Lonely Planet Pocket Amsterdam , livre ebook

Contents

QuickStart Guide

Welcome to Amsterdam
Top Sights
Local Life
Day Planner
Need to Know
Amsterdam Neighbourhoods

Explore

Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Jordaan & the Western Canal Ring
Westerpark & Western Islands
Southern Canal Ring
Vondelpark & the South
De Pijp
Oosterpark & East of the Amstel
Nieuwmarkt, Plantage & the Eastern Islands
Amsterdam Noord

Best

The Best of Amsterdam
Amsterdams Splashiest Canals
Cheese, Gin & Monuments
Museums & Galleries
Parks & Gardens
Canals
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Shopping
For Free
For Kids
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Tours
Cycling

Survival Guide

Survival Guide
Before You Go
Arriving in Amsterdam
Getting Around
Essential Information
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Amsterdam
Amsterdam showcases its Dutch heritage in its charming canal architecture, museums filled with works by Old Masters, jenever (Dutch gin) tasting houses and candlelit bruin cafés (traditional Dutch pubs). Yet this free-spirited city is also a multinational melting pot with an incredible diversity of cultures and cuisines, along with some of Europe's hottest nightlife venues, in a compact, village-like setting.

Dutch houses and houseboats on the Singel canal | KAVALENKAVA / SHUTTERSTOCK ©
1
Amsterdam Top Sights

Royal Palace (Koninklijk Paleis)
Amsterdam's resplendent palace is infused with history.

MARIA SWÄRD / GETTY IMAGES ©


Amsterdam Top Sights
Begijnhof
Historic central Amsterdam courtyard.

VICTORMASCHEK / GETTY IMAGES ©


Amsterdam Top Sights
Anne Frank Huis
Amsterdam's most poignant history lesson.

DENNIS VAN DE WATER / SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Amsterdam Top Sights
Van Gogh Museum
World's greatest Van Gogh collection.

ALEXANDER TOLSTYKH / SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Amsterdam Top Sights
Rijksmuseum
Thrillingly fine national art museum.

DENNIS VAN DE WATER / 500PX ©


Amsterdam Top Sights
Vondelpark
Amsterdam's best-loved, chilled-out park.

GEORGE TSAFOS / GETTY IMAGES ©


Amsterdam Top Sights
Tropenmuseum
Fascinating tropical artefacts, creatively presented.

JEAN-PIERRE LESCOURRET / GETTY IMAGES ©


Amsterdam Top Sights
Museum het Rembrandthuis
Rembrandt's former house and studio.

WWW.HOLLANDFOTO.NET / SHUTTERSTOCK ©
l
Amsterdam Local Life

Insider tips to help you find the real Amsterdam In between visiting the city's famous sights, seek out the off-beat music clubs, bohemian artist quarters, sweet patisseries and quirky local shops that make up the locals’ Amsterdam. Count on bruin cafés (traditional pubs) and canals making appearances.

Shopping the Jordaan & Western Canal Ring
y Small, oddball shops
y Bruin cafés

INNAFELKER / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Exploring Westerpark & Western Islands
y Amsterdam School architecture
y Edgy cultural park

MARK READ / LONELY PLANET ©

Strolling the Southern Canal Ring
y Golden Age mansions
y Swanky antique shops

NICOOLAY / GETTY IMAGES ©

Discovering Bohemian De Pijp
y Flea market
y Cafes in historic buildings

WOODY ALEC / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Café-Hopping in Nieuwmarkt & Plantage
y Amsterdam’s biggest market
y Hip restaurants and bars

INNAFELKER / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Other great places to experience the city like a local :
Chinatown
Lindengracht Market
Weteringstraat
NeL
Vondelpark Squats
Café Sarphaat
Baking Lab
Amsterdam Roest
Pllek
R
Amsterdam Day Planner

Day One
M Begin with the biggies: tram to the Museum Quarter to ogle the masterpieces at the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum . They’ll be crowded, so make sure you’ve prebooked tickets. Modern-art buffs might want to swap the Stedelijk Museum for one of the others.
R Spend the afternoon in the Medieval Centre. Explore the secret courtyard and gardens at the Begijnhof . Walk up the street to the Dam , where the Royal Palace and Nieuwe Kerk provide a dose of Dutch history. Bend over to sip your jenever (Dutch gin) like a local at Wynand Fockink .
N Venture into the Red Light District for an eye-popping array of fetish-gear shops, live sex shows, smoky coffeeshops and, of course, women in day-glo lingerie beckoning from crimson windows. Then settle in to a bruin café (traditional Dutch pub), such as In 't Aepjen .


Day Two
M Browse the Albert Cuypmarkt , Amsterdam's largest street bazaar, an international free-for-all of cheeses, fish, stroopwafels (syrup-filled waffles) and bargain-priced clothing. Then submit to the Heineken Experience to get shaken up, heated up and 'bottled' like the beer you'll drink at the end of the brewery tour.
R Cross into the Southern Canal Ring and stroll along the grand Golden Bend. Visit Museum Van Loon for a peek into the opulent canal-house lifestyle, or get a dose of kitty quirk at the Kattenkabinet . Browse the Bloemenmarkt and behold the wild array of bulbs.
N When the sun sets, it’s time to par-tee at hyperactive, neon-lit Leidseplein . Paradiso and Melkweg host the coolest agendas. Otherwise the good-time clubs and bruin cafés (traditional Dutch pubs) around the square beckon.


