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Amsterdam in April

Amsterdam in April

Old Jan 13, 2017, 2:20 pm
  #16  
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Originally Posted by PsiFighter37

A couple of other questions I did have:

1) Is mid-April too early for tulips? Some of the research I read suggests that this is around when they first start blooming.
Too early? Nope. I was in Amsterdam in mid April last year and went to Keukenhof Gardens. If you love tulips, you will be blown away. Millions of tulips all planted in some architecturally design. Hyacinths too! You'll also see tulips all over Amsterdam. Just beautiful.

As for restaurants, I recommend Moeders. http://www.moeders.com/en/about
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Old Jan 18, 2017, 10:44 pm
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In addition to the venues stated above, Our Lord in the Attic is pretty cool (and I'm not religious). Its a hidden church dating from the time when Catholicism was proscribed in AMS. http://www.amsterdamredlightdistrict...-in-the-attic/

As far as the food goes...Rijstafel can be good, but I actually also like the soups there. When in doubt, get the Tomatensoep met spekjes. (Tomato Soup with Bacon Fat).
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Old Jan 31, 2017, 8:00 pm
  #18  
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Thanks for the food suggestions! The tomato soup with bacon fat sounds quite appealing

Any thoughts on if there is a craft beer scene in Amsterdam? I know there's Heineken, but that's honestly the last beer I'd want to drink while in town. Any breweries or gastropubs would also be great.
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Old Feb 1, 2017, 2:39 am
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Originally Posted by PsiFighter37
Any thoughts on if there is a craft beer scene in Amsterdam? I know there's Heineken, but that's honestly the last beer I'd want to drink while in town. Any breweries or gastropubs would also be great.
Yes, there are quite a few
brouwerij 't ij - a short tram ride from the center, works very well if it is a nice day outside as they have a big seating area outside

Oedipus Brewing - Also a short hop from central station, either by bus or by the free ferry and a bit of walking (I've personally never been, but have tried many of their beers)

In de wildeman - Right in the center, they have 17 taps which are constantly changing, and about 200 more bottles, they even have an app for android/ios to see their tap menu

Beer Temple - 35 taps and many more from bottle, mostly american beers, but also many beers from other countries

If you are happy getting outside of Amsterdam, Haarlem (roughly 15 minutes by train or so) also have 2 nice options:

Het Uiltje - A nice small brewery, their bar is about 10 minutes walk from Haarlem train station

Jopenkerk - A brewery inside a church... they are much more commercialized than all other ones, but have a decent variety of beers nonetheless, it is a short walk from Het Uiltje so you get 2 in 1
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Old Feb 1, 2017, 3:00 am
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Originally Posted by wijnands
The Anne Frank is a place of great historical significance but if you take that away there's not that much to see expect an insane amount of foreigners.
No need to stand in line - book here
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Old Feb 2, 2017, 1:49 am
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Worth a side-trip to Utrecht, 30 minutes by train. Just as interesting and picturesque as Amsterdam but much less crowded and good quality affordable restaurants by the canals.

I sometimes stay there as you get much better hotel deals and take a day trip to - Amsterdam!
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Old Feb 4, 2017, 12:19 pm
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How about in Feb? I understand there won't be flowers in the winter but is everything else still a go? Cold enough to skate? VG & Rijks museums, and Anne Frank house already on my go-to list - how are lines/crowds going to be?

I'll be staying at the Park Plaza Vondel Park. Rijsttafel near there? Other decent food places (I'm a cart food kind of guy). Are there food carts? Breakfast near this area? One more food question - a decent cheese store (specifically for commissiekaas) "Cheap" beer - by that I mean less expensive than high end joints (?). Also, can someone explain/describe the differences re salty licorice salt levels? I have had some that I really liked but then again, I've also had some that kind of hurt to eat.

Side note: I last visited AMS in '82 as a kid with my folks -- I assume some things have changed

Edit: Can someone direct to a schedule for the Amstel Tijgers. I've found info up to Feb 4. but not past that date

Cheers

Last edited by thegrailer; Feb 4, 2017 at 12:47 pm
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Old Feb 4, 2017, 12:48 pm
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Originally Posted by thegrailer
How about in Feb? I understand there won't be flowers in the winter but is everything else still a go? Cold enough to skate? VG & Rijks museums, and Anne Frank house already on my go-to list - how are lines/crowds going to be?

