| Page Views: 3,634 Last Visit to Amsterdam: December, 2004 | Amsterdam - What a wonderful, charming city! by jss1018 - last update: Jun 30, 2008 |
Notes from a first-time visitor For some perspective on who's doing the writing here, see my Homepage. (For some video clips from later trips we made, not described here, go to 'www.youtube.com', search for member name 'jsshackel', then click on one of the user name links to see all of them.) These notes and impressions are from a late-forties married couple from the U.S. and visiting for a week at Christmas in 2004 the first time. Our experiences and impressions may be most useful to those in our age group thinking of visiting Amsterdam for the first time, and we would hope that anyone fitting that description gets some helpful advice on how to have a great time there. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions you have, and I'll gladly get back to you.
Our Amsterdam visit went extremely well, mainly due to the Internet research I had done prior to the trip. Do be aware, though, that no amount of planning can really prepare you for this city the first time. When out and about on foot, which you will be much of the time if you're the average visitor, the combination of twisty streets and small side-street alleys, narrow building fronts where you pass dozens on a short walk, and pedestrian traffic almost any time of the year makes it a real challenge and adventure finding an attraction or other point of interest. Combine this with insane bicycle traffic and trams whizzing around and you're really in for a treat. One quickly learns to use your peripheral vision and stay extremely alert to keep from being mowed down. Lest this discourage you, don't let it. Pedestrian travel there is safe once you adapt and pay attention.
We stayed in a Junior Apartment at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, a good home base smack dab on Dam (pronounced "dom") Square with all the amenities and service of a 5-star hotel. A great choice, but do realize it might not be for everyone. All the apartments are pretty basic furniture and decoration, although very clean and functional. You won't find old-world Amsterdam charm in these if that's what you're after. Also, the Dam is a hub of visitors and activity, with the obligatory assortment of seedy characters here and there. A block or two down the street in one direction and you're entering the red-light district. This might not be what you would expect, since there are no street-walker types accosting you; rather, they are shop-based businesses. We took the Connexxion shuttle service from Schiphol Airport to the hotel. Only 36 Euros total for a round trip ticket at the time. You can buy tickets near the shuttle pickups exit door, or walk out of the airport at ground transportation and buy a ticket at stand A4. Clean minivan type vehicles with professional drivers, baggage assistance, and only a 25-minute or so ride to the hotel. Serves all the major lodging areas. Will pick you back up at your hotel when departing, just let hotel reception make a reservation for pickup the night before you check out or phone Connexxions directly.
As for having Euros in your pocket, we elected not to waste money by converting any dollars prior to leaving, with the extra bank exchange fees. You'll pass ATM machines when first walking into Schiphol Airport, along with an ABN AMRO bank teller window for converting any U.S. cash you may have on you, if desired, for a fee. The ATM machines are just as easy to use there as in the states, with English menus available. We used a Visa debit card the entire time there, never a credit card, and never had an issue, including paying at the hotel. Just MAKE SURE if doing so yours has the Cirrus or other international logo and ability with it, and contact your bank prior to the trip. Ours made a records notation of where we would be using it and for what dates, to avoid it being flagged as possibly stolen when European use pops up for the first time. We also checked our maximum daily cash withdrawal amount with our bank in case of theft or loss. |
| The Royal Palace, Dam Square |
|  | First impressions - WOW! After checking into the hotel and getting settled, we hit the streets and Dam Square for the first time. Arriving at the hotel didn't really count as far as getting that first impression, since we were whisked inside by the formally-dressed doorman for our check-in, then straight to our apartment unit with our baggage porter.
