Berlin taxis are pretty expensive compared to other cities. But the public transport is excellent. You can ride the street cars (strasse bahn) or the underground (u-bahn). There is also an above ground railway (s-bahn) that is good for the ring around the city or getting across the city fast.

www.squidoo.com/european-subways-and-public-transportation

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The "OV Chipkaart" ticket system (similar to London's Oyster) is now mandatory in Amsterdam for trams, the metro and city buses. Unfortunately the handy "strippenkaart" strip tickets are no longer valid in Amsterdam.

Useful explanation (in English) of the OV chipkaart at:
www.amsterdamtips.com/tips/ov-chipkaart.php

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The Colosseum as of July 2008 is approx 11 euros entry for an adult. You will queue about half an hour or so and then you can purchase an audio guide for four euros.

Be careful - you will get approached many times by people offering you the chance to queue jump as they have a reservation and they will take you on a 40 minute tour for 20-25 euros. Sounds good, but don't go. Basically there are real tours that go through a different queue. When these tour groups get to a certain part the group leader will pay for everyone at the ticket office and then take you on a tour. However they do not really check whether the tours are official. So what these other people are doing are taking you through to the ticket office using the tour queue which may be ever slightly quicker, and then they are purchasing your tickets and keeping ten euros themselves after giving you a quick unofficial tour. I would advise you queue in the normal line and use the official audio tour guides for four euros.

If you are unsure whether the people you are talking to are real staff at the Colosseum, I can tell you that they all wear a uniform. The uniform we witnessed was black t-shirts and black trousers. So all these others outside in their own clothes are unofficial guides.

The Colosseum can be found easily but I advise going to a newsagent or to the kiosk at Termini Station or another metro station and purchasing a seven-day pass. It is 16 euros and entitles you to seven days on buses, metro and trains, unlimited use. Get off at Colosseo stop for Colosseum or Termini for Trevi fountain, Spagna for spanish steps, etc... or travel for 40 minutes to Loro Central and it's a ten minute walk to a lovely beach! Great value for money! Metro comes every three minutes, absolutely fantastic!

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This is a blue multi-strip ticket which can be used on trams, metros and buses in Amsterdam and all over Holland. Works out about half the price of buying a ticket on board.

See www.gvb.nl (Amsterdam Transport organisation, mainly in Dutch)
Good English explanation of the Strippenkaart at
www.amsterdamtips.com/getting-around-amsterdam-the-strippenkaart.php

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Remember your Brussels Eurostar ticket covers same day onward travel to all stations in Belgium. This includes Brussels Central Station, so you can use it instead of the Metro to get across town from Midi station to your hotel or meeting near Brussels Central.

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You've had fun on the buses, trams, metro etc. on you day of arrival using the ticket you bought for three euros (Feb 08) on the air shuttle bus, but what about day two?

Get a card Viva for three euros fifty and have more fun, but don't throw the card away, as you can top it up for more days/journeys the following day.
I don't know if you can have two or more days added when you buy it, as I didn't know you could top it up at the time of original purchase!

Word of warning: when we went in to the shop selling Carris travel cards on Praca da Figueira on Day two of our stay in Lisbon they wanted to sell us each a plastic card (four euros apiece, not returnable, unlike the London Oyster card) and then top those up with a day pass each for three euros fifty.

Being mean (and green) and not planning to be back in Lisbon in the foreseeable future, I decided to walk to the Cais do Sodre metro station where we were sold the paper Viva card for three euros fifty each.
We found out about the top up when we showed the cards the next morning at the metro cashier to explain what we wanted (my Portuguese is limited to ordering drinks!) and the cashier took them and topped them up.

Enjoy this fab city and use your card to max on the ascensores, elevadore and the ferries as well as the trams, buses and metro.

Metro stations and (possibly) Carris ticket booths - not open in Feb.

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Using the subway: you have to buy tickets in little ticket offices at most of the stations. Good luck with that, they won't speak any English. Ha. Pointing and waving the correct fare might do it.

The trains and trams do get checked and you will be fined if caught without a ticket - for the minimal price of the fare, it's not worth the bother. You can buy a book of tickets if you get lucky with someone to help you - they come in tens and twenties and you punch them on the tram/platform.

It might be possible to buy them at one of the big train stations, where English-speakers may be found. Maybe.

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You can buy travel cards for various numbers of days in the major Metro stations (such as Mustek, at the bottom of Wenceslas Square.) These entitle you to unlimited travel on any bus, tram or metro line in the city and represent an economic and convenient way to get about. At the time of writing, a 24-hour pass costs KCs80 (less than £2), a 3-day pass costs KCs220 (£5) and a 7-day pass costs KCs280 (£6.50)

Major Metro stations. Prague Transport Authority website: www.dp-praha.cz/en/

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