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Amsterdam or not?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited January 2023 in General Chat
Hiya,

I am thinking of taking a few days away at the end of September with my boyfriend, he has been to Amsterdam before but I haven't. We enjoyed going to Prague last year for a weekend break and had a lovely 4 star hotel.

Has anyone been to Amsterdam that could recommend a nice hotel not too far out in the sticks, I don't really want to have to use public transport. I would prefer a 4 star one as I do like nice accommodation but if a 3 star one is really really nice I could be persuaded.

Also, I know there are lots of things to do there, is there anywhere that you would recommend having been ?

Thanks
Post edited by JustV on

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I stayed in a hostel when I went, be careful where you stay, some areas are a lot worse then others.

    You have to go and see: Vondlepark, Musem plade, Anne Frank House, The Van gogh musuem, dam square and the bike park at the station is to be seen to be belived!

    You need to watch our for the trams and the cyclists, neither will stop for you as a pedistrian. The trams are a great way to get around.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thank you for your advice, you say some areas are worse and to be avoided, are there any areas that you remember that you would recommend.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ahh Amsterdam is a lovely place.. I wish I was back there right now..

    I'm afraid I can't reccommend anywhere to stay as I was staying with a family, but i would say that you're only really going to get cheap if you stay in a hostel (though as the other poster said - make sure you do your research first) and the public transport is pretty damn good, and not all that expensive, though it's best to just get a day pass.

    Amsterdam is a really nice city just to wander round really.. The streets and canals, the gardens, parks and cafe's.. I'd probably take a boat trip along them, theres one called 'grachtengordel' (canal ring).. Theres some really nice little markets.. The Rijksmuseum.. The Van gogh museum.. I have a really good guide book you could read. :phttp://visitamsterdam.nl is a good site though
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah Amsterdam is wicked....really beautiful city, loads of culture and museums, as listed above.
    The nightlife is also WICKED, but c'mon, let's cut the crap. We all know why you're really going there :p, and yes it lives up to it's reputation! :D;)

    Public transport is great, cheap and efficient...use the tram! I reccomend staying where we stayed, the Alborg hotel...nice, not too pricey, and only a short tram ride away from the centre.

    The Anne Frank House is NOT to be missed. It's always a very interesting and emotional day out.

    P.S: Most of that museum shit is much more fun when you're high as a kite or tripping on shrooms. In fact, the Zoo is the best place EVER to go on mushrooms!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks for the replies,

    The hotel doesnt have to be cheap I don't think hostels are for me, something nice but not £200 per night would be ok anything around the £100 - £150 per night range I think.

    Thanks for the tips on the things to do, just so you know I haven't ever done drugs and it wasn't really on my list of things to do, my boyfriend does occassionally smoke weed but I havent ever tried it and I don't think I could bring myself to try smoking anything since I haven't even tried cigarettes. How boring do I sound !!!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In that price range my guidebook recommends..

    www.canalhouse.nl
    www.toren.nl
    www.hotelfilosoof.nl
    www.hotelpiethein.com
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    twinklestar wrote: »
    Thank you for your advice, you say some areas are worse and to be avoided, are there any areas that you remember that you would recommend.

    Anywhere that mentions being near the red light district avoid.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i stayed in Park Hotel last year, pretty central but away from the red lights and very nice rooms. although all rooms are apparently non-smoking as of may 1st so i won't be staying there again lol.

    http://www.parkhotel.nl/
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I went to Amsterdam on 16th May for the weekend and OMG it was excellent. I stayed in the Blue Tower Hotel. It only opened last year and it's gorgeous.

    It's only about 10mins on a tram from the centre. It was something like 220 euro for the fri and sat night.

    Defo a city i recommend going too, it's amazing. Might be going the end of this month too YEY!!! :hyper:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah I'm going back for a day trip sometime next week. It's only like an hour on the plane...early flight there, late flight back...gives us a good 12 hours of smoking. :thumb:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    When I last stayed in Amsterdam, I stayed in a very comfortable hotel on Dam Square. I can't remember the name but if you search on Expedia, for example, and choose hotels situated in the Dam Square area, you can't go wrong.

    It's very central and close to most of the amenities and just a 15 minute walk from the train station.

    Old Amsterdam is very small and so staying in the Dam Square area meant that nowhere was more than a 15 minute walk (e.g. Anne Frank museum). But apart from the infamous redlight district and ... ahem .. coffee shops, there is the Van Gogh museum, museums in general, canal trips etc

    It's a great town. I hope you enjoy.

    p.s. Make sure you buy your tains tickets to and from Schiphol Airport BEFORE you get on the train. The spot fines for no tickets are astronomical.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It was quite a nice place for a weekend, but I'm not sure unless you are a heavy smoker there is huge amount to do there.

    The museums are an absolute must of course, as is Anne Franks house (its much bigger than I thought).

    Try and get to a 'brown bar' as well, they are worth experiencing, basically its the dutch equivilent of an old country pub.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    pill 'ed wrote: »
    Yeah I'm going back for a day trip sometime next week. It's only like an hour on the plane...early flight there, late flight back...gives us a good 12 hours of smoking. :thumb:

    I was gonna try one of the cakes but i decided against it which was a good idea as my friend had one and was ill the rest of the day :lol:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I might be going this year on the ferry again. You're only in Amsterdam for about 5 hours but it's so good.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lea_uk wrote: »
    I might be going this year on the ferry again. You're only in Amsterdam for about 5 hours but it's so good.

    You can get the trips now from North Shields for where you stay over a night or two. Not too sure how much they are tho.
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