Amsterdam-Everything You Expected!

There definitely isn't a lack of things to do in Amsterdam.

• Heineken Brewery
• Anne Frank's House
• Canal cruise
• Red Light District
• Vondelpark
• Van Gogh Museum
• Bloemenmarkt Flower Market
• Sex Museum

Make sure you get a good map though!
You can get free printable maps here or in Adobe Acrobat form here.

Quick Tips:

Try going to Amsterdam when the weather is nice; choose your seasons wisely. It was a huge improvement when we came back to Amsterdam in September and walked around in the fall sun. In March, it was still fascinating but we felt like we were always cold. The winds can get very chilly and cut right through your clothes.

Best Way To Get Around:

Amsterdam, like most big cities, has an extensive transit system. If you arrive at the airport, you can take a train from there to Central Station. If you are already arriving by train, Central Station is conveniently located in relation to everything. There are buses and trams that stop out front in case you need to go further away. Anywhere you need to go you can reach by bus, train or tram. You can rent bikes if you like, but I wouldn't recommend it. Everyone rides bikes in Amsterdam and it's a cycling frenzy! Make sure you look carefully when crossing the streets - for cars and for bikes!

The reason we had picked the City Hostel Vondelpark was that in one of our guide books it said it had a kitchen, which it didn''t. Our private room was $70 Canadian, which was one set of bunkbeds and a private bathroom. The room itself was a bit sterile and stuffy and we found it hard to sleep with all the school groups running and screaming in the halls. The location was great and in close walking distance to everything. Breakfast of meat, rolls, cheese and fruit is included. They have a cafe that serves food in the evenings and a TV lounge.

If you are interested in a private room, make sure to book early. It fills up months in advance due to the school groups.

Here is their webpage.

We had to come back to Amsterdam to fly out and decided to spend a few additional days. We chose the Amstel Botel, which is a large moored boat, because of their reasonable prices-$86-$92 Canadian a night. (That''s reasonable for Amsterdam!)

It is located right by Central Station which is handy for when you leave, you can take a train to another country or to the airport. Rooms have TVs and you can get breakfast for a small fee. If we were to stay there again, I would pay the extra for the canal side and try to get a room on the top floor. It being a boat, you can often hear people walking above you. Book in advance as Amsterdam tends to always be full due to it being a major hub.

Their webpage is located here.

Amsterdam is an expensive city and it's nice to find places that have good food for reasonable prices.

The Pancake Bakery is located about 400m from the Anne Frank house, so it might be handy if you are in the neighbourhood.

They serve over 70 different kinds of thin, Dutch pancakes from sweet to savory. Samples of some are:
Pancake of the Canaries-Fried bananas, banana liquor, ice cream and whipped cream.
The Canadian-Bacon, onions, mushrooms, ham, cheese.
Indonesian-Chicken in peanut sauce.

They also have all the standard ones like apple, pineapple etc.
It's making my stomach growl just typing this!

If you are going to anything in Amsterdam, visit the Heineken Brewery!

It is the best $1.50 you will ever spend. You get the tour and half way through, they give you a small cup of beer. You think, "Great, free sample but is this all?!" Don't despair, after the tour is over your guide will lead you down a corridor and through a door into a Heineken pub! There, for the next hour, you can have all the Heineken you can drink. The minute your glass is empty, a waitress will set another one in front of you. Plus, they have cheese platters on every table and you will get a Heinekin glass if it is your birthday.

Need I remind you all this for $1.50?!

There must be some kind of catch, you say. Well, there isn't but go early and get your tickets. If the next tour is at 11am, there is no way you will get tickets by going 15 minutes before. What we did is stopped by and got them at 9am for the 11am tour before going to the museum.

Because we were in Amsterdam and were walking past this Sex Museum, we thought we should go in. It cost about $4.50 and was good for a laugh. All in all though, it was pretty cheesy. There are 3 seven foot penis chairs that vibrates, as well as a section on sex freaks, and cases of sex knick knacks, for lack of a better word! While being slightly disturbing, it is Amsterdam and it will give you something to write home about!

We were wandering around Amsterdam, trying to find the Red Light district. Let me tell you, we sure knew when we found it! There were rows and rows of windows with red lights above them and women in lingerie sitting in them. It almost made you feel embarassed for looking but they would look you right in the eye. Sort of a weird feeling. Beside them, in their cubes, were beds. They would close their curtains when they were...conducting their business. Also in the area are a lot of "coffee shops", shops selling pipes and things like that. A warning to note is that this area is not all that safe at night. The police patrol it in the day but not after midnight. I would go in the day and avoid it after dark.

The Bloemenmarkt is a series of flower stalls set up along the canal. Most of the shops specialize in tulip bulbs you may not be able to find in your country. The stands also have a huge selection of cut flowers and somewhat cheap looking souvenirs. If you are looking for bulbs, definitely stop by -- if you aren't, it's not a major draw.

A tip if you do buy bulbs. Make sure you buy ones that come with a certificate or you may find yourself having a bit of trouble bringing them back into your country. We had certificates and Agriculture Canada just took a quick look. They may be confisicated without the paperwork.

The canal cruise that we took was interesting in the beginning but after an hour, I got a bit bored. Our guide just steered the boat and played a prerecorded tape. My boyfriend on the other hand, fell asleep due to the beer at the Heineken factory earlier that day.

I would recommend taking a short one. I think ours was about 2.5 hours and too long. Getting a guide that is interesting is a big part of that. We couldn't ask questions due to ours being prerecorded.