Recommendations for Amsterdam?

In celebration of my FLR(M) approval and our anniversary of 6 fantastic years together, I booked a cheapish- Last minute trip to Amsterdam.

We're going next Saturday morning until Monday night, and are staying in the Museum Quarter.  Looking online, it seems there's LOADS to do, and I'm not sure if we'll have enough time to fit it all in!  So far some of the options on my list are:

- Rent bikes for a day (or more)
- Attend the Chinese New Year celebrations at the  Fo Guang Shan He Hua Buddhist Temple (J's pick)
- Potentially go cheese tasting at this place
- See some artwork (VanGogh/Rembrandt-- any specific museums I should go to?)
- Visit the Anne Frank house
- Take a canal cruise
- Wander aimlessly, and people watch
- Go to some markets
- I'm not exactly a Heineken fan, but I think J would like to do a brewery tour at some point

And obviously--- all these things cost money, but Ideally, I'd like to stay on some sort of budget.  I saw the I amsterdam City Card (24/48/72 hours for € 42/52/62, respectively).  This seems expensive, and although it includes free public transport, a canal cruise, "free" gifts, and entry to various museusm--- will I end up using it? 

I only ask, because we got a similar sort of thing when we went to Berlin, but we barely used it. I do remember it being considerably cheaper there, though.

Thoughts?

Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, Rembrandt House Museum are all great.  I spent a week in Amsterdam and also visited Amsterdam Historical Museum and Artis Zoo.  I watched a symphony orchestra at Concertgebouw.  I also did day trips to Rotterdam and Hague.  There are also day trips to Belgium, I went to Antwerp and Brussels.  There's also a day trip to Brugge and Gent in Belgium.  I didn't visit the Heineken Experience.  I didn't use the I Amsterdam City Card because it didn't cover all the sights I wanted to visit.  Public transport is very easy and affordable.  Many places in Amsterdam only accepted cash payments when I was there, not sure if it's still the same.  Dutch cuisine is very tasty, food and drink portions are generally smaller than in the UK.

I was only there for 2 full days, sort of passing time between London and Paris, but I did go to the Van Gogh museum and loved it. It's not a massive place, but definitely worth a visit. I can't be much help beyond that as I didn't really do much else besides wander around, take photos and eat pannekoeken, and you must absolutely find yourself some pannekoeken!

For the City Card, try & tote up the costs of the things you think you will reasonably have time to do - will you get your money's worth back from having it? I know when I go somewhere new, my 'things I want to do' list inevitably exceeds the time I have for fitting it all in!

I really liked the canal cruise & the Rijksmuseum a lot! Plus I just enjoy walking around Amsterdam & seeing the things you might not see elsewhere, lol! Never used public transport very much in the 3 or so times I've been as I find Amsterdam city centre quite compact & could pretty much walk wherever I wanted to go. I think I only took the tram 2 or 3 times in as many visits.

I would strongly recommend prebooking Anne Frank House tickets in advance by internet if you can! I've not been to that attraction yet because every single time I've been in the city, the queue for tickets was so long, it stretched down the street & around the corner of the block & onwards... Well if I want to spend my holiday time standing in line, I'd go to Disneyworld, lol! I'm sure it's good - Anne Frank House, but didn't want to waste hours just trying to buy a ticket & waiting to get in there when there's so many other things to see & do.

Also, when I'm in Amsterdam, I always have to go for a rijsttafel somewhere! Yum!

And I love strolling around looking at all the canals and the buildings - especially along Prinsengracht, the prettiest/most picturesque street in Amsterdam.

Once when we were there at New Years, it was all icy & snowy and there was ice skating by the Rijksmuseum - beautiful!

Another different sort of thing I enjoyed visiting there - if you're a cat lover at all - is De Poezenboot. It's a cat rescue sanctuary on a couple of canal boats - open to the public, you can go & see their operations &  visit the cats. Lol!

Lastly, be prepared to dodge dog mess on the pavements! Unless something has changed, Amsterdam is in the running for dog mess on the pavements capital of Europe. And I say this as someone who loves Amsterdam - this is just one thing that lets it down.

