meagan

Just wondering how big the city centre is? My hostel is located at Kloveniersburgwal 97, and I've been circling all the sights I want to see and they look kind of far but the blurb on the hostel's website says that everything is close by. Does anyone know approximately how far some of the sights (ie Anne Frank, Rijksmuseum) are from my hostel? <BR>Also, has anyone taken any bike tours (Mike's Bike Tours, VVV tours)? If so, what were they like? Thanks!! 46 days and counting . . .

m

i can't give you exact distances but amsterdam is very compact. much is walkable. We had a city map and were surprised how close things were to each other once we were there. We were with kids and one day it poured so we took a museum canal boat to get from anne frank to van gogh (which is near rijksmuseum), but it could be walked.

Bill

Everything is relative, I suppose. A dedicated walker would have no problem hoofing it from the Anne Frank house to the Rijksmuseum, but most mortals take the tram or a canal boat with on/off privileges. As cities go, however, Amsterdam is quite compact and a pleasure to walk in. <BR> <BR>The bike tour company we used was called "Let's Go" and it was excellent. The website is: <BR>http://www.letsgo-amsterdam.com/ <BR>Their tours start with a short train ride out of the city, where you pick up the bikes at a shop near the station. <BR>

tom

Walking around Amsterdam is very easy. But, it is even easier to hop the tram -- their version of a streetcar. The trams run in loops -- they are very inexpensive -- you can buy a ticket to ride all day. It's a great way to see the city. Only one caution about walking. Amsterdam is a bicyclist's paradise -- there are bike ways on all the streets -- but you must be careful crossing the streets -- for those of us not accustomed to so many bicycles on streets, it takes a while to adjust.

Gwin

Mike's Bike Tour is fantastic. It shows you everything you need to see and is a lot of fun, too!