Amsterdam questions

[BJinNM]

Hi. I posted on Facebook but REALLY want to get into the habit of using this great site so I am posting here too. We are going to Amsterdam in the Fall for a week (before our month in Venice) and I want to buy a museum pass. Any ideas which one would be best. There are so many, it gets confusing!

BJ

 

[Colo]

I am probably sure you have checked out this site ( http://www.amsterdamtourist.info/tips/amsterdamdiscount-cards/ )

I use to travel to the Netherlands quite frequently on business. The best business trip was with my wife (we planned a mini vacation) the weekend before my meeting. As we were preparing to depart Amsterdam, the Icelandic Volcano blew its top, and we got to add an extra 7 days added to our vacation.

To your question, on our extra week we used "I amsterdam city card". There is no doubt it paid for itself, but the Rijksmuseum was under extensive remodeling and had limited access. So we did not care if the card did or did not cover that museum.

Amsterdam is a very walkable city and public transportation is good, but for us it was not essential. From Centraal Train Station out to the Van Gogh Museum is only about a 30 minute walk with lots to see. Probably 10 - 15 minutes by Tram.

So what pass is best for you may boiled down to do you want to walk or use public transportation and where you are staying.

Have you chose your lodging?

 

[BJinNM]

Yup, we have this apartment rented: https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p428319vb?uni_id=1011369
My concern with the iPass is that it is at the most for 96 hours and we are there for 7 days. I always try to get museum passes. I totally agree they pay for themselves. There just are so many!

 

[Colo]

Wow your apartment is in a great location!

If you are going to limit your visit to Amsterdam not sure passes with transportation benefits will be utilized, so I would lean towards the Museumkaart. You are located in the middle of most and walk there before the Tram comes by. Also the Museumkaart allows you to go and come, where the others are just one visit only per person. The flexibility is the advantage - If you go to the Rijks in the morning you can leave for lunch, and if it is a pretty day why not walk to the flower market and take in the city and go back finish your tour of the Rijks tomorrow.

 

[BJinNM]

Great to know about the apartment since it was a pick off the internet. I, too, am leaning towards the Museumkaart. It looks like, currently, the rules for non-residents are that you have to buy it in Amsterdam at a museum and that it is only good for 31 days (fine for us). We can probably go to one of the less popular museums when we arrive and get it that way. Any suggestions?

 

[Ian Sutton]

Just a note to agree that the location means you can easily walk either into the centre, or to the museum quarter and buses/trams aren't essential - perhaps pick up a book of tickets to use for those times you want to head a greater distance or are just tired.

My suggestions are more general.
- PC Hoofstraat and around. This is a pleasing and relaxed, somewhat upmarket shopping area away from the hustle & bustle of the centre. I do like the more leafy suburb feel of this part of town
- 9 streets (Runstraat, Herenstraat, etc.) are small, somewhat bohemian streets to find quirky / quality stuff, from coffee (I mean coffee beans!), clothing, wine, cafes, one of the great cheese shops of the world in 'Kaaskamer' and a toothbrush shop!
- Focused visits to the centre. We're not great fans of the centre of Amsterdam and it's issues can really irritate. I've always argued that for those that haven't been, an early evening stroll around the red light district is informative, in a way that you can clarify how you feel about this social normalisation of a profession so often criminalised. The liberal attitudes to cannabis and prostitution have also extended to a somewhat brash feel to the city, and whist there are pockets of genuine interest in the city, we no found ourselves staying well outside the Museum quarter and only coming into the city with a clear plan, to go here, there, there and then out again. OK if something else looks interesting as we pass by, we'll be open to it, but we'll not just wander aimlessly as we might elsewhere.
- Food. Amsterdam's amazing ethnic mix leads to a dizzying array of food. One favourite for us is the modestly priced / furnished Ethiopian restaurants, reasonably well centred around Overtoom. Very tasty food and the places we've been have had a pretty happy/relaxed vibe.
- Other suburbs. One reason to get some sort of bulk / day ticket, is that with a little research, the suburbs can reveal some very decent places to eat - I recall one very good place focused on beer and good food, that was in a very residential suburb
- Sunday morning stroll. Walking around the canals on a Sunday morning can be very peaceful as much is closed and many people enjoy a lie in. In a city of noise, lights, smells, hustle and bustle, that Sunday morning stroll can make a wonderful counterpoint.

 

[Kathy (Trekcapri)]

Your apartment is very beautiful. When I was there, I stayed in an apartment right on the Prinsengracht canal. I agree that Amsterdam is a very walk able city (there are a lot of people biking). I can't add anything new to your pass question as it looks like it has been well answered already, but if you are looking for a lessor known museum (if it is covered on your pass), I wanted to share one that Marta told me about, called the Kattenkabinet and it is located in one of the beautiful homes on the Golden Bend. I also got a recommendation from AnnieNC from Slowtalk about Rijsttafel (an Indonesian). There are several restaurants that serve it, I went to one that I liked but unfortunately I can't remember the name. In this foodie article a few are recommended.

Have a wonderful trip.

 

[BJinNM]

Thanks, Ian and Kathy. These are great suggestions. I will be following up on everyone's suggestions. BTW Kathy, I loved meeting you face-to-face at SlowBowl. Have followed your adventures for several years.

 

[Kathy (Trekcapri)]

BTW Kathy, I loved meeting you face-to-face at SlowBowl. Have followed your adventures for several years.

I was so happy to meet you too and everyone after being a fan and following all of your travels. Received so much great advice and inspiration from watching Slow Travelers. Have a wonderful time in Amsterdam and Venice.

