during rush hour, especially around the Schiphol Airport area and on the A2 highway.

The A4 is the main access route for the south-west of the country and the towns of Lieden, The Hague and Delft. Haarlem is only 20 kilometres west from the airport along the A9, and from there you easily reach places of interest in Noord-Holland. The A1 runs east from the city all the way to the German border and the A2 heads south-east to neighbouring country Belgium.

One of the country’s highlights is the stunningly beautiful Flower Route (Bloemen Route) which runs south from Haarlem to Leiden. This is best done in late April and May when fields of tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and daffodils of every possible hue stretch to the horizon.

Amsterdam is a hugely likeable city with an appealing old-world atmosphere, as well as inspiring, world-leading art galleries and fantastic shopping outlets. It’s also at the heart of a country that is so small, everything you’ll want to see is within easy driving distance.

See the magical canals by night

Amsterdam’s trademark is its 17^th-century canal belt – for many, the quintessential image of the city and its main attraction. It’s especially beautiful at night when the bridges are lit up by fairy lights, creating a magical spectacle.

This part of the city is best appreciated from one of the many glass-topped cruise boats that ply the city’s waterways, setting off from the jetties near Centraal Station on Stationsplein.

Pay tribute to old masters and a young heroine 

The city’s cultural heart is the recently renovated Museumplein in the leafy district of Oud-Zuid. It’s an art lover’s dream and its Rijksmuseum is the country’s foremost art establishment, containing a fabulous collection of Dutch paintings – both classic and modern.

Pride of place goes to the unmatched collection of Rembrandts,but also among the highlights are many wonderful paintings by Johannes Vermeer and Frans Hals. A visit to the neighbouring Van Gogh Museum is equally recommended. It boasts the most comprehensive collection of Van Gogh’s work anywhere in the world.

One of Amsterdam’s most iconic sights is the Anne Frank Huis, where the young girl and her family were in hiding for two years, until they were found during a Gestapo raid. The rooms the Franks lived in have been left much the same as they were during the war and provide an intimate and fitting tribute to their courage.

Browse the city’s independent retail scene

Another of Amsterdam’s great pleasures is to wander around the charming Jordaan neighbourhood. Its narrow streets and historic buildings are home to independent art galleries, antique stores and atmospheric bars and restaurants.

A short walk away is the shopping area known as De Negen Straatjes – or ‘Nine Sreets’ – a warren of quaint cobbled streets where you’ll find over 200 retailers, including independent boutiques, vintage and speciality stores.

Explore the rest of the country

A short drive south from Amsterdam is the beautiful university town of Leiden. Less than half an hour further south is Den Haag (The Hague), an attractive city with a number of thought-provoking museums - including the world-renowned Mauritshuis which features such masters as Holbein, Rubens and Brueghel.

Neighbouring Delft is famous as the home of the distinctive blue-and-white Delftware and its lively market square is lined with handsome 17th-century buildings.

Leiden and Den Haag are only a short drive from the beaches of the North Sea coast, as well as the stunning rainbow colours of Amsterdam’s legendary tulip fields – best experienced in spring at the nearby Keukenhof gardens