I love to ride the paddle boats on the canal. Lots of fun. The tourist canal boats are very informative and I don't think a waste of time. True about the museums. Get there early early or an hour before they close. Van Gogh closes at 6:00pm. I like the ambiance of the Abraxis Coffeeshop. It was voted top 3 at the Cannabis Cup 2000. Order a cappucino and enjoy the beauty and craftmanship of the decor. Too bad about the Heineken Brewery closed. That is one of my all time favorite things to do when friends come to visit. Have fun.

The Heineken Brewery is open again.

Scurry is right. Had the Brewery tour and the pancakes. I asked the front desk where to go and party and they showed me the best area for my interest. I walked there and hit a few other bars on the way. Each bar I met and added another person(s) to my crew and got an inernational group of travelers to come along to the club I was directed to. Lots of fun!

We did a cheese and wine candlelight canal tour of Amsterdam. So romantic, beautiful, and fun. <BR> <BR>Make sure you buy delft - if you are not going to delft and you like blue. <BR> <BR>Walk around with nowhere in particular to go. The canals and houses are beautiful. <BR> <BR>

Hi Dixie, <BR> <BR> All of these suggestions are great, but I have a few to add. I don't think anyone mentioned the Begijnhof which is a quiet oasis in the middle of the city. I also found the Sex Museum to be very interesting. Also a day trip to Zaandam and seeing Zaanse Schanse is quite beautiful and relaxing. It has a lot of cheese shops, windmills, wooden shoe shops etc. I loved it there. <BR> <BR>

Jeff, <BR> <BR>Where is Zaandam/Zaanse Schanse? Can you tell me more about it? I'm looking for a day trip in October and this seems to have what I'm looking for.

I don't think anyone has mentioned a trip to Den Haag/The Hague, and for anyone who is an art-lover it would be a tragedy to miss the museum there, the Mauritshuis, in which you find Vermeer's View of Delft AND the Woman with the Pearl Earring, both in the same room of a sublimely beautiful grand house. This is one of the best art experiences I have ever had, to see those pictures in that setting. <BR> It is less than a day trip to go there, less than an hour's train ride as I recall.

Krista, <BR> <BR>This is info I found on one of the Netherlands tourist sites for our trip in December. There is a website: <BR> <BR>Zanse Schans – open air folk museum on the River Zaan, with wooden houses and windmills dating from the seventeenth and eighteenth century. In museums, workshops and windmills you can experience something of how the Zaan-siders lived and worked..... Buy yourself a ticket to railway-station "Koog Zaandijk". When you exit the train, turn left at the bottom of the steps from the platform, and walk straight on right to the end of the street (about 5 minutes). Turn left, and ahead of you is a windmill at the end of a bridge. As you cross the bridge, you can see the working mills on the left. There is a gate at the end of the bridge, on the left. Entrance to the "Zaanse Schans" is free, but some buildings charge admission. Opening hours in December are 8:30 till 17:00 with more buildings open on Sat-Sun.

Thanks to all on this post...we have been debating between paris and amsterdam for our honeymoon and you guys made the choice sooo easy! We are not into the big romantic trip we want to party and have fun. Sounds like we will have no trouble doing both. We do want to stay in a nice hotel, prefer one on the canal or with great views....any suggestions please reply here or email me @ [email protected] again...going May 27, 2002....

Thanks for the great posts...I will be in Amsterdam in Dec. for 2.5 weeks. <BR>I would like to know of a good day spa in or near Amsterdam. Any suggestions. <BR>Also, how has the weather been in Dec. in the past couple of years. I know it will be cold, but should I expect snow, rain, sleet...or...? <BR>Thanks

Liz, I would like to help but what exactly is a day spa? <BR>The weather in December? Most likely dark, rather cold (between 30 - 45 F), some rain/sleet. If you are lucky sunny and cold, or real snow, but that doesn't happen often in December.

Well, it depends. If one is a gay man, one MUST go to Thermos Day during daytime hours or Thermos Night after 9 pm. Hottest all-male saunas in A'dam. <BR> <BR>Max

Well, actually a "Day Spa" is a high-end beauty salon...you know for facials, haircut, maybe a sauna-room maybe not....Since I am a heterosexual woman the suggestion about Thermo Spa was not for me. <BR>I think I can handle the weather...must be similar to San Francisco in the winter. <BR>I hadn't thought of going to a brown cafe but maybe now I will.... <BR>Thanks Sjoerd! <BR>Liz

Dear Denise<BR>You were asking about a nice hotel in Amsterdam...try the Hotel Brouwer on the Singel canal. All rooms have a canal view. They have a website, and you can book via that. They get booked up well in advance, so if you fancy what you see on their website, book soon. We're going to Amsterdam for our seventh visit in early April. It's got the lot...fun, cosiness (the Durch call that "gezelligheid"), romance, culture, excitement, and friendly people. Paris is great, sure, but we prefer Amsterdam in every way. Our favourite things there concur with most of the other advice you've had here:<BR>canal tours (one during the day and one at night), Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, the Tropenmuseum, Garlic Queen restaurant, Sjaalman Thai restaurant, Puccini chocolatier and tearoom, Vlaamse Frites in Voetboogstraat(?) for delicious chips/French fries, and the coffeeshops Abraxas, Rusland, Greenhouse at Waterlooplein, Paradox, Siberie, Stix, and Cum Laude...and the T'Smalle bar off Prinsengracht is extremely cosy. I've missed out so much here...these are the first places to go and things to do that spring to mind. Have a great time in old Amsterdam.

We were in Amsterdam in December, and we stayed at the Hotel Brouwer, and it is a gem of a place! I reserved a room for next Christmas&gt; I haven't informed my husband, that we are going...

Dear Melva<BR><BR>Could you please give me more details of the pleasures of the Hotel Brouwer, eg the breakfasts, comfort of beds, etc? Thanks very much...I'd really appreciate the information.<BR><BR>Yours, Cass