Is Amsterdam worth a visit?

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bernie25uk

Definetly!!! I have been three times now and I still love it. You will need to take quite a lot of spending money with you as its quite an expensive city and you want to be sure you can do everything that you want to whilst you are there.

Here is what I would recommend you do.

You should chill out behind the Rijksmuseum if it is warm.

Dam Square and Leidesplien usually have something fun going on or interesting to watch.

If you want to go to the coffee shops try Hill Street Blues, Grey Area and Abraxas. If you are going to try some cannabis try Grey Berry from Grey Area, it is delicious :-) NY Diesel is also one of the best.

There is a good area for shopping, I think it is Keizerstraat.

You will need at least 50 euros each per day for spending money if you are doing it on a budget, any more will give you an even better time.

Have a wander around the red light district, its a bit shocking at first but its funny seeing the guys faces coming out of the girls doors.

Be careful of the real druggies out there who ask you for change. We got chased by one of them cos we wouldnt give him any money. Always stay aware of where your belongings are and only take out with you what you need.

I would say book your hotel before you go, I did that for the first 2 times I went then last time I booked once I got in each city I stayed in but I didnt save any money and I didnt get to look at the hotels like you can on the internet. Look at indepentant review internet sites for hotels before you book.

If you are young and going for the coffee shops I would take a look at the link I have attached, its a forum I used to go on. There are loads of threads about different aspects of Amsterdam.

http://www.thctalk.com/cannabis-forum/forumdisplay.php?f=25

Mostly the most important thing is to just enjoy, it is a great place, my favorite in the whole world.

Bardic

Depends what you're looking for! It's actually a lovely if expensive city.

The Dutch police still have a relatively relaxed attitude to "soft" substances but NOT to hard drugs as cocaine, LSD, morphine & heroin.

And they are not impressed with drunk or stoned Brits causing problems in the street.

packard1963

Depends on your reason for going
If coffee houses and pot smoking & red light district imo NO
You can do that in the city your in and save money.

You can do those, there is so much more to see and do while in Amsterdam.
Not saying do do any of the above, but don't focus you holiday on them.

LILLY J

My hubby and I went in Feb 2006, it was lovely, we booked to go again but 2 of my hubby's friends also booked to come with us who i don't like so I went to France instead (he did come with me in the end) but we would like to go again. I did not partake in any illegal smoking or cake eating but there was just so much to see and we only went for a few days so we will definitely go again.

boo..x

yh it looks kl

magidge

Amsterdam is one of my top three cities in Europe...and I'm not a city person!

There really is loads to do there.
The museums are well worth a visit (and many repeat visits).
Two of my favourites are the Riijksmuseum and the Van Gogh.
Also the flea markets are great. You can get almost anything at them and are a great way to pass a few hours. The best one (I think) is the Albert Cuypmarkt. Also the one in Waterlooplein.

You could also do some day trips to some of the Wadden Islands.
Texel (can be busy in summertime), Vlieland (car free) and Terschelling (some lovely scenery). You could also do a day trip to Leiden (a large student population there). The University there is the oldest in the country...worth a visit.

Get the local free guide which is available in many bars etc to get an idea of what is going on.
Source(s):
Countless trips there

speedy_biondalez

Yes it is, absolutely!

Lucia Miki

Amsterdam is an unusual city in that it has all the advantages of a big city â€“ culture, history, food, entertainment, good transport â€“ with relatively few of the disadvantages: it is physically small, beautiful, relatively quiet, and largely thanks to the canals, has relatively little traffic. Amsterdam is a safe city, and there is nothing to fear from walking in any part of the city.

wiseman/guru

Yeah. Was born there and go back regularly, if and when I can afford it. Now that the family are all dead, it is going to cost much more, with accommodation and meals.
Peace.

tallulah

Most definitley! I came to amsterdam every month since last august and moved here last month.. Aside from the usual Anne Frank House tour, many museums and coffeeshops, the simple things like riding on a bike through Vondelpark are great. Definitely give it a go, if you don't like it, at least you've had the experience and will know not to go back! Enjoy if you do decide to come! :)

mareeclara

Its definately worth a look...its not the hugest city in the world but the canals and buildings etc are lovely.

I think Amsterdam is a city you either spend a day or a year. I found for the traveller who had had enough of museums, not interested in smoking whatever and thought the red light district was a little disturbing and thought the multitude of shops selling t-shirts of marujuana paraphanalia were overkill...there were a few things to do but not a lot. I decided going by myself into the sex musuem was a little sad, but Anne Franks haus was one of my favourite things in my travels!!! The markets were quite nice too.

I was a bit disappointed with Amsterdam as the superficial traveller that I am........in that there was less to do there than I thought and 3 nights was too many but if you are with friends, like the nightlife and hanging round cafes, going to lots of museums then a few nights would be better.

Baron Von Svele

Just the famous amsterdam pancakes alone are worth the visit! Amsterdam is one of my favorite city's in the world! Its so beautiful there. As you say "we all know the hype" but Amsterdam is definatly one of the nicest european city's to visit and I guess to live in to.

U_S_S_Enterprise

Yes, it`s worth a visit.

And no, i don`t know the hype. I just live near Amsterdam, and work near Amsterdam.

Why it is good?
Nice city, lots to see like architecture, museums, people.
Overall friendly atmosphere.

When you stay there, just about everything is within easy reach by using the tram system.

Amsterdam is a good base of operations if you want to visit other parts of the Netherlands, the Central Station is a hub for trains to all parts of The Netherlands, and to Belgium, France, Germany and has connections as well to Switzerland and Austria.

Yes, there is also the "weed" (which is something some people can`t understand) and there is a red light district (which is nothing special to be honest).

Actually, whether or not any place is worth a visit, depends on what you like. If you like the beach, for example, then Amsterdam is not it.
If you like the idea of a bubbling city in a compact area - then yes, Amsterdam could be 'your thing'

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