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

[Breedlove]

We have did this for many years , The lady playing guitar is one of the best female blues players in the world . This was recorded at Meloe Mellow , 3 years ago we played with 2 of the Boom Town Rats . You never know who is in Amsterdam it is such a city .

 

[Nemo2]

The lady playing guitar is one of the best female blues players in the world .

She didn't look old enough to be in a bar in that vid.......but I did notice she was good!

 

[tulak]

I rented an electric boat when we were in Amsterdam last summer.

Along the way, we tied up the boat and stopped at a cafe for beverages. Great way to see Amsterdam from the water and way better than the tourist boats.

 

[audreyh1]

We had a pre-wedding party on a hired boat one year. We just took coolers of drinks and snacks on the boat and enjoyed a tour. It was an open boat as opposed to the enclosed glass tourist boats which are better for typical Amsterdam weather. Fortunately the weather was dry although it was a wee bit chilly, especially on the water. But it was a really nice relaxing way to cruise the canals.

 

[IMATERP]

Thanks for posting this. My wife and I arrive in Amsterdam at 5:45p.m on July 1st. We are staying in the Vondelpark area and have a 71 1/2 layover with a flight back to the US on July 4th. Since the museum district is very close to our hotel, I thought we’d go ahead and spend most of Thursday partaking in museums prior to getting back to Schipol later in the afternoon.

 

[audreyh1]

Thanks for posting this. My wife and I arrive in Amsterdam at 5:45p.m on July 1st. We are staying in the Vondelpark area and have a 71 1/2 layover with a flight back to the US on July 4th. Since the museum district is very close to our hotel, I thought we’d go ahead and spend most of Thursday partaking in museums prior to getting back to Schipol later in the afternoon.

Vondelpark is lovely, so I hope you enjoy it. If you can rent bikes for a day it's worth riding through Vondlepark as it's quite large. Your hotel can recommend or perhaps even make arrangements for you ahead of time if you like. There is a nice cafe named Voldeltuin at the southwest end next to the playground which is great for a drink and or/snack. I recommend their Aperol Spritzers.

Near the narrow northeast end of Vondelpark (near the museums) is a lovely seafood restaurant called the Seafood Bar. It's pricey, but the seafood is super fresh and outstanding. It's popular, so I recommend calling for reservations, of stopping by ahead to find out availability. We always eat at least once at one of the three in Amsterdam when we visit. https://www.theseafoodbar.com/home-en

July in Amsterdam is great. It shouldn't get that hot. So being outside in the summer in Amsterdam is wonderful. Lots of things are in full bloom. It does get crowded, however, since it's a popular tourist destination particularly in the summer. Vondelpark itself and surrounds is not so bad. It's the city center especially around the Dam that is super packed at times.

In general, Amsterdam is a very good city to eat seafood. We really enjoy the pickled herring from the street stands. They have other options too, like smoked mackerel which is heavenly. There is also good fried seafood called "kibbeling". If you see a food stand or restaurant with a sign that includes "Vishandel", which means fish shop, it's selling prepared seafood displayed in large counters - fresh herring, kibbeling, and all sorts of goodies. You can eat there or take it away.

 

[walkinwood]

We just returned from our trip & here's my input. Thanks for all the tips in this thread.



- We stayed near the Amsterdam Zuid station. Very good if you're going to be visiting places outside of Amsterdam. It is convenient to get to all the amsterdam neighborhoods, but if you like to come back in the afternoon to rest up before going out again, that will be a pain. On the other hand - a quiet neighborhood with enough restaurants to not be boring. Hotel rooms are bigger & have elevators! Also a place to rent a bicycle.



- We loved the canal ring, Jordaan and the de pijp neighborhoods. Amsterdam Noord disappointed us. The botanic garden in April was a disappointment too. The city center is very crowded, but you can see it all pretty quickly. The Royal Palace is worth an indoor tour.


- Easter is peak season. This year, the weather was beautiful and over a million tourists (many from neighboring countries) visited the Netherlands.


- Zanse Shaan & Volendam are VERY touristy. We visited on Easter Sunday and they were mobbed. The restaurant we sat at in Zanse Shaan had run out of all food buy pastries & grilled-cheese sandwiches Our local friends drove us to both places so we had a good time anyway.



- Kinderdijk is beautiful. We made our way to Alblasserdam, rented bicycles & rode from there (just 10-15 minutes). That whole area is beautiful & fun to bicycle through. Another trip for a weekday.



- The Keukenhof gardens & the flower fields around Lisse were unbelievably beautiful. Go to K early on a weekday. Rent a bicycle to see the flower fields. We liked them so much that, on another day, we rented bicycles after walking around Haarlem (a very beautiful town) & rode to the fields again.


- Utrecht is a beautiful town. We spent two days there.


- We spent Kings Day (and the previous night) with Dutch friends in Apeldoorn and had a wonderful time. People said that Amsterdam gets a bit too crazy on King's day.


- I'd recommend the Element restaurant. The chefs and front staff are culinary/hospitality school students. The meals were outstanding & very affordable.


- Bicycles are a great way to see towns though Amsterdam is probably more suited to walking if you want to look around. Rentals are relatively inexpensive - around €10-13 for the day - compared to the US.


- Credit cards give you the best exchange rate. We got the best ATM exchange rate from Rabobank. Take the minimum amount you need from the airport ATMs - they charge almost 5% over the exchange rate on XECurrency. Credit cards are about .1% to .3%.

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

I learned from this vlog that if you want to visit the Anne Frank House, you need to book tickets two months in advance: