"North Shields to Amsterdam" a North Shields Travel Page by Maxus

I do not pretend to be an expert on North Shields but my employer has an office here so I visit regularly and it is the port from which I make occasional ferry trips to Amsterdam, which is the main subject of this page.

There is of course more to North Shields than the port, it has excellent shopping, including the ‘Outlet Village’ at Royal Quays where there is also a massive water park and a Premier Travel Inn, which is a lot like any other PTI except that the service in the attached bar/restaurant is worst than most.

You can buy some of the best fish and chips in the world at the historic (but still working) Fish Quay.

Good transport links include a Marina, the Metro, the Tyne Tunnel and as well as Amsterdam you can get a ferry to Bergen, Haugesund, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Gothenburg.

I have never fancied being stuck on a cruise ship for any length of time but I love travelling by ferry and the DFDS service from North Shields to Ijmuiden* (for Amsterdam) can be a real treat.

Its just so civilised, dinner in the restaurant followed by a stroll on deck then a few beers in the bar or a visit to the ships nightclub before crashing into your clean comfortable bunk (if you want to arrive more refreshed try a sauna and a film instead) even first class air travel doesn’t come close.

Don’t panic if you don’t travel well, these are big vessels and the sea would need to be very rough indeed for you to feel any adverse effects. If you like the sea the trip alone is arguably worth the money and short trips to Amsterdam (two nights on board and the afternoon in the city) are available for those who just need to stock up on clogs, cheese and tulips.

The Friday afternoon service is busy with young and usually drunk young people on a weekend mini-cruise and things can get a little lively. They are noticeably quieter on the Saturday evening return journey after a visit to the various attractions that Amsterdam has to offer.

Prices from the crossing vary depending when you travel and the standard of cabin you reserve. Things on board are not cheap, expect to pay 4 or 5 Euros for a beer and about the same for a snack, dinner will set you back between 30 to 40 Euros.

For details of the ferry have a look at: http://www.dfds.co.uk/DSW/EN. I have also attached some tips about the crossing to this page, if you want more info just email me.

*Ijmuiden is not Amsterdam but its no further out of the city than Schiphol and free buses are on hand to run you into the centre, which takes around 45 minutes.