I agree - love the canal cruise. Do this first so you can really get a feel for where things are and whilst you are on your cruise you might see places you want to visit along the way. Ann Frank house is a must. Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum are great (esp if you like Van Gogh), but my favorite museum is the Stedelijk, the modern art museum. http://www.stedelijk.nl. It's the one I go to every time I go back.

If you want a lovely local experience, on Saturday go to the Noordermarkt in the Jordaan (a wonderful neighborhood for a wander) for "de Boerenmarkt," literally: farmers market. Lots and lots of cheese! At the very least you can pick up picnic supplies and cycle down the Prinsengracht to find a place to sit and eat lunch; or if it's a decent day out, bring your wares to the Vondelpark for picnic and people watching.

Definitely find some good indonesian! Buy some frites mit mayo if you are out and about and peckish. Don't be afraid of bitterballen, a tasty meaty treat.

Language Tip: When you hear someone say "alstublieft," always respond with "dank u wel" and vice versa. This will most likely occur when something exchanges hands, like when you are paying for something. The former means "please" and also "here you are," esp in the case of them handing you something. The latter means thank you.

Have a great time!

I LOVE Amsterdam!  Kind of thinking of maybe planning a wee trip back there for my 50th later this year...

Anyway, here's a recommendation for a FANTASTIC pub there...

http://www.indewildeman.nl/

I noticed that the bar staff (last time i was there) were really helpful to people that sort of wandered in not knowing what to order... even to the woman who said 'I don't really like beer'... they let her taste a few things and managed to find her a beer she actually did like.

Ok, so I don't speak Dutch-- But, I did take about 20 German classes-- from the look of the spellings, there appear to be some similarities.  So, before I attempt to butcher these words whilst I'm there-- is the pronunciation of all these things similar to what I'd probably attempt in German?

ie:
de Boerenmarkt = "deh booren macht"
dank u wel = "dahnk oo vell"
pannekoeken = "panna kOhken" (one of my former bosses when I waited tables was Dutch, and made these for us sometimes!),

Tracey- Thank you for the pub recommendation! From the photos, it looks like they offer some sort of sampling platter, so I'll probably just try them all

dels- thanks for the tips on Please/Thank you.  Before going anywhere, I always look up those along with Yes, No, and, if I find the language easy enough "How much/ Where is"

NoT, I'm thinking I'll probably end up like you, just wandering about, taking it all in.  So, rather than trying to squeeze in this that and the other thing, I'll pass on the CityCard this time around, and just pay for whatever 1 or 2 museums we end up at. 

Friends at work today said Amsterdam is a super relaxed city, so I should just focus on enjoying the change of pace compared to London town.  So, based on some of the suggestions here, I'll combine a few of the items on my list to maximize our time, ie: cheese tasting at the market followed by a bike ride/canal ride to a picnic spot, enjoying a sampler selection at the pub rather than a brewery tour to people watch and relax, and of course, do the Chinese New Year thing-because it's the only thing J said he wants to do, and maybe go for Indonesian after. 

I'm feeling good about this, and from the sound of it, Amsterdam is probably a place I'll want to keep going back to!

The boy and I go to Amsterdam all the time, we spent Christmas there a couple of years ago. I agree with your co-workers, it's a lovely place to just wander about in, you come across little street markets and cool places just by walking.

If you like Indonesian food, you should check out a rijstaffel, they're amazing, a selection of Indonesian food served with rice, a lot of places are tourists traps, so I'd recommend -


Desa
Ceintuurbaan 103
1072 EX
Amsterdam
http://www.finerestaurant.nl/
Public Transport (visit 9292ov for details)
Metro : 53,54,51 (Amstelstation, then take tram 12)
Tram : 3,12,25 (Ceintuurbaan / Ferdinand Bolstraat)


Puri Mas
http://www.purimas.nl/
Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 37-41 (first floor)
1017 NG  Amsterdam
Netherlands

http://www.tempodoeloerestaurant.nl
Utrechtsestraat 75
1017 VJ Amsterdam

http://www.sampurna.com
Singel 498
1017 AX Amsterdam, Netherlands

Srikandi
Stadhouderskade 31
1071 ZD Amsterdam

My favourite place to shop is the nine streets, it's all little boutiques and unique places, all the shops are quirky stores selling clothing, books, art, food etc
http://www.theninestreets.com/ninestreetsguide.html

