Amsterdam Vacations

Any time you are going to be traveling overseas there is a few thigs you definaly need.

Number One: For the ladies it would probly be the World Wide Plug Converter this is essential if you want to use your blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons, and for the men if you wish to use your beard trimmer or your electric shavers you will need this. See the electrical outlets in Amsterdam differ from the ones found in your homes.

Nuber Two: I fortualy dident make this mistake when i went to Amsterdam and that was not having a great guide to the city. I chose Get Lost! the Cool Guide to Amsterdam this book was filled with interesting places to go throughout Amsterdam that you probably never would of thought of.

Number Three: It is very important to make sure you bring the right amount of currency. In Amsterdam they use the Euro. There are 8 coins; 1, 2 and 5 cent, 10, 20 and 50 cent, 1 and 2 Euro coins. Then there are the bills of 5, 10, 20 and 50 Euro, 100, 200 and 500 Euro. Not many places accept the 500 Euro however. Generally, 50 Euro bills remain the most convenient amounts. The current exchange rate on the Dollar to Euro is: 0.6805. Whats this means is, if you exchange $10's U.S. you will only get 6.8055 Euro's back, so you must plan accordingly. Finding a place to exchange your money once you arrive isent hard. The best place to go is the
GWK Central Station
Tel: +31-(0)20-627 27 31
You can change your cash here as well as make bank transfers via Western Union, amongst other services. They have the lowest rates as well as being very convient, as they are open 24 hours.

Amsterdam is a very diverse place. I met people from many backgrounds and races while I was there. I will start with the food. I love to eat, it has been a passion of mine for some time to experience other cultures food. Steak house's are very popular. If you love steak you will find a great steak house on every corner. There are many places that serve breakfast all day. The flower market has a large selection of these restaurants. For dinner try the stamppot (mashing pot), made up of boiled potatoes with cabbage mashed up with fried bacon and served with smoked sausage. This is a traditional Dutch dinner. For drinks you have a wide selection also. There are many bars in which you can get a nice cocktail or a local favorite called Genever (Dutch gin) a traditonal beer. I have gatherd a list of foamous and most pouplar restaurants and bars they are as follows:

Hoppe, Spui 18-20, is popular all day long but gets really busy with business people on their way home from work; it is also an Amsterdam institution dating back to 1670. Notice the floor is covered in saw dust. The Grand Cafe on Rembrandtplein is a wonderful grand cafe and during the summer months has a huge terrace which is wonderful to sit on and watch the world go by. The oldest café in Amsterdam is Café Chris, Bloemstraat 42, which has been a public house since 1624. Café Luxembourg, Spuistraat 22, is very nice with its high ceilings and is one of the trendy and definitely the place to be seen. For cocktails with real live parrots the place to go is Rum Runners, Prinsengracht 277. A quiet glass of whisky can be had at Café de Stil, Spuistraat 326, which has over 150 different varieties for sale. De Kroon, Rembrandtplein 17, which has a terrace balcony overlooking the square. . For late night drinking, visit Koophandel at Bloemgracht 49.

The choice of museums and local attractions in Amsterdam is exciting. There are ove 50 museums alone. A few I would recommend are:

Anne Frank House in the center of Amsterdam is the hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary during World War II. The original of the diary is on display as part of the Anne Frank House's permanent exhibition.
Location: Prinsengracht 267, Jordaan quarter near Westerkerk.

Hermitage in Amsterdam
Jewish historical museum small dependence of the famous Hermitage museum of Saint Petersburg, Russia, organizes each year two interesting exhibitions. Check their website for the current show - if the subject does interest you, it will be certainly worth seeing, because these exhibits are usually interesting and well presented. The Hermitage Amsterdam has some big development plans linked to the adaptation of the Amstelhof - an old and beautiful building at the Amstel River. It should make of Hermitage dependence one of the biggest museums in Amsterdam. Location: building Neerlandia, Nieuwe Herengracht 14

Van Gogh Museum
The museum houses some 200 paintings and 550 sketches showing Van Gogh in all his moods. These combined with hundreds of letters by Van Gogh to Theo, and selected works by his friends and contemporaries, form the core of the museum's collection.
Location: Paulus Potterstraat 7

