Amsterdam

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Hotels near Schiphol are usually pretty good value, express trains in to Centraal too...

 

[Winot]

If you do cancel claim the airport tax back. You’ll be amazed how much you’ll get back from an Amsterdam flight.

It's Eurostar.

 

[catinthehat]

If it's cold and rainy the indoor garden place is a good escape for an hour. Warm and toasty climate and great cacti. We found it by accident ....can't recall it's name 'The horticultural something' ?

Its called Hortus.

 

[scifisam]

Are the tickets transferable to someone else i.e. sellable?

Nope. Can't be cancelled, either (they don't do any that can be) but can be changed, but for a cost. I considered truncating the trip and just going for one night, but changing the tickets even for one leg would actually cost more than I paid for the tickets in the first place.

Hotels near Schiphol are usually pretty good value, express trains in to Centraal too...

Schiphol is a possibility, though it would feel daft arriving by train and going to stay at the airport but what's putting me off is the train fares to Amsterdam - it'd be £25 between us every day (bearing in mind I'll be paying for both of us). So that's another £125.

Have a look at the Stayok in Amsterdam Oost.

Amsterdam has a problem with lack of hotel rooms and the quality of them as you’ve found out. Airbnb is expensive because there was a huge crack down about 2 years ago so it’s hard to (legally) rent on Airbnb now.

It’s fairly unfriendly to wheelchairs too. As a 16th century city it’s to be expected so don’t let it put you off. Do plot your day a little bit before you go out. The museums and gallery’s will be fine but the older pubs and small businesses will be harder.

That StayOK's booked up (well, except for a room that would cost over £1000). I didn't just start looking - started a couple of weeks ago - but most places are booked up already.

I've just realised I need access to a bath rather than a shower so that lets out the horrible box rooms I'd found. Doh.

It's all adding up to being an awful lot of money to go and stay in a tiny box. I do know it's my own fault for not double checking first, but how can a tiny box room in a distant suburb of Amsterdam not in the school holidays cost more than a nice room in the school holidays in the centre of Brussels or Stockholm? I wasn't expecting it to be cheap but this is ridiculous.

I guess their main market is people who don't really care how crap the place they're staying is because they're just going to sleep there, and I'm not that kind of traveller these days.

If I don't find anything tonight I'll give up and just leave it till we're due to go, see if there's anything last minute, and if there isn't, not go. It's a shame because we won't really be able to go on any other holiday this year and we really need to get away.

 

[keybored]

I posted this before but it’s something I advise people to do in Amsterdam, it costs as little as a tram fare, you get a nice walk in, stop off at the sights, pubs, local coffeeshops, cafes or not as you feel and you see some of Amsterdam that's cool and off the tourist track:

With your back to central station go hard left and walk along the Oosterdokskade past the very cool library, to the Nemo Science building whose roof you can climb onto (in the summer) for free and get a great view back over Amsterdam. Cool house boats around there too.

Then walk past the maritime museum heading along the Oosterkerk making for the Ij Brewery located in an old windmill. Check out the wierd opening times first, don’t drink too much, it’s fucking rocket fuel. If it's not Sunday head from here to the Dappermart, a big street market located in the most diverse part of Amsterdam.

Make your way from the market to Javaplein and get the number 14 tram back into Amsterdam. It takes you back past the zoo (which is not obvious from the street "did I just see a fucking monkey in that park????), Waterlooplein, Rembrandtplein and right into Dam Square where you should get off.

Forgot to say thanks for this - went back in January (my first time) and killed a few hours this way.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Nope. Can't be cancelled, either (they don't do any that can be) but can be changed, but for a cost. I considered truncating the trip and just going for one night, but changing the tickets even for one leg would actually cost more than I paid for the tickets in the first place.



Schiphol is a possibility, though it would feel daft arriving by train and going to stay at the airport but what's putting me off is the train fares to Amsterdam - it'd be £25 between us every day (bearing in mind I'll be paying for both of us). So that's another £125.



That StayOK's booked up (well, except for a room that would cost over £1000). I didn't just start looking - started a couple of weeks ago - but most places are booked up already.

I've just realised I need access to a bath rather than a shower so that lets out the horrible box rooms I'd found. Doh.

It's all adding up to being an awful lot of money to go and stay in a tiny box. I do know it's my own fault for not double checking first, but how can a tiny box room in a distant suburb of Amsterdam not in the school holidays cost more than a nice room in the school holidays in the centre of Brussels or Stockholm? I wasn't expecting it to be cheap but this is ridiculous.

I guess their main market is people who don't really care how crap the place they're staying is because they're just going to sleep there, and I'm not that kind of traveller these days.

If I don't find anything tonight I'll give up and just leave it till we're due to go, see if there's anything last minute, and if there isn't, not go. It's a shame because we won't really be able to go on any other holiday this year and we really need to get away.

Tbf I have always bunked Dutch trains; fucked English scumbag type thing. Never been pulled up on it either, they don’t seem to have the revenue protection tossers that we have.

But I usually have been battered and English and a scummer, so maybe that helps?