Also the Jordaan is a really charming neighbourhood  with narrow alleys, leafy canals lined with 17th-century houses, quirky specialty shops, cafes and boutiques

Ok, so I don't speak Dutch-- But, I did take about 20 German classes-- from the look of the spellings, there appear to be some similarities.  So, before I attempt to butcher these words whilst I'm there-- is the pronunciation of all these things similar to what I'd probably attempt in German?

ie:
de Boerenmarkt = "deh booren macht"
dank u wel = "dahnk oo vell"
pannekoeken = "panna kOhken" (one of my former bosses when I waited tables was Dutch, and made these for us sometimes!),

Eek! I said the same thing to my mum once, who's Dutch. She did not like her first language compared to German and advised me never to say as such whilst in The Netherlands! - but yes, it is incredibly similar, but also so different at the same time.

The "oe" combo's closest equivalent in English is "oo", so the pannekoeken is "kooken". With German in your back pocket you will be ahead of the game, though frankly I've met some locals who sound more American than I! English will not be a problem whilst you are there.

Tracey- Thank you for the pub recommendation! From the photos, it looks like they offer some sort of sampling platter, so I'll probably just try them all

No bother.  We also like to go to the Ij Brewery, and a tiny place called Cafe Belgique which always has a fab playlist going...we always have a new favourite song by the time we leave there!  :

When you go to In De Wildeman, if they happen to have the Flying Dog Wildeman Farmhouse IPA on the board, you have GOT to try it!    (Just noticed they've got it on today's board.... sigh!!)

Oh and CB, thanks for the rijstaffel reccies... I have had it several times; some places were pure magic, but we have also been very disappointed a few times too... can't seem to consistently find the good places!  So that list will come in handy for next time!

These Dutch restaurants are nice:

de Silveren Spiegel - http://www.desilverenspiegel.com/
Kattengat 4-6
1012 SZ Amsterdam

d'Vijff Vlieghen - http://www.vijffvlieghen.nl/en/home
Spuistraat 294-302
1012 VX Amsterdam

For Indonesian try:

Blue Pepper - http://www.restaurantbluepepper.com/
Nassaukade 366
1054 AB Amsterdam

Tempo Doeloe - http://www.tempodoeloerestaurant.nl/
Utrechtsestraat
1017 VJ Amsterdam

For clothes, I shopped at Sissy Boy - http://www.sissy-boy.nl and Hema - http://www.hema.nl/ both Dutch brands.

I used to like this Italian restaurant:
http://www.casadidavid.com/

But Indonesian food is a must in The Netherlands. I like this one:
http://www.sampurna.com/index.html

C & A used to be in the UK - that was awhile ago....

WE is the Dutch clothing brand I always chuckle at - used to have some good stuff:

 
When I went back recently, had lunch with some girlfriends here - great city view:
http://www.blue-amsterdam.nl/

Have fun! 

http://www.sampurna.com
Singel 498
1017 AX Amsterdam, Netherlands

I came in here to also recommend the Indonesian food, and this restaurant in particular! We ate here after the marathon and it was spectacular. It's right on the flower market, and a bunch of the stalls are open late into the night, too.

I came in here to also recommend the Indonesian food, and this restaurant in particular! We ate here after the marathon and it was spectacular. It's right on the flower market, and a bunch of the stalls are open late into the night, too.

Yeah it's really good and the location is lovely I'm quite picky about my Indonesian food as you can imagine!

Still not found anywhere better than going home to mum yet though!

If you like Indonesian food, you should check out a rijstaffel, they're amazing, a selection of Indonesian food served with rice, a lot of places are tourists traps, so I'd recommend -

http://www.sampurna.com
Singel 498
1017 AX Amsterdam, Netherlands

I came in here to also recommend the Indonesian food, and this restaurant in particular! We ate here after the marathon and it was spectacular. It's right on the flower market, and a bunch of the stalls are open late into the night, too.

Funny that on UK-Y, food is one of the top suggestions.  Jealous now that Mr MLG is going to NL next week. I'd really like some Indonesian food.