planning to go to amsterdam & antwerp
 

my husband and i are planning a trip to amsterdam & antwerp this october. we are gathering books and online articles to find the best use of our time. we want to spend 5 days in amsterdam/netherlands & 3 days in belgium. we love the water and good seafood. we want to find a nice 3-5 star hotel to stay at with a bar onsite not far from the train or a bus stop. we also want to enjoy the red light district as much as possible.

suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated

i guess i will mostly ignore your desire to enjoy the red light district as much as possible. during the day,, it is seedy and unappealing. at night, it's seedy and well, to each his own. you might want to check out the oude kirk (old church) and the lord in the attick - a hidden church. otherwise. spend your time walking around, eating and visiting museums. make sure to rent a bike or go on a bike tour. also, you don't mention your age, but you should try to go to a concert or two if there are any going on. other spots: haarlem, delft, maastricht. if you like amusement parks, go to de efteling to see how the dutch like to play. it's a great contrast to disneyland. if you're in the mood, you might want to ski in the largest indoor ski slope in europe at snow world(?) in Zoetermeer.

http://www.vvvamsterdam.nl/ for all the info about amsterdam

If you like water & seafood, you MUST spend a day in Scheveningen (suburb of The Haag). It's right on the waterfront. GOOD seafood, mussels, and dutch-style raw herring!! It has a casino, clubs, shopping! Check it out in your travel books, my wife and I enjoyed our side-trip to this lovely town. I agree with drempel - The Red Light District is seedy (drug addicts and dealers especially around the Old Church at night, but equally as fascinating. We loved our little night walk thru the area but held on to our belongings and kept our wits & street-smarts on high alert!! We stayed at the Port van Cleve Hotel on our first trip to Holland. It's directly behind the Royal Palace & Dam Square (the Amstel River and original Dam that gives the city its name was once there). The hotel has a bar, and a restaurant that is well-known for its steaks (although we though the restaurant manager needed an extensive course on how to deal with the public - she was rather rude & uncaring).

I was wondering why you picked Antwerp? You probably know the Brugge is an awesomely beautiful medieval town!!! It's outstanding in terms of architecture, views, food, shopping, beer, boat tours, etc.... Are you into history?? If so, look into going to Ieper (Ypres - in French). This town was the center of trench warfare during World War One. It was completely flattened & rebuilt to old-world specifications - you wouldn't even know that it was rebuilt by looking at it(Poem: Flanders Fields). We took the 4-hour Flander Battlefield Tour and were blown away by the trenches, underground bunkers, museums, bomb/mine craters, etc. Ieper is partly walled in and moated & the walk along the walls at dawn or dusk is surreal it its beauty and tranquility. The food and drink in the town square are excellent!!! Some of the freshest, tastiest we've ever had! Ieper is a clean, picturesque, fresh-air town!!! We stayed at the new and lovely Novotel Hotel Centrum (phone: 3257.4296.00) while there. Enjoy your trip....

Have been to Amsterdam three times for new years, have always stayed at the Barbizon and really enjoyed it, very convienient to train station. wandered around the city day and night with no issue. Would consider renting a house bout, that is my intention for my next visit- Bicycle from Amsterdam, down the Rhine to where ever... Have a blast! Also my friends insisted on touring the Heineken museum on the way from the van gogh, it was pretty fun and a cool time to make funny with some younger dutch dudes. I also enjoyed the dutch comedy clubs, very cool. One other thing about the Barbizon hotel (www.nhhotels.com I think)is within a 2 minute walk down the alleyway is a nice laundry mat, very nice guy runs you can wash and dry a load for between 3-6 euro as i recall. you might like the Muller kruller museum and sculpture garden near amsterdam in a national park with miles of bike trails and free bikes.

correction>>> www.nh-hotels.com
And the museum is the Kroller-Muller www.kmm.nl. Enjoy your trip!