Out of the hotel apartment and BOOM!, there it is. No way to really describe it. Constant motion of pedestrians, bicycles, cars, trams, delivery trucks, and a few buses. A bit overwhelming at first compared to where we live at home. Can't imagine how exciting it must be in the summer months. Beautiful buildings hundreds of years old, the most amazing architecture! The glorious Royal Palace directly in front of us, with the New Church just to the right of it. Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The National Monument in the square, with a Christmas tree there. Our hotel with its large lettering on top. People of various nationalities walking everywhere. Mind-blowing doesn't even come close to describing it. The feeling was heightened no doubt by jet lag and lack of sleep after the plane rides (one connection in Philadelphia on the way over); we were running on pure adrenalin and excitement. There are certainly cities in the U.S. with this much activity, some with a lot more, but nowhere there will you find it combined with this type of history and style of buildings.
After taking a few pictures, we just started walking down a street without having a clue what was there, the Damstraat, and had a light meal at a small restaurant we came across. From there, back to the hotel for an exhausted nap, really too excited to sleep but bummed out from the sardine-can Economy-seats plane ride. More walking about for photos near the square area and a meal that evening. See our Travelogue link lower on this page for the week's experiences, along with the individual Travel Tips for various topics. |
A few more notes For clothing, we layered with coats over sweaters, and that was a good choice considering we were outside much of the time. We were lucky with fairly good weather all week, since from everything I've read it rains a lot in Amsterdam much of the year. It's a maritime climate with weather patterns coming from the sea direction. It was pretty chilly the first couple of days we were there, in the thirties (F.) during the day and colder of course at night, with a front bringing rain (a cold, cold all-day light drizzle) the third day. It then warmed up quite a bit the latter part of our visit with clear to partly cloudy skies. It does get cold enough there for the canals to occasionally freeze over, but not most years, so pack accordingly. My wife and I both included past-the-waist coats that were water-repellant and warm, with hoods, and that came in very handy on the one drizzly day. We saw very few people carrying umbrellas, and with the congested streets and sometimes accompanying wind with the rain, they would be a bit impractical. We did see plenty of the locals zipping around on their bikes during the cold, rainy stuff; young, old, casually dressed, smartly dressed business types, little children being carried on a lot of them. They seemed immune to the weather. A hardy bunch, to be sure. For footwear, choose something comfortable for walking a lot. Would also suggest warm head coverings; tobbogans, hats, or ear muffs and gloves for colder days.
We had read that paying for things in cash rather than using a credit card or debit card was the norm for most any establishment, and this seemed to hold true from our observations while there. Quite the opposite of the U.S. We only used our debit cards to pay at the hotel and to make Euro withdrawals from ATM machines. These always seemed to issue only fifties in bills, but no one flinched when presenting one, even at the smallest shops. The bills and coinage are very easy to learn, with the smallest coin being a 5-cent piece (and they ARE called cents), with a 10-cent, 20-cent, 50-cent, 1-Euro, and 2-Euro coins. The smallest bill is a 5-Euro. If in Dam Square where our hotel was located, face the Royal Palace and look to the right, across the street beyond the tram stops. There's an ABN AMRO bank building there with outside ATM machines. | | | The New Church, Dam Square |
|
> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
| Pros: | "It's all good!" | | Cons: | "A looooonnnggggg plane ride." | | In A Nutshell: | "The most beautiful and exciting place we've ever visited!" |
jss1018's Amsterdam Travel Tips
 jss1018's Amsterdam Travelogues | | | |
|
 Comments for jss1018 about Amsterdam | | | | |
pinkcamel Sun Jun 18, 2006 06:53 UTC
This is going to sound weird but you decide whether you have things to declare or not. If not, you can go through the 'green' exit'. You may be pulled over by customs officials who think you look dodgy or suspect, but mostly, you can walk straight out. | Pavlik_NL Sun Jan 16, 2005 16:13 UTC
Good tips & nice pages. Amsterdam is indeed a strange place, but I hope that NL & A'dam never become a police-state. Safety should come from preventing things happening to yourself, not from being protected. That's what the Dutch tolerance is all about. | scottishvisitor Fri Dec 31, 2004 22:20 UTC
Good page with great tips & info Greetings from Scotland & Happy New Year | Xefian Wed Dec 29, 2004 12:16 UTC
Great page ,enjoyed tips and travelogue |
|
|
email me
add as friend
