Amsterdam: College Student's Heaven

Amsterdam is a fantastic city to wind down a European trip! It's laid-back and fun, and you can find something to do at almost any hour of the day - but try to avoid the Red Light District after dark. Walking around the city is so entertaining, and you can shop until your wallet is empty. Little markets spring out of nowhere, and there are vendors selling everything from flowers to henna tattoos in every square!

Canal tours are a wonderful option. They give you a view of the city without having to do any work of your own! They usually last an hour or so and give you a great introduction to Amsterdam, because the city is built around the canals.

Quick Tips:

If you do take a canal tour, they usually have an association with other tourist sites and will have coupons for those places.

Best Way To Get Around:

Unless you have driven in Amsterdam before, DO NOT rent a car! The streets are tiny and difficult to navigate in an automobile. Rent a bike - then you can see the city like a true native! Otherwise, public transportation and walking are good options, because Amsterdam is a very compact city.

From its name, you wouldn't guess that the Flying Pig takes lodging as seriously as it does. But being one of the largest hostels in Amsterdam is hard work! Even with all that work, the Pig still knows how to make your stay fun.

The Flying Pig has two locations, one near the Vondelpark and one on the beach. Both fill up fast, but we managed to get a spot at the Vondelpark location. When we got to our room, we were a bit disappointed, as we were right next to the bar. We had nothing to worry about, though, as we hardly ever heard a peep from the bar. The soundproofing was amazing!

This hostel is great. We shared a room with six other people and had our own lockers. Each room also has its own bathroom with a show, which is cleaned daily. A small breakfast is included with your stay - it's just toast and jam with juice or coffee, but enough to tide you over until lunch. The staff is quite friendly and knowledgeable, and there is always someone on duty. If you need staff to let you in after-hours, you just have to buzz.

The Flying Pig has a small bar in its basement, which is the only real area to lounge. During the day, the area is a comfy hangout, with pillows, books, and a television. At night, the bar has great drink specials and amazing bartenders. They also bring in a DJ a few nights a week.

The Flying Pig costs a Euro or two more a night than other hostels, but it is well worth it! Visit the Flying Pig website to view photos and make reservations.

My traveling partner and I decided to do a bike tour in Amsterdam, since the city is made for bicycling! We had already done a tour with Mike's Bikes in Munich and loved it, so we thought we'd try again in Amsterdam.

Mike's tour is just as much fun in Amsterdam! It's a relatively slow-paced ride, they say if you can ride a bike, you can keep up with the tour. You get a battered old one-speed cruiser bike to ride on, which is the most popular bike in Amsterdam, anyway.

The tour guide takes you through most of the city center, doling out small tidbits along the way. Did you know that prostitutes in the windows of the Red Light District have their own union? Along the way, you get to go up Amsterdam's "one" hill - it's about 50 feet long.

After the city center, we were taken out into the countryside, which was a pleasant 10- or 15-minute cruise. The tour stops at a windmill, which isn't very exciting, and then moves on to a cheese and clog factory. You are shown how both are made, and given the chance to sample and buy cheese and other goods.

Overall, Mike's Bike Tour is a pleasant journey, although I wish it would have lasted a bit longer!

Walking into the theater of Boom Chicago is just like walking into an American dinner theater. If you are homesick or just looking to meet some other tourist from the U.S., this is the place to go in Amsterdam.

Boom Chicago is a comedy team that has relocated itself from, well, Chicago. They've expatriated from the U.S. and gotten themselves a pretty big theater on the main square in Amsterdam, and they've done well with it.

The comedy team does shows every night, and twice on weekend nights. The players change every evening, so the show never gets dull. There are also several different shows throughout the week, from a political theme to totally improv.

Boom Chicago has put together a brilliant show. They get the audience involved with a mix of improv and script. When we visited, the show was almost entirely political, but they change it up on a regular basis.

Food and alcoholic beverages for an extra cost with the show. Dinner starts an hour or so before the show, but you can also get appetizers during. The drinks are great - you can get a beer or a frou-frou, girlish drink that tastes delicious! You are seated at a table in the theater, so there is no need to worry about spills if you order something to eat or drink.

If you're looking for a hearty, culturally-twisted laugh, Boom Chicago is the show to see! Visit the Boom Chicago website for details.

Netherlanders really like their sex. Prostitution is legal (and unionized!). Just walk into the Red Light District and you'll see things that you never knew existed. But the Sex Museum is perhaps the best examples of the fascination in all of Amsterdam.

For all the hubbub and jokes, the Sex Museum actually takes the subject very seriously. There is a "Sex through History" exhibit, with information that dates back thousands of years. They have myriads of sculptures of naked men and women, but the origins of each and every one are explained. The sex museum is not just there to look at; it's there to learn from, too!

There is a small section that isn't for everyone. It's sort of a fetish explanation area, and some things can get pretty intense and/or disgusting. If you are faint of heart, I wouldn't recommend going into this room!

Overall, the Sex Museum was a fun and unusual experience. My travel partner thought that it would be trashy and not worth it, but she agreed that she learned a lot! We spent about an hour at the museum, so it is well worth the 2€ we spent.