 

[scifisam]

I've finally found a hotel! In Haarlem, not Amsterdam, but that's fine. Due to the location we're going to spend one of our days at the beach in Zandvoort, which sounds very much like Southend or Great Yarmouth, which is fine by us. And we're going to go to the Ethiopian restaurant mentioned on this thread. It's really near a cheese museum and both J and I are really looking forward to visiting that

 

[moonsi til]

Reading thread for suggestions. Going for 4 nights in October though a lot of affordable air b&b are already booked up for 4 people.

I was there this time last week just overnight on way to Eindhoven, I last went about 18 years ago & was stunned how busy it was with people/traffic/cyclists but really enjoyed it & found s nice bar to sit outside drinking La Chouffe & people watching.

I’m liking sound of Jordaan area as place to stay.

 

[moonsi til]

Cannot find a place we can afford in Jordaan so have requested to book a place in Oud-West (Noord). We are 4 people but need 3 bedrooms which was tricky to find.

 

[oryx]

Not long back from a great couple of days in Amsterdam.

We've both been several times before so tried to something a little different (apart from a canal trip on the second day ). It rained on Wednesday so we went to Albert Cuyp market in De Pijp in search of an umbrella for me and a belt for Antelope who'd left his in the possessions tray at security at Heathrow . The market is good for a wander round and cheap, and best of all it's a real market, not some over-priced 'farmers' market'. Also went to the Jewish Museum which is interesting and gives a real feel for the history of that community in Amsterdam.

Also had cocktails at the splendid American Hotel and found our favourite pancake place from last time we went (on the second attempt!).

I love Amsterdam and will always want to go back. However, I can't believe how expensive, and how difficult to book, the hotels are. We booked in March for September and spent hours trawling websites and even then we ended up with a tiny room, which was a bit cramped. Although the hotel was clean and friendly and the breakfast nice.

 

[moonsi til]

Yep I am shocked by the cost of accommodation too. We have a Air bnb but it is still quite costly.

We are there next weekend so please anyone if you haven’t already share your tips/suggestions.

Would like to try & catch a gig.

 

[Mr Retro]

Would like to try & catch a gig.

If you don’t find something more official you can go along to Mulligans bar who have free live music most nights and every Friday and Saturday from about 10pm.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Yep I am shocked by the cost of accommodation too. We have a Air bnb but it is still quite costly.

We are there next weekend so please anyone if you haven’t already share your tips/suggestions.

Would like to try & catch a gig.

Obvious stuff, but understandably so - the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum really are worth seeing. When I went in 2005 the former was busy and full of people just snapping photos of the paintings on their phones but the latter was much more spaced out and calm.

 

[oryx]

Obvious stuff, but understandably so - the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum really are worth seeing. When I went in 2005 the former was busy and full of people just snapping photos of the paintings on their phones but the latter was much more spaced out and calm.

We didn't go on this year's visit, but I have really enjoyed the Steydelik on previous trips.

Especially when the Van Gogh museum was closed for refurbishment and they had a load of Van Gogh stuff in there!

 

[Wolveryeti]

The Tropenmuseum is worth a visit too - it's an ethnographic museum.

Everyone should try some bitterballen and poffertjes & whipped cream too!

 

[hash tag]

Obvious stuff, but understandably so - the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum really are worth seeing. When I went in 2005 the former was busy and full of people just snapping photos of the paintings on their phones but the latter was much more spaced out and calm.

Yep, thinking of going back quite soon for the Rembrandt stuff thats on at the mo. Re: prices, there was a more up to date report somewhere but Amsterdam is the most expensive city to stay, in Europe (surprise, surprise) – DutchReview

 

[hash tag]

I've just booked my eurostar tickets for 4 nights. in april.no where to stay yet. Will definitely be doing rijksmuseum as have never done it properly before and Rembrandt stuff.

 

[StoneRoad]

My partner from work has just gone for a long weekend - not helped by his booked flight being cancelled at short notice.
He did get a replacement flight some hours later, otherwise he could have been seriously out of pocket.

 

[Idaho]

I love Amsterdam and will always want to go back. However, I can't believe how expensive, and how difficult to book, the hotels are.

Paris is worse, and the hotels are usually shit too!

 

[scifisam]

Paris is worse, and the hotels are usually shit too!

See, that's what I expected, and Amsterdam was way worse. We went to Paris two years earlier, in the holidays, booking later, and got a nice albeit very small room with a view of the Eiffel tower for half the price we paid to stay in Haarlem.

I've got to say, if you need to use a wheelchair I would strongly recommend against going to Amsterdam. I know it's an old city but they've made practically no effort to adapt anything and some of the cycle adaptations make life more difficult for wheelchair users. Lots of the pavements are really narrow, and then they're made even narrower by allowing bikes to park on them and cafes to have chairs out on them, leaving a tiny gap to squeeze through if you're walking and no space even for my unusually narrow chair, and quite often there's even a rubbish bin or stone flowerbed completely blocking the path. Pretty much no drop kerbs no matter how new the road. None of that is due to the age of the place.

So you have to be pushed along in the bike lane, and the cyclists do not like that at all, and yell at you as they ride round you, almost hitting you every time.

