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A Week In Amsterdam.?
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I,d like to go to Amsterdam on Eurostar for a holiday but for a week and visit surrounding areas rather than a 3/4 day long weekend. does anyone know of such a holiday or even a good hotel to stay in please.
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Quite honestly I would not bother.
Amsterdam is a scruffy dump. It is overwhelmed with tourists and if you manage to find your way through the crowds you'll find you cannot move for bicycles. The picturesque views you see of the small bridges over the canals are completely false. Every one of the bridges has bikes four deep chained to the railings on both sides. In fact, every and any place to which bikes can be secured are knee deep in the things.
You'll find it hard to find anywhere decent to eat (unless you want to pay at least 60 euros a head). Most of the restaurants seem to be Argentinian. The transport system seems to be overwhelmed by numbers. Getting to and from Schipol (where it seems you have to go first wherever you want to get to) is a nightmare. The trains are stuffed full all day long.
I've been there three times, each time thinking it would be better than the last. Each time I was wrong. There are far nicer places to visit.
Amsterdam is a scruffy dump. It is overwhelmed with tourists and if you manage to find your way through the crowds you'll find you cannot move for bicycles. The picturesque views you see of the small bridges over the canals are completely false. Every one of the bridges has bikes four deep chained to the railings on both sides. In fact, every and any place to which bikes can be secured are knee deep in the things.
You'll find it hard to find anywhere decent to eat (unless you want to pay at least 60 euros a head). Most of the restaurants seem to be Argentinian. The transport system seems to be overwhelmed by numbers. Getting to and from Schipol (where it seems you have to go first wherever you want to get to) is a nightmare. The trains are stuffed full all day long.
I've been there three times, each time thinking it would be better than the last. Each time I was wrong. There are far nicer places to visit.
it's a very attractive town, imho. There are quite a few bikes, because, er, that's how people travel. (They also have trams.) Complaining about it is like complaining that London is full of cars - it is, but that's no reason not to visit. The art museums are terrific - the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, Rembrandt's house, Anne Frank's house. Cuisine tends to err on the dumplings side but try Indonesian Rijsttafel restaurants too.
You could simply stay in Amsterdam and take trains to other towns - Harlem and Delft are specially nice. If you're there in spring, go to Keukenhof for the tulips.
Plenty of operators offer breaks there - try EasyJet Holidays, for instance. (Or you could go by train, but there are no direct services through the Channel tunnel yet so it's rather slow.)
You could simply stay in Amsterdam and take trains to other towns - Harlem and Delft are specially nice. If you're there in spring, go to Keukenhof for the tulips.
Plenty of operators offer breaks there - try EasyJet Holidays, for instance. (Or you could go by train, but there are no direct services through the Channel tunnel yet so it's rather slow.)
I went there once with some friends from British Airways. We lost one of the party at one stage. They had (probably still have) windows with ladies inside advertising their wares. If they got a client the pulled curtain across. We were walking past one of these windows and Spotted the BA holdall below the curtain!!!
//Or you could go by train, but there are no direct services through the Channel tunnel yet so it's rather slow.//
all things are relative. a flight from a UK airport to Schiphol may be an hour or less, but if you add in getting to/from the airports and the 2 hour check in time, etc, it can take 4 hours door to door. if your travelling from London, a journey time of 4hr40mn by Eurostar/Thalys with a single change at Bruxelles Midi compares favourably. not so good if you're travelling from further afield though.
all things are relative. a flight from a UK airport to Schiphol may be an hour or less, but if you add in getting to/from the airports and the 2 hour check in time, etc, it can take 4 hours door to door. if your travelling from London, a journey time of 4hr40mn by Eurostar/Thalys with a single change at Bruxelles Midi compares favourably. not so good if you're travelling from further afield though.
“…try Indonesian Rijsttafel restaurants too.”
I’d have loved to (I know a lovely one in Mallorca) but could not find any.
“…If you're there in spring, go to Keukenhof for the tulips.”
Keukenhof is superb. But surprise surprise, you cannot get there direct from Amsterdam. Needless to say you have to travel to Schipol first. (I find this incredible since Kuekenhof is one of the area’s prime attractions). The journey takes around two hours by the time you’ve queued for the Keukenhof bus in Schipol. If you want to visit Keukenhof stay in Lisse.
“There are quite a few bikes, because, er, that's how people travel.”
Er..no. In themain they don’t seem to use them to travel around. They seem to enjoy just chaining them to any railings they can find. They are all over the place all day and all night.
“Complaining about it is like complaining that London is full of cars…”
Not quite the same. The cars in London do not prevent people from walking on the pavement. The bikes in Amsterdam not only prevent people from walking on the pavement; the comparative few that are ridden prevent them from walking in the road (which they must do to get round the abandoned bikes).
Sorry, but Amsterdam needs to shape up. It needs to shift the thousands of seemingly abandoned bikes; it needs to sweep its streets up a bit; it needs to get its transport sorted out. It has some lovely architecture away from the centre and the canals are a great way of getting about. But overall it is one of the worst large cities I have visited (and I’ve been to a few).
I’d have loved to (I know a lovely one in Mallorca) but could not find any.
“…If you're there in spring, go to Keukenhof for the tulips.”
Keukenhof is superb. But surprise surprise, you cannot get there direct from Amsterdam. Needless to say you have to travel to Schipol first. (I find this incredible since Kuekenhof is one of the area’s prime attractions). The journey takes around two hours by the time you’ve queued for the Keukenhof bus in Schipol. If you want to visit Keukenhof stay in Lisse.
“There are quite a few bikes, because, er, that's how people travel.”
Er..no. In themain they don’t seem to use them to travel around. They seem to enjoy just chaining them to any railings they can find. They are all over the place all day and all night.
“Complaining about it is like complaining that London is full of cars…”
Not quite the same. The cars in London do not prevent people from walking on the pavement. The bikes in Amsterdam not only prevent people from walking on the pavement; the comparative few that are ridden prevent them from walking in the road (which they must do to get round the abandoned bikes).
Sorry, but Amsterdam needs to shape up. It needs to shift the thousands of seemingly abandoned bikes; it needs to sweep its streets up a bit; it needs to get its transport sorted out. It has some lovely architecture away from the centre and the canals are a great way of getting about. But overall it is one of the worst large cities I have visited (and I’ve been to a few).
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