hey guys on tuesday i'm flying out of vancouver with KLM and going to Ambsterdam(sp?) then going on to swizterland but i don't know dutch so i'm wondering if it is easy to get around ambsterdam airport when i only know english and like 10 words of swiss. or is there and words i should look out for and go where they point or what ever?

P.S. i'm going to switzerland for a 5 week holiday so i won't be on here cause i'm going to be back packing the whole month staying at hostals

EDIT if you have to fly somewhere soon fly with KLM becuase there dirt cheap, i was going to be flying with air canada but they said for the round trip it would cost $7200 and thats going through heathrow and KLM only costs $5000 and i go through ambsterdam but on the return flight i have to through ambsterdam then St.Paul US the minniapolis side or what ever

You won't have any problems at all as 99% of the EU population has no problems understanding and speaking English. Are you staying in Amsterdam for a couple days or just overnight and then... train to Switzerland ?

I've been through schipol many times. So long as it's not Queen's Day (national holiday) you'll be fine. The signs are in English, and although the airport is large it is clean, bright and easy to navigate. If all else fails, most of the Dutch people I've ever met have been very friendly, and certainly know English better than I know any 2nd language.

Switzerland is a very picturesque country (at least around Zurich), and a smattering of German will help to understand the basics (signs, menus, etc). Again, most of the time I've not had trouble making myself understood and I've certainly not starved. Five minutes with a german phrasebook should see you right. The trains run on time *to the second*, so don't count on any being late!

Be aware - Switzerland has the Swiss Franc (CHF), not Euros, as a currency. You may need a few Euros if you're staying for any length of time in Amsterdam, otherwise just wait it out or get currency as you go.

I have noticed that airports in the US/Canada have water fountains, whereas this isn't always the case in Europe. I don't know how your credit cards work, but for a UK credit card it's usually not too bad to stick a small purchase on like a bottle of water, instead of getting local currency just for a small item/bottle of water.

Quote from Michel 4AGE :

You won't have any problems at all as 99% of the EU population has no problems understanding and speaking English. Are you staying in Amsterdam for a couple days or just overnight and then... train to Switzerland ?

no i'm not staying in ambsterdam i'm going to be catching a connecting flight to Zurich, i'd love to go by train though becuase i love trains.

and also is there any british poeple out there that have little tips on how to get through heathrow fast becuase my dad is going through heathrow with aircanada and he has a terminal change so i'm wondering what is an easy way to get around? he does have a 4 hour lay over so he does have time.

and for those poeple that are wondering why my dad is flying sepperite it is becuase my dad was going later in october but my mother and bro and i wanted to come and since my bro and i have school we had to move the dates forward to tuesday.

and for the swiss where are some good places for backpacking that are off the beaten path? and they must be close to a hostel becuase were not taking a tent or a sleeping bag. So any tips are welcome and the faster the better becuase i won't be on here much so it best if i get them quick

Quote from Christofire :

I've been through schipol many times. So long as it's not Queen's Day (national holiday) you'll be fine. The signs are in English, and although the airport is large it is clean, bright and easy to navigate. If all else fails, most of the Dutch people I've ever met have been very friendly, and certainly know English better than I know any 2nd language.

Switzerland is a very picturesque country (at least around Zurich), and a smattering of German will help to understand the basics (signs, menus, etc). Again, most of the time I've not had trouble making myself understood and I've certainly not starved. Five minutes with a german phrasebook should see you right. The trains run on time *to the second*, so don't count on any being late!

Be aware - Switzerland has the Swiss Franc (CHF), not Euros, as a currency. You may need a few Euros if you're staying for any length of time in Amsterdam, otherwise just wait it out or get currency as you go.

