30 hours in Amsterdam. Suggestions?
 

En route to Spain from Australia, we have a stopover of 30 hours in Amsterdam after a flight from Hong Kong. One of us has fatigue issues [CFS] and so we need a quiet, modestly priced but comfy hotel and some suggestions for first timers in this city. We arrive at 0635 hrs and fly onwards at 1215 the next day. Proximity to the airport would be a factor to consider, I imagine.

Very grateful for any suggestions. Really looking forward to even a brief experience of Amsterdam.

Hi! I had a 22 hour layover in Amsterdam once, arriving mid-afternoon and departing early the next day. Even on such a tight schedule, it was easy to pop into the city to walk around, have dinner, and enjoy the morning rush hour of bicyclists. Sounds like you would have plenty of time to rest and freshen up and then enjoy just looking around or visiting a museum and having a nice evening. If you like B&B's, we loved Maas B&B (hosts are the famous Ken and Vlad) for a recent stay -- it's about a 10-minute walk from the train station in a convenient spot. For the layover, we stayed at Hotel Estherea when it had an exceptional sale going on. Normally I think it's a bit expensive.

Coming from Oz you will ALL have fatigue issues - been there done that many times (SYD-FRA or SYD-ZRH plus train ride - snooze city all the way after landing...).

Systematically research these 29 hotels that are all within easy reach of the airport Schiphol:
www.hotels.nl/schiphol. Ask each specifically about early check-in. Since you are looking for an impossibly early check-in, these hotels near the airport are your only chance since they - if any - get those kinds of requests surely more often than not. You may have to end up paying for the previous night and the subsequent night if none of them let you check in early.

Go kip out, by mid-afternoon make sure you get up and take the short train or hotel shuttle into the city and walk around a lot - fresh air and movement will set you right. If you take a little compass with you from home, you'll have an easier time finding your way around - the center of Amsterdam is totally not a grid, everything curves gradually and if it's overcast you have no clue as to north or south.

If you sleep all day you'll have a heck of a time in Spain, wanting to sleep during the day and be up all night (mind you, that's how they do it with nightlife in Spain, so maybe that's what you should do? Nightclubs don't open til midnight, dinner is not before 10PM, so...).

Good luck!

excellent advice thanks. Will follow up the airport hotels suggestion. The b and b recommended is booked out, it obviously is a very good one !!

Great too to get the encouragement about how to use our limited time in the city. Most grateful.

This past June I arrived AMS at around 16:00 and left around 40 hours later so had a bit more time than you. However, it's so easy to get to the airport that I think I'd always stay in the city proper unless my time was really short, 12 or 14 hours most of them at night or something.

I stayed at the Toren, which was very well located for sightseeing, relaxed wandering, etc. The afternoon I arrived I went to the Anne Frank House and then had some pizza, some wine, some gelato, and wandered about taking photos. Next day I went to the Rijksmuseum, did a bit of shopping, had a long, leisurely lunch at a brasserie by the concert hall, walked and walked, went to the Van Loon mansion, took a canal boat tour, had a long, leisurely dinner, went to bed, got up early the next morning and walked around some more, snapped some photos, went to Westerkerk and climbed the tower and then caught the shuttle back to Schiphol.

This was a stopover on the return to the U.S. fro East Africa so I was already in the proper time zone more or less. You will be more tired and if your visit is not in summer you won't have the long (long!) daylight hours I did. In any case, I think you could go into the city, check into a hotel, visit one or two major sights, have a nice meal, take a canal boat tour and get a good night's sleep.

Just my opinion.

Thanks Leely2 for taking time to give such a very helpful reply. Sad to say that your hotel is booked out for the day of my visit, [it looks wonderful.] I really enjoyed your report on your experience of Amsterdam and your comments are so very relevant for me. Very best wishes to you.

I'd just use one of the airport hotels: the Sheraton hotel is closest to the train station. Trains into Amsterdam take about 20 minutes. Easy. No to-ing and fro-ing with luggage, and early check ins are no problem. Also the Sheraton has a fantastic sauna and spa area, free to use.

The Sheraton, huh? Looks like almost $350 a night. We will be getting off a cruise ship in Amsterdam next June and flying back to Florida the next day. Thanks for the suggestion. May look for a better value.

I don't see why you need to stay by the airport in this situation. It's really easy to get back & forth from Schiphol into the central part of the city (by train, Connexxion hotel shuttle, or taxi). I don't see any benefit to limiting yourself to sleeping by the airport. I think any place you can find in town would be better. There's hundred of possibilities (for a lot less than $350/night!)

I agree with suze. There is no reason why you need to stay near the airport. Amsterdam is so accessible by public transport, it would be a shame to spend your only evening not in the city.

