We're planning on going to Amsterdam for 10 days next Easter.?
Answers:
Contact the Nederlands Tourist Office over here. They'll give you loads of help, and more importantly, sell you travel (tourist/cheap!) tickets. As well as all the usual haunts, you really WILL find something of interest round almost every corner. You'll be hard put to get lost there as everything in the centre radiates more or less from the Centraal station round three concentric canals with all the hundreds of bridges, lots of them lit up after dark. Take a good camera with you! Also, as you're going in early spring, the trees will just be bursting into leaf - it's a wonderful sight.
In case you haven't guessed, I've been there several times, usually for twelve night stays - the first one was for four nights and I was hooked! Even if you happen to wander into the red-light district by mistake, you'll not come to any harm and I doubt you'll even be offended. They're much too civilised for that. Almost everybody speaks English to quite a high standard, so you'll have no problem there either. As you're there for quite a while, unless you want to live in museums, think seriously about going to some of the other places in the Netherlands. Again, the tourist office will supply you with maps and railway timetables (and tickets in advance if you work out an itinery). As well as the usuals like Rotterdam, The Hague etc there's loads of other pretty little towns and villages you can get to quickly by train, and you can set your watch by their trains! Also, you can have a day out to Brussels and/or Antwerp while you're so close to them - even Brussels is only about two and a half hours by train, and I even used Amsterdam as a base for days to Cologne, Bonn etc - as you can see, it's a very handy place!
Even if you just stay in Ams and spend the time walking around and 'doing' the museums and galleries, you'll still fall in love with it over there. (What makes you think that I did!) Anyway, I've no need to wish you a lovely time - I KNOW you'll have a great time there. Best wishes.
Buy a pound of pot. Smoke. Enjoy.
Visit the Leidseplein, the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, take a stroll through Vondel Park, and maybe a short train ride out to the country for lunch or dinner in one of the cafes.
The Heineken Museum is great for a half-day visit and will also keep kids entertained.
Madame Tussauds in Dam Square.
Rijksmuseum - but can get a bit boring!
A trip on a canal boat - great when you've done too much walking and want to rest your feet.
There are also some good markets on during the week.
Check out some websites (http://www.holland.com/amsterdam/gb/). for concerts and festivals, there's usually loads going on.
i dont know anything about the Red Light District but if you came there for shoppping its not really good to go for clothes there.you should stay in Tilburg..its easy there almost everyone knows english even taxi drivers and so its easy to get around.But i dont think you should ask in yahoo answers in your hotel maybe you should get info there..Is it a major hotel or just an inn?? I think you should ask the hotel thats what my family always does..they give you best spots and theme parks or anything you are interested in.
I lived close by for a few years. In no particular order..
1. The Rijksmuseum.
2. Canal boat trip.
3. Anne Frank house (get there early unless you want to queue all day).
4. Walk round the Jordaan.
5. Floating flower market.
I been to all those and really enjoyed them but I admit that I also spent a lot of time in 'cafes' as well and that may have effected my judgement. It's a great place, you'll find loads to do.
I know you said no to the red light district but if you get the chance (without the kids) it really is worth a look. The architecture is really nice and it is all incredibly odd.
Just remembered,
6. Pancakes at the Pancake Bakery on Prinsengracht.
Haarlem is a loveley town/suburb of Amsterdam.
The Anne Frank museum is pretty interesting.
A walk up and down the Jordaan is amazing (Amsterdams answer to Chelsea.) great little cafes etc.
Family holiday aside, the Red light district is a great place to visit in the daytime, nothing like it + if you walk Amsterdam its hard to avoid so I feel better hit head on! And at the far side is the Chinese Quarter with great food!!
If you have a car you can drive out past Beverwijk to the beach - not the Maldives but a nice walk - especially in the winter.
Enjoy!