It's one of the reasons, I think, that we saw loads of people with wheely walkers with adaptations unlike the ones you get here. Didn't see a single wheelchair the entire time. I suppose the people who can't use walkers just stay at home.

Plus the way they arrange access to the trains is that you have to book in advance for staff to bring out a ramp. There's no way of doing it without a ramp because the two-storey trains are so high to get onto. You have to book via a specific phone number (very expensive for a tourist to phone) at least two hours in advance and you have to check in in person at the train station at least half an hour in advance, which actually means arriving 45 minutes in advance because of the length of the queues. (This is apparently a fairly new thing, brought it just before we went on holiday).

One time the staff went to the wrong platform but wouldn't let us book onto the next train even though it was their fault - we had to wait two hours till there were staff available again. They said it wasn't even possible for them to be flexible because of the way the system worked. One evening they even lost our booking and we had to get a very expensive taxi instead because there weren't any staff left (apart from the dozens we saw, that is) - they were quite happy to just leave us stranded. If we hadn't had the taxi fare we'd have been left to sleep on the streets. Even without that happening, it meant that, if I was tired and wanted to go home early, I couldn't.

The actual sights were awesome and I was happy with our hotel but man, starting every day with half an hour sitting at Haarlem station wondering if they'd get our platform right was not fun. It's not like there was even anywhere we could wait because the brand-new coffee shop there, the only one close enough for us to wait in, was too narrow to get a wheelchair in. So we had to just wait in the atrium with the staff repeatedly asking us why we were there, as if we were doing something illegal.

Amsterdam station was better but the distance between the lift and the platform served by that lift was bizarrely huge even though there was another lift to that platform that we got to use one day when the other one was out of order.

So we both ended up exhausted and missed most of the things we'd planned.

Staying in the centre of Amsterdam would have got rid of some of these problems because central Amsterdam itself wasn't as bad, but that wasn't possible without paying huuuge sums.

If you're not disabled I would recommend Haarlem though. The Dollhouse, the former asylum there, is worth a visit and is inside a lovely park and the people are really friendly. The trains don't take that long, but be aware that there's no alternative route in to Amsterdam if the train's off for some reason, no buses or canal boats, just the taxi which costs about £60.

 

[hash tag]

Fuck me its expensive. Looking at websites, it looks like many places are doing rooms for £90 to £100 per night. When it comes down to it, I reckon I'll be lucky to escape with £250 a night and that may not include breakfast

 

[Winot]

Fuck me its expensive. Looking at websites, it looks like many places are doing rooms for £90 to £100 per night. When it comes down to it, I reckon I'll be lucky to escape with £250 a night and that may not include breakfast

I’m there on Tue night for a work thing Wednesday. Staying at the Doubletree Centraal and its €250 without brekkie. On expenses though

 

[hash tag]

I think I have got my first choice hotel, 4nights b&b for €700.

 

[Idaho]

We got a family room for 5 of us (a few years ago) at this place (the city west one)

Amsterdam

It's a stop on the train from centraal. But you can hire a bike and its a pleasant cycle into town. Half the price of central hotels.

 

[davesgcr]

Paid £130 for 3 nights in the Abba Hotel last week - basic , but good - single room en-suite and on the tram line out by Vondel Park. Does get busy though.

 

[hash tag]

Plenty of CD shops to keep me going but what about bars playing decent music....anyone?

 

[hash tag]

Cheapest pint in Amsterdam? Menu - The Waterhole

 

[davesgcr]

Cheapest pint in Amsterdam? Menu - The Waterhole

Was there a fortnight ago , wish I had known about this. Went to Hill Street Blues , now a toke-friendly bar , rather interesting. You just need to breathe in to get stoned.

 

[Numbers]

Going over Friday morning for 3 nights + is the first time I'll be there with my brother, we're not traveling together so are meeting at 4:20 in the 420 Bar off Damrak

We're staying in Frederiksplein so just across the canal from the Albert Cuyp and close to De Pijp - and between Albert Cuyp and De/Oude/Nieuwe Pijp(s) is such a great part of 'Dam to hang out and explore. Only definite things planned are the Cheese Museum, cpl of meals in favourite places, Body Worlds exhibition, tandem through Vondel, the rest of the time will be just doing whatever this fine City presents to us this time around.

 

[Numbers]

God I love that City so much, such a perfect size and with plenty of amazing things to do.

Stayed In Frederiksplien as mentioned, absolute spot on location, 10 min walk to Leidseplein, 10 min walk to Rembrandtplein, 10 min walk to the heart of De Pijp and only a few minutes from the Albert Cuyp market.

Only done 2 things different to the norm (Rice table (had it in Sampurna this time), Vondel, strolling aimlessly around the canals) this trip, i.e.

We hired a self drive boat from Mokumboot and spent a few hours meandering around the canals, really brilliant experience and massively recommended. Also, we spent a night in the Bulldog on Leidseplein, never done it before but with 8 of us it was a place others wanted to go to. It gets bad press but I must say we had a great time in there, big, absolutely great music, decent drinks and of course the option to smoke too.

A group of 8 tho', I personally hate such big groups so missus and I are going back in July for 4 nights to be a bit more exploratory.