Must sees and dining in Amsterdam for a two-day visit.

[walkinwood]

We use the OV-chipkaart for transportation which covers trains as well. But it's really only worth it for a long visit, and especially if you are returning annually. You pay €7.50 just for the card which is good for 3-4 years, and it requires a €20 balance for train access. You can get funds reimbursed if you have a high balance remaining.

We also used the Amsterdam Museum pass which is good for a month, a year if you have a local address. Again - it's worth it if you are in for an extended visit and are going to do at least 5 museums visits.

So I can't speak to the shorter term tourist cards for transportation or otherwise. But it's super easy to get around Amsterdam by tram and bus.

Thanks for this information Audrey. I'm leaning towards using the OV-Chipkaart instead of getting day passes. We're staying near Amsterdam Zuid, so we'll use at least 2 tram/metro rides a day to get to & from the different locations in Amsterdam - but we like walking, so we may be better off with paying per trip. With the discounts for train travel (€1 per trip), we'll make up the €7.50 cost easily.


Could you use your credit card to charge the OV-Chipkaart? Or do you need a debit card?


I have to look into the museum pass. We will easily do 5 museum visits - as long as the ones we want to see are included.

 

[audreyh1]

Thanks for this information Audrey. I'm leaning towards using the OV-Chipkaart instead of getting day passes. We're staying near Amsterdam Zuid, so we'll use at least 2 tram/metro rides a day to get to & from the different locations in Amsterdam - but we like walking, so we may be better off with paying per trip. With the discounts for train travel (€1 per trip), we'll make up the €7.50 cost easily.


Could you use your credit card to charge the OV-Chipkaart? Or do you need a debit card?


I have to look into the museum pass. We will easily do 5 museum visits - as long as the ones we want to see are included.

I have a credit card with PIN priority that I use to charge the card. But I have also used a debit card in the past.

There is a GVB office outside Amsterdam Centraal where you can charge the card even with a non-PIN credit card. This is also where you can get the amount on the card refunded to you as long as it doesn’t exceed €20.

You have to have the card enabled for train travel. This is easy enough to do at the NL desk at Schiphol where you can buy the cards and load them with the initial funds.

 

[bltkmt]

Great information here, thank you. As I mentioned above, we will be there for a week and plan to do an overnight trip to Bruges by train. If we wanted to do another day trip would anyone suggest Rotterdam or The Hague?

 

[Nemo2]

If we wanted to do another day trip would anyone suggest Rotterdam or The Hague?

How about, (if it hasn't already been mentioned), Utrecht?

 

[bltkmt]

How about, (if it hasn't already been mentioned), Utrecht?

I am open to suggestions! Have you been?

 

[Nemo2]

I am open to suggestions! Have you been?

No, but I've heard positive feedback.....there's a bell tower, built in the 1300s, with 465 steps that I'd love to climb.

 

[walkinwood]

We're in the planning stage for a visit this spring, so these suggestions are not based on first-hand experience.

Is Zanse Schaan on your list?

We're planning on doing a day trip to Kinderdijk from Amsterdam. Train to Rotterdam then waterbus to Kinderdijk. Depending on time, we'll probably take the waterbus to Dordrecht & then train back to Amsterdam (via Rotterdam).
http://www.netherlands-tourism.com/dordrecht/

Rotterdam was destroyed by allied bombing in WWII and they rebuilt it as a modern city. The Hague has old buildings & some world class museums. So you have two very different cities.


We plan to spend a couple of nights in Utrecht which is just 30 minutes from Amsterdam.
https://travelpassionate.com/things-to-do-in-utrecht-netherlands/

 

[brokrken]

No, but I've heard positive feedback.....there's a bell tower, built in the 1300s, with 465 steps that I'd love to climb.

Utrecht is great and better than the Hague, I think. Canals, good restaurants, easy transfers? Their train station is the hub for the whole country.

 

[audreyh1]

Great information here, thank you. As I mentioned above, we will be there for a week and plan to do an overnight trip to Bruges by train. If we wanted to do another day trip would anyone suggest Rotterdam or The Hague?

The Hague. Well worth visiting, particularly the museum Maurithsus which is close to some nice medieval building which house parliament.

It’s also on the coast - a quick tram ride right to a nice beach area with good restaurants.

 

[MRG]

No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a Crispy Duck. I'm not sure what they put in the sauce but it's unreal.

 

[walkinwood]

Another point to keep in mind - Sunrise / sunset times. Great in spring and summer. Not so much in the winter.



https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/netherlands/amsterdam

 

[audreyh1]

No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a Crispy Duck. I'm not sure what they put in the sauce but it's unreal.

OK - all my annual visits to Amsterdam and I have never even heard of this. Please give the details because we adore duck.

 

[NW-Bound]

No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a Crispy Duck. I'm not sure what they put in the sauce but it's unreal.

I dunno. Perhaps it's Peking Duck served in ethnic Chinese restaurants in Amsterdam.

