Getting There By Road

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The Netherlands is connected to the rest of Europe by an excellent network of motorways. Driving is on the right. Speed limits are 120kph (75mph) on motorways, 80kph (50mph) on major roads and 50kph (30mph) in towns. Children under 12 years should not travel in the front seat. The minimum driving age in The Netherlands is 18 years. An International Driving Permit is not required, as long as the driver holds a valid foreign driving licence. Green Card is advisable but not compulsory. The Royal Dutch Touring Club, ANWB (tel: (088) 269 2222; www.anwb.nl), patrols major roads 24 hours a day, with qualified mechanics equipped to handle routine repairs.

Emergency breakdown services
ANWB Wegenwacht (tel: (088) 269 2888).

Routes to the city
Schiphol lies on the E19, from where it is an easy 18km (11-mile) drive into Amsterdam. The A10 is the Amsterdam ring road. The main route out of Amsterdam, toward Brussels, is the A2, heading south to join the A27 and finally the A16/E19 at Breda, which continues across the border to Antwerp. The A2 also connects with Utrecht, from where the A12/E35 travels directly through the Duisburg-Essen conurbation, passing Düsseldorf, Cologne and continuing southeast until Frankfurt. Hanover is best reached by taking the E231 out of the city to connect with the A1/E30, becoming the A30/E30, which continues east to Hanover.

Driving times to the city
From Brussels - 2 hours 30 minutes; Hanover - 4 hours; Frankfurt - 6 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services
Eurolines (tel: (020) 560 8788; www.eurolines.nl) operates coach services, sometimes in conjunction with other national companies, to major cities throughout Europe, including London, Paris, Brussels and Frankfurt. Offices are located at Rokin 10 and the coach station, Amstelstation, Julianaplein 5.