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Amsterdam - Things to see and do

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maverick01

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I plan on visiting Amsterdam and the surroundings with my wife on a bike trip this spring (first trip to Europe). I was hoping someone local or someone who has made the trip before, might suggest areas of interest and picture worthy.

I will be carrying my D80 +:
17-50 Tamron
50 1.8 Nikon
old 70-210 4-5.6 Nikon

I would like to capture city scenes as well as nature scenes. I'm staying two weeks.

All suggestions welcome.
 
Hi,
Two days of Amsterdam is enough (arrival/departure)! (:>
I live in Gouda, in the 'green heart of Holland' where you'll
find the traditional Dutch scenes, towns and villages (Oudewater).
Limburg in the south is a nice province, too.
The Veluwe area in the centre of our country is also a nice
area for cycling (Elspeet, Nunspeet, Elburg).
Have fun on your trip!

André

http://mcpint.zenfolio.com

 
I must respectfully disagree with Andre, even if he is a native...

My wife and I have been to Amsterdam three times in the past few years. Our first trip we stayed one week; the second, three weeks; and the third trip, four weeks! We think that Amsterdam is the friendliest European city and the fact that many Dutch speak excelllent English means that you can have a decidedly "foreign experience" without the language barrier.

And since Amsterdam is the transportation hub of the Netherlands it is an excellent home-base for visiting many areas on day trips. I recommend Rick Steves' Amsterdam guide as well as "Europe Through The Back Door" for excellent tips on traveling in Europe that will save you both time and money. All three of our trips have been without a single hitch and I largely credit Steves advice for our success.

Other guide books we have used are "The Rough Guide To Amsterdam," "Irreverent Guide To Amsterdam," "Amsterdam City Guide by Lonely Planet," and "Amsterdam" by DK. There is info to be gleaned in each book, but we tend to take the DK guide with us because it has a lot of pictures and excellent illustrated walking tours of specific neighborhoods.

If you want to stay in a hotel I recommend the Hotel Keizershof, a delightful six-room converted canal-house that is quiet but centrally located. Rooms run between approximately 70-105 Euro/night which is inexpensive in Amsterdam. Our favorite room is on the 4th floor; it's 60+ steps up a spiral staircase- no lift! The breakfast that is included in the rate is the best in Amsterdam (I don't like having to hunt for breakfast first thing in the morning...)

Another option is to rent a houseboat or flat in Amsterdam. The rates can be reasonable or pricey depending on what you choose, but you wind-up with a kitchen and maybe ten-times the space of a comparably-priced hotel room. Last year we rented flats in three different Amsterdam neighborhoods through International Rentals.com. It turned out that the least expensive flat in the Nieuwmarkt neighborhood (around 97 Euro/night) was our favorite. It overlooked a small canal but was only two minutes by foot to the Nieuwmarkt square.

Whatever you do, start arranging lodging NOW because you are going at a peak time of the year tourist-wise and rooms will be going fast...

As "bikers" you will fit right in with the Dutch because bikes are the main mode of transportation for many Dutch, particularly in Amsterdam. And bikes can be taken on trains so you can use them at your destination.

My wife and I aren't into the usual tourist things, so my advice would be to slow down and just appreciate the amazing Amsterdam street scene and the cafe life that some say rivals Paris in the 1920s.

Fave spots: Cafe de Jardin (excellent terrace overlooking canals; great food too.) Cafe de Prince (also with a canal-side terrace and tables on a delightfully busy intersection) with great pasta cooked in a teeny basement kitchen. Cafe Vertigo in Vondel Park is a favorite with locals, again with a huge terrace. La Place (located in most V&D department stores in Dutch cities) is a healthy-version of American mall food courts with many cuisine choices that are cooked in front of you and at half the price of a sit-down restaurant. The Cafe Luxembourg near the Spui is one of the grandest "grand cafes" in Europe. Moeders (NOT Moeders Pot!) is an authentic Dutch restaurant on Rozengracht (Marnixstraat is the cross-street) should not be missed. Its walls are covered with hundreds of portraits of mothers provided by its patrons and the place settings were given to the place by locals when it opened, so nothing matches, just like at home. It's a cozy place with incredible Dutch victuals; try the "Dutch Rice Table" to sample different Dutch delicacies. And the Basho Coffeeshop (if you are into that sort of thing...) has the best vibes in Amsterdam. Great "cafe verkeerd" (coffee wrong) too... it's the Dutch equivalent of a latte.

NONE of the above recommendations are tourist places, although you will find tourists at some of them.

