WHAT TO DO IN AMSTERDAM?
Amsterdam is not a metro pole – it is an experience. So you better not wasting your time by going in wrong directions or sitting in lousy restaurants…and experience it even better (like we do).
RESTAURANTS & BARS
Just around the corner you will find the general fast food outlets selling fries, burgers, pizza’s and middle-east snacks as falafel and shoarma. If you venture out a little further you’ll find the more cosy restaurants serving proper meals. We are lucky with the Warmoestraat just behind us, which has been very nicely renovated. It’s packed with restaurants and bars where you can easily meet your fellow travellers. Two canals from us (an interesting stroll!) you find China Town (Zeedijk), which offers Thai, Korean and Japanese food beside Chinese and “de Nieuwmarkt”. This is a great place for mingling with the locals. Prices here are better than at the famous Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein and the main tourist bars. If the sun is going down you simply change to the terraces on the other side of the plaza to catch the last rays.
A few recommended places close to the centre for food and drinks are:
“Het Karbeel”
The interior is very warm and cosy, stylishly European and their specialty is Cheese Fondue. Originally from Switzerland it has become quite popular here too. You dip pieces of French bread (wow, so European!) into a big bowl of hot melted cheese. Various kinds and combinations are used and it will be hard to choose. If your timing is right you can sit at the window with a great view on one of the busiest and most interesting junctions.
“Wilhelmina Dok”
If you like the water there is a fantastic place not far from the hostel. You can easily get there by taking the free ferry service behind central station to meeuwenlaan (try pronouncing that one, ha,ha!) When you hit the shore it’s a two-minute walk to your right. There is a terrace right on the water and you might be able to hitch a ride with a good-looking captain who stopped for a drink as well. On Monday evenings they have a dinner-movie deal. Check with us if the movie is in English since we Dutchies love to watch strange movies from Korea or Mongolia!
“De Hollandsche manege”
Another nice place to have a drink is on the balcony of our own “Spanish riding school”. Like in Vienna this is a beautifully built place. An historical place since it was officially opened in 1882 and hasn’t changed that much. You won’t get to see the fantastic white ballerina horses that ride the Vienna arena but you might have a laugh at someone struggling to get his horse to do what the instructor orders him to do.
“The Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam”
...is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. The Amsterdam city authority established the garden in 1638 as a "Hortus Medicus", a herb garden for the physicians and pharmacists of Amsterdam. The Hortus has occupied its present location in the “Plantage” district since 1682, and is a green oasis in the middle of the bustling city. (5 minutes walk from the Zoo)
Inside is an absolute perfect place with a unique atmosphere called “ De Oranjerie”. You can drink and eat something while enjoying the lemon, grapefruit, orange and mandarin trees. There is some history to write about this place as well but we will leave something for you to find out.
“Blijburg”
A short bus ride away from central station will take you to a brand new suburb of Amsterdam called IJburg. Interesting in it self since it is land taken from a big lake. (our most famous skill) Building in this drained land is still going on so you’ll find yourself to be a pioneer tourist. Blijburg is a creatively found name for the place since “Blij” means happy in Dutch. You’ll be surprised by the look of the place since it will give you the feeling of a backpacker’s beach in Asia or Latin America rather then being in a European city. It’s a very funky place with a relaxing atmosphere. Drinks and food are good and affordable and getting closer to night time it’s getting livelier and more funky. Every night there are dj’s or a life band and half of the people start swinging their butts.
“Vondelpark”
Go where the local’s go on a sunny afternoon. The Vondelpark, close to the Leidseplein is a nice and busy place. Lots of people getting rid of their energy by skating (are for rent in the park), running, walking, kissing, and so on…The film museum is situated inside the park with its great terrace overlooking the park and a great restaurant called Vertigo (watch yourself drinking beer in the sun since leaving the place you’ll have to “mind the step”!). In summer on Wednesdays and Sundays there is a free cultural program with very varying subjects from puppet theatre for children to Latin dance workshops for everybody. Also you can have a refreshing drink at the famous Blue Teahouse in the middle of the park.
