Things to see in Amsterdam?
August 2, 2012 9:26 AM Subscribe
We (a middle-aged couple) are going to be in Amsterdam for two days early next May. What are the must-see attractions for someone who will be there only a short time? Thanks.
I think that Amsterdam is the attraction--it's such a wonderful city and I agree with entropone that walking the canals streets just outside the busting/touristy city center is the way to go. The Jordaan is a delightful neighborhood. I'd also recommend hopping on a canal boat tour--great way to comfortably see a fair bit of the city on a first visit. If you are looking for hotel/restaurant recommendations I have a couple of favorites I'm happy to share.
posted by donovan at 9:43 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by donovan at 9:43 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
I found the Van Gogh museum to be utterly amazing, if you're into that kind of thing.
posted by corn_bread at 9:44 AM on August 2, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by corn_bread at 9:44 AM on August 2, 2012 [4 favorites]
In principle, the renovated Rijksmuseum should have reopened by then, but a selection of its masterpieces remains available until the reopening anyway.
Also, the Van Gogh Museum, just a stone's throw away, is more than worth a visit.
Take a boat ride through the canals. Touristy, yes, but it offers the best views.
Otherwise, what entropone says. Amsterdam is a surprisingly small city, easy to visit by foot or bike, although the network of streets and canals can be somewhat challenging to navigate to the uninitiated.
Two years is unfortunately too short to venture far beyond Amsterdam itself, but the neighbouring towns of Haarlem, Leiden and Hoorn are rather pretty. And May should be tulip season, making a visit of the flower fields quite memorable.
posted by Skeptic at 9:47 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
Also, the Van Gogh Museum, just a stone's throw away, is more than worth a visit.
Take a boat ride through the canals. Touristy, yes, but it offers the best views.
Otherwise, what entropone says. Amsterdam is a surprisingly small city, easy to visit by foot or bike, although the network of streets and canals can be somewhat challenging to navigate to the uninitiated.
Two years is unfortunately too short to venture far beyond Amsterdam itself, but the neighbouring towns of Haarlem, Leiden and Hoorn are rather pretty. And May should be tulip season, making a visit of the flower fields quite memorable.
posted by Skeptic at 9:47 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
Two days, sorry, not two years (that should be enough).
posted by Skeptic at 9:47 AM on August 2, 2012
posted by Skeptic at 9:47 AM on August 2, 2012
if you see a stand selling pickled herring and you ask yourself 'who on earth would buy pickled fish on the street?', the answer is 'you.' you will buy it. you will eat it all right there. you will go back for more. you will miss it the most when you leave...unless you discover stroopwafel...then you're screwed...heroin is an easier habit to break.
posted by sexyrobot at 9:54 AM on August 2, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by sexyrobot at 9:54 AM on August 2, 2012 [6 favorites]
Anne Frank's house. It brings the horror of war down to a human scale and is very, very moving.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:57 AM on August 2, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:57 AM on August 2, 2012 [6 favorites]
Pick no more than three museums. Eat Indonesian and Surinamese food. Definitely, definitely eat a fresh stroopwafel or 12. Find a cafe by a canal and people-watch.
Happy to share my personalized GMap of bars, eateries, and more. Memail me if you're interested.
posted by knile at 10:16 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
Happy to share my personalized GMap of bars, eateries, and more. Memail me if you're interested.
posted by knile at 10:16 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you choose to do the Anne Frank museum, be sure to buy tickets in advance. It is one of the city's most popular attractions, and you can waste a lot of time in the queue.
You can continue the theme of hidden Amsterdam at the Amstelkring museum, which houses a spectacular clandestine Catholic church behind a canal house facade, in the heart of the Red Light District, no less. Really one of the most unique museums in the city, and very much off the regular tourist circuit.
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 10:28 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
You can continue the theme of hidden Amsterdam at the Amstelkring museum, which houses a spectacular clandestine Catholic church behind a canal house facade, in the heart of the Red Light District, no less. Really one of the most unique museums in the city, and very much off the regular tourist circuit.
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 10:28 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you go to the Anne Frank house you might want to schedule it for the last stop of the day. It took me a while to recover my composure afterwards.
posted by tommasz at 10:42 AM on August 2, 2012
posted by tommasz at 10:42 AM on August 2, 2012
The Anne Frank House, yes. It's kind of amazing to actually BE in the place where it happened, having heard the story for so long.
Ditto Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum.
But I also want to ditto the Amstelkring - it's lovely and a fascinating story. (Catholicism was once illegal there, at least in public, so a group of Catholics built a full church inside a house!)
All of these things are in the center area of the city, and are easily walkable between them.
Also, I believe they also offer a mulit-museum pass thing that gets you into most of those locations (probably not Anne Frank House), and I think includes a boat tour of the canals. The boat tour is touristy, but it's a nice way to see and learn about the layout of the city.
One more - the Beginnhof. It's a little cloister of houses that used to be used by unmarried, religious women. The entrance is right off a busy shopping street, so it's rather fun to walk down a little alley and step back a couple centuries in time.
posted by dnash at 10:49 AM on August 2, 2012
Ditto Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum.
But I also want to ditto the Amstelkring - it's lovely and a fascinating story. (Catholicism was once illegal there, at least in public, so a group of Catholics built a full church inside a house!)
All of these things are in the center area of the city, and are easily walkable between them.
Also, I believe they also offer a mulit-museum pass thing that gets you into most of those locations (probably not Anne Frank House), and I think includes a boat tour of the canals. The boat tour is touristy, but it's a nice way to see and learn about the layout of the city.
One more - the Beginnhof. It's a little cloister of houses that used to be used by unmarried, religious women. The entrance is right off a busy shopping street, so it's rather fun to walk down a little alley and step back a couple centuries in time.
posted by dnash at 10:49 AM on August 2, 2012
Friends of mine who enjoyed the Amstelkring (Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder) also really liked the Bible Museum. The Amsterdam Museum is also nice.