Amsterdam is a "walking city" and it is especially beautiful at night when the street and canal-bridge lights come one, so be sure to bring a tripod if night-shots are your thing. The best map we have found is called "Go Where The Locals Go." It costs around 4 Euro and can be purchased at the tpurist center near Central Station and some other tourist spots. It has a lot more streets and covers a larger area than other maps, and the 3-dimensional representations of major landmarks such as churches makes navigating easier; Amsterdam can be confusing to navigate because of the many alleys and short streets that won't even show up on tiny tourist maps.

If you have any specific questions you can e-mail me.

Happy Trails!
 
Dear Maveric01,

I know Amsterdam reasonably well, having studied and lived in Amsterdam for some years.

Spring is a good time to go: it is not too crowded yet.

Make sure you have your camera in the airplane as you will probably fly over the tulip fields on your way to Amsterdam airport.

I can recommend to go on a canal boat trip: you will see Amsterdam from a different angle. Also red light district is a must. Surreal, very photgenic area, esp at night. (lots of police surveillance there, so relatively safe). Every thing is at walking distance so I recommend not to hire a bicycle in A'dam. Be ware of the trams: tourists often get run over. Have dinner in the area just west of the centre called 'the Jordaan'. An art nouveau movie theatre called Tushinski (the old one) is worth checking out. (They do guided tours in english).

Great place to cycle is probably the Kinderdijk where lots of windmills can be seen. May 12th is an 'open windmill day' which means you can enter some mills. Also fishers villages like Monnickendam, Edam, Volendam are very nice. Some people there will still wear traditional clothing. These villages are at a good distance for cycling.

Down south Maastricht is also very nice old city. Good atmosphere, nice architecture.
Up north Friesland is very pure, flat and very Dutch.

April 30th is celebration of our queens birthday (koninginnedag): its a day Dutch dress in orange and get druk. So either join them or go for a bike ride if this is not your cup of tea.

Want more tailored info, let me know: I'm happy to help.

Let us see some pics after you return!
Enjoy!
CN
 
I am impressed MrMojo: you know Amsterdam well. I agree with all you have advised, although I cannot comment on the cofeeshop.

The advise I have given is probably a bit more touristic, but they are touristic because they show some of the most characteristic/beautiful parts of the city/country.
Renting a houseboat in stead of a hotel is a very good idea.

Last thing: be ware of bicycle thiefs. These stories are realy true!

CN
MrMojo said:
I must respectfully disagree with Andre, even if he is a native...

My wife and I have been to Amsterdam three times in the past few
years. Our first trip we stayed one week; the second, three weeks;
and the third trip, four weeks! We think that Amsterdam is the
friendliest European city and the fact that many Dutch speak
excelllent English means that you can have a decidedly "foreign
experience" without the language barrier.

And since Amsterdam is the transportation hub of the Netherlands it
is an excellent home-base for visiting many areas on day trips. I
recommend Rick Steves' Amsterdam guide as well as "Europe Through
The Back Door" for excellent tips on traveling in Europe that will
save you both time and money. All three of our trips have been
without a single hitch and I largely credit Steves advice for our
success.

Other guide books we have used are "The Rough Guide To Amsterdam,"
"Irreverent Guide To Amsterdam," "Amsterdam City Guide by Lonely
Planet," and "Amsterdam" by DK. There is info to be gleaned in
each book, but we tend to take the DK guide with us because it has
a lot of pictures and excellent illustrated walking tours of
specific neighborhoods.

If you want to stay in a hotel I recommend the Hotel Keizershof, a
delightful six-room converted canal-house that is quiet but
centrally located. Rooms run between approximately 70-105
Euro/night which is inexpensive in Amsterdam. Our favorite room is
on the 4th floor; it's 60+ steps up a spiral staircase- no lift!
The breakfast that is included in the rate is the best in Amsterdam
(I don't like having to hunt for breakfast first thing in the
morning...)

Another option is to rent a houseboat or flat in Amsterdam. The
rates can be reasonable or pricey depending on what you choose, but
you wind-up with a kitchen and maybe ten-times the space of a
comparably-priced hotel room. Last year we rented flats in three
different Amsterdam neighborhoods through International
Rentals.com. It turned out that the least expensive flat in the
Nieuwmarkt neighborhood (around 97 Euro/night) was our favorite.
It overlooked a small canal but was only two minutes by foot to the
Nieuwmarkt square.

Whatever you do, start arranging lodging NOW because you are going
at a peak time of the year tourist-wise and rooms will be going
fast...

As "bikers" you will fit right in with the Dutch because bikes are
the main mode of transportation for many Dutch, particularly in
Amsterdam. And bikes can be taken on trains so you can use them at
your destination.

