RS says to take bus #172 from Centraal station to Aalsmeer, but we'll be staying in de Pijp, so can't we just walk over to Museumplein or the Rijksmuseum and get the #357 bus? I couldn't make any sense of any of the online bus planning sites, but it seems to be a simple, quick option on Google Maps. Is there any problem with doing that? Has anyone done it?
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
I have no experience with that trip, but consulting the public transport planner 9292.nl also results in bus 357 with a stop in the De Lairessestraat, next to the Concertgebouw. It runs every 10, 15 minutes.
You don't plan to do it tomorrow, I hope, when the public transport will be down for a nationwide strike.
Posted by
OP
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1388 posts
Not until September, thank goodness!
The bus does stop at the Rijksmuseum first, though, correct? My guess is that other tourists going to Aalsmeer would be at that stop.
I've waited at several wrong bus stops, both in the US and while traveling, so I'd like to have confidence that this will work. At six o'clock in the morning!
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
The 357 has several stops around the Museumplein. Google Maps shows them all. And with the new electronic displays you can't miss it: they show line number, destination and the minutes you have to wait until the next one (as shown on this StreetView image).
Posted by
OP
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1388 posts
Hooray, thank you! Such excellent signage! I needn't have been concerned!
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
Your only concern is to get up on time. Six o'clock in the morning. Really?
Posted by
OP
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1388 posts
Trying to get to the flower auction at 7:00am when it opens.
At home we get up at 4:00am. I like to work in my garden early.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
When the date comes near, please check the actual departure times at the public transport planner 9292.nl. (Fill out Museumplein for departure point and Aalsmeer Flora for destination.) At that time of the day this bus doesn't run very frequent.
Enjoy!
Posted by
255 posts
I highly recommend downloading the free app “Citymapper” for navigating your favorite European cities. We used it to take the bus from Haarlem to Aalsmeer flower market last year, among many other destinations around Amsterdam. It gives you every public transportation options available including walking, biking, trains, trams, busses, Uber and taxis including associated time and costs for each method so you can make an informed decision. You can balance the cost versus time difference between Uber versus bus quickly for instance.
The app is personalized for each city and displays transit information in real time. For instance, in London it will also list best tube/walking options to stay dry if it’s raining outside. On Paris’s metro, it advises which carriage is less crowded so you can stand on the platform toward the front or back before the metro has even arrived. In Lisbon, it calculates how many Francesinha sandwiches you’ll burn should you opt for the walking option. I absolutely love this app!
The Aalsmeer Flower Auction is absolutely incredible regardless of your love of flowers. The sheer industriousness and logistics of the place is jaw dropping incredible. My husband and son loved it after being dragged there by me last fall. Lucky you!
Posted by
OP
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1388 posts
Thank you, I will try it!
Yes, what I want to see is not the auction but the warehouse and the little trucks and just the whole system. I've watched videos of it on youtube. I always like "behind the scenes" type things, but I am especially interested in this huge flower-moving operation because I volunteer all year to help organize a giant plant sale that takes place during just three days and has 2 or 3 tier tables of plants covering 2.5 acres. So I have some understanding of what it takes to do something quickly and efficiently on a grand scale with beautiful, perishable flowers instead of, say, air conditioners.