Princess

My husband and I, in our 60's, are planning on leaving for Amsterdam this Friday.

We will be staying 4 nights, so about 3-3/4 days, to tour the city.

Please give us an idea about what must-see sights to visit.

We will be staying at the Hotel Brouwer and wondered what restaurant recommendations around the area anyone can make?

Is an out of town tour recommended for the period of time that we have, such as "Tour of Holland"?

Thanks.

Also, are there better Canal tours to recommend over others?

spaarne

If "this Friday" means today then we all missed the plane.

Have you bothered to get a guidebook or use the search box above? Plug in Amsterdam for more information than you'll ever want to know. Why are you even going? What kind of "must-see sights to visit" are you interested in? A'dam is known for weed and whores but has some spectacular museums and great nearby cities, Haarlem being my favorite. Your hotel will have a rack with hundreds of brochures of stuff to see and do. I wouldn't waste my time or money on a canal cruise.

You can't have a bad time in Holland. I am also in my 60's but that is no excuse for anything.

Princess

Thanks, but, please this is really a hastily planned trip and I recently had a major flood in my basement using every moment to clean. So, I haven't had a chance to read, etc. I did buy a DK guide book, but can't get to it right now. Things I do read about Amsterdam is more positive than negative. Should we go ahead with our plans and relax, or just work away the summer?

hetismij

All the canal tours are very similar, I would worry too much about which one you take.
The obvious things to see are the Van Gogh Museum, Rijks Museum, Anne Frankhuis, the Hermitage aan de Amstel. You can either opt for the Museumjaarkaart which covers a lot of the museums in Amsterdam, or the iamsterdam card, which covers again most of them and includes public transport on trams and buses, but not trains. For the Anne Frankhuis you must buy a ticket - doing so online will save you queueing.
Just wandering around the city can be very enjoyable, especially the Jordaan area, or grab a terrace and drink coffee and watch the world go by.
There are bus tours you can book to go to Volendam or Zaanse Schans if you want to get out of the city, or take the train out to Spaarne's favourite - Haarlem for a while.
Use the flight over to read up a bit, go to the tourist office at Schiphol on arrival and pick up some leaflets, then relax and enjoy it - it sounds like you are in need of a break.
Bring something lightweight and waterproof with you - it is warm but showery here. Saturday more than Sunday onwards. Maybe Saturday is a good day for a couple of museums!
Let me know if you need any more help. I can't help with restaurants - I never eat out in Amsterdam I'm afraid.

Palenque

One short sweet day trip goes to nearby Haarlem (as Spaarne recommends) - one of the prettiest really Dutch towns - huge marketplace graced by a behemoth cathedral - quaint canals, a lively pedestrian shopping zone and the Frans Hals museum, in an old convent (or monastery?) - anyway an easy day trip - lots of trains taking about 20 min.