You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Hi, heading to Amsterdam with my partner early Friday morning till late Sunday evening.
Other than hanging-out in coffee shops which no doubt will be part of it, has anyone got any recommendations?
We like the idea of visiting the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum - has anyone got any advice on booking ahead / skip the line type thing?
Also thinking about doing an Escape game, canal tour (maybe with lunch?), walks (so which neighborhoods are worth checking out?), anything quirky / fun - also recommended bars / ares for post meal drinking?
I've been plenty of times before on stag-do's / group holidays so looking for something a bit different this time.
Thanks
Nonetheless, Greenhouse: Temple Balls.
Van Kerkwijk (spl?) In the Nes is a good lunchroomega. No menu or bookings, though.
In de Wildemaan (again, spl?) for beer
Oh, and bikes. Hire bikes. It really is the only way to get around.
Rijksmuseum is amazing, I don't remember any queues and at this time of year should be fine. Don't try to do the whole thing!
Van Gogh museum is excellent - and not so enormous that it's overwhelming. Rijksmuseum is a bit like the Louvre in that you feel like you have to see everything, which is impossible.
Walks round the Jordaan area.
If you're interested in photography it's worth checking out if there is anything good in FOAM.
Bikes - watch out for them!
Bubblegum, AK47, White widow, afghan perhaps....
Van Gogh museum is worth a visit, as is Anne Frank's house, though make sure you book the latter as the queues are very long.
We had cracking food at Satatouille which does simple, tasty stuff and also had a great meal at De Kas.
The best thing we did though was just wander, it's a great city and we liked stumbling on things rather than being too planned.
Got a meal booked for De Kas on the Friday night
Barneys for belreakfast and some tangerine dream, hire some bikes go for a ride around Vondelpark
Hire Bikes
Beer
http://www.10best.com/destinations/netherlands/amsterdam/nightlife/brew-pubs/
Wilderman, Zotte and Gollum. Much more fun than the cafe's IMHO, great friendly locals
Gollem’s Proeflokaal is a great bar with loads of decent Belgian beer. Worth checking out after a walk through Vondelpark.
I hired a pedalo last time I went. It was a nice way to see the city. A little more isolated from the crowds which was nice after spending a little while in a café.
Try not to get lost and end up in the Amstell canal though. The boats are a little large to be pedaloing along side.
You must go for a wander around the red light district too - just for the experience.
You must go for a wander around the red light district too - just for the experience
Don't know why but both times I have been to the Dam I always get offered drugs whilst window shopping in the Red light district, I must have one of those faces.
We went last August and had fantastic weather, hire bikes are a must especially for a ride round the Vondelpark and out into the suburbs.
We stayed in a converted Tram Depot(Hoteal De Hallen) which I can definitely recommend, nice quiet neighbourhood but plenty of bars and eateries especially the De Hallen food hall next to the hotel full of different booths and bars selling all sorts of food and drink.
Van gogh museum was really good but long queues when we were there, you can pre book tickets for certain timed entry to avoid queueing just costs more £.
If your a cat lover a quick trip to De Poezenboot is worth while its a floating Cat sanctuary on a old barge.
http://depoezenboot.nl/en
I was there in August with the mrs
We bought the MuseumKaart for a couple of days - managed to see some truly extraordinary houses and museums that I'd never have found otherwise - FOAM was good also
Plus all the usual stuff
Don't bother with the hermitage - massively underwhelming on my visit
Heineken Experience a museum and beer all in one.
You must go for a wander around the red light district too - just for the experience
About the most depressing shit hole I visited, full of drunk & stoned Brits and Russians window shopping and sad tourists pointing at the windows. Hardly the best Amsterdam has to offer.
edit
Heineken Experience a museum and beer all in one.
After a night in the Gollum I doubt it compares
About the most depressing shit hole I visited, full of drunk & stoned Brits and Russians window shopping and sad tourists pointing at the windows. Hardly the best Amsterdam has to offer.
I didn't say it was the best, I said
You must go for a wander around the red light district too -[b] just for the experience[/b].
The red light district is a part of the experience of Amsterdam just like the art museums and coffee shops.
The red light district is a part of the experience of Amsterdam just like the art museums and coffee shops.
Yep just felt exploitative and full of the sort of people I didn't want to meet. Had no interest in going to point either. Similar to going the wrong way into some UK city centres.
Well had a great few days in Amsterdam -thanks for all the tips - ended up:
Friday
Checked in at Hotel Sir Albert which was pretty swish (bottomless complementary Prosecco in reception) - was in an area called De Pijp, so much nicer than the central areas.
Recommended to go for lunch at a place called Coffee and Coconuts - super hip place with gorgeous whole foods, in an old cinema where every table sported a Macbook
Mooched around De Pijp and ended up in a coffee shop 🙂
In the evening went to restaurant De Kas - loved this place, a taxi journey out of the city but its an old 1920's style greenhouse/conservatory where they grow their own veg around you. No menu, just pay your money and get whatever the chef has in that day (highly recommended)
Saturday
Nipped over the road for breakfast in a little patisserie
Went on a walking tour in the morning - specifically picked one with small numbers - with a guy called Rob who runs That Dam Guide
Wandered round the red light in the afternoon and took in a show and had fun (Ms Yosh likened the peep show to watching a kebab spin)
In the evening we went on a cruise..I say cruise, 10 of us with another American guy who runs Those Dam, Boat Guys - 10 of us on an open boat, luckily he brought flasks of mulled wine and blankets, another thoughtful chap brought many litres of IPA that he'd bought from a craft shop that afternoon, similarly some Italians didn't stop skinning up and passing it around - I loved this, so much more fun that those big glass enclosed boats you see
Saturday evening we went to an Italian in the Jordan area and found ourselves in a small room surrounded by Bill Turnbul, Mark Austin and other BBC news people
Sunday
Morning was supposed to be breakfast at Bakers and Roasters but they were queuing out of the door so ended up having a leisurely couple of hours at Coffee and Coconuts again
After that we went to the Van Gogh museum with the remaining few hours spent drinking and smoking.
A good weekend all round!
Going around the Red light district in the afternoon was probably your best decision: it really changes from "blackpool seedy" to something very seedy/not friendly when the sun goes down and the hard-drug dealers trying to get your attention at every alleyway.