I'll be staying at the Park Plaza Vondel Park. Rijsttafel near there? Other decent food places (I'm a cart food kind of guy). Are there food carts? Breakfast near this area? One more food question - a decent cheese store (specifically for commissiekaas) "Cheap" beer - by that I mean less expensive than high end joints (?). Also, can someone explain/describe the differences re salty licorice salt levels? I have had some that I really liked but then again, I've also had some that kind of hurt to eat.

Side note: I last visited AMS in '82 as a kid with my folks -- I assume some things have changed


Cheers
I've been there in December and it was cold enough to skate. If I recall, there's a rink between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum. Lines probably won't be as bad as the summer, but I went to the Van Gogh in December (and didn't buy the ticket ahead of time). I probably waited in line 20-25 minutes. It was crowded inside, but not annoyingly so.

Again, the tip is, at least for Van Gogh and Anne Frank, buy your ticket online and you won't have to wait in line at all. When I went to the Frank House several years ago, I bought the ticket from home, maybe a week ahead of time. It was July and the line was quite long, but I went right in.

I haven't stayed near Vondelpark so can't help much with that area. But I've had good luck finding cheap beer all over Amsterdam, even in touristy areas, if you look around a bit, and don't need anything fancier than Amstel.
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Old Feb 4, 2017, 2:29 pm
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we rented a boat. a huge boat. about 80 feet long, and 20 feet wide for two weeks. it was parked in a canal next to neu market in jordan. the boat was an old canal freighter refitted to 2 bedroom house.it was great. the location was great. the boat was great.
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Old Feb 4, 2017, 4:05 pm
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That sounds amazing. If I only had that kind of time


Originally Posted by slawecki
we rented a boat. a huge boat. about 80 feet long, and 20 feet wide for two weeks. it was parked in a canal next to neu market in jordan. the boat was an old canal freighter refitted to 2 bedroom house.it was great. the location was great. the boat was great.
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Old Feb 4, 2017, 4:31 pm
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Originally Posted by thegrailer
That sounds amazing. If I only had that kind of time
You can actually do any size for any length of time. AirBNB and VRBO.com usually have some, and if you just Google it you'll find other sites.

It's on my bucket list...
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Old Mar 17, 2017, 8:54 pm
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Getting closer to trip time, so starting to research more closely. I did not realize Keukenhof is basically the opposite direction from Schipol, so I am thinking of potentially going there right after we get off the plane - store our luggage and visit in the early morning. Part of that is to save time, but part of it is because it seems simpler to get out there from Schipol than it does from downtown Amsterdam. Does anyone have insight into how easy/difficult it is to get to Keukenhof from town?
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Old Mar 18, 2017, 4:54 am
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Originally Posted by PsiFighter37
Getting closer to trip time, so starting to research more closely. I did not realize Keukenhof is basically the opposite direction from Schipol, so I am thinking of potentially going there right after we get off the plane - store our luggage and visit in the early morning. Part of that is to save time, but part of it is because it seems simpler to get out there from Schipol than it does from downtown Amsterdam. Does anyone have insight into how easy/difficult it is to get to Keukenhof from town?
There are busses to Keukenhof from Schiphol, Haarlem and Leiden, so if you are in Amsterdam you will need to get to one of those places first by train, so doing it directly from the airport is a good idea.
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Old Mar 18, 2017, 7:06 am
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Originally Posted by Ditto
There are busses to Keukenhof from Schiphol, Haarlem and Leiden, so if you are in Amsterdam you will need to get to one of those places first by train, so doing it directly from the airport is a good idea.
Best to buy online and avoid the queues
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Old Mar 18, 2017, 7:37 am
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Originally Posted by Ditto
There are busses to Keukenhof from Schiphol, Haarlem and Leiden, so if you are in Amsterdam you will need to get to one of those places first by train, so doing it directly from the airport is a good idea.
Saves a little time if you go right away, but probably not the end of the world if the logistics become difficult and you need to do it another day. It's a short train ride from Amsterdam to Schipol to pick up the bus. Or not a bad idea to combine it with a little time in Haarlem for a day.
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