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I’m not sure I’d bother with a boat trip around the canals, for a cheap thrill wander to the railway station and get one of the free ferries ( and one back again).
Wrap up warm, it’ll be bloody cold.
If you want to go to any of the major museums and galleries mostly you can’t buy tickets on the door, you need to book online ( although there is a last minute ticket place by the Van Gogh museum). Several of them are next door to each other so you can do the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum,etc, in one trip.
Get good at spotting bicycles in your peripheral vision. There are lots of hire places of you fancy a go although you’d probably want to be a confident cyclist.
Lot of people seem to like the trams although I just wandered around. It’s a relatively small city centre so you probably won’t need taxis and because there are so many areas that aren’t easily accessible by car probably no point in taking one.
English is spoken everywhere. It’s not a particularly expensive city centre, just be wary of rip off touristy places. I’ve been twice and whilst it was incredibly busy it seemed pretty safe compared to the experience you might have in other big cities.
I’m in this picture somewhere...
https://i.imgur.com/UhHWSaB.jpg
That said, a lot of the city can be best seen just by walking (although it's great just to be able to take a tram home with tired legs at the end of the day).
I would personally just wander about taking in the atmosphere for a while. The red light district is also one of the most historic areas so well worth a visit during the day. It does get busy at night but I've never felt at all uncomfortable. It genuinely is one of the most chilled-out cities you could find.
The parks are very cool, particularly Vondelpark. Maybe in winter it might be a bit bleak but in summer it's a great place to watch the world go by. The road Overtoom runs parallel to the park and it's quite a cool street with nice bars, restaurants and shops. The roads off it are also worth an explore. If you like beer, Craft and Draft is recommended.
Of course there's loads of museums and art galleries. I like the Stedelijk, the modern art place. If you want somewhere free, the Amsterdam City Archives are worth a look, they generally have a little exhibition in the foyer and it's a beautiful building. In the bloemenmarkt (flower market) area is Foam, a very cool photography gallery.
If you like guitars and don't mind tramming, Rebel Relic guitars are well worth a visit. They've got a little showroom with a load of newly-made relics and some vintage stuff. They don't mind you trying them out.
If it's not too cold I would strongly recommend hiring a bike. It's such a bike-friendly city, you don't need any special skills, just go with the flow of bikes and you can't go far wrong. The best way of getting to know Amsterdam.
I'm really jealous now and want to go! Have fun!
Have some truffles, sit outside a bar with a beer and watch the world go by.
Wandering round the red light district is a good laugh - just don't take any photos, unless you want your phone/camera to end up in the canal.
It's a great city.
I am disappoint.
Tickets are only available online
The Anne Frank House can only be visited with an online ticket for a specific date and time. This also applies to children (0-9 years) and visitors with a discount card.
80% of the tickets are released exactly two months in advance. The remaining 20% are released on this website on the day itself at 9 AM.Anne frank museum and Van Gogh are decent. River trips nice way to see the city.
Have a look here and then book anything you fancy in one of these ticket shops (there are loads dotted around the city) & you get discounts for booking multiple trips.
I really enjoyed:
Marken, Volendam and the Windmills
The Heineken Experience
Delft, The Hague and Madurodam (5 1/2 hour day trip)
Would also recommend checking out this Windmill Brewery & bar http://www.brouwerijhetij.nl/
Worth a watch of what Anthony Bourdain checked out https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xo2kqz
Book online to skip the queue.
all the best,
Paul
Great city but I'd avoid the Damrack area (main tourist / stag hub just facing the station). The red light district is a must see, early evening for the the experience. Loads of couples walking about, so not particularly weird. The canals around there are really nice and some nice little pubs / brown bars around the area.
A canal trip (one hour) is a good way to see the lay of the land.
The canal ring is great to just walk about an take in the city - Jordaan is hip and beautiful and close to the Anne Frank house (although there are queues always), the Museumplein is nice and you could go to the Van Gogh museum or the Rijksmuseum - not my thing, but supposed to be good.
De Pijp is a cool area - again lots of nice bars etc.
Leidseplein is touristy but some nice terrace bars, the original coffee shop (The Bulldog) and a vast array of eateries (although, as above - overpriced and there are much better, but plenty of choice if you're stuck). Bourbon Street is a good live music venue (blues / rock covers mainly) - starts about 11 and closes about 4/5am.
Rembrandtplein nice to sit in the bars / terraces and watch the world go by.
Indonesian restaurants abound given the Dutch colonies - a ricetable is an experience (loads of small dishes in a set menu). Loads of decent restaurants all over the place.
Vondelpark is wonderful (but maybe not this time of year).
Craft beers are plentiful - loads of IPAs etc.
And, of course, weed. Which is nice.
Finally, trams are fantastic and go everywhere once you work out routes. Get a 2-3 day pass which is excellent value and lets you on any tram or bus. Starts when you first use it.
Have fun!