- Amsterdam
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Netherlands
If art bores you silly, try the torture museum!
We visited Amsterdam with our three year old daughter, while I was heavily pregnant.
Knowing that we would be having early nights in our hotel room, we upgraded to a room "with a view", using money saved from not using evening entertainment or so many museum admissions.
Our room overlooked on of the ubiquitous squares and we spent evenings eating a rather nice room service menu people watching.
It may not sound exciting,but we loved it and kept sane at the same timeR with no worries regarding baby sitting services.
The tour guide said ‘It’s divided into two divisions – the first and second division’. No, it’s not the football league. It’s the Red Light District in Amsterdam! Walking down the packed cobbled streets we witnessed the distinction. In one area, slim glamorous women paraded their ‘smalls’ in brightly lit window parlours. In the adjoining area, grossly overweight unkempt women desperately tried to gain attention by tapping on the window of their dark seedy cabin. You need to check it out to believe it! I would recommend a guided tour of the area. Hear the real facts without attracting unwanted attention!
Get the tram out to IJburg, a newly built district on reclaimed land: fascinating new architecture, and a man-made beach, complete with lively beach bar, overlooking the IJ.
With the advent of the ban in the UK smoking of the humble tobacco leaf in public places already feels dirty and uncouth.
Amsterdam is the place to relax for a weekend away going up in smoke feeling at peace with the bohemian lifestyle it affords.
‘The Rockery’ is with its ankle level seating, trip-hop and low lighting is a perfect place to vegetate and enjoy your greens. Alternatively for the gourmets there is no finer venue than ‘Barneys’.
The full English and a bong - is there a better way to start the day?
The Van Gogh Museum’s Multimedia Tour is a fantastic way of immersing yourself in the colourful life and work of Van Gogh.
Through the simple-to-use handheld device and headset you can delve deeper in to the stories behind many of Van Gogh’s famous pictures as well as giving you access to a wealth of extra information including photos, letters, film clips and drawings.
A great interactive experience that enhanced my visit and gave me a real insight in to the often tragic life of the man behind the paintings.
La Tarte de Ma Tante on Ferdinand Bolstraat - a tea shop with the kitschiest decor ever seen, and magnificent multi-coloured fake three tier cakes adorning every table.
The real cakes that they serve are pretty magnificent too. This is the Barbara Cartland of tea-shops.
Forget the grachts, the quaint tallhouses and the coffee shops - take a trip out to the eastern docklands, the evocatively named Borneo-Sporenburg, KNSM & Java islands.
Marvel at the Dutch way of designing cities, take a guided tour & weep for the UK.
Laws still apply in Amsterdam - remember roken means smoking and niet roken means no-smoking. Liberal but laws apply!
At the Van Gogh museum, there is a wall just outside the gift shop which has two built in cameras.
You can create your own 20 second video clip and send it for free to your friends and family (you simply enter their e-mail address).
Easy to use and quite handy when waiting for a while for the other half to emerge from the gift shop. You can even stand in the background and do a little jiggle or Riverdance when others are making their videos!
Head to Amsterdam on April 30 - the Dutch Queen's birthday.
With sound stages and dancing in the street wherever you turn, it’s like an urban Glastonbury, or the Notting Hill Carnival with a friendlier vibe.
It’s impossible not to have a brilliant time, even if you take a dim view of some of the ‘Dam’s more liberal trademarks - don't turn up without sorting accommodation though, or you may find yourself kipping in the same hotel (complete with rat trap under the bed) that I ended up at...
Take a break from the busy bars and coffee shops by visiting Hortus Botanicus in the Plantage district of the city.
There you will find the most amazing plants in giant greenhouses.
On visiting Amsterdam, via Eurostar, we were unaware that it is customary in Amsterdam to pay to go to the loo in a bar/night club, as I and probably many other Brits discovered when I barged past a Filipino lady stood near the entrance to the toilet with her hand held out.
These ladies of the toilette actually rent the toilets from the bar owner and for cleaning them charge you.
For those of you with weak bladders, this could prove expensive!
Buy the Amsterdam Pass which allows access to most attractions/museums either free or discounted.
Passes are for 24, 48 or 72 hours and include public transport to get around the many sights, and also gives you a free canal tour.
The Times hotel in Amsterdam was excellent value of money, newly renovated and had friendly and helpful staff - especially after by luggage was lost by the airline!
Eurostar to Brussels, Thalys to Amsterdam - the most wonderful long weekend destination.
See the "Night Watch" at the Rijksmuseum, visit Anne Frank House, take a boat on the canals, stay in one of the converted houses on the waterside, eat an Indonesian Rijsttaefel in Nieuwe Leliestraat, take in a sports event at the Ajax stadium.
If Amsterdam’s tourists and tack overwhelm you head for a little known doorway on the ‘Spui’ through which you can enter the Begijnhof’s little haven of medieval serenity.
It’s a court of almshouses clustered around a peaceful garden where devout women have been housed since 1475 and religious women continue to be housed.
If you miss the hidden doorway, the entrance is also through the Amsterdam Historical Museum, the former city orphanage on Kalverstraat.
To get an inexpensive but quality souvenir for your friends or family, try a bottle of Oud Amsterdam Genever from De Vreng at Nieuwendijk 75, Amsterdam, just a few minutes walk from the Central Station.
It offers an impressive selection of various Dutch Liqueurs.
The best website for (inter)national rail travel is seat61.com. It is informative, user firendly and very helpful!
Take the kids on 5th December for the arrival of "Sinter Klaas" by boat into the city.
The big Dutch Christmas celebrations are on St. Nicholas Day. A unique experience for all the family with street celebrations, treasure hunts, sweeties from Black Pete and clogs filled with carrots!
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
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