We're going to have a long layover in Amsterdam enroute to Portugal. How many days would be sufficient to get a good taste of the city? We do not drink, party or go clubbing or anything like that. We do like nature, walking tours, looking at architecture, eating local cuisine, etc.
My only image of Amsterdam is of drugs and prostitution, but I have been hearing so much lately that there are other things to see and do there, and many friends have told us that the locals were very friendly. Since we need to fly through there anyway, our airline will allow us a layover for as many days as we want.

Any thoughts?

That's just the terrible image that Amsterdam is trying to rid of. If you like painting & art then you can easily spend a day in the Rembrandt museum and another in the Van Gogh museum. Then there's Anne Frank's museum and so many other museums. We mainly go there to visit family but we also enjoy being in this friendly international city. I find the Dutch people to have very good humor and welcoming attitude. The city is a bit hectic, but a stroll along the canals in the southern or western sides will give you the comfortable Amsterdam.

I would say spend at least 2 nights, but you can train into other cities and towns (Haarlem, Den Haag, Leiden, Gouda, Alkmaar etc) if you want to add more days.

We've been to Amsterdam multiple times and have not once gone to the drug "coffee shops" and the only time we went through the red light district was when our taxi driver wanted to show us as he drove through parts of it. I believe the city is working in eliminating these seedy factor. They are cancelling the licenses as the new law forbids any such business to be within 300 meters (I think 300) from a school. As new schools are built into the area, some of those businesses are forced to close.

OP sez "My only image of Amsterdam is of drugs and prostitution" - that is not unreasonable because of the sensationalist press the city gets, but it is such a pity. You may never even see either of the above, but you will see a whole lot of interesting, impressive, amusing, and refreshing things and sites.

Architecturally you will be fascinated. Take one or two canal trips with guides - some are better on the mic than others, but you learn from all. Then walk around a lot, and be sure to read guidebooks and such before - skip the sensationalizing chapters.

Food - the colonial history of Holland and its international outlook make for a very varied cuisine - the best Indonesian food outside of Indonesia to begin with, and much more. Just stroll through eating districts like the streets near the Leidseplein and check out the menus - something for everybody.

The layout of the inner city with its horseshoe of nested canals may baffle you as you walk around - no straight lines for a long stretch, and the horseshoe means that you almost get back to where you started from if you begin at the top, near the central train station. Take a little compass with you from home, and it will help you with knowing which way is what as you curve along with the canals. Great fun!

Art - the Van Gogh museum (cleverly arranged chronologically from the top down), the Stedelijk (city museum, currently in temporary housings all over town while a new one is being built) for modern art, and the stately Rijksmuseum (empire museum) have so much to offer, plus there are other collections in and near Amsterdam, just research and see.

The tropical museum (www.amsterdam.info/museums/tropenmuseum) is fascinating, too.

Nature is a bit shortchanged in the core of the old city, but the huge parks like the domineering Vondel Park (www.amsterdam.info/parks/vondelpark) near the musems district are great.

There is awesome classical music available, the concerts at the Concertgebouw (www.concertgebouw.nl) are worldclass for example.

I'll stop now - rest assured, Amsterdam is worthy of as many days as you decide to give the city, and that's before you look at daytrips to places outside - mentioning only Keukenhof (www.keukenhof.nl/nm/english.html) - take the Connexxon bus - but there are many more options.

Do a week if you can, you won't be sorry!

Enjoy!

Like the others, I'm stunned that word has yet to get out that Amsterdam is, architecturally, one of the loveliest cities in Europe. The canal district is sublime, whether you see it on foot, on a canal boat (the best) or from a hotel window, and it is very nice to stay there.

I think it has some of the most enjoyable window shopping I've ever seen, and of course it has not only the Rijksmuseum.

<i>I think it has some of the most enjoyable window shopping I've ever seen</i>

I agree! Honestly, I think Amsterdam has more shoe stores than any other city I've ever been in!

I think 2-3 days would be fine for a pass-through visit. One day just wander on foot, maybe visit the Anne Frank house and take a canal cruise. Another day, window shop, and visit a museum or two.

It's a very pleasant and picturesque city.

We spent a long weekend there a couple of years ago, and had a great time. It's one of our favorite cities for walking (just watch out for the cyclists!).

Beautiful city with an interesting history, good food and friendly people. What's not to like?

Here are some of our pix:
http://travel.webshots.com/album/556041688oRprzx

We have had wonderful times in amsterdam as well. consider that you can see the anne frank house, van gogh museum, rijks museum, diamond house(s), gin distilleries, many many churches (my favorite is Our Lord in the Attic), take a canal cruise, walk and walk and walk, rent a bike and ride out on in the countryside, see vondel park, and so on. 4 days would be easily consumed - and if you are there in late april, you'll need to take a trip to kuekenhof gardens to see the tulips!

I was there at the beginning of one Europe trip. I stayed 5 days to get over my jet-lag and see the sights before continuing on. That amount of time seemed about right to me.

Your &quot;only image of Amsterdam&quot; is incorrect.

Amsterdam was one of the cities we first visited a couple years ago, in the middle of a month-long trip, and it was the one city I really wasn't looking forward to. How wrong I was! By the end of that trip, Amsterdam had shot nearly to the top of my &quot;favorite cities&quot; list, just behind my all-time favorite, Paris.

