After some procrastination around flights, prices and general indecision on my part, I have booked 3 nights on Amsterdam for Mrs Lunge’s birthday. I Now have to decide what to do with said time there.

So STW, what’s good/bad/indifferent? I’m thinking museums, restaurants, bars, (coffee shop :wink:s) and whatever else you see fit to recommend. So far I have booked a trip to the Anne Frank Museum and that is it.
Thanks all.

Beer – in de wildemaan (spl?)
Food – Van Kerkwijk

Beer – from my POV, definitely In De Wildeman but be aware that it’s a small, pretty basic bar that sells great beer. Good if that’s what you’re into but possibly not for ‘Mrs Lunge’s birthday’…

http://www.indewildeman.nl/index.php?lang=en

Have a plan to do one thing per day.. then go to the coffee shop then leave the coffee shop to do that thing…
Rijksmuseum is good as is the Van Gogh museum

If the weather’s nice/warm pedalo’s on the canals is supposed to be fun (I’m told – It’s been a bit chilly whenever I’ve been)

Van Gogh Museum, Red light district, ‘coffee’ bar smoke, (do they still have those ‘funny ciggies’) Canal Trip, Chips with Mayonnaise on them…

Bar golem for a tiny bar with the biggest range of beers I’ve ever seen!

Three nights are probably not long enough……its easy to lose a day or two!! 😉
There is a number of things depending on what you want Van Gogh or Rembrandt museums, Heiniken diamond factory thingy trips to various other little villages clog making, tulip places.
Then there is the more obscure things that I’m not familiar with!!! Mind you its probably not open now but I always wanted to go to the restaurant that was hospital themed I believe it involved sitting on beds and eating from kidney dishes 😕 etc never did find it though.
Plus there is usually some music gig/concert somewhere
Need to book myself its been a while…………ummmm mates getting married later this year….I wonder

I highly recommend having a meal in the eye film building ( https://www.eyefilm.nl/ ).
Its fine dining for very reasonable prices. Just book the day before to be sure of a table. There’ll be very few tourists there…its mainly dutch people who go. It has the best view of Amsterdam.
Its located in N. Amsterdam. There is a free ferry that leaves from behind central Station that takes you straight to it.

Rasha Rasha The Grasshopper of course, all 3 floors of it.

[video]http://youtu.be/buG9fXAM0II[/video]

For the best Apple Pie (a local dish that is well worth trying) in Amsterdam go to Wilken 43. A wonderful place to hang out on a Sunday (or any other for that matter) morning.

Be sure to arrive early. It is actually within easy reach of the Anne Frank Museum so maybe before or after your visit?

Winkel 43 Cafe

Ian

mushrooms followed shortly by a trip to the Van Gogh museum. Hours of “entertainment”

I’m there for a conference next week and that In de Wildeman bar is perfectly en route between my hotel and the venue. It would be rude not to take up the recommendation from such esteemed forumites – Proost!

Other recommendations – just wander the canals, they’re real pretty, especially around the Westerkirk area. Vondelpark is good for a wander, and the area around Sarphatipark is a nice neighbourhood to just hang out in. Don’t go in to a coffee shop and get the most mental stuff they’ve got – likely to wipe out your day. Go mellow is my advice 🙂 . Another observation – the locals are genuinely really nice!

Pedalo from the Rijksmuseum to the Westerkirk… It’s a fun way to see the canals ( especially if your are 12). The Westerkirk itself was interesting, with great views from the tower. If you are going to the Anne Frank house then take a book as the queues can be very long.

sit on the dam square and watch all the beautiful dutch girls come flying past on bicycles, with their blonde hair tailing out from beneath a woollen hat. Oh and you will get shouted at if you are pedding on a cycle lane. Challenge your other half to who can find the tackiest bit of tat game, penis smoking a bong on a cannabis leaf anyone?
*goes off to look at flight prices*

For sitting and people watching, Cafe del Mondo, Nieuwmarkt.

Royale with Cheese, and a beer, not a plastic cup, a glass of beer.

If the weather’s nice/warm pedalo’s on the canals is supposed to be fun

yes it is (was, 1987ish) but try not to find yourself on one of the bigger canals. the ones with ships on. Or was that the effect of the smoke?

