A really awesome place for a long weekend (Amsterdam)

Member Name: millwallcris1885

Product:	Amsterdam
Date:	06/11/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great cycling, museums, shooping, coffeeshops and bars

Disadvantages: A bit pricey

Getting there

Like us, the majority of visitors from the UK arrive in Amsterdam by plane. On this occasion we flew with BA from London City airport and had no problems with the service at all. London to Amsterdam is one of the shortest flights I have ever taken, lasting no more than 40 minutes. Basically enough time for a drink and a sandwich and that's it!
The city of Amsterdam is served by Schippol airport, which is located about 15km south of the city centre. The airport is linked to Amsterdam city centre by a quick and easy train service. The trains depart from a station situated in the basement of the airport terminal with trains running every 15 minutes to Amsterdam Centraal Station. A return fare cost us 12 Euros each, which I thought was a bit pricey (but still much cheaper than a taxi if there is only 2 of you!)
Despite the price it was very convenient and only 60 minutes after landing we had left the train and were walking through Dam Square.

Where to stay

Our hotel was located right in the city centre only a 2 minute walk from Dam Square. This meant that all of Amsterdam's top attractions were within easy reach.
The hotel was called The Citadel and cost 80 Euros per night for a double room. The room was quite compact but came with en-suite bathroom and satellite TV. Included in the price was a Continental breakfast buffet serving fresh breads, ham, cheese, eggs, cereal, fruit, yoghurt, tea, coffee and hot chocolate. All in all I thought the hotel was great value and would definitely recommend them if you are looking for a good 3star bargain.

What to do

Rent a bike and explore

Amsterdam is fundamentally geared towards cyclists. Its comprehensive network of cycle paths mean you can zip around town feeling safe and protected from traffic and wandering pedestrians. With no underground train system, it's a really handy way to get around the city.
I paid 8 Euros for a 4 hour hire period, although the rate gets considerably better if you book for longer periods. I was also required to leave a credit card imprint as a deposit.
I cycled round the city centre taking in the Joordan district, Waterlooplein, the old Jewish quarter, the Red Light District and a number of nice parks. Its really a great way to see the whole city. One complete circuit round town took me about an hour and I did get slightly lost at one point. After that I headed southwest and found the Vondelpark, which is a lovely landscaped park with nice smooth cycle paths. It seemed like there were less tourists and more Dutch people in this area, which was good. It was great to escape the traffic and was a really invigorating and refreshing experience.

The Anne Frank House and Museum

Tucked away in the west side of Amsterdam is the house where Anne and the Frank family went into hiding during World War 2. During her time in the house, Anne kept a diary which was published by her father following Anne's death in the Auschwitz concentration camp. The house showcases the actual living quarters where the family lived their secretive existence, desperately trying to evade capture by the Nazi's. As well as the original house there are also exhibits and video presentations, which bring home the horror of the holocaust in sobering detail.

Admission to the House and Museum is 8.50 Euros for adults and 4 Euros for children.


Peddle Boat

Another way to peddle your way around the city is to rent a pedlo. These small peddle powered boats are a great way to see the city and explore its vast network of canals. As you saunter along the waterways you will encounter tour boats, narrow barges and even people in their houseboats, so keep your wits about you and remember to give way to bigger boats. That being said, it is a very relaxing way to see the city (unless you rent the boat with someone determined to leave the majority of the peddling to you, then its just knackering!).
There are numerous companies that rent these peddle boats and you won't have any trouble finding them along the banks of the canals. One thing to bare in mind is that you will have to give a fairly chunky deposit to cover the period of rental (usually about 50 Euros). At about 20 Euros for 2 hour hire, it's a bit more expensive than renting a bike, but the views more than make up for this.


The Van Gogh Museum

This museum is definitely worth the trip, but be warned it gets INCREDIBLY busy. The museum has 3 floors with 1 entire floor dedicated to Van Gogh's work. I'm not a massive art fan but I enjoyed my visit to the Van Gogh museum. I found that the vibrancy and urgency of Van Gogh's work is so engaging that it doesn't matter if you're not an aspiring art critic. The paintings are still engaging and entertaining. My favourite painting was Van Gogh's Crow's Over Cornfield.
As well as his paintings, the museum documents Van Gogh's life in detail. Audio commentary tours are also available for about 5Euros per person, but having already paid 12 Euros each to get in, we didn't bother with these.
The museums other 2 floors are dedicated to Dutch painters of the 17th, 18th and 19th century. I did enjoy looking at these paintings but there was a sense of anti-climax about them. Really I was in the Van Gogh museum to look at Van Gogh paintings and nothing else.

As I said it does get really busy and we found ourselves shuffling along behind an endless line of tourists like a conga line of penguins. It wasn't a problem for us but if you were travelling with children I think you would struggle to keep them occupied here.

All in all it is worth the visit, try and get there early to avoid the queues.

N.B. The Rijk Museum is supposed to be great as well but we ran out of time and didn't get there. Therefore I haven't included it in this review.


Spend the afternoon in a coffee shop

Many people go to Amsterdam and spend their whole visit sampling the many coffee shops the city has to offer. I have to say, that idea doesn't really appeal to me but we did spend an afternoon in the Abraxas coffee shop and had a really good time. As you would expect, it had a really relaxed and chilled out feel. I don't smoke and don't really like the feeling of smoking anything so instead we ordered some hash cake and hot chocolate which cost us about 8Euros each. They were both delicious but also quite potent, so if your not used to the affects of marijuana, make sure you take it easy with these tasty treats. At about 4pm we left Abraxas and went back to our hotel, fell asleep and didn't wake up until after 11 that night!


Where to Eat

At lunch time you can't go wrong with any of the countless bakeries that are scattered throughout the city. The fresh baguettes and pastries are exquisite, if a tad pricey (one place tried to charge me 3 Euros for a single donut!). Make sure you can see the prices before you order, or just ask.

Amsterdam has an eclectic mixture of international cuisine on offer. Due to its Holland's colonial past, there is quite a large Indonesian population in the Netherlands today. There are loads of great Indonesian restaurants in the centre of town offering delicious, spicy foods which I found to be like a cross between Thai and Chinese cooking.

There are also a great number of Argentinean steakhouses around town, some good, some not so good. Unless your on a serious budget I would steer clear of anywhere offering the 10 Euro tourist special menu.

Amsterdam is a fairly pricey city and eating out is no exception. Expect to pay a minimum of 20 Euros for a drink and a main course.


My Verdict

Amsterdam is the ideal place to spend a chilled out long weekend. Only a 40 minute flight from London, and with great transport links from the airport, getting there couldn't be easier.
There are loads of things to keep you amused, the above list being just a small selection. Other attractions worth mentioning are the Amsterdam Dungeons, the flower market, the Rijk museum, the Heineken Experience, the countless bars and coffee shops. The list goes on!
Despite its slightly seedy reputation, Amsterdam is a very picturesque city and I could happily spend a day just wandering around taking photos or just soaking up the atmosphere.
We got a deal on Expedia which was for flights and 4 nights that worked out at £340 per person, so keep your eyes peeled for bargains.
It is quite expensive once you get there, and you'll need a sizeable wad of spending money, but despite this it remains one of my favourite cities.

Summary: Save up some cash and book it soon!