The city is beautiful and charming, one of the best walking/biking cities imaginable. As long as you stay off the main ring roads that have lots of traffic, you will be impressed with the quietness and laid-back nature of the city. It's so nice to stroll along at a leisurely pace without cars whizzing by. (You'll hear bicycle bells instead!) The architecture is amazing, and I highly recommend going to the Anne Frank house, Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. If you have time, I'd include the Dutch Resistance museum as well. It wasn't a pleasant museum to visit, given the subject matter, but it was very well done and I was happy that I went.

So after enjoying Amsterdam the first time 'round, I made it a stopover on our most recent trip to Europe, just as you're planning, because DH and I had agreed that it would be a really great place to get over jetlag and just &quot;be&quot; for a few days. We spent 3 days there, but if it is your first visit I'd say 4 would be perfect, depending on how badly jetlag affects you.

You will smell pot quite often as the smell tends to seep into the streets from the places that offer it, but if you're not into that sort of thing (we weren't), you can completely avoid it. Same with the red light district. I think it's interesting to walk through myself, but it's contained in a relatively small area of town and if you don't care to see it, it can easily be avoided.

I second all those who like Amsterdam. I've been twice, DH once, and the most recent trip was October 2008. Many wonderful things to do, as mentioned by others. We don't party or stay out late or do any of the questionable activities, either. Mostly we like walking and exploring, the neighborhoods, museums, churches, architecture.
As for how long, we were there 4 nights and we would have stayed longer but had reservations in Belgium and France. Amsterdam is now DH's favorite, even though Paris is a close second. I have a hard time deciding, everywhere I go has so much to offer. Still, Amsterdam is so easy to get around in and we found the people extremely friendly. We did take a day trip to Delft, also.
Have fun.

Our first trip to Amsterdam was in about '79 - and we loved it. Since then, we heard all the stories about &quot;druggies&quot; everywhere, so we never returned. Last year we planned to re-visit Amsterdam for 3 nights in the fall. During our spring trip to France that same year, we &quot;rescued&quot; a couple of Dutch bicyclist off a remote road in the Alps (long story). They told us that Amsterdam had too may delelicts on drugs hanging around - and we became quite worried.

Amsterdam was our last destination on our 4 week trip to Europe that year, and we were there about 1 1/2 days before I even remembered anything about the druggies/delelicts - because I had not even noticed any. We were in Paris for 3 weeks this year, and we saw more derelicts there (per day) than in Amsterdam. There are a lot more derelicts where we live (San Francisco), than in Amsterdam (or even Paris).

We visited the red light district - because we had never done that before. Good thing to miss, IMO, and we really didn't even find ourselves near that area when we were walking the canals admiring the architeture.

As far as how many days - we're interested in the same things you are. We did not visit any museums or the Anne Frank House (did so in '79). We took tours of any house interiors we could, and walked every canal street in town - or at least it seemed we did. Two full days/3 nights will be fine - more if you plan to visit a museum or two. We did not visit the park there.

Stu Dudley

You image of Amsterdam is correctly incorrect. While there are small areas that are tawdry (and every city in the world has drugs and prostitution) it's a fascinating city with some great museums, historical sights and fascinating architecture.

For a first visit leave at least 3 days - more if you want to do day trips.

There's an area of Amsterdam that we just happened upon, and found out after the fact it has a name - Nine Streets - that is wonderful. Sort of like SoHo in Manhattan, although not nearly as dense with shops or people. Lovely.

And wouldn't you know it, it has its own website:

http://www.theninestreets.com/

Giulia! What ever happened with that recalcitrant washing machine on Ile St Louis? ;^)

My wife is into neither prostitution nor drugs but Amsterdam is her favourite European city. For me it runs a close second to Paris.

Walking, eating and admiring architecture? You will love Amsterdam. Friendly people, wonderful art and peaceful canals...

I've spent over 6 weeks there over the years... probably 4 or 5 days makes a good first visit.

Rob

I would go for at least two full days to three days for Amsterdam. Architecture is interesting and there are several museums well worth visiting. I do not think local food is that interesting although there are good restaurants of non local cuisine such as Indonesian, Italian etc. Do not think the Dutch version of Indonesian food to be very authentic but it is tasty. Nice people, great beer and very safe.

bookmarking

When traveling to Amsterdam I think it's really important to be one of the people who remembers the history and importance of this city outside of the more modern notions of it as a progressive place with legalized prostitution and decriminalized marijuana. In addition to the wonderful art displayed here in the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh, I suggest remembering some of the more sobering history of Amsterdam with visits to the Anne Frank house, the Dutch Resistance museum (as another poster already recommended), and the Jewish Historical museum. This all is obviously pretty heavy, but I think those museums are good reminders of a very different image of Amsterdam, one that is historically important and genuinely moving, and goes far beyond the reputation of the Red Light district and coffee shops.

I apologize if this sounds preachy...I've been living here since August and have had several people come to visit me, and am surprised (and saddened) by their similar &quot;only images of Amsterdam&quot;, i.e. drugs and prostitution.

Amsterdam is a great city for drugs and prostitution if you can put up with all the culture, history, art and architecture. Sometimes if you move very quickly from coffee shop to coffee shop and window to window you won't even know you're in an important European capital.

Amsterdam is adorable and not at all as you imagine it to be. We were there with our kids and it was perfectly fine. We did hightlight the red light district on our map so we didn't accidently wander into it with our kids. As far as drugs, we didn't go into any 'coffee houses', and didn't really notice anything one way or another. The people were friendly, the food was good, and there's plenty to see and do.

I agree 2-3 full days would be adequate for the highlights. It's small and easy to get around on foot or by tram.

Fantastic city. I tried to cram in as much as I could in a day (early travel adventure for me)but it was too much and too little time. Give it two or three days.

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