“Amsterdamse Bos”
A BYO (bring your own) option is this big forest, 935 hectare. This is a luscious place to escape the city. Totally man made, created in 1934 an onwards it took a while of course to become a grown-up forest. The rowing track was dug out by shovel! There are bicycle tracks and walking tracks and you can rent canoes. One of the bicycle tracks involves getting across the lake by ferry. Better even is to go to this forest to chill out on some mushrooms. We recommend you to buy them though instead of picking them.
since not every mushroom is edible!www.amsterdamsebos.amsterdam.nl
“Brouwerij ’T IJ” (brewery/windmill)
Combining some sightseeing with beer drinking this is where you can go. It’s a half an hour walk passing the maritime museum or a short bus ride from central station.
Situated in a windmill, Yes, a true windmill!, this is a small brewery. They can pour you a nice home made beer from Wednesday till Sunday while realizing that you are truly in Holland.
RED LIGHT DISTRICT
Window Shopping in Amsterdam
A visit to Amsterdam would not be complete without a stroll around the lively and exciting Red Light District. The atmosphere can be chaotic with throngs of tourists jostling for space alongside city slickers, students, pimps, drug dealers, residents and employees. The prostitutes of De Wallen are part of a legal and regulated industry that includes compulsory health checks and taxable income. It’s quite refreshing to see something else displayed in a window than just boring clothes and shoes. At least the girls wearing it (or not) are alive! The Red Light District harbors many sex shops with all kind of assortments or you can pop in to the Casa Rosso or the Banana Bar for a real Live show, the latter more enjoyed by men. Visiting a Thai Massage Bar after an exhausting day or getting your feet massaged by the Chinese is among your options too. Like in any city you have to watch your belongings but beside this you can feel absolutely safe here. A special warning for Amsterdam: watch your coordination being drunk since our lovely canals are not fenced! Another warning is not to be foolish enough to buy stuff from people on the street; it’s either a rip off, washing powder or more likely, both!
With a bit of common sense you’ll have the best time of your life!
Another must while you are in Amsterdam is to take a boat ride. The city looks at her best seen from the canals. In the summer we mostly have our own boat that runs twice a day, maybe three times if there are enough people, duration 1 hour + 1/2. An excellent opportunity to make some good friends even if this will last the duration of the trip only. Of course you can smoke on board and the captain can arrange some cold drinks. You can imagine it to be a lot more fun cruising along with your fellow backpackers than to join a big group of middle aged Japanese going with one of the regular companies.
Second best to a boat ride is to rent a bicycle. Just around the corner is a renting shop that we have a discount deal with. If you really fall in love with Amsterdam and you decide to stay longer you can buy a bicycle and they will sell it back for half price. They rent mountain bikes and tandem bikes as well. A very nice one to see a bit more of Holland than just Amsterdam is to venture out in the countryside. Within 45 minutes you’ll be stunned at what you see. We provide a mapped route so you can’t get lost.
The third way to explore Amsterdam (if you are not too stoned) is by foot. Every day there will be a free walking tour starting in the morning.
If you would like to walk quietly by yourself or with your lover – please ask the reception for great walking tips without feeling a tourist. We have free maps of the city!
MUSEUMS
In general we advice our guests if they want to visit more than 3 or 4 museums during their stay to buy a ‘museumjaarkaart’. ‘Free’ entrance to all museums. Valid one year.
Costs:
> 25 = € 35
< 25 = € 17.50
If there is only one museum to be visited you would probably have to consider the:
Anne Frank House in the centre of Amsterdam. This is the hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary during World War Two. The original of the diary is on display as part of the Anne Frank House's permanent exhibition.
Visiting the Anne Frank House has been a moving experience for millions of people from all over the world. In order not to waste too much time queuing we recommend you to go in the evening hours, the museum is open until 9 pm
If you wish to visit the Rijksmuseum, van Gogh, Maritime, Resistance, Madame Tussaud, the Rembrandt house, Modern art museum. The Hermitage (!)…of course we can direct you but we would like to draw some attention to the following:
“Sex museum”
The world's first and oldest sex museum is, of course, to be found in Amsterdam. Called The Venus temple it’s a leading museum on the theme of sensual love with an extensive collection of erotic pictures, paintings, objects, recordings, photographs and even attractions. All of the exhibits have been gathered together personally by the owners and can be viewed in their 17th century property on the Damrak, which is a 5-minute walk from the hostel.
www.sexmuseumamsterdam.nl
“Erotic Museum”
The Erotic museum reflects artistically what it is all about in the Red Light District. It consists of five floors of erotic enjoyment and a collection of erotic art from all over the world. It starts in far history and moves forward into a futuristic century.
