My Amsterdam experience

Advantages: Fun, lots to see, easy to get to, clean
Disadvantages: A bit seedy and very cold in winter

...I've been to Amsterdam Airport more times than I can remember. Living in Cardiff, taking the KLM flight to Schiphol and changing was quicker than going all the way to London. But I'd never actually left the airport, I was always just there in transit. To be honest, I'd never felt any great pull to leave the airport and look around the city. I love culture but I'd never thought of Amsterdam as having lots of old churches and museums for me to look around. I'd always associated it more with the Red Light District and 'coffeeshops' which didn't really interest me. Then I got a call from a friend saying that she was planning a girls trip to Amsterdam. 'How do I get out of this one' I thought. Another friend persuaded me, saying that she would accompany me to the 'boring' parts while the rest of them drank to their hearts...

tartlette83 08.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Amsterdam- A Unique Place!

Advantages: Multi-cultural, fairly compact and easy to get around
Disadvantages: Sometimes the whiff of cannabis can give you a headache

.... Free admission * Allard Pierson Museum *Museum Amstelkring *Amsterdam Diamond Group * Museum van Loon *Amsterdams Historisch Museum *Museum Willet Holthuysen *Bijbels Museum *Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum * Rembrandthuis Museum *De Nieuwe Kerk *Stedelijk Museum CS *De Oude Kerk *Stichting de Appel *FOAM Fotomuseum Amsterdam *Theatermuseum *Holland Casino *Tropenmuseum *Hortus Botanicus *Van Gogh Museum *Huis Marseille *Rijksmuseum - The Masterpieces *Joods Historisch Museum *Verzetsmuseum *Molen van Sloten *Woonbootmuseum *Hermitage van Amsterdam *Museum Het Schip *Free Canal Cruise * Rederij Noord-Zuid or Holland International Other free items * Croquette roll van Dobben * Glass of liqueur at De Drie Fleschjes * Cup of coffee in Restaurant La Place...

ukusa 29.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

A Short Break in Amsterdam

Advantages: Easy and quick to get there, an interesting and cosmopolitan city.
Disadvantages: It clearly isn't for all given the abudance of blantant sex and drugs.

...Amsterdam. ~~~~~~~~~ Amsterdam, the capital city of Holland, is perfect for a short city break from anywhere in the UK and I visited for three nights in August 2004. Here's what I thought of this wonderful and cosmopolitan city. Getting There and Away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can fly to Amsterdam from all of the major UK airports for very little if you book well ahead of schedule. I flew with KLM from Newcastle for £129, which isn't cheap but was as good as I could get given that I went over the weekend and in the school holidays. Once you're off the plane and have your luggage, getting from the airport to the city is incredibly easy. Train tickets can be purchased from machines at the airport and the journey only takes about half an hour to Central Station. Literally everyone speaks English and all the signs...

nickyturnill 07.01.2005 (26.03.2006) · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Amsterdam-the Cosmopolitan City !

Advantages: Cosmopoltan,liberal,friendly environment
Disadvantages: Quite expensive

...A 17th century visitor to Amsterdam wrote, "... It appears at first not to be a city of any particular people but to be common to all." The city has been a haven for refugees, particularly from political and religious persecution. It still has the reputation of being the most tolerant of cities and the local residents display little of the nationalistic claustrophobia that is prevalent in s parts of the world. As Baruch Spinova, himself the son of a Jewish émigré put it, "... In this city second to none, men of every nation and sect live together in the utmost harmony." A good part of the city is a living museum of chocolate-box, gabled, 17th century houses, whose elegant facades are perfectly balanced by their shifting reflections in the smooth water of the canals. Houses are often narrow because when they were built taxes...

ashford 22.06.2000 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Camping in Amsterdam

Advantages: Cheap public transport, world renowned culture, very friendly city
Disadvantages: Some dodgy areas, reckless cyclists!

...We spent 4 days in March camping in Amsterdam this year, and it was fabulous. We travelled by Stenaline, from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, and it cost a total of £209 for 4 people and a car to travel both ways - a bargain. We booked it directly on the internet. The crossing was smooth, the Ferry was really comfortable, and the journey time was around 5 hours - getting us into Holland at around 4pm local time. We drove from the Hook of Holland to Amsterdam, and once we were used to driving on the right and the slightly unnerving habit of some of the Dutch to drive straight through red lights, it was plain sailing to drive to Amsterdam itself, taking less than an hour to reach our campsite on the outskirts of the city. We stayed at Camping Zeeburg, and we couldn't fault it. If you are considering camping in Amsterdam, we would...

