Hi all,
my wife and I are planning a three days two nights stay in Amsterdam in early Dec. Neither of us have been there before and were hoping to get some advice on things to do, where to stay, eat, night life, airport transfers etc. I know for sure that I want to see the Van Gogh museum, but other that we are quite open.

Hotel suggestions for about $100 a night would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[This message has been edited by knit-in (edited 08-15-2001).]

I'm not sure if this is still in your price range, but considering that you are going in December and depending on when, you might get a pricebreak. One place I can recommend is:

Hotel Agora (Budget/Moderate)
Singel 462 (at Koningsplein)
1017 AW Amsterdam
020/627-2200 phone
020/627-2202 fax
home.worldonline.nl/~agora
[email protected] - email
I became very fond of this small hotel. Not only was the location perfect (1 block from the Flower Market, 1 block from the Spui and 5 mins. to Leidseplein) but I had a television, phone and breakfast was included. The staff was particularly helpful and kind particularly on the day I had to leave at 6:30 am. They did all the paperwork the evening before, arranged for a cab to be waiting downstairs and left me a breakfast tray at my door. This 16 room hotel (no elevator) is a canal house, but was decorated rather eclecticly. As a reminder: I had a room facing the back, the rooms overlooking the canal (the front of the hotel) can be very noisy.

Since Amsterdam is a very popular place for people come on quick weekend trips, I would advise you book something fairly soon.

Since I'm not exactly sure what your interests are (besides the Van Gogh - which is fabulous), a good source for you to consider is www.timeout.com (go to Amsterdam). Not only do they have a lot of information re: accommodations, tourist interests, transportation etc. they also have other links to other websites. Just a suggestion to get you going.

Feel free to e-mail me directly if you should have any additional questions at: [email protected]. Good luck with your planning - Amsterdam is a very special place. Everytime I go, I have a different Amsterdam experience.

Priceline has recently made European hoels available to US residents, and the prices and location for Amsterdam hotels seem excellent. For information, check out Sheryl's information-packed board at http://pub4.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding .

Amsterdam is a very compact city, so anywhere you stay in the Center is a good location. Trams take you anywhere you want to go; an especially worthwhile tram line is #20, which is a circular route passing by some of the most interesting tourist spots (including the van Gogh).

Bring a raincoat. December is cold, wet, and dark. (Actually, just about every month is cold and wet in Amsterdam, but December is the darkest.)

From my site:
***
For Indonesian food, try Bojo, Leidsekruisstraat 14, near Prinsengracht and Leidsestraat. I think Nasi Rames is what I always order.

Hendrikse has some of my favorite Dutch chocolates. The patisserie is at Overtoom 472 (011-31-20-618-04-72); the confiserie is at Overtoom 448-450 (011-31-20-618-02-60). Try the nutmeg piece! They are located on Tram Line 1.
***
Have fun and dress warmly!

------------------
Life's a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Auntie Mame

Try bookings.nl for hotels, they often have many special deals. The Jolly Hotel Carlton has a great location and is very good. In early december, you might be able to get it for near to $100.

I'm getting a great deal at a three star place called Hotel Ibis Amsterdam Stopera, in the city center. THe address is Valkenburgerstraat 68, Amsterdam. ANyone know anything about it?

Also, we will be there starting monday thru wednesday. What kind of night life can we expect?

As noted above, visit Sheryl's Priceline board. Two top hotles have rencently been showing up. The Rennaissance near Central Station has gone for the equivalent of 50 GBP /nite and the Marriott in the Museum District has gone for $68 +$10 bonus money. The booking engines list it for 250 euros/nite and up. Either of these would be a great deal.

It is very tempting indeed, however, when making reservations for Europe I want to be absolutely certain of the shower/ bath facility in my room as in my earlier days as a traveller to Europe I've had many a day sharing bathroom spaces with other people. Just don't feel up to it anymore. Of course in the name brand hotels there are always attached baths/showers, so maybe I should give it a shot this time.

knit-in,
I'm one of the folks with the wonderful priceline-amsterdam deals. Read Sheryl's board and use the link to the priceline.uk board for more info---and you'll see that you do have a choice in hotel type when placing your bid.
I believe the two Marriott's are both at the highest priceline level and every hotel booking website I've seen refer to them as "5-star european" That would likely compute to 4-star US...in other words, you don't have to worry about the rooms or the bathrooms.

