Hey guys,

My family and I are going to Italy next September (2009) for a month or so, and staying in Tuscany. While I'm there, since I'm going to be pretty much alone except for my parents and maybe an aunt, I wanted to plan a side trip to Amsterdam. I've always wanted to go and I've done a little research on the matter, but was wondering if any of you who have been there could give me some information on some nice hotels, coffee shops, and sights to be sure to check out while I'm there. Thanks so much!

-David

 

..dude your lucky..

 

Amsterdamn is a really neat city. I had a good time while I was there, but was with some more conservative friends and didnt do much of the partying that Amsterdam allows for.

Regardless, I had a good time. Its a very pretty city with a lot of neat little shops and just cool street scenery. If you get some time, be sure to see Anne Frank's house. And of course, check out the Red Light district. Its pretty crazy how hot some of the chics are. There are some that are gross, but Id say 30 percent are just knock dead gorgeous.

There are also a lot of sex shops, and places where you can actually pay to watch people have sex. I didnt go to any of those places, so procede at your own risk.

Id recommend getting a bike if you stay there, but they are damn near impossible to keep there. It just a known thing that bikes are stolen there, alllll the time.

The tram system is pretty nice, so even without a bike, you can get around pretty easy. When I was there, I stayed a hostel on the northern end of the city. It was a "religious" hostel, and seemed to have a good group of people running it. (we didnt stay there because it was religious though). When you do go, you need to plan ahead. Its hard to get hostel beds if you don't book like a week or two in advance, so prepare.


Some pics I took while there....

 

watch the movie "Hostel"but don't take the train to Slovakia

 

LOL!

 

Ask Siepel - he hangs out here:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showforum=14

 

While I enjoyed the city I had more fun going out to some of the smaller towns. Even though most people speak very good English I was very glad that I had spent some time learning basic Dutch. Menu's were rarely in anything but dutch.

Helpful hints.

This is the hotel we stayed in:

Hilton Amsterdam
Apollolaan 138, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1077 BG
Tel: 31-20-710 60 00

It was nice and had a good view from the windows but was not right in the center of things but withing walking distance of most things.

 

Haha I've seen it, crazy stuff.

Thanks for the info guys, keep it coming. Any good coffee shops to be sure to check out? I don't know how many people on this forum like to

 

I have an uncle there and love going to visit him for a few reasons

 

I have Dutch relatives, who live down in Utrecht, but still regularly make it up to Amsterdam, so I make it over there every few years. First off, the coffee shops aren't like the craze you might think they are over there; they're actually all filled with germans and tourists (such as yourself :-p).

Also, wasn't this topic brought up a few months ago? A few people recommended taking a tour of the Heineken factory, and of course you may like the red light district. If you're looking for crazy partying though, its not like you may think. Vegas is a better place to party and lose all your inhibitions than Amsterdam may be. The citizens still keep the city well-kept and clean, but also allow for everything you hear about. The Netherlands have always been open-minded like that.