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31/03/05 (495 review reads) |
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Advantages: Multi-cultural, Compact City, Easy to get around
Disadvantages: Whiffs of Cannabis can give you headaches!
Amsterdam is an absolutely unique city. It is vibrant, a treasure trove of extraordinary artistic riches and a living history of the last 900 years!
As a quick break to celebrate our anniversary, my husband and I decided to head to Amsterdam. Neither of us had been before to tour and we were looking forward to a relaxing break from our busy lives.
We took an early Monday morning flight with KLM. The flight was on time, smooth and quick.
From the Schiphol airport you can either take a taxi into Amsterdam (appox. 25-30 Euros) or take the train to Central Station (3.30 Euros one way). We decided on the later as we had time to spare before we could check into the hotel. We got our tickets quickly (Two ways- 1- If you have Euro change you can buy them for the vending machine or 2- Stand in line to buy your tickets- This is the way we did it.) We got on the train at the tail end of rush hour. However, the train was very clean and got us to Amsterdam in 15 minutes.
Once in Amsterdam we headed straight to the V V V. This is the Amsterdam Tourist Board. Here you will find free maps and leaflets on just about everything- including walks, canal tours, sights, exhibitions, transport and accommodation. The staff is multi-lingual (as is most of Amersterdam) and will give you advice, change money, arrange excursions, book tickets and hotels. We bought the "I AMsterdam" 72 hour card.
There are three types of "I AMsterdam" cards
- 24 hour- 33 Euros,
48 hours- 43 Euros and
72 hours- 53 Euros).
With it you get Public Transport tickets (Trams, buses and Underground) for free. It entitles you to free admission to almost all the city's famous museums.
Free admission
* Allard Pierson Museum
*Museum Amstelkring
*Amsterdam Diamond Group
* Museum van Loon
*Amsterdams Historisch Museum
*Museum Willet Holthuysen
*Bijbels Museum
*Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum
* Rembrandthuis Museum
*De Nieuwe Kerk
*Stedelijk Museum CS
*De Oude Kerk
*Stichting de Appel
*FOAM Fotomuseum Amsterdam
*Theatermuseum
*Holland Casino
*Tropenmuseum
*Hortus Botanicus
*Van Gogh Museum
*Huis Marseille
*Rijksmuseum - The Masterpieces
*Joods Historisch Museum
*Verzetsmuseum
*Molen van Sloten
*Woonbootmuseum
*Hermitage van Amsterdam
*Museum Het Schip
*Free Canal Cruise
* Rederij Noord-Zuid or Holland International
Other free items
* Croquette roll van Dobben
* Glass of liqueur at De Drie Fleschjes
* Cup of coffee in Restaurant La Place
* Five postcards Cafe Ristretto Magna Plaza
In addition, many restaurants and attractions give 25 percent discount.
*Ajax ArenA Tour
*Artis
*Boom Chicago
*Canalbus
*Candlelight-Wine cruise Holland International
*Holland Experience 3D Movie Theatre
*Cheese (Magna Plaza)
*Key Tours Excursions
*Madame Tussaud's Amsterdam
*MacBike
*Museum boat Rederij Lovers
*Zoom Walking Tours
*Amsterdam Information Package
*Water bikes Canalbike
25% discount restaurants
*Anubis
*Brasserie De Poort
*Dakota's Café & Bar - Schiphol Airport
*Memories of India
* La Madonna
* La Madonnina
* Madre Maria
* Panagia
* Restaurant Damsteeg
* Restaurant Selecta
* Restaurant-café In de Waag
* The Pancake Bakery
You get a nice Guide book with all the free and discounted places in it as well as a good city map.
I highly recommend getting this card as it well paid for itself while we were there.
While at the V V V, we also booked a Dinner Cruise for one night.
Even if your hotel is not in the centre of Amsterdam, it is not hard to get around with the tram service. Our hotel was a bit out of Amsterdam and we could get to the centre in about 10-15 minutes on the tram which came around about every 10 minutes.
While there these are the things that we did.
Walking/Exploring- This is a favourite past-time of ours and Amsterdam is an easy one to do this in. Make sure you have some good walking shoes and a good map and away you go. It is not too hard and you won't get lost. All streets are very clearly marked and the locals are very helpful. There are benches along the canal which make it lovely to sit and watch the world go by. My favourite past-time was to sit on the benches along the canal and way to the people in the tour boats going by. I loved seeing how many people I could get to wave at me. I had only one boat of people I waved to that didn't wave back.
