Amsterdam car rental is not as popular a concept here as it might be in other European cities.

For one, Amsterdam is located on a "bulging tip" of the continent, so most routes do not cut through it.

Secondly, the city is geared towards pedestrians and bikes. If you bring a car to Amsterdam, expect to stuggle along the narrow roads full of people and interesecting bikes which seem to rule the roads everywhere. Parking is also a struggle.

Instead, I recommend that you walk everywhere or take a tram. The city is so small and so beautiful that you would miss all the great sights in a car. Even better, rent a bike for around 10 Euros and see Amsterdam like the locals do.

I realise that some of you will still be insistent on Amsterdam car rental so here is some information if you are still this way inclined.

The most reliable way is to go with one of the big worldwide rental companies who all have a booth at Schipol airport where you can pick the car up on arrival. These include the usual suspects: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. I recommend you book beforehand but you will probably be able to get something without reservations due to the range of operators.

These operators will also be able to give you the most flexible options for dropping off the car, especially if you are looking to leave Amsterdam towards Germany, for example.

You can also try hiring a car from one of the many local operators. The literal translation for Amsterdam car rental is "autoverhuur Amsterdam". Just stick this in Google for a huge list of operators. Although the listings may be in Dutch, all will speak English over the phone, this is the Dutch we are talking about, remember!

Also, remember that parking in Amsterdam can be both difficult and expensive. Naar Amsterdam is a good website that contains details and maps of both on-street parking and car parks (parking lots).