My wife and I aren't into the usual tourist things, so my advice
would be to slow down and just appreciate the amazing Amsterdam
street scene and the cafe life that some say rivals Paris in the
1920s.

Fave spots: Cafe de Jardin (excellent terrace overlooking canals;
great food too.) Cafe de Prince (also with a canal-side terrace and
tables on a delightfully busy intersection) with great pasta cooked
in a teeny basement kitchen. Cafe Vertigo in Vondel Park is a
favorite with locals, again with a huge terrace. La Place (located
in most V&D department stores in Dutch cities) is a healthy-version
of American mall food courts with many cuisine choices that are
cooked in front of you and at half the price of a sit-down
restaurant. The Cafe Luxembourg near the Spui is one of the
grandest "grand cafes" in Europe. Moeders (NOT Moeders Pot!) is an
authentic Dutch restaurant on Rozengracht (Marnixstraat is the
cross-street) should not be missed. Its walls are covered with
hundreds of portraits of mothers provided by its patrons and the
place settings were given to the place by locals when it opened, so
nothing matches, just like at home. It's a cozy place with
incredible Dutch victuals; try the "Dutch Rice Table" to sample
different Dutch delicacies. And the Basho Coffeeshop (if you are
into that sort of thing...) has the best vibes in Amsterdam. Great
"cafe verkeerd" (coffee wrong) too... it's the Dutch equivalent of
a latte.

NONE of the above recommendations are tourist places, although you
will find tourists at some of them.

Amsterdam is a "walking city" and it is especially beautiful at
night when the street and canal-bridge lights come one, so be sure
to bring a tripod if night-shots are your thing. The best map we
have found is called "Go Where The Locals Go." It costs around 4
Euro and can be purchased at the tpurist center near Central
Station and some other tourist spots. It has a lot more streets
and covers a larger area than other maps, and the 3-dimensional
representations of major landmarks such as churches makes
navigating easier; Amsterdam can be confusing to navigate because
of the many alleys and short streets that won't even show up on
tiny tourist maps.

If you have any specific questions you can e-mail me.

Happy Trails!
Click to expand...
--
CN
 
Amsterdam is my favorite city to visit for many years. You can shoot pics till the camera starts to complain. It is a beautiful city , great to walk around from morning to evening and just take pics. You may want to rent acar to see neighboring cities or the shoreline. It is truly a great place to visit,shop, eat some good food and take lotsa pics. You can see the cheese town also and feast while there. Enjoy, John
--
HOOAH!
 
Good summary!
MrMojo said:
And the Basho Coffeeshop (if you are
into that sort of thing...) has the best vibes in Amsterdam.
Click to expand...
I know why you stayed so long... you just forgot to go back :-)

To the OP:

rent a bike and explore the non-touristic areas of the city. Don't ride on the sidewalk and keep a respectful distance to taxi drivers while biking. As mentioned, you can take the bikes on most trains (not trams or buses, you need a foldable bike for that).

--
Philip

 
Oh Yes, the boat tours! I would stay away from the large tourist boats. Go to the Boom Chicago bar at the Leidseplein and sign-up for a boat tour offered by a local boating group. (You may be able to call the bar to book a tour.) 10 Euro/person and the small boats can go a lot of places the big boats can't even think of going. Instead of a recorded tour guide speaking in four languages in a boat that travels a set course you will have a local "tour guide" who loves the city and who will answer questions, give tips about good places to eat, etc.

The boats are converted "pole boats" that were once used to transport goods around Amsterdam. Now they have small inboard engines and hold around 8 people. Folks bring food, drink and sometimes smokable libations to share during the tour. Tours last between 1-2 hours and I think that in the early evening when the lights are on is the best time to go. My favorite guide is named Rod; he is an actor with Israeli/American citizenship who has settled in Amsterdam. He is very entertaining and knowledgeable.
 
Car rentals are very expensive, particularly if you rent one after you arrive. Parking in the Amsterdam Centrum can run around Euro 40/day in a garage; most on-street parking is reserved for locals with permits and the few non-permit spaces will be taken or expensive. if you park outside the Centrum you can park for free on the streets, but then you will need to take a tram or cab to get back into town. If you must rent a car Rick Steves recommends a rental agency for pre-trip reservations that I have used; I cannot easily find the info right now but it is available in his books and at his Web site ricksteves.com.

