Welcome to Holland!

Constitution and the Capital
Holland is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system, and its government consists of the Queen and ministers. For historical reasons the government and parliament are in The Hague, although Amsterdam is in fact the capital. The Netherlands has a coalition government. Queen Beatrix is the head of state.

Population
Holland is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It has a population of sixteen million and an average of 481 inhabitants per square kilometer. Nearly half of the 16 million residents live in what is called the Randstad, a huge agglomeration in the west of the country that includes Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam and Utrecht, where during the rush hour, the motorways slow to crawl.

Language
Dutch is the national language of Holland. However, English is spoken by almost everyone. In addition, many Dutch people speak German and French. Dutch is the mother tongue of well over 21 million Dutch people and Flemish people (Dutch- speaking nationals of Belgium.

Surface
Holland is quite small; the surface area is 41,528 square kilometers. The greatest distance from north to south is 300 kilometers, and from west to east 200 kilometers.

Time Zones
The Netherlands is located in the Central European Time zone. This implies that when the Chinese get up in the morning at 06:30 and ready to go to work, it is almost time for the Dutch to go to sleep/already asleep because it is 00:30.

• Train
Dutch trains are efficient, fast and comfortable-most of the time. (Do expect a +/- 10 minutes delay) Trains are frequent and serve domestic destinations at regular intervals, even five or six times an hour.

Trains can be divided into following types:

Stoptrein = All stops train
Sneltrein = Fast train (indicated with an "S")
IC = Intercity train (even faster)
ICE = Intercity Express (trains that travel between Amsterdam and Cologne and only stops in Utrecht and Arnhem)
Thalys = High speed international train (only stops at Amsterdam, Schiphol, Den Haag and Rotterdam before going on to Antwerp, Brussels and Paris)

Different train passes/tickets (2007 prices)
Day Pass
If you buy NS Dag Kaart, you can travel as much as you want during 24 hours from the time you buy the card.

A Day Pass in 2e class full price costs € 40.30 (*with 40% discount: € 24.20)
A Day Pass in 1e class full price costs € 68.40 (*with 40% discount: € 41.-)

5-Day Pass
If you wish to travel with no limit for 5 days, you can buy the 5-Day Pass which has 5% discount compared to the normal price.
A 5-Day pass in 2e class full price costs € 201.50 (*with 40% discount: € 120.90)
A 5-Day pass in 1e class full price costs € 342.- (*with 40% discount: € 205.-)

Month Pass
With NS Maandnetkaart, you can travel without limit in one month.
A Month Pass in 2e class full price costs € 309.-
A Month Pass in 1e class full price costs € 524.40
A Month Pass in 2e class with 9% discount for youths up to 18 years old costs € 299.70

40% Discount card
If you plan to do a lot of travelling, consider investing € 55.- in a "Voordeel-Urenkaart" valid for one year, which gives a 40% discount on train travel weekdays after 9am, as well as weekends, public holidays and the whole months of July and August. The discount also applies up to 3 people travelling with you on the same trip. It also gives 40% discount to the day-pass & 5-day pass.

Travel with your bicycle
A collapsible (folding) bike can be taken on a train without any extra costs. However, it must be folded! Otherwise you can buy a special bicycle day pass for € 6.-.

Travel with your pets
If the pet you wish to bring with you on the train is small and can be put in a bag or basket, then you can travel with it for free. If the pet you are bringing is bigger than that, you can buy a special pet day pass for € 3,-.


Buses and trams operate in most cities; Amsterdam and Rotterdam also have metro networks.

There is a national fare system. The 'Strippen Card' is valid throughout the country for travel on buses, trams and subways, how many strips to stamp depends on how many zones you plan to cross. It is also valid on trains which travel within the city boundaries of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague / Zoetermeer.

You can buy a "Strippen Card" with 15 strips (€ 6.80) or with 45 strips (€ 20.10). For children aged 4 to 11 and persons with a Pas-65 you can buy a reduced fare card (€ 4.50). You can buy 'Strippen Cards' at railway stations, in post offices, department stores and tobacconists. You can also buy it on the tram or bus, but the price is quite a bit higher (€ 1.60 for 2 strips).

JOHO TIP: When you enter a bus you must generally show the driver your pass or have him stamp your strippenkaart. In the tram, however, you will generally stamp your strippenkaart yourself. A team of inspectors can suddenly appear in the bus or tram, sometimes even without wearing the uniform, and if you are caught traveling without a valid stamped ticket, you risk a fine!