Amsterdam is a wonderful city, full of contrasts, with a sense of modesty and control that is quite on the edge but certainly with breathtaking architecture and one that I don't think has an equal in the world. Some compare it to Venice but I find the two cities very distant and the inhabitants truly poles apart. I will try to give you some little flashes of my Amsterdam experience, leaving aside history and monuments, of which the guidebooks are full. Let me say from the start that, as always, my trip is completely do-it-yourself and so I drew on the experiences of other travellers, readers and many websites including this one (of course!). Travel I flew with Alitalia from Rome. A great offer for what is not a low-cost airline (99€ each all inclusive, considering it was Easter…). Honestly I was comfortable, the plane was on time both outbound and return.
I must say that the convenience of scheduled airlines is arriving close to the city centre and not being dumped at outlying airports. Schiphol airport, moreover, is truly welcoming and modern (here you will find the details of my own personal experience at this airport To get into the city there is nothing more convenient than the train. Very frequent (every 15 minutes) it takes you to Amsterdam Central Station (Centraal Station) from which you can take the metro or simply one of the many trams to reach your final destination. Hotel We chose the NH City Centre Amsterdam. It is easily reached with just a few stops on tram no. 2 or 5 from the central station. On foot it is 15 minutes. The hotel is a stone's throw from Spui Square, very central, along the canal and quite quiet. Amsterdam is rather expensive and our double room cost us about 100€ a night.
In reality we had booked another hotel (a booking made on booking.com) of the same chain but a few days before departure they told us it was overbooked. After the initial anger we decided not to be taken for a ride and we negotiated a superior room (substantially larger) and breakfast included (originally it wasn't). Breakfast is rather expensive in the hotel, 12.5€ each per day, and I must say it was really a nice gift. The rooms are not very big (and consider that we had a superior) and the young lady at reception even kept us waiting before settling us in… in any case the room was comfortable and clean even if, I repeat, the space was not much. To see the details of the hotel photos [url= Getting around We always used public transport, buying tram tickets, or rather the famous "strippenkart", that is the strip with pre-purchased rides.
It comes in various sizes, we bought the one with 15 strips paying 7.30€. For each journey you must stamp at least two strips (always one strip more than the number of areas you cross). Convenient and practical because it can also be shared with other passengers but it was certainly better to buy a travel pass. They come in 24/48/72/96 hour versions and let you travel without stopping from the time of stamping for the hours purchased. Prices go from 7€ up to 18€ and, like the strip, you can use trams and metro (but not trains). Having made two trips out of Amsterdam we used the trains, clean and punctual but VERY expensive.
A journey of about ten minutes costs 15€ if you buy the return on the same day and pay at the same time as the outward leg… not exactly cheap I'd say! One tip only: forget the car because parking is impossible and also very expensive (the whole canal area is off limits and the other areas have complex and also rather steep regulations!). Food I never had a problem with the food. In particular Dutch food is certainly not very distinctive. The strangest things I ate were: - stamppot, a dish made with mashed potatoes, sausages, bacon and vegetables of your choice among sauerkraut, cabbage and a few other vegetables. Obviously the cooking juices of the meat are poured over the mash and the vegetables are chopped with the potatoes. - erwtensoep, a very thick pea soup (really thick, I assure you!) to which sausage and bacon are also added (just to keep it light!). - jenever, that is Dutch gin.
Made with juniper berries it is served ice-cold in a small glass. There are so many types: you start from the young one (jonge) and go up to the old one (oude), in which the juniper has a definitely more intense flavour. If you taste them all you will certainly come staggering out of the restaurant!! But if you want to overdo it then try the kopstoot (in Italian "the headbutt"): a killer combination of beer with a shot of jenever. And goodnight.... Good obviously is the beer (Heineken is the most famous, needless to say). To eat you will manage with 25€ if you don't overdo it at dinner and around 15€ for lunch with one-dish meals. I'll point out a couple of places: one is Haesje Claes, at Spuistraat 273-275 (a stone's throw from Spui Square) Tel.
0031.20-6249998, typically Dutch, very good and certainly well known by the locals (on Saturday evenings go early otherwise you'll be queueing). The second place is not Dutch but Mexican, it is called Tio Pepe, also at Spuistraat 3B but at the beginning, near the station to be clear. It is really good and is open until late at night. You eat Mexican and it is truly authentic, the staff too being mostly Mexican. Day trips See the ad hoc stories
Day 110 Apr 2009
Climate
We found it perfect. It was Easter so notoriously not very warm, but instead the temperature during the day stayed pleasant and in the evening you obviously needed a sweater because of the chill. Little rain, few clouds. We were lucky.
Red-light district
Obviously if you come to Amsterdam you can't not take a walk around Amsterdam's red-light district. It is a neighborhood with a fine and harmonious structure, fueled by the ladies in the windows and the dubious establishments, that is, those selling erotic gadgets or offering soft and hard-core shows. My personal suggestion is to walk through this neighborhood both by day (to admire its beauties too) and by night, when, even if sordid at certain moments, it is still distinctive. It didn't seem dangerous to me, but around there are types who deal and gather customers for the porn venues: if you are afraid or are the suggestible type, skip the evening tour. One last thing: don't photograph the ladies in the windows because they get angry, and often outside the venue there are pimps who could cause you trouble. Looking, of course, is possible, without paying and for as long as you want.
To do
For those who have never done it, in my opinion it's a must: - a tour of the canals - a visit to the Anne Frank House museum - a visit to the flower market Not to do - rent a bicycle if you're not experienced (they'll run you over!) - buy drugs outside the bars that are authorized to sell them (it's full of plainclothes police) - think you can do whatever you want because after all you're in a free country If you want more info I'm at your disposal. Bye Andrea
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