The trains are really the way to travel between cities and to the coast. Haarlem and Utrecht are less than 20 minutes from Amsterdam by train. Leiden is thirty minutes. The coast is around 45 minutes. Maastricht is around four hours and requires two transfers. Train stations are almost always centrally-located and provide bikes for rent at nominal rates. (It sounds like the OP may be bringing a bike with him.) Driving a car can be a hassle and most Dutch towns are not car-friendly, either in layout or parking costs. Then there is the issue of road signs being in Dutch and new language-free signs to learn... And don't get me started about the incredible traffic jams one will experience around Amsterdam at peak times (which sometimes seem to last all day long.)
 
I was just kidding, of course. Amsterdam is a great city, if
you like that sort of thing.
But there's a lot more to see in the Netherlands apart from
the capital. So I hope you can find the time to see some
of it.

André

 
Wonderful city to wander around in on foot. With the nice train system, Amsterdam is a great day-trip hub for the region. Nearby towns like Kampen, Zwolle, Haarlem, etc offer cute streetscapes and nice old buildings to photo. Hop on the early train for a day trip down to Cologne to see the Dom (with the exterior lit up at night) and museums. Chocolate sprinkles on your toast every morning and plenty of herring and korenwijn every evening - yum. :)

--
FZ7 + TC-E17ED
 
I see you got quite some information already. Yes Amsterdam is a wonderfull medieval town(center) with lots of interesting places to photograph.There is a very relaxed atmosphere in town, just keep a sharp eye on your gear as you would do anywhere else too.I can suggest you to go to "Zaanse Schans" You said it was a biking holiday, you mean pedlingbike or motorbike?Zaanse Schans is just about 6 miles out of town and it is an open air museum with some 5 historical working windmills and former handicraft museums. There are also many houses in old Dutch style, you can easily spend a day there.I hope for you that you will go end of march or in april,because then there are many many field with blossoming tulips in the province where Amsterdam is situated, especially along the north sea coast.It is amazing to bike through these kilometers long blossoming fields of all colors, not hard to imagine, is it? In Enkhuizen is the Zuiderzeemuseum
http://www.zuiderzeemuseum.nl/english/

This is a beautifull place to make photographs also, very nearby is Medemblik where you can go to a castle of the 13th century.The Radbout Castle.

I wish you a great time over here, the temperature is a bit chilly in spring, about 15 degrees(Celsius)and on a lucky day maybe 20 degrees...you will love the open space and clouds and fields and canals.
 
Pleased to see this thread as I'm going in April for 3 days with my D80/18-200VR - I just hope I can get some bright weather. It has been suggested that it gets very busy at the time I'm going (kids Easter break) and that I should arrange as much as possible beforehand (museums, boats etc) - will it really be necessary? The travel agent even said that we should make restaurant reservations at lunchtime for the evenings or we wont get in anywhere - is it really that busy?
 
Phil Levy said:
beforehand (museums, boats etc) - will it really be necessary? The
travel agent even said that we should make restaurant reservations
at lunchtime for the evenings or we wont get in anywhere - is it
really that busy?
Click to expand...
There is always another restaurant somewhere! Some of the top touristy attractions are busy year-round like the Van Gogh museum or the Anne Frank house.

When I travel I always type in the places I go to on flickr or pbase.. just to see what people take pictures of and what I like. (I'm sure nothing in Amsterdam is not photographed at some point) There are 510,874 photos matching amsterdam on flickr :)
 
I don't think restaurant reservations are realy nesessary. If you can't immediately get a table at the restaurant, then have a drink at the bar until a table comes available, or go to the restaurant next door. Thursday-Saturday are more busy, so making a reservation can be the thing to do if you want to play on safe.

Museums: cues are likely, but as always it is best to go early in the day. No reservations required for the boats.

Last thing you want is having every activity booked and scheduled on your holiday.

And again: on the 30th of April Holland goes bonkers, especially Amsterdam. So keep that in mind if your visit will be on that day.
Phil Levy said:
Pleased to see this thread as I'm going in April for 3 days with my
D80/18-200VR - I just hope I can get some bright weather. It has
been suggested that it gets very busy at the time I'm going (kids
Easter break) and that I should arrange as much as possible
beforehand (museums, boats etc) - will it really be necessary? The
travel agent even said that we should make restaurant reservations
at lunchtime for the evenings or we wont get in anywhere - is it
really that busy?
Click to expand...
--
CN
 
Thanks for all the responses and wonderful suggestions. I was reading the posts with a map of Holland open, meanwhile, here it's 10 below outside.

It's obvious by your comments that Holland holds a special place in your memories and your hearts.

