Unique Amsterdam

February 21, 2009 9:05 AM

Please help me create the greatest scavenger hunt in Amsterdam ever!

I'm traveling to Amsterdam in April with some friends for a bachelor party (3 girls and the two bachelors). I want to create a scavenger hunt of a mix of both historical Amsterdam spots, unique dutch/Amsterdam experiences, and oddball things that people have come across in the city. Clearly I'll be putting in things like trying Pomme Frites with mayo, visiting the sex museum, torture museum, the oldest brown pub (Chris Cafe), the bloemengarten, etc. We're really not interested in visiting the museums but I'd still like them to get a taste of the history there. Also, I'd like to keep everything within Central Amsterdam. Does anyone have special places or events that they want to share? I've waded through other questions about Amsterdam - I'm looking for things that aren't in the guide books.

posted by Unred to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

Talk a walk along the Herengracht canal at some point, not exactly a scavenger hunt thing to do but it is a really worthwhile walk along a beautiful canal with beautiful houses lining the calm and quiet streets.

If you want to try the coffeeshop culture, I can recommend Amnesia, 420cafe, Barney's Lounge and the Dampkring, all of which you can find easily if you mark them on a map beforehand (all are Central). These are proper coffeeshops, there are tonnes of touristy ones that give off a bad vibe but here the staff are friendly and helpful, and they are nice places to just sit and have a delicious smoke.

Since it is a Bachelors trip, you should probably pay a visit to one of the numerous peep shows in the RLD, creepy and surreal but at least you can say you have done it.

I have heard that renting a canal boat or going on a boat tour is really worthwhile, as is renting a bicycle and zipping around Amsterdam, seeing sights from a quicker and more random perspective.

Mmm, I wish I could go back right now.
posted by tumples at 9:49 AM on February 21

For a bit of history that's easy to get to, there's De Waag, which is on Nieuwmarket, and the Magere Burg, which is on Kerkstraat.

For food, I think something (kroket? frikandel?) out of the wall at FEBO or raw herring (from a stand or from the Albert Heijn on the Damrak, if they carry it) is even more Dutch than fries. Also, if I remember correctly, there's a stand that sells treats (stroopwafels, pannekoeken, oliebollen) either next to Dam Square (on the National Monument side) or just past the other end of the De Bijenkorf (closer to Centraal Station). Is there anything in the world better than a fresh stroopwafel? Nee!

Something sort of funny to see if you're American is the Restaurant De Kroonprins on Prins Hendrikkade -- there's a Statue of Liberty above the entrance.
posted by transporter accident amy at 10:17 AM on February 21

Slurp a drink (or two or three) at Wynand Fockink.

Walk quietly through the (silent and hidden) Begijnhof to the (free) Civic Guards Gallery.

Have some of the best chocolate in the world at Puccini Bomboni (I recommend the nutmeg and the rhubarb, but everything is delicious).

Sit down to a gluttonous rijstaffel at Kantijl & de Tijger (make sure to make reservations).

See the narrowest house in the world at Singel 7 (only 2 meters across).

Don an extra warm jacket to sit on ice benches and drink out of ice glasses at the Ice Bar.

Pose with a life-size 3d representation of Rembrandt's famous Night Watch on Rembrandtplein.

Have a beer at one of Amsterdam's few remaining windmills (now a brewery).

Ride bikes.
posted by milagu at 12:26 PM on February 21

Someone mentioned Snacks. If you want to do this really well, and not go to the Febo (yuck), go to one of Kewkkeboom's shops (Ferdinand Bolstraat, Linnaeusstraat, Reguliersbreestraat) and buy one of their Kroketten.
For fries, the flemish fries shop in the Voetboogstraat is where everyone goes. Its close to the Begijnhof.
Go to the zoo and look at all the weird people (if the weather is good, April is probably the best time for that). Go to the Ijsbreker cafe along the Amstel for a bunch of beers. Go and eat Indonesian food (ah, someone said that already).
posted by Namlit at 3:53 PM on February 21

I don't have much to say about Amsterdam in particular, but I've been a part of a pretty epic scavenger hunt elsewhere (that must remain somewhat secret). So, here are some general pointers:

-This may be obvious, but it's really good to make these things camera-based. Each stop should be a photograph. The instructions in the hunt made sure that the photos taken were worth a few laughs years later, as they involved poses, rude gestures, bad behavior, and the occasional bare tuchus.

-What we did was have two competing teams, essentially running to the same spots in the city in reverse order, with a different lunch place in the middle so they didn't have to meet. That way, they get basically the same course, the same fun places to go, but enough separation so as to feel they were in competition, which leads me to...

-Order. We didn't just give them a list of things to do. We gave out an ordered list of clues that involved some figuring out, which was written with a bit of fantastical flourish.

Sorry if that's all a bit obvious, but it worked like a charm and made the event truly memorable. This is a great idea you've had.
posted by Doctor Suarez at 12:00 PM on February 22