I have noticed that airports in the US/Canada have water fountains, whereas this isn't always the case in Europe. I don't know how your credit cards work, but for a UK credit card it's usually not too bad to stick a small purchase on like a bottle of water, instead of getting local currency just for a small item/bottle of water.

ok thx for the tips and i'll be fine with the german stuff becuase my dad is swiss and were going bapck just to see his family and my dad has lots of travel checks in euro's or swiss franks i don't know which one and i'm going to be taking $200 out of the bank today or tommorow and get it converted into swiss.

and ffs, spell Amsterdam right
how can you not spel the name of world's most glorious den of evil right..

damn canucks

and yeah, Schiphol is cool (and 5 mins. from my house btw)

In Europe, most people will speak English better than you can type.

Quote from Jakg :

In Europe, most people will speak English better than you can type.

lol yes

ok and sorry for spelling amsterdam wrong and i probibly did it wrong again huh? and i suck at gramer and spelling right know because i'm on a laptop keyboard and i'm typing faster and worse then normal.

You can't blame your keyboard for spelling grammar wrong. If you make a lot of mistakes slow down.

Anything to do with Heathrow is never easy.

As for the language, get a phrase book, while English is generally spoken in most of Europe, you will get a lot of respect from other nations if you at least try and speaka da lingo.

Quote from danowat :

Anything to do with Heathrow is never easy.

Getting lost is easy...so is getting in the wrong lane... I see people getting lost every day!

Quote from danowat :

Anything to do with Heathrow is never easy.

As for the language, get a phrase book, while English is generally spoken in most of Europe, you will get a lot of respect from other nations if you at least try and speaka da lingo.

Heh. That's very true, IME. Even if you really suck at the language, the majority will see you've made an effort and try their English to finish the conversation.

I've gone thru Schiphol at least a dozen times. Just follow the signs There's passport control between each 'section' (from B to C, C to D etc.). On busy days there can be queues, so if you don't have much time get through it first and then wonder the shops. If you get confused anyway, find an info point or a transfer desk. If you can't find either, ask any airport staff.

Quote :

is there any british poeple out there that have little tips on how to get through heathrow fast becuase my dad is going through heathrow with aircanada and he has a terminal change so i'm wondering what is an easy way to get around? he does have a 4 hour lay over so he does have time

Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are in the same main terminal complex and close enough to each other to leg it. Having cleared passport control and customs, follow the flight connection and terminal signs. If terminal 4 is involved, follow the signs for the free-of-charge interterminal Heathrow Express, and make sure you listen to the announcements so you don't end up in central London instead. There should be a security officer on the train who you can always get help from. Remember that all of T1, 2 and 3 is *one* train stop, and T4 a separate one.

There's a Terminal 5 at Heathrow now too. I was at terminal 4 on Friday and they're doing it up so it's a bit of a mess, but still easy enough to get through and it shouldn't disrupt passengers.

Just like any airport in the world; just follow the signs.

Grüezi wohl!

Heh, that's quite funny. I'm a Dutchman living in Switzerland, so I could tell you quite a bit about both countries.

First of all, there is no "Swiss" as a language. The national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian and Romansh. Where German is spoken in the largest area and Romansh in the smallest area.
So depending where you'll be staying, you'd be best of learning at least the basic words in that language. I'm telling you this as my experience is that most Swiss people, don't even speak basic English.
Click here to see a map of what language is spoken where.

I myself try to use English here as much as possible, but I'm often forced to use German in order to communicate decently.

However, the backpacking community in Switzerland is quite an international community consisting of all kinds of nationalities. Americans, Canadians, British, Germans, French, Dutch and even Swiss.
Because of this, most backpackers and hostel hosts will be using English anyway.

Though, have you already picked out a region and a travel plan for backpacking? It is highly difficult to just "find" one with luck, as Switzerland is quite vast.
If you haven't made such plans yet, I recommend referring to this website.

The Swiss public transport is the best I've ever experienced. The network is huge meaning you could get almost anywhere by public transport, the tickets you buy are valid for Train, Tram, Metro, Bus and even the mountain cable trolley, and last but not least, I've almost never seen a train arrive 3 seconds too late and when one did, it arrived within 4 minutes, and still arrived my final train station on time. In other words, the public transport is your best buddy on a trip through Switzerland.
For schedules, refer to www.rail.ch

About Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, just follow the signs to the departures hall, find your carrier's desk and check in with your ticket. They will give you the boarding pass and tell you which gate you need to proceed to (which is also on your boarding pass).

