Here's some basic information for you when it comes to travel to the Netherlands...
CAPITAL
Amsterdam
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
Dutch
EMERGENCY SERVICE
Ambulance, Police, Fire Brigade  112
FLAG
The flag of Netherlands is three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue.
MONEY
The Netherlands's currency is the euro. Coins are 1 and 2, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. Euro notes
come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 denominations.
The BTW is calculated at 19% for most goods except consumer items like food which is charged at 6%.
TIME
The Netherlands is one hour ahead of GMT/UTC; thus when it's noon in Amsterdam, it's 11am in London, 6am in New York, 3am in San Francisco,
6am in Toronto, 9pm in Sydney and 11pm in Auckland. In the summer, the Netherlands
observes daylight savings time, setting clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in
October and; clocks are wound back in the first Sunday of the following March.
BUSINESS HOURS
Trading hours are 9am to 5:30pm weekdays and Saturday mornings. Many shops close for lunch between noon and 2pm.
RELIGION
Around 41% of the population doesn't identify with any religion; Catholics are the largest religious grouping, accounting for 31% of the
population over age 18. The official church of the royal family, the Dutch Reformed Church, only attracts 21% of the population.
ELECTRICITY
Electricity is 220V AC, 50 Hz, as in Australia, Asia and most of Europe; appliances designed
for DC supply or different voltages need a transformer.
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
The Netherlands uses the metric system of measurements. Petrol is bought in litres and food is
weighed in kilos.
LEGAL MATTERS
Contrary to popular belief, drugs are illegal in the Netherlands. For more on this, click here...
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