Old masters and modern time artists give their view on erotica with their paintings and other art forms. One floor shows a realistic copy of 'The street life' including the original entrance of the Casa Rosso theatre as it was in the old days. Another floor shows unique erotic postcards, photos and more then 500 erotic books. A special fairytale corner with erotic videos will give you a look at the funny side of erotica.
Tropen museum (anthropological museum)
Maybe not a logical choice while visiting Amsterdam and wanting to learn about Holland but even just for the building itself, which is Dutch indeed, it’s worth visiting.
The Tropenmuseum is one of the largest anthropological museums in Europe. Here, you can stroll around the courtyard of a Javanese house, roam through noisy Arab streets, or find yourself in a thunderstorm in the middle of the African savannah. You can relax to the authentic music of a South American jukebox - or listen to the gripping life story of a tropical rainforest-dweller. You’ll find yourself right into the daily lives of the people of the tropics and subtropics. There’s always something new to see or hear! When getting tired it’s a really nice place to relax, drink and eat something.
The museum has a cultural program as well with multi-cultural performances in the evening with dance, music, film etc… plus a restaurant where they serve delicious meals from all over the world. Our people can tell you what’s going on at the time.
www.tropenmuseum.nl
“Hash museum”
Of course Amsterdam has a museum dedicated to the use of cannabis, be it for pleasure, as a medicine or for making textiles and paper from the hemp plant. It illustrates the role of cannabis in history. It might be nice to get some extra info on the subject when you get into a discussion. There’s a garden with hemp plants, the process of making hash and marihuana is explained and you can see the various rolling and smoking methods.
“The Cat Boat”
Water and cats. Most cats hate water, but ours learn to love living on it. After all, we have been keeping their feet dry since 1966. This is the only animal sanctuary in the Netherlands that literally floats. It’s a modern and professional sanctuary providing tender loving care to countless cats. Located on a houseboat in Amsterdam's picturesque canal belt it has become a world-famous tourist attraction
“A rooftop with a view” (apart from our splendid roof top terrace)
A nice 15-minute walk away is the Nemo museum which we do not recommend for its museum but for its building and additional function. It’s shaped like the front bow of a ship and in summer sand and cushions are there for people to relax and enjoy an amazing view over Amsterdam. Some nights they have music and even house parties are organised. You can always check with us if you’re lucky enough to have one going on the night you are staying with us.
The Hermitage
From June 20th 2009, 10 a.m., a major new European cultural destination, the greatly expanded Hermitage Amsterdam, will welcome visitors to its elegantly restored 17th-century building in the historic heart of Amsterdam. Founded to bring the richness and grandeur of Russia’s artistic heritage to one of the West’s most charming capitals, this independent cultural institution will inaugurate its spacious new home — ten times the size of the previous building — with the exhibition At the Russian Court, a dazzling display of more than 1,800 treasures from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
www.vangoghmuseum.nl
www.heinekenexperience.com
www.jhm.nl (Jewish historical museum)
www.stedelijkindestad.nl (modern art)
www.foam.nl (photography)
www.nimk.nl (media art institute)
www.museumamstelkring.nl (hidden church in canal house)
CLUBS
www.supperclub.com
www.odeontheater.nl
www.melkweg.nl
www.paradiso.nl
www.fun4two.nl
www.clubmagazijn.com
www.bourbonstreet.nl
“Dance and stuff”
If you are into big rave-parties Holland is the place to be. In summer there is one every weekend and all you have to pray for is sunshine (don’t forget to put on your beach wear underneath your clothes). The rest is taken care off!
Just a few big ones…
Impulz outdoor (www.impulz.nl)
Beach Bop (www.bloemendaal.nl)
Awakenings (www.awakenings.nl)
Extrema (www.extrema.nl)
Dance Valley (www.dancevalley.nl)
Gay Pride (www.amsterdampride.nl)
Mystery Land (www.mysteryland.nl)
To be informed fully: www.presale.nl or www.djguide.nl
Cannabis cup
Info about hashish and marijuana; www.trimbos.nl
Special (holidays)day/or the most wicked and grazy day of the year;
Queens day April 30 (starting in the evening of the 29th )
Liberation day May 5 2005
In general we would suggest to go to;
http://Amsterdam.start4all.com or www.cityspy.info
“Music / Performance”
www.muziekgebouw.nl (jazz/classic etc/fantastic terrace harbour side)
www.boomchicago.nl (cool guys / check this out!)
OTHER TIPS
An on-going festival is our world famous