Archive for March, 2008
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 just a bit here.
Take a canal tour as early in your trip as you can
Unlike nearly every other European city (except for its brother-in-canals Venice) Amsterdam has no good city bus tours. It’s not really obvious just from looking at an Amsterdam map, but those streets that go along the canals in the city center are really small in addition to being almost completely residential. That puts half the city off limits to big buses, and the other half is mixed with a few busy streets and a few that are off limits to everything but trams and/or bikes.
The good news is that many different companies offer a similar 1-hour canal tour that is the best way of getting the lay of the land quickly. There are some that do hop-on/hop-off with stops near Leidseplein, Museumplein, the Heineken Brewery, and other attractions, but the quickest way for most people is just walk either straight out of Centraal Station, or just to your right out the door, and you’ll find several companies offering these tours so you can often walk up and be underway just a few minutes later. You can get more information here about the Amsterdam canal cruises. They are also the best first thing to do on a 5+ hour layover at Schiphol, and more information can be found on the Amsterdam Layover Guide.
Date: March 17th, 2008 |
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Queen’s Day in Amsterdam
Queen’s Day is Amsterdam is one of those love-it or hate-it type holidays where a whole city goes mad for the day. It’s quite a spectacle with plenty to do, but public drunkenness and spontaneous and random-seeming celebrations are not everyone’s cup of tea. If you’ve heard it’s the city’s biggest party day and that appeals to you then by all means plan a trip in late April, but if you cringe at the sound of this description then avoiding it is probably the best advice.
What and when is Queen’s Day?
Koninginnedag, as its known in Dutch, started in 1889 to celebrate Queen Wilhemina’s birthday on August 31, and then it moved to April 30 when the new queen, Juliana, began her reign after her mother’s 1948 abdication. When the current Queen Beatrix took over in 1980 the holiday stayed on April 30, partly out of tribute to her mother, and partly because Beatrix’s actual birthday of January 31 would be a poor day on the weather calendar for a huge national outdoor celebration. April 30 is likely the permanent date now, but be aware that on years when that date falls on a Sunday the celebrations are shifted one day earlier.
Date: March 12th, 2008 |
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Hemp Hotel in Amsterdam
Where else in the world could there be a Hemp Hotel? I can actually think of a few places, but there is one in Amsterdam, which makes more sense than just about anywhere. Specific details on this place are hard to come by, and don’t expect much help on the official Hemp Hotel website, which probably won some kind of web design award in 1996 or so.
To deepen the mystery, I must have passed by this place many dozens of times without even realizing it when I was living overlooking the Albert Cuyp Street Market, not far from the Heineken Brewery. It’s just down a quiet street off Fredriksplein, which is a nice area but not terribly close to any major tourist attractions aside from the two I just mentioned.
Needless to say, the hotel itself promotes the whole hemp culture, which often parallels but isn’t identical to marijuana culture. Many in the “hemp culture” seem convinced that a good chunk of the world’s problems could be solved if non-THC hemp were a legal crop, but those claims seem to be sketchy at best and fraudulent at worst. But the novelty value of this place still seems like it would be worth going a bit out of your way for, if only for one night. I’m sure as hell going to check it out when I’m back in Amsterdam next.
Date: March 7th, 2008 |
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Shopping for Amsterdam airfare from North America
You may remember not long ago when I mentioned an interesting article on BootsnAll.com that tested 7 major airfare sites to see which one was the cheapest. The results of those trials were a bit surprising, but that was just the first in a 4-part series that tested those sites in other areas as well.
The series of articles has recently concluded by trying to determine which is the best all-around airfare site. Again, the conclusions are quite interesting and probably not what you might expect. Unfortunately for our non-North American friends, the articles only concentrate on sites like Expedia, Travelocity, and Priceline, and only their US and Canadian operations. Several of these same companies have UK or Europe sites, and the results probably carry over for them as well, but you can’t draw the same firm conclusions that the series did with the North American versions.
Date: March 3rd, 2008 |
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Amsterdam is friendly with good nightlife and parks, according to new survey
The results of a new Trip Advisor survey of over 1,100 travelers give Amsterdam high marks in at least three categories comparing major European cities. Amsterdam ranked second only to Dublin in the Friendly Locals category, second to only London in the Best Nightlife category, and we tied for third with Barcelona and Copenhagen for Best Parks, which puts the Dutch capital behind London and Paris in this group.
Out of the 13 categories listed, 9 of them rank positive things and 4 of them rank negative attributes, so being in the top 3 of three of the positive ones and staying clear of the negative ones (Most Expensive, Most Unfriendly, Dirtiest, Most Boring) seems like a pretty good showing.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about Trip Advisor, and at least a few of the results make me think that many or most of the people surveyed have only been to a small group of the possible cities being considered. Particularly in the Most Attractive Locals category, seeing that Rome and Paris came out on top of Stockholm, I’d argue this one until I was out of breath. Rome and Paris are both outstanding cities and the locals tend to dress well for sure, but I’d put Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam way ahead of those for attractive locals.
Date: March 13th, 2008 |
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Amsterdam ArenA and how to get there
With a capacity of over 50,000 for games and certain events, the Amsterdam ArenA is by far the largest venue of its kind in the area. It hosts the home games of AFC Ajax (pronounced EYE-ax), which is the legendary and often successful club football team based in the city, and it’s also the location of some home games of the Netherlands national football squad. On the national team days the ArenA, and half the Amsterdam locals themselves, dress in bright orange to celebrate the home team with its famous color.
In addition to major sporting events, the ArenA is frequently home to major concerts and other entertainment events. In June 2008 you’ll find Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, and Bruce Springsteen on the ArenA calendar, and they are joined late in the month by the famous Dutch violinist and conductor Andre Rieu. You can keep track of entertainment events scheduled at the venue through this link to Pollstar.com.
Date: March 10th, 2008 |
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April in Amsterdam
As the first month of the year when you can expect reasonably pleasant weather most every day, April can be a great time to visit Amsterdam for people who like to avoid crowds without having to worry about bringing a parka. The year’s events calendar begins to pick up steam, and the blossoming of the local tulips is in full swing in April.
April events in Amsterdam
National Museum Weekend – Each April over 500 of the countries museums offer free or discounted entry and also run special programs meant to draw locals into these fine institutions. The official website is only in Dutch so it’s hard to sort out exactly who’s doing what, but it appears that all the museums in Amsterdam will participate one way or another. The 2008 weekend runs April 5 and 6.
Queen’s Day – April 30 - This national holiday is one of the biggest parties of the year as Amsterdam fills up with tourists and residents of nearby areas alike. Many people dress in the national color of orange as they celebrate the day through. A citywide flea market pops up on every street, and all major squares and parks fill with stages and events. Vondelpark is dedicated to the kids, and alcohol is abundant nearly everywhere in the city on this one special day. It’s April 30 in 2008 and every year that date isn’t a Sunday, when it’s shifted to the Saturday April 29.
>>more information about Queen’s Day in Amsterdam
Date: March 5th, 2008 |
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