Jul 27 2011
Amsterdam Travel Guide
I went to Amsterdam with one of my collegue named, Sian. Sian and I were friends from many years and we have many common leisure pursuits; like – water games, tennis, gardening and travel. I always wanted to visit Amsterdam, as I have read so much about the city, its watercourse, museums and nightlife but due to my hectic life I couldn’t visit Amsterdam and when Sian suggested Amsterdam, I just said yes!
I always plan my trip well ahead and try to book my flights and hotel tickets at least one month ahead, to avoid any disappointments. I always check the leading hotel booking websites to get the best deal possible and I would advice all the travellers to always do a detailed research about flights, hotels and top attractions before making their journey.
Like other tourists I don’t prefer running from one place to another because if you plan good many tourist destinations in one day then you won’t be able to cherish the place or won’t get enough time to relax. For me vacation means relaxing and enjoying. I always spent my time by exploring local markets, local cuisines, culture and interacting with local people.
Our flight landed in Amsterdam Schiphol airport at 6PM and from Schiphol we took train to central station as it is the most comfortable and quickest way to reach town centre. Train service is after every 10 minutes and it just takes around 15-20 minutes to reach Amsterdam central station. Single ticket costs ¬3.50 which you can purchase either from the self service ticket machine or from ticket counters. I bought my tickets from ticket counter as I am not very comfortable with machines. Our train journey was comfortable and quick. Our hotel was just 7-8 minutes walk from the central station so instead of taking hired car we walked to our hotel and reached their by 7:30pm.
Our hotel was close to the river Amstel and my room was on the 5th floor. The view from my balcony was beautiful; I could watch the entire city glittering with lights and tiny boats were passing through the river. I could have spend hours there but as we didn’t have any food for quite some time so we went to a small Thai restaurant to have food. The food was delicious and the waiters out there were very helpful.
Next day we took the canal cruise to go around the city as it is a must thing to do if you are in the city. We bought Hop on Hop off day pass for ¬22. If you purchase this ticket then you can take any canal bus any time and as Amsterdam is full of canals so you can go anywhere in the city. We went to Van Gogh museum, Anna Frank House and 9 streets. I did some shopping and had chips with mayonnaise for lunch, I know it’s not healthy but once in a while it’s ok.
Amsterdam is one of the most happening places for night entertainment. There are large number of nightclubs to suit different tastes and people. We went out to explore the much talked about night life in Amsterdam. We went to Chemistry’ night club which is the most famous nightclub in Amsterdam, so be prepared for huge queues.
Contrary to popular belief Amsterdam is one of the safest cities in the world. I and Sian reached our hotel at 2:00 AM using public transport and we didn’t face any problem. Travelling in Amsterdam at night is fairly safe but avoid going to red light district at night.
I would like to suggest few things that you should keep in mind while travelling in Amsterdam.
¢ Be alert for pick pockets
¢ Never buy drugs
Do not walk on the cycle lanes
Never travel by car inside the city as parking fee is very high
Smoking is prohibited in train stations
¢ Always travel with valid tickets
Do not take photos in the red light districts
Amsterdam is a beautiful city and Dutch people are very social and they speak fairly good English so communicating with locals is not a problem. In Amsterdam you can find a large number of hotels for suit your budget. You don’t need to spend a fortune to visit Amsterdam. Museum entry fee is pricy so if you are not a big fan of visiting museums you can avoid them but I would advice that you should at least visit 2-3 museums as they are worth it.
Kacper Xena writes travel guides. Lately he is writing about Amsterdam hotels. He has just found a great selection of Manchester Hotels for his next trip.
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