Amsterdam

[lukasz]

not to hijack...if a person literally had 12 hrs (10pm to 10am) on a Saturday night (this is real, not fantasy), no car, coming from the airport (wherever that is) where to go? I'm looking to see some night life. Culture would be great, but at that hours some beers and maybe bosoms would be good. Oh yeah, I don't plan on sleeping that night so take that into your recommendations.

Alright dude, reading this I remembered something very important: Gollem, Raamsteeg 4, Amsterdam.

I spent the better part of a night there once. It involved Westvleteren beer (best beer ever), a cat, the water tap gun being used as a weapon, coasters flying everywhere, and eventually a first aid kit. All of this entertainment was brought to me by the employees of the bar. Two thumbs up.

[crivera]

Man I'm jealous. I so want to go to Amsterdam myself again as well. Do you already know where you are crashing? With friends, or a Hostel? I'm thinking of renting an Amsterdam apartment with friends for a week and just chill 'at home'. I think that would be way more relaxing then knowing I have people around watching me in a Hostel or Hotel.

[Hardlyrob]

Amsterdam is my favorite city! Been there a few times, and always try to fly through there when going to Europe.

Great advice all around about not renting a car, museums, red light, street food etc.

Go see the flower market - the one in town, and the commercial one near Schipol - really cool how the global flower trade works through Amsterdam

For a place to stay check out Vacation Rental by Owner VRBO® is Vacation Rentals By Owner We've used them several times - Scotland, France, Italy and it has worked out perfectly each time.

Definitely try the Indonesian food - the best I have had is Tempo Doeloe

Enjoy

Rob

[Michael White]

Speaking of restaurants, the past few times I've been to Amsterdam I've relied very heavily on this wonderful vegetarian restaurant in the Jordaan. Extremely cheap and delicious. Not elegant, but very high quality.

Vliegende Schotel - Amsterdam Restaurant Review - Vegetarian Restaurant in Amsterdam's Jordaan Neighborhood

[lukasz]

...For a place to stay check out Vacation Rental by Owner VRBO® is Vacation Rentals By Owner We've used them several times - Scotland, France, Italy and it has worked out perfectly each time.

Great site! I'm looking for a place somewhere between the French border and Cinque Terre right now (well, either Cinque Terre or near the French border) and I've found a few possibilities.

[maunahaole]

Got back yesterday. Great trip, great city - I managed to hit a lot of the stuff that was suggested. Thanks again to all for the great tips. Even though it was cold and rainy for most of the time, we managed to still enjoy ourselves.

[joosttx]

Glad to read it was a fun time. Its a great city.

[turkish]

Me and my wife will be in Amsterdam for five days in July. I've found this thread very helpful.
Any update to these recommendations?

[s_curran]

Me and my wife will be in Amsterdam for five days in July. I've found this thread very helpful.
Any update to these recommendations?

We were there 2 months ago. The best thing you can do in Amsterdam is just walk around in my opinion, especially at night (and yes, the red light district). We ended up spending a decent amount of time at a bar called "Hoppe" (pretty sure) we thought it was touristy at first but loved it anyways, but in the end I dont think it was really a tourist spot. We ended up doing a free walking tour through Sandmans, it was the best we had done in europe, more of a cultural history. It was kind of cold and rainy while we were there, but still liked grabbing cheese and a beer on the river. "Winkel 43" for their version of apple pie and a coffee, maybe venture inland a bit to see where more people live, we found a bar we really liked: "De Blaffende Vis". Nothing super special or anything, but we just liked it.

Cheese, Cheese, CHEEESE...

Rijks Museum was awesome, really well done renovation, try not to spend your entire day in there though, but it is quite expensive. The magazine and Book shops in Amsterdam are simply the best, wish we could have carried more. Its real easy to spend a lot of money there, but the food is amazing, we were a bit limited budget wise compared to the other countries we visited.

Have fun, what a great city.

02_Amsterdam-1011444.jpg

[alexstar]

I just got back last week - we stayed on Amstelveenseweg by Vondelpark, nice area, lots of shops and restaurants. Our dinner at RON Gastrobar was excellent. The food and coffee everywhere were generally very good.
If you like art, then see the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum. Buy tickets in advance.
Public transit is excellent. Everybody speaks English.
Don't walk in the bike lanes.
This time of year there is lots of daylight - from 4:30 AM to 10:30 PM. The restaurants generally stay open late, which is nice.
Watch out for the mosquitos. They are no joke.

[maunahaole]

A really great tapas place, Pata Negra, on Utrechtstrasse, between the Prinsengracht and Freidriksplein (that's misspelled for sure). Menu in Dutch and Spanish and tricky to read. Tends to be crowded, but a local looking crowd.

Grab a drink a little up the street at cafe Krom. The bar is quiet and otherwise unexceptional, aside from the terrific vintage tube amped jukebox. It takes old money, they keep a can behind the bar, just ask. The owner has a lot of pride in it and will talk about it if you ask.

Stedilyk museum is worth the time. Modern, smaller than Rijks and manageable.

[turkish]

Great!

We will stay at the Zoku Amsterdam. They offer "lofts" instead of rooms and the building is very new (opened in April) and the rooftop terraces look great (I hope it doesn't rain)

[maunahaole]

Also, go seek out some good rice table. There are a couple spots on Utrechtstrasse that are good, but likely to be crowded. Best to get reservations in advance.

One thing that we didn't get a chance to do, but wished that we had is to grab the free ferry boat and check out the north side.

If you are going to do a canal boat, which is fun, get an open one and go on a nice day. The older ones look cool, but are cramped inside and really are not great for shooting pictures, as all the framework for the roof obstructs the sight lines. If you are tall, you will also certainly whack your head on something inside, too.

[dogrange]

If you like cigars, PGC Hajenius is a great store. It's in the central area on one of the big canals.

[lakeman77]

free wifi on all trains, get almost anywhere in 45 min. The Hague is very nice for a day trip.

[turkish]

If you like cigars, PGC Hajenius is a great store. It's in the central area on one of the big canals.

I was once a smoker. Now doctors tell me not to drink beer. What will be the next?

The plan is to have some quiet days and live the city, specially the terraces if the weather is fine.

[alexstar]

I was once a smoker. Now doctors tell me not to drink beer. What will be the next?

The plan is to have some quiet days and live the city, specially the terraces if the weather is fine.

Last week was generally cloudy with some sun at times. There was some rain on two separate days, with one major thunderstorm one night. Temperatures were between 17 and 24 degrees. July should be drier but I would still bring an umbrella or a rain jacket just in case.

[pdmtong]

Even if you don't think you like art, go at least to the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum. These are world class museums.

if you don't want to death march the Rijk just get to the last room with the 7 or so Rembrandts. And make sure you look at the Vermeers.

[maunahaole]

There's some cool furniture and stuff in the upper reaches of the Rijk. Agree on the Rembrandt room, the space where they have them is impressive.

[pdmtong]

There's some cool furniture and stuff in the upper reaches of the Rijk. Agree on the Rembrandt room, the space where they have them is impressive.

yes, it is mind blowing how large some of those paintings are. and don't forget they had to make their own brushes and paint - no running down to aaron brothers or the local craft store for a tube.