Amsterdam in summer
 

I have a chance to go to Amsterdam in July...
a week at the beginning of the month. never thought about going there and really do not know what to expect....Food, weather, art, style....there does not seem to be much on these board so i guess it is not a common destination....this is a business conference type thing.
any help deeply appreciated
thanks
.b

Hi Realtor,
Expect anything in terms of weather, but you should experience some rain, unless you hit a heat wave. Since it rained a lot last summer, the following summer is often quite different. Food -- they have everything, but you must try the Indonesian rice tables, they are wonderful.
Art -- I heard the Riksmuseum is currently closed for renovations -- a pity to miss The Nightwatch, among other truly great works of art. However, the Van Gogh Museum is really, really good, and small enough to whet the appetite. Worth also going to the Anne Frank House, which leaves you wondering how on earth could this happen in the 20th Century. Stand food is really good too, from magic french fries with fresh mayo and sardine stands. Walk along the canals, take a trip to the red light district, spend time in open air cafes and people watch.

Style -- well, it reminds me a lot of America in the early 70's.

thanks.....so maybe a bit more relaxing then i figured...
heard about the museum being closed and am very sorry to hear that...But am excited about the Van Gogh [secretly travel just to go to museums!]will try to make this happen
.b

You are more fortunate than you may realize. First, you've already said that Amsterdam is a city you "never thought about going [to]" and contrary to what you might believe, it is a VERY common destination for many.
Second, you really do have an opportunity to "discover" a great deal in a new place...the city is hardly a "backwater" either culturally or otherwise, despite the hopefully temporary closure of the Rijksmuseum which ranks as one of the most important museums in the world. VanGogh..yes..and we haven't even talked about the Rembrandt yet.

The city is very laid back and you'll see about every conceivable type of character on the streets which makes it even more fun. You can even get stoned legally and some people go there for that alone.

I would recommend just surfing and reading a little about the place and then stay loose and go discover it...what an opportunity!

I would get the Virgin (Atlantic) Guide to Amsterdam, great guidebook for both day & night. Agree the Indonesian restaurants are great. I would recommend Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank, Rembrandt Museum, Casino (if a gambler), Red Light Walkthrough, Canal Tour. Great city to walk the different neighborhoods. Chill out a greenhouse or two (Virgin Guide will give you the best). Long cool days. A week may be a couple days too long. If you can, trip to The Hague.

It is a common destination for me, am going for the 11th time in September...We usually fit in Amsterdam in the last week wherever we travel to relax, eat good food, and anything else that come's to mind...It is a great city, with canals and canal houses,cofeeshops,bakeries, shopping galore, flowers of every type, bicycles; basically, if you can dream it, it is there...The weather however is not what attracts us to Amsterdam...Although 1 time we went the temperature reached 27 C....
Over the years, we have met some great friends from Alkmaar, so we usually take the train and spend at least 1 day with them...And always try to fit in another town while we are there...So I think you will have a great experience in Amsterdam, which might add to a boring conference type thing...Have fun if you go!!

Amsterdam is a terrific city. There's quite a lot to see and do in the city itself, as the others have listed (I loved Rembrandt's house) but the excursions outside of the city to see the countryside are also charming.
If you can rise really early don't miss the flower auction at the huge wholesale house...(name of that, anybody? I'm having a senior moment, and I'm not even a senior.)

Amy: Aalsmeer flower auction
realtor: there are so many good museums! The Rijksmuseum should be open again in July. That's just a guess but parts of it were open already this week. There's also the Stedelijk Museum (next to the Van Gogh), Rembrandt's house and the Amsterdam historical museum - and more.
If you can go out of town, consider the Mauritshuis in The Hague (Vermeer and others; 45 min. by train), Boymans - van Beuningen and the Kunsthal in Rotterdam (60 min. by train), and my favorite, the Kroeller-Mueller in Otterloo (2 hrs by train but worth it for the spectacular sculpture garden alone, and the free bikes in the national park!)
Food: Indonesian, French, Italian, Chinese/Indonesian, Suriname (my favorite), down-to-earth Dutch.
Style: practical chic, experimental chic, who-cares-what-you-wear-no-chic, tourist chic.
Weather: probably 65 - 85F, might be clear and sunny, might be windy and rainy, might be all of the above.
Enjoy! Try to see past the red light district and the soft-drug coffeehouses. They're only one small facet of this fantastic and very manageable city.

Have been to Amsterdam 3 times on business and vacation. It's a unique city. Sit in one of the outdoor cafes at the Rembrantsplein or Leidseplein with an Amstel and watch the parade of humanity. A unique experience.

I'm with you TracyB. I like to make it my exit city from Europe before returning to San Francisco. You can do as little or as much as you like, the food is sensational, the scenery and people wonderful, and with the efficient public transporation of Holland, you can make day trips to just about anywhere in the country and return to your hotel in Amsterdam by evening to make a long stroll along the canals.

Several years ago I was walking in Amsterdam and came across a park filled with people sitting on benches and chatting. What's new about this? It was 3:30 in the morning. Where else in the world can you be a part of that?

Thanks for all the info and i have a bit more info.....the place is called
Noordwijk aan Zee . iam going to do a post specific to the location.....seems to be a beach area.
things are looking good to go and I am pretty interested in the museums and the food:)..