Robyn :)>-

Suze & Artstuff: Any suggestions in downtown Amsterdam? We'll be booking our flights soon and I think they all leave very early in the morning. Will submit ideas to the other couple we're traveling with.

I stayed at www.kaphotel.nl. It was a decent place, clean, quiet, nice breakfast in a really sweet breakfast room included. It is a pretty basic place but worked well for me. Double rooms w/ private baths are around 125 euro. The owner was helpful. I used the Connexxion shuttle to get there and back to the airport.

I'm not necessarily recommending this one specifically (as it might be more basic than you are seeking) but as an example of what's out there that I think would work for you.

Tom - If you don't mind climbing stairs, I can highly recommend the Hotel Nadia. We stayed there in October 2009 for 3 nights, and plan on returning again in April 2011 for 9 nights.

http://www.nadia.nl/

The hotel is located a few blocks from Dam Square, in the historical Raadhuis building on the Raadhuisstraat, between the Herengracht and Keizergracht, in the shadows of the Westerkerk. The Westermarkt tram stop is conveniently located just down the street, across the canal, and the Anne Frank house is right around the corner.

A double with a balcony, ensuite, (June rates) is 85-100 Euro. There is NO air conditioning in the hotel, but they do provide fans (ventilators). Breakfast (traditional Dutch) is included in their nicely decorated breakfast room.

The owner and his staff take great care of their guests. No need to carry your luggage up the 37 steps to the reception area (yes! 37 steps!!), as they have a young man that can traverse the stairs with ease, loaded to the hilt with your luggage. They offer you a complimentary beverage (coffee, tea, water, soda) as you check in at reception.

The rooms are <u>small</u> but very clean, and come equipped with a mini fridge, tea/coffee service, TV, safe, and much to our delight, a lovely bouquet of flowers. We had no problem climbing an additional 36 steps to the 4th floor, where we had a balcony room overlooking the Raadhuisstraat, Keizergracht, Westerkerk and the Homomonument.

If you need to leave <u>early</u> in the morning, the owner will be happy to arrange for a taxi to take you to Centraal Station (trams don't start running until around 6 am).

Robyn :)>-

Please excuse my jumping into this thread, but I'll be in Amsterdam for 30 hours also, but in Feb. What is the weather like? Do they run canal cruises? Have hotel so that isn't an issue. Thanks

The weather in February could be really cold, cold, not so cold, verging on warm, snowy, icy, wet, sunny, dry, and any combination thereof, often in one day.

If we have an extended period of freezing weather canal trips won't run - they are not allowed so that the canals will freeze enough for skating. But normally there will be some canal tours available.

We have 9 hours of daylight at the beginning of the month, and 10.45 hours by the end of the month, so you need to consider that too.

Listen to hetismij - and note that the worst of the above, on a real wintery day, is the wind. It turns a nominally cold temperature that would not be so bad into an arctic one when the winds come howling down the canals. So make your outermost layer not just warm and waterproof but windproof, too, and have a scarf to shield your face, otherwise you'll soon have to give up on exploring Amsterdam on foot, and that would be a shame. Together with may Venice and a few others it is the capital of walk walk walk.

Probably too late now (26/09/2010) but I suggest leaving your luggage in the STORAGE LOCKERS at Schiphol. Just bring an overnight bag and check in to a hotel near Centraal Station (CS) or Dam Square (Dam). The trip from CS to the airport is about 15 minutes and your flight is around noon so you don't have to get up at some ungodly hour. Dam is a 10-minute stroll from CS. You should be able to get a feel for Amsterdam in your 30 hours there if you minimize your time in getting settled.

Thanks to both hetismij and DalaiLlama for the help. From NY, so our weather in winter isn't the greatest either. Had a long layover so decided it would be better to stay for the night. Haven't been to Amsterdam since the early 70's, so even though it a short time, looking forward to it. Any restautant suggest for the night. Really not looking for formal dining, rather a casual local place. Thanks!

Just walk walk walk - take along a little compass so when it gets dark or overcast you can still figure out your location - the canals curve around gradually, it's not a grid...

Then you come across so many casual little restaurants, suddenly you're hungry and you meet your match, no point in planning ahead, they're everywhere.

Try an Indonesian, but go easy on the Rijstafel (a multi-selection special they all offer - was originally for special festive occasions in Indonesia, now it has become a how-much-can-you-eat gimmick)- it probably consists of more dishes than you can handle...

Near Leidseplein, on the eastern/southeastern side, there are a bunch of streets, Leidsekruisstraat and side streets on either side, that are wall-to-wall with restaurants of all kinds. Look it up on Google Maps and check them out if you happen to be around there - if not, you'll find plenty of others.