Shopping- You can do shopping here and this is something we did do. Amsterdam is the Mecca of diamonds. There are diamond places all over the place. Some VERY expensive. We found some lovely deals on diamonds in some antique shops along Spiegelstratt! This is a definite must area to go to for shopping! We also explored a out door markets including the flower market. Even though I didn't buy any flowers, it was gorgeous to see and lovely to smell! The Albert Cuypmarkt is a large outdoor market. Very similar to many outdoor markets in England. But, you still can find some great buys. I got 2 beautiful scarves that I have never seen in England. You can also get Cuban cigars for much cheaper than you can in England. My husband found the prices were the same in Euros as they are in £. He had to get a couple of boxes.
Dinner Cruise- On the evening of our anniversary, we took a 2 1/2 hour dinner cruise along the canals with Holland International. It cost 69 Euros each and included a 5 course meal:
Starter- A combination of Roseval potato with sour cream dressing, served with smoked salmon and chopped spring onion.
Entree- Tortellini, served in a cream sauce prepared with fresh green herbs with celery, parsley, grated parmesan cheese and sour cream.
Main- Braised rouleau of poultry prepared with fresh herbs served with a mint potato puree, roasted winter vegetables and a soy sauce
Dessert- Chocolate truffle cake served with sesame seed caramel sauce
Closing- Coffee or tea with cookies and a glass of Amaretto
On the table- Fresh cut French bread with butter and herb butter
On boarding we were given a glass of champagne and from then on all the wine we could drink!
Just a word of warning. The tables sit 4. So, you may not get a table just to yourself. However, we were put with a lovely London couple who we got on with very nicely and it made the evening even better.
Amsterdam is beautiful at night!
Day Canal Cruise- This hour long canal cruise takes you through many of the canals and gives you a very good history of the city. (8.50 Euros- Free with I Amsterdam card)
Houseboat Museum- There are around 2,500 houseboats in Amsterdam. This real houseboat on the canal gives visitors a good idea of what this special lifestyle is. (3 Euros- Free with I Amsterdam Card)
Van Gogh Museum- Contains the largest collection of Van Gogh work. Lovely place to view Van Gogh's work! Get there at opening time- 10:00 AM to avoid the worst of crowds! (10 Euros- Free with I Amsterdam Card)
Holland Casino- Here is a mini version of a Las Vegas casino. We spent a few hours here and won a little. Drinks are not free here- darn! But, a nice place all the same. (3.50 entrance fee- Free with I Amsterdam Card)
Coster Diamonds- The 1/2 hour tour is interesting to see them cutting diamonds and how it is done. You must go through their shops at the end. However, I find jewellery to be works of art in themselves. (Free)
Heineken Experience- This former brewery now hosts a tour and tells the story of Holland's most famous brewery. Included with the tour are a couple of "rides", 3 free beers (soft drinks if you prefer.) and a free gift at the end of the tour (Heineken Glass). This was an enjoyable couple of hours. I am glad we did it. (10 Euros- includes 3 free drinks and a gift)
Food and Drink- There is such a diverse selection of food and drinks in this city. Think of ANY country and their food and you will be able to find a restaurant that caters to it! Amazing! We ate mostly along Leidsepleln. This is a few stops from the Train station with a lovely little square, outdoor sitting, pubs and restaurants.
Redlight District- We only walked through it during the day time. As we passed the "cafes" I got a horrible headache from the smoke coming from them. I guess that is just not my thing.
Amsterdam is a lovely place to visit. There is a variety of things to do and see. We went during the middle of the week and found that the crowds were not too bad. However, we have been warned that weekends are VERY crowded. With cheap flights, many Brits have their Hen Parties and Stag Dos here. Just be aware of this if you really want a nice quiet time or a loud, wild time. I also found that there were A LOT of Americans around. This did surprise me. However, I found the Dutch and the English to be the loudest and wildest. (Brit husband found the same thing.)
Amsterdam is truly a UNIQUE place!
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Purdypops - 14/01/06 We havent been to Amsterdam in AGES - your review reminded me what a great place it is! Heather |
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