Amsterdam For A Night
On my trip in July of 2007, my wife and I had a stopover in Amsterdam. I had never been to Europe before so I was looking forward to checking out Amsterdam. Not that Amsterdam is the perfect representation of Europe, but it has that European look.
Getting There
I arrived around 3:30 PM to the Schiphol Aiport. This is a very new and modern airport. I was impressed as we walked through it. There are conveyer belt style escalators that work for people walking and those in wheelchairs.
We needed to get downtown so our plan was to take the train. At the baggage carousels there are machines to purchase tickets. Surprise, our North American debit cards and all of my credit cards (Mastercard, VISA, and American Express) did not work in the machine. It wanted a PIN for my credit cards like a cash advance, but I did not know it of course.
On to the upstairs. Near the main entrance there is an office for the public train. We purchased our tickets for around 3 Euros each. There are signs in the airport on where to get onto the train as well.
Amsterdam Central is the train stop you will want to get off at as a tourist. The train we were on from the airport was an express train and this was the only stop on it, so you had to get off. You get out and the North Sea Canal will be to the north. Called a canal, but it looks like a large bay or something. Walk across from the train to the south and you will find Damrak. This is the big street you can use as a reference point.
Damrak
Language
Dutch is their native language, but don't worry. Dutch people are some of the most language diverse people you will meet. They learn around 4 languages in school (English, German, French, Dutch) and their English is flawless really. You will have no problems getting around.
I found in the tourist area of Amsterdam, that is what they will start out with anyways. I did see a few menus for fast food places were in Dutch however, but you can take a good guess to the meaning anyways.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at a nice little hotel/hostel called Hotel Mallemoolen. I would definitely recommend it. It was less the 90 Euros per night when we booked and that got us a double room with a shower. The washroom was shared on the main level, but it worked out fine. There is also free internet in the lobby and breakfast is included.
It isn't even 100 yards from Amsterdam Central, so if you are looking to avoid taxi costs and such, then this is another big perk to this place.
The staff was quite friendly and were interested in helping us do what we wanted. Breakfast had cereals, meat, cheese, fruit, and variety of drinks.
Just a couple doors down are some restaurants and pubs that you can eat as well, if you don't feel like venturing far from your hotel. You will find a lot of places to eat almost anywhere in this area anyways.
Getting Around
We walked, but you can rent bikes or take the public buses. I shouldn't call them buses, they are called trams and run on electricity. They have big numbers on the front of them and most places will let you know what tram to take if you want to get there.
Canal Tour
This is a must. There are a number of companies offering this. We just walked down Damrak not even 50 yards from Amsterdam Central and purchased our tickets. Boats left every half hour when we were there. I don't remember the exact cost, but it might have been around 10 Euros.
Amsterdam Canal Tour
They offer quite a few combinations of canal cruises though. Dinner, cheese and wine, and other variations that might suit your taste.
Our boat went down a number of canals where we could see variety of architecture, a spot where you could see a number of bridges all in a row, old guard towers, famous districts, and into the North Sea canal. They guide was actually audio recordings that start when you get to the different important places.
Dam Square
If you walk farther on Damrak you will come to Dam Square. This is just a big open square with some neat buildings on each side. Walk down to do some shopping or take a few pictures. Below is a picture of the Royal Palace (old town hall) on one side of Dam Square.
Royal Palace On Dam Square
Anne Frank House
we did not get to see this. The lineups were ridiculous. Apparently the room is really small where she actually lived so not very many people can go in at a time. I think the lineup was over an hour when we were there.
Note: If you really want to see this, MAKE A RESERVATION. If you have a reservation, you can enter in a different entrance almost immediately. You can book online at the Anne Frank website. It is only 50 cents Euro more than the price you will pay at the door anyways. I believe you do have to pick the day and time you will be coming though. I bet you could do it from your hotel when you are there and then just walk over and it would be quicker.
Anne Frank House Lineup
Red Light District
This is funny, but you might not want to take your kids down there. Unless you want to give them a bit of an education of course. We saw one family down there with 2 little kids and the father was quickly explaining, "This only happens in Amsterdam." Maybe in the western world, haha.
We were told this would be easy to find, but we did have to ask before we got to it. It was just a couple streets to the east of our hotel's street, Warmoesstraat. There was a canal with streets on both sides and it was chalk full of sex shops and women standing in windows with the fluorescent lights there.
We were told to not stare when we there, because you would be harassed by the bouncers and such. This wasn't the case for us and we were even able to get a photo (which we were again told not to do), but it might depend on the night and how many people there are too.
Other Stuff
FriesWalking along Damrak, right beside where you can book a canal tour there are a couple places that sell fries served in a paper cone. This is definitely worth trying out as a quick snack. Basically, they just fill different sized cones up and you buy as many sauces as you want.
There were up to 20 to choose from where we went, but we stuck with mayonnaise and ketchup (seen a few Dutch people getting this combo) and it was awesome. They give you two little forks and the fries are served so hot you cannot eat them at first.
Lights At NightDon't go to bed too early. The lights are quite pretty at night. Especially along the canals. I have a photo I took around 11 o'clock one night below.
Amsterdam Night Photo
I did not know why you want to do this until I went there. Riding bikes is a major mode of transportation there. The streets are narrow and a bicycle would be the quickest mode of transportation for short distances there and if you wanted a quick tour it would be pretty good.
Bicycles Along A Canal
There are bicycles everywhere. They all look old and beat up, but I was told they have there "everyday" bike that can get stolen. You can buy one from a vagrant for 10 Euro again anyways. There nice bike is stored at home or in their office and they never leave it outside.
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Category: Travel
Original Post: Friday, August 17th, 2007
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