 

[BJinNM]

I was so happy to meet you too and everyone after being a fan and following all of your travels. Received so much great advice and inspiration from watching Slow Travelers. Have a wonderful time in Amsterdam and Venice.

 

[Colo]

BJinNM,

When I was travelling to the Netherlands frequently, I put together a guide to some of the places I enjoyed to see and eat, and a picture scavenger hunt for my co-workers who were not as adventurous as I.

If you can read through the spelling/grammar errors, it may give you a few ideas. I do better with pictures. (see attachment below)

We (my sweetie and I) get to return to Amsterdam in December... And I am so looking forward to it.

The advice you received above is right on the mark!
I can tell you what makes Amsterdam so special to me. Seek out a table on the side of a canal (Jordaan District) and slowly watch the people and the day go by.

 

[BJinNM]

BJinNM,

.

Thanks so much. I downloaded it to my OneDrive file so I can get it on my phone and pad. Can't wait to carefully read through it.

 

[SMJ]

I've just come back from Amsterdam on Monday; and one thing I did that I really enjoyed was to take a bus with the company called EBS.
It is E10 for the da;, and goes to all the little towns north east of Amsterdam, about 30-60 mins away, in the district called Waterland.
The towns I went to were Edam, Volendam and Marken, and the bus was super easy.
You catch it in the Centraal Station.
Walk straight thru on ground level, past all the platforms, to the other side, then on your left are escalators up, and there are the bus stops for ESB.
You buy the ticket from the driver; and just hop on and off all day.
There are very good maps on a board right there.
Edam was my favourite, so quiet, with gorgeous little old houses and tiny canals, very photogenic.
Volendam was very busy and touristy (clog shops, costume photo shops), but worth it for a good fish lunch and to see the old buildings.
I then got a ferry, E7.50, to Marken from Volendam, takes 30 mins.
Then same ESB bus home from there.
That took me most of the day, but it was nice to see the countryside and the small towns.
Nice apartment, by the way!
I have no recommendations for the passes, as I did not go to any of the big museums, on purpose.
It suddenly got warm and sunny, so I wanted to just be out and about, and was only there 4 days.
I did go to the Anne Frank Museum, and the Our Lord in the Attic Museum, both highly recommended.
Book in advance for Anne Frank.
I also took a canal cruise, which I though would be very touristy, but actually was very good!
It's well worth having a pass for bus and tram; then you hop on and off at will.
Distances are longer than you think, and sometimes it's nice to just ride along and look out the window and people watch.
I loved the Netherlands!

 

[BJinNM]

Thanks so much, SMJ. I have not heard of that day trip and it sounds great. Going to copy and paste it into my folder.

 

[Colo]

SMJ is right on spot. The bus is soooooooooo easy and we enjoyed all three locations.

It was April when we went to the Waterland, and the Icelandic volcano had brought tourism to halt, so Volendam was empty.

We found a bakery off the main drag and had some kind of almond cookie I can still taste. I did enjoy the boardwalk along the sea and looking at the boats.

There is a small museum as you enter Volendam from the bus stop. A good exhibit on the Dutch resistance movement and WWII stuff. However, the highlight for me was the wall murals that a man did in his house and they were made from cigar bands. There are great pics on line if you google Volendam Cigar Bands. My pictures were not very good. They moved the entire walls from his house to the museum.

Edam (pronounced Adam) is very quiet, and as SMJ absolutely beautiful. The cheese is pretty good to!

Marken is what I thought a small village in the Netherlands looked like in my mind. Had a great lunch and spent a wonderful day just wandering the streets and alleys.

Whether it be a train, tram, bus, or ferry all travel in Amsterdam starts at Centraal Station. The bus as SMJ describes is on the bottom side of the map.

The one other day trip I would recommend is one of the Market days in Haarlem (Saturday or Monday). I went on a Saturday and just had a great day with great food and lots to see. Short train ride from Amsterdam Centraal to Haarlem. It is a pretty good walk from Haarlem to the Market in the square next to St. Bavo Cathedral where the market is held. But hey it is flat! I have to end my post with the same words as SMJ (Present Tense)

I Love the Netherlands! (But I think that is obvious)

 

[BJinNM]

Thanks, Colo, for all your advice and pictures. I can hardly wait to get there. I wonder if a week will be enough. We spend a month every other year in Venice because we never feel like we have explored all the possibilities there and in the surrounding areas. That's what Amsterdam is starting to sound like!

 

[Colo]

You know you are in Amsterdam when you walk out of the Centraal Train Station and see...

A four story Bike Parking Garage....

and no places are available!

My wife and I have never been to Venice, which is a bucket list item, I will be hitting you up for info

 

[Ian Sutton]

"Just where did you leave the bike?"

 

[Colo]

Many a tourist has been struck by bikes in the Netherlands. We in the states are trained from our earliest days to watch out for cars, when the real lesson should be moving objects.

In the Netherlands everybody has a lane, and bikes always have the right away. The lights are independent of each other. A car is going to sit and wait for the bikes... then the people...cars are last and they better go quick - there will be bikers waiting to cross.

And the bikes to watch out for the most are the ones with moms and their children. I have seen as many as three children on a bike with mom peddling holding two grocery bags and the oldest child with two grocery bags on the back. (Riding Backwards).

Not sure I am strong enough or have the balance to pull that off... but here again I am not a Mom and Mom's are pretty amazing people.

 

[BJinNM]