HAIRmultiplication Hair Multiplication Dr. Gho Maastricht Amsterdam Travelogue

There are basically 3 options for overseas patients.

Option A - via Amsterdam

Overseas patients can fly to Amsterdam and then take a 2.5 hour train ride to Maastricht. Gho Clinic is only 15 minutes away by taxi from the Maastricht Central Station. This option is perfect for those who want to spend a day or two touring Amsterdam before traveling to Maastricht for the procedure. If you are planning to tour Amsterdam, it is advisable that you do so before your procedure. You would most likely be very anxious to return home after the procedure instead of playing tourist in a foreign city. Amsterdam is a mixture of historic and contemporary architecture. The ethnically diverse population are renowned for their tolerant attitude towards all manner of pursuits, with room for everyone to enjoy city life - you catch my drift :)

The city centre is Dom Square where the Koninklijk Paleis is located (picture on the right). Built in 1665 it is the official residence of Queen Beatrix. Filled with empire furniture it is ornate and luxurious.

Damrak, near Queens Palace,
city center

The key is to stay within walking distance to Amsterdam Central Station so that it would be less of a hassle when you are leaving for Maastricht. Amsterdam Central Station is well within the downtown area of Amsterdam as well as in close proximity to the Red Lights District. Please do not be concerned that you will be staying in a remote area with no night life at all. Any 3-5 stars hotels in the vicinity of Amsterdam Central Station is worth a try. Note that the hotels in Amsterdam are typically small and are commonly converted from old historical mansions with several hundred years of history. Do not be alarmed that a 5-star hotel in Amsterdam does not equate to the same in the U.S. Refer to the map to the right. Any 3-5 hotels situated between Central Station and Damrak on the map should be fine. If you go south of Damrak, then it will take more than 30 minutes to walk to Central Station.

Click to enlarge

I recommend the following hotels. The are all within walking distance from Amsterdam Central Station and I have indicated below approximately how long it would take to walk to the Central Station from each hotel.

Trains To Maastricht

The direct train ride from Amsterdam Central Station to Maastricht is about 2.5 hours. This is probably the "more" challenging part of the journey to Gho Clinic mainly because there are so many trains leaving Central Station and it is not easy to know whether you are on the right train or not the first time around.

Direct trains leaving for Maastricht depart hourly at Amsterdam Central Station. It is strongly recommended that you purchase your tickets preferably one day in advance or at least two hours prior to departure. There are vending machines all over the lobby at Central Station but almost all of them are in Dutch and it probably takes a PhD to decipher the instructions. You will lose all your hair trying to figure out how the vending machine works. So don't even think of trying the vending machines. Instead, go to one of the ticketing booths. All service agents speak perfect English. Just let them know that you need to take a direct train to Maastricht and at what time you need to arrive Maastricht by and they will tell you which train is best for your schedule. The cost as of August 2002 is Eur 23.00 one way for a 2nd class ticket.

Amsterdam Central Station

Central Station's Departure Platform

Before boarding the train, you will need to know which terminal your train departs from, departure time as well as whether your ticket is 1st class or 2nd class. Unfortunately, not all the information is noted on the train tickets and the hanging signs at the platform are all in Dutch so you have to be a bit vigilant when it comes to remembering all these information when purchasing the ticket. Of course, you can always ask other passengers at the platform, everyone speaks English.

Direct Train to Maastricht Utrecht >>> Eindhoven >>> Maastricht (InterCity) click to enlarge
Departing Terminal	This information will be given to you by the sales agent at the ticketing booth. Once you take the escalator up to the departing area, you will see hanging signs that read for example, "spoor a" which stands for "terminal a".
Departure Time	There are numerous trains departing Amsterdam at any given hour. Surprisingly, all trains adhere to a very strict and timely schedule. If your trains is scheduled to depart at 10:27 am, then you can pretty much count on that as a guarantee. Be careful not to board the trains that arrive the platform even 10 or 15 minutes prior as they may very well be headed toward a different destination. Pay attention to the hanging signs at the platform. If your train with a scheduled 10:27am departure is next to leave the platform, the sign will indicate 10:27 am accordingly. They do not go by train number, they go by the departure time, precisely down to the minute.
!st or 2nd class	This information is noted on your ticket as either "Klasse 1" which stand for 1st class or "Klasse 2" which stands for 2nd class. The number "1" or "2" is clearly marked on the outside of each train so just make sure you board the train that corresponds to what is noted on your ticket.
Information Board at Departing Platform	The trains schedules are published on an information board with orange or yellow backlight at the departing platform. You can also confirm your train's departure time and terminal by checking this board. Specifically, you should be looking for information that pertains to the "Utrecht >> Eindhoven >> Maastricht (Inter City)" train.
Pixel Board at Lobby on the ground floor	There is a large pixel board at Central Station's lobby. You can also confirm your train's departure time and terminal by checking this board. Specifically, you should be looking for information that pertains to the "Utrecht >> Eindhoven >> Maastricht (Inter City)" train.

