The last remaining post office in Netherlands will close down shortly. Due to a cost cutting exercise some 250 post offices around the country have had to shut their doors over the last 2 years. They have basically been replaced by postal sales points within some shops and supermarkets.

Utrecht Post Office on Neude in the city centre is the sole remaining post office but will close on October 28th 2011. The listed building – designed by Joseph Crouwel and completed in 1924 – is a stunning example of the Amsterdam school of architecture. It is well worth dropping by if you are in town to see its magnificent ceiling and stained glass windows.

Check out our new Utrecht City Guide section.

NS Dutch Railways has recently introduced a new and more complicated discount card structure. The previous “korting” card (known as a voordeeluren) cost €55 per year and gave a 40% discount on fares for the holder and up to 3 other passengers. The discount was valid after 0900 on weekdays, and at any time during weekends and July and August. The summer months were  considered off-peak due to the large number of Dutch residents heading off to sunnier climes.

The discount subscriptions are now based on newly defined peak hours which are weekdays 0630-0900 and 1600-1830. Up to 3 people can still travel with the card holder at the 40% discount fare during off-peak times. The new card options are as follows:

Dal Voordeel (Off-peak discount) – this effectively replaces the old card and costs €50 per year. The 40% discount is not available between the peak hours of 0630-0900 and 1600-1830. The card holder still gets the discount anytime during weekends, but the July and August peak-time discounts have been dropped.

Altijd Voordeel (Anytime discount) – This costs €20 per month (€240 per year) and gives a 20% discount off travel during peak hours (0630-0900 / 1600-1830) and a 40% discount during other times.

Weekend Vrij (Weekend free travel) – This costs €40 per month 2nd class and €65 per month 1st class. This allows a 40% discount during off-peak, no discount during the weekday peak hours and free travel at the weekend, from Friday 1830 to Monday 0400.

Dal Vrij (Off-peak free travel) - This costs €95 per month 2nd class and €165 per month 1st class and allows free off-peak travel. No discount for peak time travel.

Altijd Vrij (Free travel) – For €295 per month 2nd class and €495 per month 1st class you can get totally unrestricted free travel.

All discount card holder are entitled up to 3 free Kids Vrij (Kids free) subscriptions which allow children aged 4-11 to travel free with the card holder at anytime. The Kids Vrij card can also be bought separately for €15 per year for travel with an adult.

Adults 60+ can pay a supplement of €14 (2nd class) or € 39 (1st class) to the Dal Voordeel or Altijd Voordeel subscriptions to get 7 unrestricted free travel days (known as keuzedagen).

Those aged 65+ can get the Weekend Vrij card for €20 per month (instead of  €40) or the Dal Vrij for €40 (instead of €95).

New subscriptions are currently valid on NS trains only. Note that the card holder must now use the OV chip card rather than paper tickets.

NS Lentetour (spring tour) is a special offer train ticket which allows unlimited first class rail travel throughout Netherlands for a single day for 2 people. The ticket costs €45 and is valid on weekdays after 0900 or all day weekends/holidays (except Queen’s day). This ticket can be excellent value if you plan to make a long day trip from Amsterdam – for example to Maastricht, Groningen or Middelburg.

The NS offers the Lentetoer for travel during March and April.

They also offer a summer product (Zomertoer) in June and July and an autumn ticket (Herfsttoer) in September and October.

You can buy these tickets at any ticket service desk at NS stations or from the yellow ticket machines (though note most machines only accept Dutch bank debit ‘PIN’ cards or coins).

It is possible to purchase online with a €5 discount – but the only payment method is “iDeal” – which requires a Dutch bank account with internet banking.

During February, NS is also selling 2 for €70 and 3 for €99 (online only).

FYRA, the high speed Dutch domestic train service currently operates on the Amsterdam-Schiphol-Rotterdam route. Supplements are required to travel with FYRA. These have been temporarily lowered (from €6 to €2.10 until 1st July 2011) on the Schiphol-Rotterdam route – presumably to increase uptake as most FYRAs have been running low occupancy rates.

The service will be extended to the southern city of Breda from 4th April 2011. The Amsterdam-Breda journey will now take 1:09 compared to the current 1:43.