I have been to Amsterdam, you have a few good answers here for you, but the most moving for me was Anne Frank's house. Again, as mentioned by another, go early. I studied Judaism at school but was not aware as to how this house would affect me. Truly moving.
you can hire a bike and cycle to the windmills on the outskirts of town.
go on the boat trip.
Anne franks house is really interesting.
walk through the red light district minus the kids just to see it is a very bizarre experience.
see van goghs sunflowers.
shopping.
so much to do.
enjoy your hols.
:-)
Check out this site nearer to the time to see if there are any events/shows on, like the flower parade etc www.timeout.com/amsterdam.
I spent time there when I was a child and I remember going to a mini village, you know like a whole village but tiny, good fun with kids. They also had Lego Land there back then but not too sure it's still there now. There are also some good places near the harbour. I remember going into some alley of small shops and doing some pottery in one of them, still got the vase 20 years on.
The trains are pretty good, so travel to the neighbouring towns. If you have some time you could see if there is anybody good playing at the arena in Rotterdam. Some English artists do concerts there, I saw Robbie Williams there a fews years ago.
Don't worry about the red light district, you can avoid it as it is on one side of a canel, but the other side also has a few pot cafes and men asking on the streets if you want any drugs so I'd be careful with your kids.
Try the Yahoo travel guide as well, some good info on that.
All of the above, plus take a daytrip by train to for instance Gouda or Delft, much more compact and less touristy old cities, or Utrecht, with much nicer (though less of them) canals. Trains are good and distances are short, so the kids will also enjoy the ride!
Lucky you! Amsterdam is a fantastic place!
Especially in the Spring! (although take an umbrella coz when it rains there, it REALLY rains!)
Everything is within walking distance really, but the trams are much quicker and great fun. Although Amsterdam is ideal for just wandering around and exploring.
Spend a day in the museum quarter, Rijksmuseum, Van gogh Museum, Modern Art museum.
And the Diamond factories!
Take a canal trip.
Go to Anne Franks House.
Artis Zoo is OK.I didn't think much of the standards though, I've seen happier, healthy animals in other zoos!
Waterlooplein with Rembrandt's House and the Jewish museums is great.
Jordaan district is really lovely with great little cafes tucked away.
Travel out of Amsterdam to Harrlem, or Delft.
Eindhoven is one of my fave places in the world! And really beautiful scenery. Hire bikes and explore!
Visit the tulip fields as they'll be amazing that time of year.
Ohhhh, so much else you must see.
Get a copy of Dorling Kindersley Amsterdam travel guide. It will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know and more.
Just don't lend it to anyone or you'll never get it back. :-(
I would recommend:
- taking a canal trip
- checking out the flower market
- the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum
- trying the dutch beers
Here is a panoramic photo from my recent trip there: http://www.360travelguide.com/idisp.asp?.
Have a great time.
Wow ten days is a long time to spend in such a small city! It's a nice place but it's true that the main things to do aren't exactly family entertainment. I was there two weeks ago and it's lovely but I would have thought you'd struggle to amuse yourselves for 5 days, let alone 10.
You should definitely look at doing excursions out of the city. If I were you I'd buy a Holland guide and see where you could visit nearby.
Unfortunately in the dam you will come across the red light district and when i was there i saw loads of families walking around there! Also every other shop is a cafe and its so easy to loose yourself around there, every street looks the same and one wrong turn and you are slap bang in the middle of ladies 'working'.
I would go to the Anne Frank's house and the life museum, also the art museum is excellent. The shopping centre is also good if you want to shop but it is expensive! I would also take to the canals and have a tour of the Dam that way, you can make a day of that as they provide drinks and meals on board. It may be worth while going to neighbouring towns too if u want to see windmills and tulip gardens. Its so easy to get around too, the trams, bike hire or walking- however if you do opt to walk pedestrians have no right of way so be on the look out for mad cyclists and policemen on tricycles!
Its an amazing place and its a real cosmopolitan city you just have to keep an open mind!
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