Guide to Amsterdam
I know the city reasonably well and thought I would post a few tips for visitors;
The comedy club Boom Chicago have a good on-line guide to the city – read it first.
http://www.boomchicago.nl/Section/Real-Amsterdam/
Good advice about smoke, sex and bars/music venues. You can pick up a hard copy for free from their bar. It has a good map on the back, always handy when the canals all start looking the same at 2am after a smoky evening.
Boom Chicago is a good place to start an evening – American style comedy show, improv. Meals there are good and also you can’t get too out of it there as you are being entertained. So when you finish there at 11pm you are ready to “start” the evening, and your in Leidersplein with all its bars and music. Amsterdam stays open late but most weekenders never see much after 2am, stoned in a gutter.
Best coffee shop in my view is Homegrown Fantasy on Nieuwezijds near Dam Square, easy to walk straight past it but worth finding. Great atmosphere in there, loads of locals which is always a good sign. More expensive than most but well worth it. The Shiva and Super Skunk come highly recommended. You can also borrow puzzles and games from behind the alcohol free bar. Games always seem so much funnier after a smoke. http://www.greenhouse-effect.nl/index2.html
Dolphins Coffee Shop near Leidersplein is cool too. Bit small though but loads of bongs and watch out for the fish swimming in the lights behind the bar – yes they are real. http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/Database/ShopsA/Dolphin.html
Paradiso is best music venue - near Leidersplein. http://www.paradiso.nl/index2.php
Or if you like blues then http://www.bourbonstreet.nl/index2.htm is also near Leidersplein.
http://www.heineken-music-hall.nl/english.php also another live music venue
Best sex show Casa Rosa - see Boom Chicago guide. Try and get a seat downstairs so you can be pulled up on stage for a bit of harmless fun.
Banana club? - never been but my mate nearly lost an eye there from a flying dildo. Boom guide says go when it is busy and seems to give it a good write up.
The strip club, La Vie En Rose behind the Oude Kerk (Dutch for old church) can be an excellent evening - it almost became my local lol. It was there that I first met Natalie the Union Jack Bikini clad angel. LVER has a difficult to find location. Walk from your Central Station until you come to Winston’s Hotel, then turn left, left and left again. You should be in a dingy looking alley with “windows” on your right. LVER is at the end of that alley. You pay to get in and the drinks aren’t cheap, especially after midnight – but it can be fun and it is fairly safe.
Teasers bar on Damrak has nice girls dancing and is a tame way to start an evening – but move on quickly there is much better places to go.
Casino http://www.hollandcasino.com/ can get very busy, but its okay. No free drinks though!
AMS even has a chippie is you miss dear old Blighty that much http://www.dinnersite.nl/restaurant/index.php?RN=19010&lng=en
Get your self a stripkaart for the buses and trams, strips of tickets. Best way to travel. The Kaarts are sold at tobacconists and at some hotel receptions.
If you fancy some football then try http://www.amsterdamarena.nl/index.php?pointer=1-2-2131 - they also do a stadium tour. It’s a short journey out of the centre by Metro. The metro takes bus stripkaarts tickets.
Best place for cigarettes seems to be the small shop in the alley besides C&As. Great selection.
You can hire a bike next to central station if your feeling energetic. Once you have the bike, go behind central station and catch a ferry straight across the river heading North. Once off the ferry keep going north following the large canal and within 10 minutes you will be in the countryside.
Or even a bike tour http://www.mikesbiketoursamsterdam.com/
As you come out of Central Station if you look to your right you will see a multi-storey bike “car-park’. The bicycle is much loved in dear old Amsterdam.
The diamond exhibitions can be fun. Ive been to Costers near the Rijks Museum. http://www.costerdiamonds.com/main.html It’s a free guide to diamonds, how they are graded, cut and polished. And at the end you get to hold a few. No sales pressure either.