The Hermitage is a bit farther away, but the area is beautiful (it's on the Amstel). And it's close to Horticus Botanicus (botanic gardens) and Artis (zoo).
I recommend buying tickets in advance if you visit the Van Gogh Museum. If you're very energetic, you can do the Van Gogh, the Rijksmuseum, and the Stedelijk in one day; they're all located on Museumplein.
A great resource for places to eat is Amsterdam Foodie. Definitely eat an Indonesian rijstafel; Restaurant Blauw is often recommended.
posted by neushoorn at 10:52 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
The Hermitage is a bit farther away, but the area is beautiful (it's on the Amstel). And it's close to Horticus Botanicus (botanic gardens) and Artis (zoo).
I recommend buying tickets in advance if you visit the Van Gogh Museum. If you're very energetic, you can do the Van Gogh, the Rijksmuseum, and the Stedelijk in one day; they're all located on Museumplein.
A great resource for places to eat is Amsterdam Foodie. Definitely eat an Indonesian rijstafel; Restaurant Blauw is often recommended.
posted by neushoorn at 10:52 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
The Sloten Windmill is a little out of the way (I remember the tram trip took a little time), but is a fun and interesting visit if that sort of thing appeals to you. It's also relatively cheap - 5.50 Euros a person.
posted by Hactar at 11:02 AM on August 2, 2012
posted by Hactar at 11:02 AM on August 2, 2012
I've mentioned this before, but to get your bearings on the Centrum, you can take the 5 tram from Centraal Station to the Concertgebouw, then the 24 tram back. That'll show you how the various bits fit together for when you go wandering.
If you go to the Anne Frank house you might want to schedule it for the last stop of the day.
In May, it stays open until 9pm. Go in the evening.
posted by holgate at 11:04 AM on August 2, 2012
If you go to the Anne Frank house you might want to schedule it for the last stop of the day.
In May, it stays open until 9pm. Go in the evening.
posted by holgate at 11:04 AM on August 2, 2012
My partner and I were just there last September and a boat ride on the canals and the Van Gogh museum were our favourite attractions. The Rijksmuseum, also fantastic, was still being renovated during our visit, but I found the limited number of pieces less overwhelming than being set loose in a museum where it would take days to see everything. I think we spent about 3 or 4 hours in each museum.
If you want to try rijsttafel, don’t forget to make reservations at an Indonesian restaurant – we thought we could just walk in and all the recommended restaurants were booked solid – my one lasting regret from 2 otherwise perfect days. However we ended up in a great restaurant (that doesn’t take reservations) we found in the Guardian's city guide called Van Kerkwijk, so my “but I really wanted to try rijsttafel!” meltdown was mollified by excellent French/Italian food (menu changes daily) and service by handsome waiters.
posted by champagneminimalist at 11:21 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you want to try rijsttafel, don’t forget to make reservations at an Indonesian restaurant – we thought we could just walk in and all the recommended restaurants were booked solid – my one lasting regret from 2 otherwise perfect days. However we ended up in a great restaurant (that doesn’t take reservations) we found in the Guardian's city guide called Van Kerkwijk, so my “but I really wanted to try rijsttafel!” meltdown was mollified by excellent French/Italian food (menu changes daily) and service by handsome waiters.
posted by champagneminimalist at 11:21 AM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
The Museum of Handbags and Purses:
http://www.tassenmuseum.nl/
posted by humboldt32 at 11:44 AM on August 2, 2012
http://www.tassenmuseum.nl/
posted by humboldt32 at 11:44 AM on August 2, 2012
Two words:
Rifsttafel
Pannekoeken
Mmmmm.... I'm hungry just thinking about it!
posted by mikeand1 at 12:12 PM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
Rifsttafel
Pannekoeken
Mmmmm.... I'm hungry just thinking about it!
posted by mikeand1 at 12:12 PM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
When I was there, one of the best things I did was take an "unofficial" boat tour through the canals. It's called the St. Nicolaas Boat Club and it's free, but a 10 euro donation is asked at the end of the trip. Unlike those glass topped tours, it's a smaller tour, and usually given by a local guide. You're also able to bring whatever food/drink/smoke (if you want) onboard. It was way cool! We ended up getting a tour from Magnus, who was a Swedish architecture student with tons of interesting facts about the city. You can sign up for them by going to the Boom Chicago Comedy Club at Leidseplein. Highly recommended!
posted by packfan88c at 12:13 PM on August 2, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by packfan88c at 12:13 PM on August 2, 2012 [2 favorites]
Well, not sure if it's a must-see in your book, but i certainly made time to visit the Cat Boat. And if the cat who lazes on the shelf is still there, be forewarned that they mean it with the sign "Be careful! He will scratch!"
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 1:00 PM on August 2, 2012
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 1:00 PM on August 2, 2012
St. Nicolaas Boat Club is currently not operating due to bureaucracy.
posted by humboldt32 at 10:03 AM on August 5, 2012
posted by humboldt32 at 10:03 AM on August 5, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
I'd recommend enjoying long walks in the Western Canal Belt area. You can have breakfast at some cafe in the Jordans, pick up cheese and bread and fruit from some grocery and eat them for lunch sitting by a Canal, visit the Negen Stratjes, etc.
The center of the city is extremely touristy and kind of cater to foreigners who are up for a party. Maybe that's your thing, maybe it's not. But the western and southern canal belts are really lovely.
The Vondelpark is really pleasant, if you like parks, and the area around it is great. And if you like street markets, swing by the Albert Cuypmarkt.
posted by entropone at 9:39 AM on August 2, 2012