If you’re interested in photography, FOAM usually has good exhibitions.

Apple pie? No thanks – it has the density of depleted uranium. Food in Holland is universally horrible with the possible exception of Indonesian* (which can also be horrible) and the service is beyond appalling.

*This place was not too bad http://www.kantjil.nl/

I’ve had good food in Holland. But that was in Leiden, eating with locals. I seem to recall in Amsterdam I was awfully hungry and not very discerning about the quality of the food <ahem>.

Restaurant red is a nice place for dinner. My missus wanted to try lobster….it only does steak and lobster mains but is very nice food in lovely surroundings.

Don’t go to the red light district, it’s gross, somewhat dangerous and full of trafficked women.

Do, however, the the Temple Balls in Greenhouse. Strong, yet gentle.

Worth going to Bazar, an African/Mediterranean restaurant in an old church in the middle of Albert Cuyp Markt. Either for a long lunch buffet in between market mooching or as a lively and friendly place for an evening meal.

I really enjoyed the Van Gogh museum. I don’t remember much else.

As above, Red Light District is pretty grim, full of utter dickheads and trafficked women.

As an area Jordaan was probably my favourite. Some brilliant vintage shops (christ I sound like a hipster) and some cracking bars too.

Van Gogh museum was my personal favourite, but Rijksmuseum is great too….at the wrong time of day, queues can awful at both though. 2pm was a good time to go, but you may get kicked out before seeing everything.

Something a bit different is the museum of Bols (maybe it’s called House of Bols?) for me and Mrs B it was about 20 euros (slightly less iirc) and you get the entire museum plus a cocktail of your choice and two shots at the end of the tour. We did it a lunchtime prior to any substantial food and were steaming!!!

One of the best cities that I visited, really relaxed for a major city. Avoid the stag do/bellend areas and you’ll have a cracking time.

I am going on Friday for a couple of days. Stag party 🙂
Although being 60 I recon it will be pretty tame 🙁

I have lived there a couple of times. If I wanted to sit down and watch the world go by I would go to Spui, a few bars to choose from, (the entrance to the Beginhof is here as well which is worth a look) rather than Dam Square, De Jaren is a favourite cafe and is where I would go to read the papers. Kantijl was a good place to eat indoneisan. Comfort food in Amsterdam in cafes etc is generally pretty good but “fine dining” can be a bit hit and miss.

Bar golem was my favourite, along with the wilderman. Google best beer bars in Amsterdam for a list. Be aware some don’t take credit cards. Avoid rld end of town on fri/sat night as it’s full of pissed stoned parties. It’s also fairly grim. Hire bikes and explore about 10euro for a full day and easy way of getting round.

A little bump as this trip is now imminent, any further ideas?
Thank all.

http://www.keukenhof.nl/en/

Now open and well worth the trip unless you really hate flowers, lol – can get an all in bus and entrance ticket from central ‘dam for €28

Rijksmuseum is good

Make sure you look up

[video]http://vimeo.com/121664339[/video]

Used to live over there. As above, red light district and the tat around Dam square loses it’s appeal fairly rapidly… but it’s a lovely city which bears exploration.

I’d recommend a stroll or bike ride around the Jordaan area – some of the prettiest buildings and canals and some brilliant cafe’s and bars. The southern bit is less touristy and quieter. Noordermarkt is great to have a look around.

Cafe De Prins is good. I also like De Wildeman. Cafe T Smalle near the Anne Frank House is also well worth a visit.

I’d also recommend doing one of the boat tours – bit touristy but good for getting a sense of the geography. Best done in the early evening when it’s less busy and you get the best views of the lights on the water.

Not been for a while but Sunday brunch at the Krasnapolsky hotel was always a bit of a local institution and nice for a special occasion.

Hope you have a great trip!

9 of use went on the Heineken brewery trip. We all enjoyed it but its a fair trek from the Railway station.

We’re there with the kids this weekend (Friday to Monday). Expect the place will be rammed – but grateful for any further ideas…for girls aged 9 & 13

** apologies for thread hijack!

Canal boat trip is good! Torture museum is good. Went to both the sex museum and the erotic museum – ones ok, the others not, can’t remember which is which. Dungeon looked good, but didn’t have time to go there.