Day Three
M Take a spin around beloved Vondelpark . Long and narrow (about 1.5km long and 300m wide), it’s easy to explore via a morning jaunt. All the better if you have a bicycle to zip by the ponds, gardens and sculptures.
R Immerse yourself in the Negen Straatjes (Nine Streets), a tic-tac-toe board of speciality shops. The Anne Frank Huis is also in the neighbourhood, and it’s a must. The claustrophobic rooms, their windows still covered with blackout screens, give an all-too-real feel for Anne's life in hiding. Seeing the diary itself – filled with her sunny writing tempered with quiet despair – is moving, plain and simple.
N Dine with a canal view at De Belhamel , then spend the evening in the Jordaan, the chummy district embodying the Amsterdam of yore. Hoist a glass on a canal-side terrace at 't Smalle , join the houseboat party at Café P 96 , or quaff beers at one of the many gezellig (cosy) haunts.


Day Four
M Mosey through Waterlooplein Flea Market in Nieuwmarkt. Rembrandt sure loved markets, if his nearby studio is any indication. Museum het Rembrandthuis gives a peek at the master's inner sanctum. Neighbouring Gassan Diamonds gives free tours. Or check out the intriguing Verzetsmuseum , the Resistance Museum, or sea treasures at Het Scheepvaartmuseum .
R Hop on a free ferry to Noord, one of the city's coolest, most up-and-coming neighbourhoods. Check out the cinematic exhibits at the EYE Film Institute and the artists' studios in the sprawling Kunststad (Art City) centre at former shipyards NDSM-werf . Ascend A'DAM Tower for dazzling views across the IJ River to the city centre.
N There are some fantastic nightlife venues in Noord; alternatively, back on the city side of the IJ, an evening spent on the terrace at De Ysbreeker , looking out over the bustling, houseboat-strewn Amstel River, is a well-deserved treat.
Need to Know


Currency
Euro (€)

Language
Dutch

Visas
Generally not required for stays of up to three months. Some nationalities require a Schengen visa.

Money
ATMs widely available. Credit cards accepted in most hotels but not all restaurants. Non-European credit cards are sometimes rejected.

Mobile Phones
Beware of high roaming charges from non-EU countries. Local prepaid SIM cards are widely available and can be used in most unlocked phones.

Time
Central European Time (GMT/UTC plus one hour)

Tipping
Leave 5% to 10% for a cafe snack (or round up to the next euro), 10% or so for a restaurant meal. Tip taxi drivers 5% to 10%.

1 Before You Go

Your Daily Budget
Budget: Less than €100
A Dorm bed: €25–60
A Supermarkets and lunchtime specials for food: €20
Midrange: €100–250
A Double room: €150
A Three-course dinner in casual restaurant: €35
A Canal Bus day pass: €21
Top end: More than €250
A Four-star hotel double room: from €250
A Five-course dinner in top restaurant: from €80
A Private canal-boat rental for two hours: from €90

Useful Websites
Lonely Planet ( www.lonelyplanet.com/amsterdam ) Destination information, hotel bookings, traveller forum and more.
I Amsterdam ( www.iamsterdam.com ) City-run portal.
Dutch News ( www.dutchnews.nl ) News and event listings.

Advance Planning
Four months before Book your accommodation, especially if you're visiting in summer or on a weekend.
Two months before Check club and performing arts calendars and buy tickets.
Two weeks before Make dinner reservations at your must-eat restaurants, reserve walking or cycling tours, and purchase tickets online to popular attractions.

2 Arriving in Amsterdam
Most people flying to Amsterdam arrive at Schiphol International Airport (AMS; www. schiphol.nl), 18km southwest of the city centre. National and international trains arrive at Centraal Station (CS) in the city centre.

A From Schiphol International Airport
Train Trains run to Amsterdam's Centraal Station (€5.20 one way, 15 minutes) 24 hours a day. From 6am to 12.30am they go every 10 minutes or so; hourly in the wee hours. The rail platform is inside the terminal, down the escalator.
Shuttle bus A shuttle van is run by Connexxion ( www.schipholhotelshuttle.nl ; one way/return €17/27 ) , every 30 minutes from 7am to 9pm, from the airport to several hotels. Look for the Connexxion desk by Arrivals 4.
Bus Bus 197/Amsterdam Airport Express (€5 one way, 25 minutes) is the quickest way to places by the Museumplein, Leidseplein or Vondelpark. It departs outside the arrivals hall door. Buy a ticket from the driver.
Taxi Taxis take 20 to 30 minutes to the centre (longer in heavy traffic), costing around €37.50. The taxi stand is just outside the arrivals hall door.

L From Centraal Train Station
Tram Of Amsterdam's 15 tram lines, 10 stop at Centraal Station, and then fan out to the r