Amsterdam links

There are a lot of crap Amsterdam websites out there, so we want to do our bit to help people find the really good ones. Below is a list of our favorite sites and why. If you know of a site you think should be listed we’d love to hear about it. Just send me an email through the button in the center column of the homepage and I’ll check it out.

Amsterdam travel guide sites

iAmsterdam.com – This is the city’s official tourism site and it’s really done well. They’ve got lots of great articles and a really nice design so it’s worth checking out.
Holland.com – This is the official tourism site for the whole country and it’s also beautifully done, frequently updated, and loaded with good information.
Amsterdam.info – This is a huge site that covers nearly every attraction and event in the city. It’s part of a big network of sites that are done very professionally. Looking at the homepage you might not realize just how much good information is contained within.
SimplyAmsterdam.nl – This is another big site with tons of great information within. The homepage looks a bit old school but the information is solid.
DutchAmsterdam.nl – This site is part of a network run by some local people and it’s edgier and more interesting than most. They also do a great job with Amsterdam news for travelers on things that don’t hit the English-language news media in many cases.
Channels.nl – This site is extremely popular for its busy forums (not for the faint of heart) plus they have hotel and restaurant reviews of every place you can imagine. The site is a bit hard to navigate at first, but once you get the hang of it you’ll find loads of great stuff.
GoAmsterdam.about.com – The Amsterdam version of this New York Times-owned site is written by an expat living in the city and is loaded with useful advice and great coverage on most of the mainstream topics, in a well-organized way.
Internet guide to Amsterdam – When you first load this site you might mistakenly think it’s a project from the late 1990s that’s still online somehow, but at closer inspection you’d notice that it’s actually an excellent and fairly thorough Amsterdam guide, helpfully all on one enormous (and fast loading) page. It’s got restaurant recommendations and quite a few specifics, plus it’s meant to be printed out and taken with you, which is very handy and different.

Amsterdam news and events sites

DutchNews.nl – This site has a steady stream of news about the Netherlands translated into English. It’s great for expats in the country as well as tourists wanting to know what’s going on.
AmsterdamWeekly.nl – This was a weekly print newspaper that was beautifully designed and really well written, but now it only exists online. They say they hope to get it back in print again and I hope they are successful. They still have good entertainment and event listings.

Amsterdam nightlife sites

UnderwaterAmsterdam.com – This is actually a pretty complete city guide with many features, but the best selling point for us is the up-to-date gig guide so you can see what concerts, events, and parties are coming up during your visit.
AmsterdamHotspots.nl – This is another city guide, generally speaking, but the reason we like it and use it is they do the best job of anyone keeping track of clubs and parties and what’s hot and what’s not.

Amsterdam tours sites

Letsgo-Amsterdam – The name might sound familiar, but this outfit is not affiliated with the famous student guidebook series. This company offers a variety of interesting walking and bike tours of Amsterdam and the area.

Red Light District guides

IgnatzMice.com – In spite of the rather odd name, this site actually covers the Red Light District like a blanket, or at least the prostitution-related part. There’s tons of great information that tells you how things work and what to expect, as well as civilized and helpful message boards where members ask questions and exchange Trip Reports so guys between trips can live vicariously through other visitors. It’s NSFW, so be warned.

Coffee shop and drug-related sites

Coffeeshop.freeuk.com – This is the king of the coffeeshop directories, featuring great maps and reviews of every coffeeshop in the Amsterdam city center and beyond. It’s been around for a long time and still kept up to date. The main city map is an excellent resource for potheads planning their trip.
SmokersGuide.com – This site is excellent for the hardcore pothead type. If you are into smoking as a hobby in addition to being a stoner, this is a fantastic resource.