Direct Train to Maastricht Utrecht >>> Eindhoven >>> Maastricht (InterCity)
Departing Amsterdam **	Arriving Maastricht
06:27	09:05
07:27	10:05
08:27	11:05
09:27	12:05
10:27	13:05
11:27	14:05
12:27	15:05
13:27	16:05
14:27	17:05
15:27	18:05
16:27	19:05
17:27	20:05
18:27	21:05
19:27	22:05
20:27	23:05
21:27	24:05
22:27	01:05
** This schedule is as of August 2002 and subject to change. Departing time could be at 27th or 28th minutes past the hour.

Upon Arrival at Maastricht Central Station

If you are one of Gho Clinic's patients with the overseas package, you will see Estax's driver (car service) holding a "GHO CLINIC" sign waiting for you right outside of Maastricht Central Station. Yes, it's a Mercedes Benz !! Estax's driver will take you to Gho Clinic directly and the ride is only 15 minutes.

Maastricht Central Station

Estax's driver

Estax's driver will personally escort you to Dr. Gho's office once you get to Maastricht Medical Center.

Alternatively, if you do not have an overseas package with Gho Clinic, you can simply take a taxi right outside the train station. There are plenty around and all drivers speak perfect English.

You will be using the same car service, ie: Estax pretty much throughout your stay in Maastricht. This has to be pre-arranged so be sure to coordinate with the staff at Gho Clinic or your hotel. The service is extremely efficient and in most cases, you can even arrange the service with just 15 - 20 minutes advance notice.

It is a good idea to ask the driver for a business card the first time you use the service in case you need to arrange for the service yourself.

Arriving at Maastricht Aachen Airport

Maastricht Aachen Airport is only 15 minutes from Gho Clinic by taxi. Maastricht Aachen Airport is rated a mid-size passenger airport serving the regional hub of Euregio-Maas-Rhine. U.S patients will most likely have to fly to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport or London Stansted and take a connecting flight to Maastricht Aachen Airport.

Maastricht Aachen Airport

While the flight from Amsterdam to Maastricht is only about 35 minutes, the layover at Amsterdam may last 3 hours or more depending on your flight arrangement. It is very critical you plan very carefully in order to minimize layover time at the airport especially on your return trip after the surgery.

KLM / KLM Exel operate scheduled services between Amsterdam/London Stansted and Maastricht Aachen. U.S patients will have to make their flight arrangements through Northwest/KLM. Their website is www.nwa.com

Upon Arrival at Maastricht Aachen Airport

If you are one of Gho Clinic's patients with the overseas package, you will see Estax's driver (car service) holding a "GHO CLINIC" sign waiting for you at the airport's arrival area. Yes, it's a Mercedes Benz !! Estax's driver will take you to Gho Clinic directly and the ride is only 15 minutes.

Alternatively, you can simply take a taxi from the airport. There are plenty around.

For patients from neighboring areas or countries who prefer to drive to Maastricht,
please contact Gho Clinic directly for directions or email info@ghoclinic.com

HairSite's HAIRmultiplication (HM) & Follicle Transplantation (FT) Coverage

Both HM and FT are prepared by HairSite based on actual interview and conversations with Dr. Gho.
HairSite takes full responsibility for any information that is misrepresented to the public.
All Rights Reserved © HairSite 1997 - 2002

Hotel	Minutes from Amsterdam Central Station by foot
Victoria Hotel Amsterdam	3 minutes
Barbizon Palace Hotel	3 minutes
Crowne Plaza Amsterdam City Centre	8 minutes
AMS Coks City Hotel	8 minutes
Hotel Inntel Amsterdam Centre	15 minutes
Avenue Hotel	15 minutes
Sofitel Demeure Amsterdam	18 minutes
Amsterdam Hotel	25 minutes
Swissotel Amsterdam	25 minutes
Hotel Krasnapolsky	25 minutes

Upon arrival, your eventual destination should be somewhere close to Amsterdam city center since this is where the Amsterdam Central Station is. You can take a taxi to downtown Amsterdam for about Euro 35 - 40 and it only takes about 30 minutes.