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Hi all,
Have flights booked for a 3 night break early September, wed to sat.
Although I have transited via Amsterdam a few times, never actually stayed in the city, so I’m a bit clueless about where to stay.
Looked at booking.com but the amount of choice is overwhelming.
I found a site that recommended De Jordaan area for first timers, and the Mr Jordaan hotel to stay, it looks nice, but around 300 euro per night….
@Rob mentioned in another set of comments he preferred staying canalside.
Also, anyone use ” Get your guide” for excursions/ experiences etc ? Although we have already sorted tickets for Anne Frank house.
TIADepends what you want to do and see
I’ve previously used the I Amsterdam card which also includes bus, tram and metro for the duration.
I think it’s good value. Also available on Expedia with 10% TCB rebate.
Note on tickets – even using the card you need to reserve some museums in advance including the Rijksmuseum. It’s all online tickets which are scanned at the door.
The Van Gogh isn’t on the card but you need to reserve well in advance for a specific time slot. They don’t take walk-up bookings. As I type this sitting in the Royal Palace the next slot isn’t until next Sunday!
For a first time I’d say the Grachtengordel, or along the Amstel somewhere gives a more iconic Amsterdam experience (at a price of course), but the Jordaan is like a ‘baby’ version of that and certainly wouldn’t be a bad location. Plantage and Oosterpark areas will offer more economical options if cost is a concern and tram connections are excellent. I don’t really like staying in the museum district – nothing wrong with it at all – just feels more like any other city than other areas to me. The modern developments north of Centraal are just exactly what they look like.
Excellent advice about booking museums early. A GVB (public transpot) multi-day pass is only about 7 Euros per day so whether the I Amsterdam card is worth it will depend on the number of museum visits planned.
Thanks for the feedback.
We are thinking Rijksmudeum, Beer museum, canal trip. Anne Frank ( already booked ) plus whatever we find when there, definitely want to try some Indonesian food.
A GVB day pass is now € 9.50
There are various options here
They do now have paygo
Rijksmuseum is now € 25.
Train prices have gone up as well and if you want a paper ticket it’s an extra €1.50.
Visited Amsterdam last year for the first time and stayed at the INK Hotel (MGallery part of Accor). We like to walk around cities so whilst it’s not the closest to the museum district it’s certainly walkable and a very short distance from Central Station if you are arriving there from the airport. Vondelpark is very pleasant to wander around and for something unusual have a look at Our Lord in the Attic Museum which is an old canal hose with a church hidden to the roof.
Agree with the comments above about booking the museums.
A GVB day pass is now € 9.50
There are various options here
They do now have paygo
Rijksmuseum is now € 25.
Train prices have gone up as well and if you want a paper ticket it’s an extra €1.50.
Thanks for the link, very useful !
So I can buy the GVB tickets in advance and they activate when first used ? Can they be used for journey from airport to Centraal station ?
Visited Amsterdam last year for the first time and stayed at the INK Hotel (MGallery part of Accor)
I was in Amsterdam in Dec and a rather distressed and wet (it was typical grey umbrella weather) French lady asked me for directions at the bottom of the red light district. She’d been wandering for over half an hour (with no data on her phone) and searching for that very hotel. People had kept pointing her the wrong way so I took pity on her and walked her around to it. There are several hotels around Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and I like that area for a first timer. It’s close to the Jordaan, and on the tram line to Leidseplein and Museumplein, and just a cut through to Dam Square.
If you’re a meat eater I can highly recommend Restaurant Luna in the Jordaan for some of the best South American steaks you’ll find and their Chimichurri is amazing.
If you are into comedy improv, look up the shows at Boom Chicago.
Take plenty of tissues when you go to the Anne Frank Haus, and then if you’re reasonably fit hire a pedal boat from outside there and go all the way to Museumplein.
Thanks for the great info everyone.
My OH really likes the look of Jordaan, so I think that’s the area we will be targeting.
So I can buy the GVB tickets in advance and they activate when first used ? Can they be used for journey from airport to Centraal station ?
No, the GVB day ticket is not valid on any trains. It is valid on the metro, trams and GVB buses. There is a GVB bus from AMS airport, route 369 to Sloterdijk, but it is slow. There is a fast bus between AMS and the city, route 397, but this is not operated by GVB.
You can now pay by contactless for almost all public transport in NL, including trains. You can also pay as you go by contactless in the city, but the daily cap for GVB services is €10, so 50c more than buying a day ticket in advance.
For a three-night stay, you probably want the 96-hour ticket at €29 or the 72-hour ticket at €21.50 rather than 3 or 4 day tickets, and use contactless for the train from the airport which is €5.20.
There is no need to buy a paper train ticket for an extra €1.50 unless you want a souvenir or you really want to pay by cash.
There is a product called the Amsterdam Travel Ticket which combines a GVB pass and trains between the airport and the city and is cheaper than paying for these separately, however the maximum validity is 3 calendar days so it is not suitable for a 3-night trip. It also only comes as a physical ticket.
Amsterdam is really easy to walk/public transport. dont worry about distances at all
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