1025-1345: Thalys train from Paris 'Gard du Nord' to Amsterdam 'Centraal'. Easiest mode of transport in my opinion and cheap bcos of early-bird promotion (70€ pp return).
1430: Check-in at Convent Hotel. Great location, clean, decent service. I consider the tram (& our legs) the best way to travel arnd Ams, hence having the tram stop right at our doorstep was a big plus. Enjoyed their early-bird promotion as well. Aft 50% off = 65€ a night.
1545-1700: Anne Frank house. A must-visit. Left the place heavy-hearted.. Helps to have read her book before our visit. Expected a huge crowd but it wasn't so, perhaps because it was low season for tourists. Anyhow, I bought tickets online beforehand to avoid queueing and I highly recommend doing so since it only costs an extra 0.50€ per tix! Same goes for Van Gogh Museum and any other museums for that matter. Only downside in AF's case is that u need to choose a fixed time & date.
1730: Japanese buffet dinner! Great quality with a good balance of cold and hot dishes. More ex than lunch but worth it since the dinner menu includes more premium dishes. Love everything we ordered except their 'tako'.
Name: Genroku B.V.
Location: Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 115, 1012 RH Amsterdam, Netherlands
Expenditure: 25€ pp
21/01/11
1200: Light lunch at somewhere near Anne Frank's house. Recommend the salmon salad - generous portion. Burger was ok. Don't really fancy the traditional Dutch's pea soup. Reservations aren't needed during the day.
Name: Werck
Location: Prinsengracht 277, 1016 GW Grachtengordel-West, Netherlands
Expenditure: ~30€ incl. 2 glasses of wine
1315: Amsterdam in WWII Walking Tour (#1 attraction on tripadvisor). Only 4 of us in the group that day. The walks are organized by a guy named Peter and a lady named Michelle. Michelle was our guide and she brought us around while giving explanations of buildings and sites at various stops (which focused mainly around the Jews of course). Took abt 2 hrs. Not bad except that we thought the 17€ pp price tag was a tad steep.
1530: Red Light District. A MUST-visit. Like everyone said, you have to be there to believe. An eye-opener really. Just walk up and down and around all the small streets and look at the (mostly pretty!) window girls. =) Not allowed to take photos of them..heard they might get violent & snatch your cam away!
2000: Dinner at a lovely place. Portions a bit small but just enough for the both of us. Great recommendation by S' friend who stayed in Amsterdam for about 4 years.
Name: Le Zinc et les Autres
Location: Prinsengracht 999, 1017 KM Amsterdam, Netherlands
Expenditure: 88€ incl. one bottle of wine
22/01/11
1100: Shopping in the 9 streets (9 straatjes). Love all the small local designer boutiques. Fresh and unique! Much better than going to shopping centres which almost always carry the same brands.. You can find more info here. Just to get your bearings, the 3 streets that run across are: Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht & Herengracht.
1230: Indonesian lunch. Again a friend's recommendation. Surprised to see quite a few tourists though. Anyway, order their rijsttafel premium/special menu and you're all set! Very satisfying meal.
Name: Kantjil & De Tijger
Location: Spuistraat 291-293, 1012 VS Amsterdam, Netherlands
Expenditure: 40€ incl. 1 carafe of wine
R&R in the afternoon...
1930: Headed to a wine place with nice bar food to compliment the wines. We each had a tasting flight of 3 champagnes, a glass of red, and lots of bar snacks.. Wouldn't have been so expensive if we'd chosen a bottle of wine instead. So don't be put off by the price :)
Name: Vyne
Location: Prinsengracht 411, 1016 HM Grachtengordel-West, Netherlands
Expenditure: ~80€
23/01/11
1030: Can't leave Ams without a visit to the Van Gogh Museum. As advised by others on the internet, go early if you want to enjoy the paintings without much disruption.
1200: Brunch at a random café.
1415: Train departs.
All in all, we loved Amsterdam. A very pretty, clean and intriguing city. People are really friendly and service staffs have good attitude. Thumbs up. I wasn't going to comment on the "coffeeshops" but erm.. try Barney's! Don't forget the space brownies too ;) Two other activities that you might like to do is to ride on their canal cruises and go to the Rijksmuseum.
wow besides those photos with cloudy skies and barren trees, the rest do not look like it was winter at all! mine looked totally gloomy even though it was just autumn.
ReplyDeleteoh yes i loved anne frank house too. luckily there wasn't any crowd so i didn't have to reserve online.
i really agree that the city is pretty, clean and friendly. With the exception of urine stench at those outdoor urinals along the red light district. Think i will never forget the red light district scenes. really distinctive of amsterdam but I don't quite agree on the "pretty" part haha.
Oh u tried the space too! I didn't like it though.
i'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
ReplyDeletehey tommy, the space brownie i tried was really really good. it didn't have any hint/trace of THAT stuff so it was just like any normal tasty dessert!
ReplyDeleteand erm i must say your standard for girls is very high huh! haha.
and yeah we were blessed with superb weather during our trip. heard Ams usually gets wet in winter..