JoannaScott 08.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

A few days in Amsterdam

Advantages: Short way from home, a small city with a big city feel, museums
Disadvantages: It is a bit too small to match cities like Paris and London

...the Eyewitness travel guide and I like this series cause it gives fair enough information about what is worth seeing. We were staying in the museum quarter of Amsterdam but the town itself is not all that big and I like that. That means that you can walk around to the different destination. The first thing we did was to walk around town to get a feeling of where we were. The guide book also included a map and thank god for that cause I think we would have been lost without it *grin*. Amsterdam is beautiful with the combination of canals and roads everywhere. And because of the fact that Holland used to be a great nation back in the 17th century (not that they are not a great nation anymore but they had a Golden age back then) the town is filled with old houses with great architecture. I think what I will remember best from Amsterdam is...

gard 02.07.2003 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Amsterdam - without the Sex and Drugs

Advantages: beautiful architecture, loads to do, great food
Disadvantages: nearly run over by bicycles

...I went to Amsterdam in February half-term with my mother - I'm 31, and she's 60. We're not interested in drugs, sex shops or loud nightclubs, so if you're interested in a review of those, then you may as well stop reading. All I can give is my perspective of a short stay in a city I loved, and reviews of some of the things we saw and did. Firstly, arrival in Schipol Airport: the airport seemed much less crowded and bewildering than Heathrow, but then, most places do. It was the only time my suitcase has been waiting for me on the carousel by the time I got off the plane and into the baggage hall. We went from plane to outside the airport in about fifteen minutes. We had chosen to pre-book a transfer by car to our hotel, which was a really pleasant extra. We were met by a very friendly Dutch guy, who carried our luggage...

Elanor 22.02.2004 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

A Non-Smoker in Amsterdam

Advantages: Only an hour from London, Cheap deals available, Lots to do no matter what your tastes
Disadvantages: Too much to do within a couple of days! Expensive alcohol

...of manic cyclists that show very little concern for any unsuspecting tourist who dares to cross their path! Amsterdam and Holland in general are ideal for the cyclist as they are very flat and have many cycle lanes, and if you want to hire a bicycle then they are available very cheaply from numerous agents. Amsterdam is home to many museums great and small, with its art galleries being particularly popular with tourists. The Rijksmuseum is home to works by all of the Dutch masters, and if you ever studied art at school then you?re bound to recognise some the paintings! The same applies to the Van Gogh Museum; when we went here it was very very busy with parties of school children so is perhaps better to visit off-peak. Entrance to these museums costs approximately £6 each. Having had our cultural fix, we decided to pay a visit to one...

tev_1 27.02.2004 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

AMSTERDAM and MY SORE FEET by Joanne B Fox

Advantages: Easy to get around, Easy to see and do lots of things in one visit
Disadvantages: Can be hard to get a hotel if you don't book well in advance

...My visit to Amsterdam was my first trip on my own, and although i found a cheap flight about a month beforehand, I almost couldn't find a hotel, because I left it too late and found the date of my flight approaching and a week before, I still didnt have an hotel! At the advice of others, I used the search engines on the web - each time I found something on the web, then emailed, it was already full. I asked each hotel reservation desk to recommend others, to no avail. It didnt help that I was looking for a single room rather than double occupancy. Using the search engines with words 'single cheap hotel' gave me quite a list! But luck was with me, I found Hotel Weichmann on Prinsengracht, south of the Anne Frank House. It had a nice family feel to it, lovely breakfasts with a view of the canal, and a VERY STEEP staircase! My room...

Reynarda 23.11.2002 (26.11.2003) · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

The Ultimate Guide to Amsterdam by Deiz

Advantages: Accessible and eclectic
Disadvantages: Some dodgy areas

...Amsterdam is practically unique among the modern metropoli of our times. Beautiful, cultured and cosmopolitan yet with a seedy underbelly that is plain for all to see. But first to the positives... In a purely geographical sense, Amsterdam is about as accessible as anywhere in Europe, with the obvious exception of northern France. With the continuing advance of cheap flights, Holland is now little over an hour away from most parts of the UK and if Easyjet's recent introduction of a cheap service from Edinburgh is anything to go by, an affordable destination for anything from a daily shopping trip to a full blown holiday. Amsterdam is famed for its tree-lined canal walkways, yet these really need to be seen to be fully appreciated. It is fully possible to walk down a sleepy avenue, arm in arm with your nearest and dearest...

Deiz 10.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)