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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.
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.
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.
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!
Best Value in town: Eden Rembrandt Square Hotel. Apart from being a newish hotel, in one of the best areas of Amsterdam (especially at New Year!) offering all creature comforts and very comfortable beds, it is not easy to find free internet connection in Amsterdam in many places.
There are two desktops in the lobby and WiFi network. You can easily connect with your own laptop as there is an LAN connection in the room free of charge. However with the red light district only a 7 Euro tram ride away, the Internet was not required this trip!
Get yourself an "I love Amsterdam Card" when you arrive, they come in one, two, and three-day versions.
With this you get free travel for the duration of your card, on trams, buses and metro, and you get free admission to most of the city's historic attractions, including many museums and other historic sites.
You also get two free canal boat trips and reductions and offers in restaurents.
Even if you only use a fraction of the offers included it will be great value.
Have a Friday evening drink with after work crowd in Hoppe bar in the Spui, followed by a fine meal with laid back bustling service in the neighbouring Luiden bistro.
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
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