Other useful websites;
http://underwateramsterdam.com/
http://www.amsterdam.info/
The comedy club Boom Chicago have a good on-line guide to the city – read it first.
http://www.boomchicago.nl/Section/Real-Amsterdam/
Good advice about smoke, sex and bars/music venues. You can pick up a hard copy for free from their bar. It has a good map on the back, always handy when the canals all start looking the same at 2am after a smoky evening.
Boom Chicago is a good place to start an evening – American style comedy show, improv. Meals there are good and also you can’t get too out of it there as you are being entertained. So when you finish there at 11pm you are ready to “start” the evening, and your in Leidersplein with all its bars and music. Amsterdam stays open late but most weekenders never see much after 2am, stoned in a gutter.
Best coffee shop in my view is Homegrown Fantasy on Nieuwezijds near Dam Square, easy to walk straight past it but worth finding. Great atmosphere in there, loads of locals which is always a good sign. More expensive than most but well worth it. The Shiva and Super Skunk come highly recommended. You can also borrow puzzles and games from behind the alcohol free bar. Games always seem so much funnier after a smoke. http://www.greenhouse-effect.nl/index2.html
Dolphins Coffee Shop near Leidersplein is cool too. Bit small though but loads of bongs and watch out for the fish swimming in the lights behind the bar – yes they are real. http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/Database/ShopsA/Dolphin.html
Paradiso is best music venue - near Leidersplein. http://www.paradiso.nl/index2.php
Or if you like blues then http://www.bourbonstreet.nl/index2.htm is also near Leidersplein.
http://www.heineken-music-hall.nl/english.php also another live music venue
Best sex show Casa Rosa - see Boom Chicago guide. Try and get a seat downstairs so you can be pulled up on stage for a bit of harmless fun.
Banana club? - never been but my mate nearly lost an eye there from a flying dildo. Boom guide says go when it is busy and seems to give it a good write up.
The strip club, La Vie En Rose behind the Oude Kerk (Dutch for old church) can be an excellent evening - it almost became my local lol. It was there that I first met Natalie the Union Jack Bikini clad angel. LVER has a difficult to find location. Walk from your Central Station until you come to Winston’s Hotel, then turn left, left and left again. You should be in a dingy looking alley with “windows” on your right. LVER is at the end of that alley. You pay to get in and the drinks aren’t cheap, especially after midnight – but it can be fun and it is fairly safe.
Teasers bar on Damrak has nice girls dancing and is a tame way to start an evening – but move on quickly there is much better places to go.
Casino http://www.hollandcasino.com/ can get very busy, but its okay. No free drinks though!
AMS even has a chippie is you miss dear old Blighty that much http://www.dinnersite.nl/restaurant/index.php?RN=19010&lng=en
Get your self a stripkaart for the buses and trams, strips of tickets. Best way to travel. The Kaarts are sold at tobacconists and at some hotel receptions.
If you fancy some football then try http://www.amsterdamarena.nl/index.php?pointer=1-2-2131 - they also do a stadium tour. It’s a short journey out of the centre by Metro. The metro takes bus stripkaarts tickets.
Best place for cigarettes seems to be the small shop in the alley besides C&As. Great selection.
You can hire a bike next to central station if your feeling energetic. Once you have the bike, go behind central station and catch a ferry straight across the river heading North. Once off the ferry keep going north following the large canal and within 10 minutes you will be in the countryside.
Or even a bike tour http://www.mikesbiketoursamsterdam.com/
As you come out of Central Station if you look to your right you will see a multi-storey bike “car-park’. The bicycle is much loved in dear old Amsterdam.
The diamond exhibitions can be fun. Ive been to Costers near the Rijks Museum. http://www.costerdiamonds.com/main.html It’s a free guide to diamonds, how they are graded, cut and polished. And at the end you get to hold a few. No sales pressure either.
Other useful websites;
http://underwateramsterdam.com/
http://www.amsterdam.info/
posted by betfairalfie | 10:43 am
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