The Netherlands is connected to the rest of Europe by a superb network of motorways. Green ‘E's indicate international highways, red ‘A's indicate national highways and yellow ‘N's indicate smaller routes. Although frontier formalities between The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium have now all but vanished, motorists (particularly on smaller roads) should be prepared to stop when asked to do so by a customs official.

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. Seatbelts are compulsory. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.05%. The minimum driving age in The Netherlands is 18 years. An International Driving Permit is not required, as long as a national driving licence from the country of origin is held. EU pink format licences are accepted. Trailers and caravans are allowed in without documentation. A Green Card is advisable but not compulsory. Without it, drivers with motor insurance policies in their home country are granted only the minimum legal cover in The Netherlands - the Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the driver's own policy.

The Royal Dutch Touring Club, ANWB/Wegenwacht (tel: (088) 269 2222; website: www.anwb.nl), patrols major roads 24 hours a day, with qualified mechanics equipped to handle routine repairs.

Emergency breakdown service:
ANWB 0800 0888.

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 wth 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.

Approximate driving times to Amsterdam: From Brussels - 2 hours 30 minutes; from Hanover - 4 hours; from Frankfurt - 6 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services: Eurolines (tel: (020) 560 8788; website: 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 (tel: (020) 560 8787).