Verzetsmuseum - Resistance Museum - WWII
The main exhibition of this museum shows the work of the Dutch resistance during WWII, but it also makes the visitor think about the things we take for granted nowadays, like freedom.
Location: Plantage Kerklaan 61
www.verzetsmuseum.org

In Amsterdam it is legal to purchase and smoke marijuana in designated business called coffee shops. The cost of the marijuana is anywear between $8-$20 a gram U.S. The quality is top notch so if you think this is an activity you would enjoy you don't have to worry about quality. The staff in all the shops are very friendly and will to go the extra mile for a newcomer to learn about marijuana . If you are new to marijuana and would like to try it, just tell the shop keeper and they will give you advice on the best strains to start with.

When I booked my trip I used Travelocity. I found there website easy to use and the cheapest overall. Plus they garuente your booking details are correct or they will fix the problem. I stayed at the Hotel Die Port Van Cleve. I chose this hotel because the architecture looked amazing and the rooms were very modern in design, which I liked. It also is very close to downtown which was nice. The price was about $185 a night, but was well worth it. The service was exceptional and they have a very nice bar inside the hotel. Here is a more formal description from Travelocity:

Hotel Die Port Van Cleve
120 rooms, 6 floors

Opened in 1870, the family-owned Hotel Die Port Van Cleve is a former Heineken brewery located behind the Royal Palace on Dam Square and approximately 12 miles from Amsterdam Schiphol. The Royal Palace is across the street, Magna Plaza shopping mall is next door, and Amsterdam Central Station and Rembrandt Square are half a mile from the hotel. This location is also a mile from the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, and Van Gogh Museum.

Hotel amenities include the brasserie serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The hotel also offers two historic bars, a conference hall, high-speed Internet access, currency exchange, concierge assistance, 24-hour reception, dry cleaning, laundry facilities, child care, and a business center.

All rooms feature small sitting areas, windows that open, wood furnishings, cable TV, pay movies, hairdryers, dial-up Internet access, and laptop-sized safes.

As for the cost of the trip goes this can very depending on how far in advance you buy your package and the hotel you chose. Flights form a major airport such as Baltimore International made 2 months in advance cost around $800-$1100 U.S. Travelocity has packages with a flight and hotel starting at $1,995 U.S. Visit Travelocity for all your European Vacation destinations and Package deals


The cost of everyday spending can also be quite different from one person to another. From my experience about 75-120 Euro a day and be very comfortable. Many of the restaurants are surprisingly inexpensive and the many food market make it easy to get a quick snack. If you are planning to stop at one of the coffee shops you may want to bring more. Transportation in Amsterdam can be accomplished in many ways.

A Direct Rail Link connects Schiphol International Airport to Amsterdam central station and is the fastest way to get to the city center. Trains run every 10 minutes from platforms 1 and 2 in the main arrival plaza and cost just 3.60 Euro for a one way ticket. Have change on hand to use the ticket machines to avoid the lines and surcharge at the ticket office.

Public Transportation - GVB is the public transport company of Amsterdam providing integrated metro, tram and bus service throughout Amsterdam and its surrounding areas. 24-, 48- and 72-hour GVB passes allow unlimited travel on all trams, buses, metros and night buses for the duration of the pass and provide the most economical way for visitors to explore the city. Passes can be purchased at one of the GVB Tickets & Info Offices located at all major train stations.

The Canal Bus runs every 40 minutes from 9:50 a.m. until 7:25 p.m. with 14 stops along three different routes throughout the city. Day passes cost 16 Euro and are valid until 12:00 the next day. All of Amsterdam's major attractions are on the route and historical commentary is provided along the way. The Museumboot (Museum Boat) is a similar concept for 14.25 Euro per day with stops at Central Station, Prinsengracht, Leidseplein, Herengracht, Muziektheater and the East Dock. Tickets includes half-price entry to most city museums. This is also a great romantic way to show some love while you are in Amsterdam.

Bicycling in Amsterdam is a way of life for most Dutch and still the best way to get around. There are dedicated bike paths throughout the city . A number of companies offer bicycle rentals for around 8 Euro per day.