 

[NW-Bound]

In our last trip to Europe, in driving from Cologne to Brussels, we stopped by Maastrict. I had not realized the Netherlands extends that far south. It has a very nice historic old town center. Maastrict is said to be the birthplace of the EU.

I need to go back to spend more time. I will also visit America in Holland. There's also Amerika, Holland.

I have not been to Holland, Michigan, either.

 

[jcfradio]

I will put in my plug for Leiden. It is a smaller (125,000 population) city that is 15 minutes by train from Schipol airport. Being smaller, it is cheaper than Amsterdam, has all of the canals and boat rides but without the crowds, noise, and tacky sex shop areas of Amsterdam. As well, being a University town it has the feel and energy that students can bring to a city. Also the birthplace of Rembrandt. It is also only about 10 km from the sand beaches on the North Sea which you can reach by bike. Probably one of my favourite places in Europe.

 

[audreyh1]

In our last trip to Europe, in driving from Cologne to Brussels, we stopped by Maastrict. I had not realized the Netherlands extends that far south. It has a very nice historic old town center. Maastrict is said to be the birthplace of the EU.

I need to go back to spend more time. I will also visit America in Holland. There's also Amerika, Holland.

I have not been to Holland, Michigan, either.

Maastricht is beautiful! We loved the medieval architecture. Great walking old city. I think it’s part of the Netherlands due to just one general who wouldn’t give it up.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, Leiden is very nice too. Famous botanical garden worth a visit. That is where tulips were first cultivated by a famous botanist after being brought from Turkey. Also has an awesome old center a lovely canals.

 

[gerntz]

In our last trip to Europe, in driving from Cologne to Brussels, we stopped by Maastrict. I had not realized the Netherlands extends that far south. It has a very nice historic old town center. Maastrict is said to be the birthplace of the EU.

I need to go back to spend more time. I will also visit America in Holland. There's also Amerika, Holland.

I have not been to Holland, Michigan, either.

I've been to Holland, MI. Nice, but I wouldn't go very far out of my way to visit.

Maastrict & surrounding district is an interesting case. By all rights, being Catholic historically, it ought to be a part of Belgium. When the other Catholic areas of the southern Netherlands rebelled & broke away to form Catholic Belgium around 1830, the military garrison at Maastrict remained loyal to the Protestant Dutch king. Hence is its southern geographic & highly Catholic appendage to the Netherlands.

 

[NW-Bound]

I've been to Holland, MI. Nice, but I wouldn't go very far out of my way to visit...

Just joking. I want to be able to say that I have been to Holland (pause) in Michigan.

 

[BigNick]

Rotterdam was destroyed by allied bombing in WWII and they rebuilt it as a modern city.

I lived in Rotterdam for four years. It's different, and interesting if you like radical architecture, but it's very much a working city. There's not a whole lot for tourists.

 

[simple girl]

We stayed at the CocoMama Hostel in Amerstdam and loved it. We paid extra for our own private room and bath, but we still had access to the basement where the community kitchen/hangout room was. We were able to meet many interesting travelers from all over the world, as well as the hostel cat. We also loved going to the local grocery store to get a few items and cooking in some nights.

Cocomama

 

[NW-Bound]

I lived in Rotterdam for four years. It's different, and interesting if you like radical architecture, but it's very much a working city. There's not a whole lot for tourists.

Nice! Just the excuse I needed to post a link to a song I knew: "Rotterdam (or anywhere)". How fitting is this?

Rotterdam (or anywhere) by The Beautiful South

And the women tug their hair
Like they're trying to prove it won't fall out
And all the men are gargoyles
Dipped long in Irish stout

The whole place is pickled
The people are pickles for sure
And no one knows if they've done more here
Than they ever would do in a jar

This could be Rotterdam or anywhere
Liverpool or Rome
'cause Rotterdam is anywhere
Anywhere alone
Anywhere alone

And everyone is blonde
And everyone is beautiful
And when blondes and beautiful are multiple
They become so dull and dutiful

And when faced with dull and dutiful
They fire red warning flares
Battle-khaki personality
With red underwear

This could be Rotterdam or anywhere
Liverpool or Rome
'cause Rotterdam is anywhere
Anywhere alone
Anywhere alone​

 

[Breedlove]

Probably not what you are used to but we stay at a B&B on Nieuwendijk 80.00 EU a night . Actually for Amsterdam a steal ( Clean Safe and an excellent location in the Centrum Area .) It is excellent for us about 100yards from Central Station . This will be our 26th trip over this August and it is like a family reunion . We have seen most of the great museums , we go to Amsterdam to party and have fun. Sad thing is the town has seemed to be dead . Used to have some characters that were more entertainment then some museums . If you want any help on the crazy side or our Hotel please send us a private message . Summer is still a blast .
Spend some time in Volendam and Marken , eat some EEL and tour an old fishing town . LOL

 

[Breedlove]

This is one of our trips , this is the AVO . Texans in Amsterdam !

 

[Nemo2]

+1 Can't beat a Bar Band!!