Andre Bomhof:
Arjan NL said:
Two days of Amsterdam is enough (arrival/departure)! (:>
Click to expand...
I know you were kinda of kidding. But we want to see some of the country too and the Veluwe area looks promising. Thanks.

RodneyB:
Arjan NL said:
http://forums.dpreview.com/ ... ... readflat.asp?forum=1021&thread=22039888
Click to expand...
Thanks for thread. Nice pictures too.

MrMojo:

Wow! First of all thanks for the wealth of information. You could write your own guide. I read excerpts from Rick Steves guides and I like his "off the beaten path" style. I'm thinking of buying at least one of them although I'm a bit concerned about size as I want to travel light. I'm going to make a list and put yours and others favorite spots on it. It's a great starting point to have selected places to see. I will follow your advice to reserve for lodging now at least for the first few days... but I don't know if I want to plan the whole 2 weeks as this will lock us in a determined path. Is this too risky? I definitely want to capture night scenes, and although a tripod would be ideal, I don't know if I want to haul it around for 2 weeks. I'm thinking beanbag, monopod or maybe even sweater. I haven't figured it out yet.

CoolName:
Arjan NL said:
Make sure you have your camera in the airplane as you will probably fly over the tulip fields on your way to Amsterdam airport.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. Another good reason why my gear isn't going near cargo. I have to make time to visit at least one fisher village. I'm sure I will like.
Arjan NL said:
Last thing: be ware of bicycle thiefs. These stories are really true!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I'll be renting, and I take it anti-theft insurance is worth it.

Runner 101:
Arjan NL said:
You can shoot pics till the camera starts to complain.
Click to expand...
That's the plan. I'm going to be carrying a portable storage device to transfer the pictures to hard disk. These gizmos are wonderful.

MrMojo:
Arjan NL said:
Oh Yes, the boat tours! I would stay away from the large tourist boats. Go to the Boom Chicago bar at the Leidseplein and sign-up for a boat tour offered by a local boating group.
Click to expand...
Looks like a plan. The large tourist boats are not my thing. I wasn't planning on renting a car. You completely convinced me not to. If the train system is good, than that and the bikes should get us around.

bkrownd:
Thanks for sharing.

gobongo:
Arjan NL said:
I can suggest you to go to "Zaanse Schans" You said it was a biking holiday, you mean pedlingbike or motorbike?Zaanse Schans is just about 6 miles out of town and it is an open air museum with some 5 historical working windmills and former handicraft museums. There are also many houses in old Dutch style, you can easily spend a day there.
Click to expand...
I should have been more specific, I meant pedlingbike (bicycle). Zaanse Schans looks like a wonderful place.
Arjan NL said:
I hope for you that you will go end of march or in april,because then there are many many field with blossoming tulips in the province where Amsterdam is situated, especially along the north sea coast.It is amazing to bike through these kilometers long blossoming fields of all colors, not hard to imagine, is it?
Click to expand...
I wish but I can't at that period. I'm going at the end of may. I guess the tulips will be gone by then?
Thanks for the suggestion.

Phil Levy:
Have a pleasant one.

Arjan NL:
Arjan NL said:
When I travel I always type in the places I go to on flickr or pbase.. just to see what people take pictures of and what I like. (I'm sure nothing in Amsterdam is not photographed at some point) There are 510,874 photos matching amsterdam on flickr :)
Click to expand...
Good tip, even for the smaller towns.

I know this is somewhat an off topic question for a photo forum, nevertheless, since the posters here seem so knowledgeable, what is the weather like near the end of may in Holland so I can pack right. Should I expect lots of rain, wind? Windmills are there for a reason right?
 
It is very hard to tell what whether it would be in May.
For April we've the saying: April doet wat hij wil.
translated: April does what it want's.

It can be quite warm and clear up to 20C. But it also can freeze and hail icecubes as big as chicken eggs....
Ofcourse May is a bit more stable, but it is still hard to say what it will be.

So I suggest just before you pack, you visit:
http://www.knmi.nl/waarschuwingen_en_verwachtingen
It is a dutch site with the wheather forecast for the 5 days to come.
If you look at the table it tells from up to bottom:
1. percentage sun-shine
2. percentage chance on rain
3. expected amount of rain in mm
4. minimum temperture in Celsius
5. expected temperture in the afternoon
6. wind direction (N=N, Z=S, O=E, W=W)
7. windspeed in beaufort (1 almost none, 3 normal, 5-6 windy, above storm)

Hope you will enjoy your stay in Holland.

People are almost always friendly to visitors. They will treat you like they wanted to be treated in same circumstances.

--
grt,
Alex
http://www.fotolex.nl

 
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