>>I was wondering why you picked Antwerp?<<
Probably just for the reasons you mentioned BreukelenMan! It's an awesomely beautiful medieval town!!! It's outstanding in terms of architecture, views, food, shopping, beer, boat tours, etc.... OK, I admit, no small canals in Antwerpen (boat tours on the river Schelde are always possible) but so much more real than Brugge. Brugge is quaint, but Brugge is a tourist only town while the historical centre of Antwerpen is quaint as well but the city is alive, people of all races live and work there. Antwerpen has so much to offer in terms of monuments, museums, it's the centre of fashion in Belgium, the good restaurants/bars are almost countless, and all the chocolate brands have their own little shops (I believe this is an extra pro for Americans!). Antwerpen even has a red light district, a 'clean' red light district I may say, that is constantly being observed (with cameras and policemen) for the security of both the 'girls' (or boys) and their visitors.
2ucfalums, if you're looking for a nice hotel in Antwerpen, check out these websites:
http://www.dewittelelie.be/
http://www.hotel-sandt.be/
http://www.hotelrubensantwerp.be/
All are small hotels, in the historical centre of Antwerpen.

MyriamC
If I may tag along on this post, could I ask you this:

Which Antwerp rail station should I use as a reference when making inquiries on the Deutschebahn website? If staying in the old quarter, would the Centraal station be correct?

Also, it's my recollection that there is a direct bus from the Brussels airport to Antwerp - do you know anything about this? I too am hatching a plan to visit the Low Countries again and although I don't mean to "avoid" Brussels, I was just thinking of starting with the first couple of nights in Antwerp.

Dank u vel.

dovima

MyriamC - I'm so glad to see the Hotel Rubens listed. I'll be staying there mid september for three nights. Would you have a good restaurant recommendation?

I'd much rather be in Antwerpen than in Brugge.

I'm wondering if BreukelenMan has ever been to Antwerpen (where he might be fascinated to see all the Queen Anne architecture that is so much like Park Slope).

after amsterdam - check out brugge (antwerp is ok for maybe a day at most). Brugge is a grat place to walk around and an easy train ride from brussels (which is also a fun place to visit).

@ dovima
Yes, it's Antwerpen Centraal for the old quarter. International trains (e.g. coming from Amsterdam) will not go as far as Antwerpen Centraal, but only to Antwerpen Berchem. If that's the case with your train, you simply get off there and take the first train going to Antwerpen Centraal. These run very frequently, and it's only one stop (4 mins.).
There is indeed a direct bus from the Airport. The SN Brussels Airlines Expressbus has a stop very near the Central Station in Antwerpen. Check here for the timetable: http://www.flysn.be/en_be/informatio...e-service.aspx

@Mixter603
Here's what I posted a few days ago.
De Kleine Zavel, as mentioned by nessundorma: excellent mediterranean cuisine
Het Fornuis: French cuisine (expensive)
Le Zoute Zoen: Belgian cuisine - owner is Lady Chef of the Year 2006 (excellent Lady Chef menu)
Lam & Yin: genuine very fine Cantonese cuisine (limited menu and wine list)
La Tavola Italiana: Neapolitan owner, genuine Italian cuisine
Brasserie Appelmans: Belgian cuisine - young trendy atmosphere
Gin Fish: first class fish & seafood restaurant (expensive - 1 Michelin *)
Het Gebaar: international - fusion (lunch lounge), nice location in the Botanical Garden
Ilha Formosa: oriental - vegetarian.
All these restaurants are in the historical centre, none of them are tourist restaurants.

Thank you for the restaurant recommendations. I have printed out the list and will bring it with me.

Thanks so much! This really helps with my planning.

The Hotel Ambassade is on the water (a canal). Within a hundred yards or so is the Cafe Luxembourg at the Spui, IMO the best cafe/bar for relaxing and watching the Amsterdamers. The Luden restaurant, good and reasonable, is a short walk north of it. The Hoppe bar, one of the classic "brown bars" of Amsterdam, is also at the Spui two door from the Luxembourg.

"enjoy the red light district as much as possible" as you wish. One early evening walk through is enough for most people.

Don't miss Haarlem, a beautiful city just 20 minutes west of Amsterdam.