I'll be taking my first trip outside the U.S. in August. I'm going to Amsterdam for 3 days and London for 3 days. Anyone have any advice, tips, suggestions for me? I'm excited, and a little nervous. I'm interested in knowing what things are "must sees" in both A'dam and London. Since I'll only be in each place 3 days, I obviously won't have time to see everything I'd like to, so any suggestions would me greatly appreciated!

Jenny - on your first day in London consider taking a hop on hop off bus. Your ticket is valid for 24 hours (so if you don't get started right away, you can go again the next morning). You can get tickets for one of them at Victoria Coach Station. If will give you a great overview of the city and most also help you buy tickets for some of the major sites (i.e. The Tower of London). Grab a travel guide (i.e. Fodor's) and start reading about what the key areas and attractions are in London. You need to be more specific about the kind of things you like to do - are you going to party, see the sights, see a play, get into the historical stuff, etc.? The guide book should help give you some direction.

In Amsterdam, by all means visit the Rijksmuseum to view Rembrandt's "Night Watch". Consider the Anne Frank house, as well. Take a canal boat tour to orient yourself to the city. Take the same tour at night to be enchanted. Stroll the banks of the canals, Herrengracht, Prinzengracht. <BR> <BR>In London, immediately pick up a "London - A to Z" guide". It's invaluable, postcard size and has a wealth of information as well as detailed street maps. Take the Nos. 11, 15 or 38 bus to get a self guided tour and orientation of the city. Visit the British Museum to view the Elgin Marbles, Portland Vase and Rosetta Stone. Check out the same day discount ticket center in Leicester Square for theatre tickets. Visit Harrod's food court to be overwhelmed by its opulence. Check out the street markets; many are open only certain days of the week; all are fascinating. Take the tour of Westminster Abbey. Make a brass rubbing in the Brass Rubbing Center of St. Martin's-in-the-Field in Trafalgar Square. (It makes a nice souvenir!) St. Martin's also has a good, inexpensive restaurant in its crypt. Check out the Courtauld Galleries and the Wallace collection. Email me directly if you have any questions.

If you like walks, you might want to join some of the walking tours, like London Walks. Their brochures are everywhere, and tell you the time and place to meet up. They have all kinds of walks, and at night too, which goes to many places you would never go on your own. Have fun!

JennyLeigh: Don't be nervous. You are going to have the time of your life. One great way to see a lot in a short time is to pick your favorite travel guide (I like Let's Go: London and Rick Steves (a "back door" approach). Budget Frommers is also good but very mainstream), do some research, plan an itinerary for the day, and WALK everywhere. If you walk from destination to destination through the neighborhoods you will get a great feel for the city. Use public transportation only (the Underground/bus in London and the tram in Amsterdam) so you can travel like a local. Amsterdam is a small city. You can probably see everything in two days. Either tack on another day for London, or use one day in Holland to get into the countryside. I haven't been, but Haarlem is supposed to be nearby and great. Also, I agree, don't miss Anne Frank's house! Bon Voyage!

<BR>Jenny - I agree with the above messages about walking, and that you can knock a day off Amsterdam BUT a word of caution: Amsterdam is the only place we've ever been to (and we've traveled alot) where in broad daylight as we were walking (in crowded touristy areas, forget the name of the street) my husband was approached (with me next to him) by a pimp and a prostitute, and then a drug dealer!! Then as we kept walking we saw them just keep approaching others. We laugh about it now, and altho we enjoyed the city, the arcitecture, etc., it's not a place we'd go back to except to fly in/out of if necessary. But don't let my msg deter you; it's city worth seeing, just be careful.