Layover guideAmsterdam · AMS

Eating near the crew hotels in Amsterdam

Dinner is early, kitchens shut around ten, and the card comes out rather than cash.

Sakibnb / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Dutch eat early. Most people sit down at around 18:30, most restaurants are full from that point, and kitchens often close around 22:00. Arriving at nine on a late report narrows your options sharply.

Bars in Amsterdam often stay open on weekend evenings until 02:00 or 03:00, at which point the clubs are in full swing.

The Netherlands is ahead on cashless transactions, and most people and almost all establishments prefer card payment, so a wallet of euro notes is the awkward option rather than the safe one.

Service charges are very rarely added to a bill. The total printed is the total owed, and anything you add is genuinely extra.

I amsterdam: Everything you need to know about day-to-day life in the Netherlands · checked 2026-09-03

The rest of Amsterdam

The whole guide

Getting out of the airportStation directly beneath the terminal, seventeen minutes to Centraal, eight trains an hour.Ride-hailingLicensed taxis carry blue number plates; the apps use a separate marked pick-up point at Schiphol.Local laws that catch crew outCannabis is not legal, it is tolerated under conditions, and central Amsterdam's street rules are a separate layer again.Staying connectedAn EU or EEA SIM works at home rates; a Gulf, UK or US SIM does not.WeatherMild, grey and wet in small doses rather than downpours. Take a jacket in every month.What to buyCrew allowances into the Netherlands are lower than a passenger's, and the VAT refund is now a digital process.TippingNot mandatory, 10% for good service, and nothing is added for you.