Amsterdam
The middle of January isn’t necessarily the time when most people think about a getaway trip to Amsterdam - the city isn’t exactly known for being warm in winter, after all. But as has been noted recently, winter trips to Amsterdam can be a really good idea. The weather isn’t usually as bad as you might think for winter, and the prices on everything from airfare to accommodation are lower.
Although Amsterdam may not be one of the biggest cities in
If you are a skint backpacker or just a cheapskate in general and you want to get to or from Amsterdam in the absolute cheapest possible way that doesn’t involve car-jacking or hitchhiking, then the good news is that there is an excellent network of long distance buses ready for you. The company is actually a collection of smaller bus lines that all go under the name Eurolines, and they have an office very near the train station.
These buses are
If you are on the fence as to whether or not you should visit Amsterdam in the winter, the answer is almost certainly yes. To quickly sum things up, the winter weather is far milder than in, say, Berlin or Prague, and on top of that, prices and crowds are at their lowest levels of the year. Amsterdam is mostly an indoor city anyway, but unless you get particularly unlucky with the temperatures, you’ll still be able to walk about
Every month or two I like to run down the best airfare prices I can find from each of 10 key cities in the US, Canada, and the UK. When I began this time I expected prices to be about as low as they’ve been in years, but that actually wasn’t the case. There is probably good news coming just around the corner, but compared to my last update for fall Amsterdam fares, prices from each of the cities I
The excellent Netherlands Tourism Board is partnering with the uber-artsy Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam for an interesting contest that will award one winner with a free trip for two to the Dutch Capital, including three nights at the Lloyd.
The fun gimmick here is that to enter you have to offer to trade away something that is ‘dear to you,’ which would then be one of the decorations at the Lloyd Hotel. There doesn’t seem to be any guidelines beyond
Recently I was doing some final research on my list of recommended cheap hotels in Amsterdam and I was reminded of a phenomenon that I think needs to be addressed. I was reading some reviews on TripAdvisor.com about hotels that I know and like, and I was a bit horrified to read some of the vicious reviews left by recent guests.
If you’ve read much about the various scandals around user-generated hotel reviews then you know to take them with
Best Amsterdam blogs: Photos, travel advice, food, and expat issues
Are you looking for some specialized Amsterdam advice or maybe a new point of view? The list below should provide you with some worthwhile options in quite a few categories. These are the best Amsterdam blogs that I follow and the best I can find.
For some strange reason, this city is extremely popular with [Read more]
Free Amsterdam walking tours are very worthwhile
Possibly the best of all Amsterdam tours is being offered for free, or at least on a tips-only basis. [Read more]
Amsterdam recommendations for a first-time visitor
I recently got an e-mail question from someone wondering a few things to prepare for their first trip to Amsterdam. One question was to name my top 3 things to see on a first visit to Amsterdam. I think this is a pretty common question for many people, so I thought I’d expand the answer [Read more]
February in Amsterdam - Events, weather, and travel tips
February in Amsterdam is not marked by any special events that would be of special interest to most visitors, although there is obviously a lot still going on. This is mostly an indoor city and all the museums and other attractions are all open, only with smaller crowds than during most of the rest of [Read more]
January in Amsterdam - Events, weather, and travel tips
There isn’t much going on in Amsterdam in January, but all the major attractions are open with shorter lines, cheap airfare to Amsterdam is easy to find, hostel and hotel prices are at their lowest of the year, and visiting in the off season can be the best way to really get to know a [Read more]
New Years in Amsterdam
In spite of its unpredictable and often gloomy weather during the period, Amsterdam is definitely one of Europe’s hot spots each New Years Eve. Some cities ring in the New Year in calm and dignified ways, but not Amsterdam. The whole city becomes one big party, although the locals and the many tourists do seem [Read more]
Christmas in Amsterdam
If you will be visiting Amsterdam in December you’ll have two separate shots of getting mixed up in the local Christmas-style celebrations. Interestingly enough, the first one peaks on December 5, and it’s the one children anticipate more than the later one that falls on Jesus’ birthday.
Sinterklaas
The Dutch holiday season begins with a bang [Read more]
December in Amsterdam - Events, weather, and travel tips
Being a mostly indoor city, Amsterdam pretty much carries on the same as ever during December. Of course you’ll be less tempted to picnic in Vondel Park during winter, and also just wandering around aimlessly loses some of its appeal when the mercury dips, but all the museums and other attractions operate on their normal [Read more]
Amsterdam Airport Layover Guide - Get out of Schiphol Airport
As popular as Amsterdam is as a destination, it seems to be just as popular as a place to change planes in the middle of a long journey, especially if your flight to Amsterdam is on either KLM or Northwest. The great news is that Amsterdam is one of the very few cities in the [Read more]
Welcome to WhyGo Amsterdam, your Amsterdam Travel Guide!
When most people think of Amsterdam, they'll probably think first of the notorious Red Light District and the legalized drugs - but Amsterdam is so much more than that. This cosmopolitan city is full of friendly people (many of whom speak better English than native English speakers), historic monuments, and incredible cultural attractions... As well as more coffeeshops than you can shake a stick at.
WhyGo Amsterdam will answer all those nagging questions you've always had about things like the Red Light District and the many coffeeshops, but if you're interested in other sights you'll be pleased to know we've got those covered, too! Learn all you'll need to know to get the most out of a visit to the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and even the Heineken Experience.
But when you're planning a trip to Amsterdam, you need the basics covered first before you can really get into the fun stuff, and we've got what you need on WhyGo Amsterdam - you can search for cheap airfare to Amsterdam, book an Amsterdam hotel or hostel (or even rent a houseboat!), and find out about things like Amsterdam day trips, renting a bicycle in the city, and Amsterdam's discount card for tourists. And if you're only going to be stopping at Schiphol airport for a layover, we've even got an Amsterdam layover guide so you can check out the city center instead of hanging out in the airport terminal!