If you have any other questions, just ask.

Quote from (SaM) :

Grüezi wohl!

Heh, that's quite funny. I'm a Dutchman living in Switzerland, so I could tell you quite a bit about both countries.

First of all, there is no "Swiss" as a language. The national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian and Romansh. Where German is spoken in the largest area and Romansh in the smallest area.
So depending where you'll be staying, you'd be best of learning at least the basic words in that language. I'm telling you this as my experience is that most Swiss people, don't even speak basic English.
Click here to see a map of what language is spoken where.

I myself try to use English here as much as possible, but I'm often forced to use German in order to communicate decently.

However, the backpacking community in Switzerland is quite an international community consisting of all kinds of nationalities. Americans, Canadians, British, Germans, French, Dutch and even Swiss.
Because of this, most backpackers and hostel hosts will be using English anyway.

Though, have you already picked out a region and a travel plan for backpacking? It is highly difficult to just "find" one with luck, as Switzerland is quite vast.
If you haven't made such plans yet, I recommend referring to this website.

The Swiss public transport is the best I've ever experienced. The network is huge meaning you could get almost anywhere by public transport, the tickets you buy are valid for Train, Tram, Metro, Bus and even the mountain cable trolley, and last but not least, I've almost never seen a train arrive 3 seconds too late and when one did, it arrived within 4 minutes, and still arrived my final train station on time. In other words, the public transport is your best buddy on a trip through Switzerland.
For schedules, refer to www.rail.ch

About Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, just follow the signs to the departures hall, find your carrier's desk and check in with your ticket. They will give you the boarding pass and tell you which gate you need to proceed to (which is also on your boarding pass).

If you have any other questions, just ask.

Wow thx man for the sites and stuff and so far we haven't chose where to go but my dads sister and father will be at the airport in zurich and they will be able to help but will figure that part out! Well thx guys for these tips only 2 more sleeps then i have 24 hours of flying................but i love the feeling when the plane is accelerating on the runway it feels like you in a super car but your not

Wait, $5000 for a round trip ticket?! What am I missing?

Quote :

and also is there any british poeple out there that have little tips on how to get through heathrow fast becuase my dad is going through heathrow with aircanada and he has a terminal change so i'm wondering what is an easy way to get around?

Easy, hide your accent - say you are Australian, we'll be more helpful. As for Amsterdam, the Dutch are lovely people, you'll get on fine and they all speak "American" so your Canadian English will be fine...

It might be nice for you to learn hello and stuff, but I cant really type it on a forum because their G's are said wierd (like Welsh, only wierder and with even more talk spit) and the only helloes I know start that way.

well guys from what you guys have said it sounds like it is going to be easy to get around but the plane i'm going on from vancouver (YVR) to amsterdam (shipol) is a ancient MD-11 http://widebodyaircraft.nl/md11klm.jpg and then its a 737. Well i'm going offtopic so i leave but i can't wait so see ya later all

Visit a coffee shop while your in Amsterdam if you can..

Have fun man

Quote from scoobyrbac :

Visit a coffee shop while your in Amsterdam if you can..

Have fun man

or go to the red light district

Man the place is huge! get there in plenty of time.. I never want to have to run through that place again looking for my terminal

Quote from Richie Cahill :

Man the place is huge! get there in plenty of time.. I never want to have to run through that place again looking for my terminal

As Richie says get there way before the the time the plane leaves becaus in vacation period here it can get well kind of .... busy
And also the fact that the terminal and al the halways are HUGE
my dad had to cath a plane then afterwords he called me and said that he felt like he ran a marathon

But language wise no problem english is kind of the main language there
id u ever come acros a airfield helper that cant speak english you have a reason to get him fired ore go back to school

well guys i'm flying out today so thx for all your tips and help guys i can't wait to get going i got to much energy right know