If you do museums, the Rijksmuseum is a must. It took me two days just for that one.

People who have not been to Amsterdam before should visit the Anne Frank House. Many people don't want to go for fear it will be depressing, but it really is uplifting.

You also might want to read The Girl with the Pearl Earing before your trip and then, as indicated above, visit the Rijksmuseum. I also recommend the Van Gogh Museum, although I would assume several masterpieces will be in Chicago at the Art Institute for the Studio of the South exhibition (Van Gogh and Cezanne), which will then travel to Amsterdam early next year.

As for evening entertainment, the two of you may want to take a walk through the Red Light District (very close to the Centraal Station). It is perfectly safe and and what you see in the windows is quite interesting. Your stories will amuse your friends when you return home.

You really should have Indonsian food. There are several good restaurants. My recommendation would be Sama Sebo - order the rice table (don't want to risk butchering the Indosesian word at the moment).


[This message has been edited by ILuvParis (edited 08-19-2001).]

I concur with eMailman and ILuvParis on the Rijksmuseum and the Ann Frank House, definitely recommended.
For airport transfers, trains are the fastest (10-15 minutes to Amsterdam Centraal) and most convenient, they leave from underneath the terminal building, cost $2.50 one way, and run every 10 minutes or so. Otherwise Amsterdam taxis are priced within the European average.
Also, the tramway passes are very good deals and convenient if you want to take advantage of Amsterdam's excellent public transportation network.
As for getting Dutch guilders, I recommend using ATM's. Most change shops have either very bad rates (e.g. Thomas Cook) or charge a fixed commission (e.g. ABN Amro at the airport - bad deal for small amounts). Don't forget to change all of your money back into dollars when you leave, guilders will only be accepted at banks after 2/28/02.

[This message has been edited by monahos (edited 09-10-2001).]

Let me begin from the airport

Transfers: Depending on where your hotel is, take the train from the airport to Centraal - Cheap and convenient. If your hotel is far from Centraal station check forKLM buses at the airport,outside by the curb - They take to you to major hotels in the city.

Hotels: Our last two trips were in Marriott and Golden Tulip Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. A combination of points and off-season internet discounts made these places affordable (approx $125/night). You asked about Ibis, if I'm not mistaken this is an odd-shaped Steel building bang next to the train station (Centraal). If that is the case do try. Ibis is a chain, an affordable one too.

Eats: I wrote my last experiences eating Rijstaffel http://www.chowhound.com/boards/intl/messages/5068.html

You can go and take a look at the board http://www.chowhound.com/ for extra tips.

What to do: Great museums, others have suggested Van Gogh,Anne Frank... If you want to indulge there is an evening boat cruise (approx 2 hours maybe with wine) that starts off from near th train station (Centraal). I did that when I went with my wife. night-life Walk along the Old Church area and see the RLD, Don't be afraid, its a tourist attraction - Just don't take pictures. Dress appropriately to the weather average for that week - Check http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/w...=004260&refer= for a historical perspective on this city.

Ciao for now

[This message has been edited by akhullar (edited 09-11-2001).]

[This message has been edited by akhullar (edited 09-11-2001).]

DINING
see post below for Indonesian food (highly recommended!!) http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...ML/000025.html

Also, when visiting the Rijksmuseum, try
Da Boemerang, on Weteringschans 171. It is a quirky place that serves AWESOME mussels w/great dipping sauces.

Must do's: Anne Frank House, Red Light District, Rijksmuseum, The Amsterdam Historical Museum (while most historical museums I find a snore, this is VERY good),

Just got the Priceline deal for the Marriott for $60 a night! Thanks for this tip y'all. This is fantastic. Two nights at the Marriott including taxes and processing fee will turn out at $133!! ($7.64 taxes +$5.95 Processing fee.)

Now I gotta worry about NW transporting me there on DEC 3, from DEL.