Afternoon chaps, I'm off to Amsterdam in a few days with some friends and I'm trying to find some cool places to visit while I'm over there. Obviously there's the usual tourist fodder of the cafes, red light district and naughty museums but I was wondering if anyone that's been themselves had some slightly less cliched recommendations?
Get on the train to Utrecht and avoid the tourist filled streets....
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Sounds interesting, anything/where in particular I should be checking out? We've already got a trip to The Hague planned as one of our friends teaches English there so getting away from tourist central isn't off the cards at all
My problem with Amsterdam is in no small part due to british tourists. ****ing chavvy 18 year old idiots (and older who behave like their 18) as if they've not realised that you can score drugs back in England. That you could put in a very simple search term into google and find some 'escort' there too. You don't need to go over to Amsterdam and make the locals life hell. Drunken fights, excess induced vomiting on the street (rather than the toilet like a civilised human) I felt sorry for my colleges at the time who had to live there and endure it.
Sure there are some fun things, the food on the whole is bad, they have steak houses and such but it's not great and it's expensive, but then I've been spoiled on that front, so maybe I'm being harsh.
But seriously, we ruined it. It used to be that the Rockery was a nice touristic place to have a 'coffee', but now thanks to the new rules against tourists and drugs it's been closed.
A cycle tour is the best way to see the city, unless you want an excuse to put your arm round a special someone, in that case take the canal boat. Amsterdam was a planned town, so finding your way around the centre is easy.
My favourite hotel there is Dikker & Thijs Fenice, it's a great central location, you've got the Leidsplein just a short walk, coffeeshops, red light district etc, all in 5-10 min at most. But it still is quiet enough to get a good night's sleep and be at work the next day!
Utrecht on the other hand, a one hour train journey away isn't blighted by coaches of brits wanting to get pissed, fornicate with ladies of the ill repute and fight. If you go there try to stay around Breedstraatbuurt region, I'd recommend taking a boat taxi at night as it's really beautiful, more so than Amsterdamn, there are still coffee shops but basic googling finds them, it's not as in your face. It's a much smaller town, and I'll always remember cycling through the red light district, I was crossing the netherlands on bicycle at the time, and happened to see a rather giant phallus in the window of a barge..... We're talking 8 feet. I mean wow. Sure I get that it was ornamental but still. I didn't realise the red light distract was on boats to the north of the centre, as such I nearly fell of my bicycle laughing at this thing.
Last I was there I stayed at the Grand Hotel Karel, which was excellent, utterly brilliant spa hotel, girl friend at the time loved it.
There is a lot to do during the day if you are into history or archaeology, if not, there was a history of trappist beer museum I can slightly remember, I remember learning that there are two trappist beers that are Dutch! Then not much else.
My favourite activity is cycling on the LF (literal translation, Leisure Cycle Routes, the dutch have separate inter city fast routes, and touristic beautiful ones, god I love that country) I'd really recommend doing it, they have alternative pain medicine available
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