Whirlwind Amsterdam
 

I have a 5 1/2 hour layover in A'dam. I'm looking for suggestions in spending four of those hours in town, but not shopping. I'm up for absolutely anything, apart from the Rijksmuseum, which I know would take way longer than that. I've been eyeing up the Torture Museum (!)for something off the wall, or the Anne Frank house (I'll possibly avoid the queues getting into town at 9:15), though I'm also thinking about just getting a coffee somewhere and reading a book. Any suggestions?

Doing a reserch myself, found the brewery tours, description sounds good for a visit. Somebody help me with the name of the brewery :)

Also, on this forum somebody mentioned a floating Chinese restaurant, if you're interested.

Maybe a canal tour?

Eat some danish pancakes, have a beer, walk through vondel (?) park.

On arrival from the airport at the Centraal station, step outside and look for the boats that are doing canal tours. Calculate your time and hop on if one does a tour that gets you back in time. Much fun, and the best way to see a lot in a short time.

Other than that, walk walk walk - it is the only way to absorb Amsterdam and see the little details that make it the city we all love - at a walking pace you have time to notice things.

There is a cool Sex museum on the righthand side of the Damrak (the big main drag that goes away from the station towards the royal palace at Dam Square), upstairs at nr. 18 - not sleazy but interesting and yet - for Europeans as you will usually see parents with kids - amusing enough to be considered family-friendly (that thought freaks out Americans...).

I remember doing the canal tour when I was there 13 years ago, and it was great fun: we did see quite a bit too (I've since done one in Copenhagen for the self same reason). I remember seeing the Sex Museum listed on a website somewhere--I can't remember where--and that sounds oddly fascinating. It's that kind of thing, too, that I'm looking for: quirky, out of the ordinary, and very Amsterdam-ish. (Never tried a 'space brownie' either, though not sure if I'd make it back to the airport within my four allotted hours!) A floating Chinese restaurant sounds like the place for me to eat lunch, which I'll end up doing before I head back to the station.

I'm keeping a running list, guys, so keep 'em coming! Thanks for what you've sent already.

A canal ride is a fantastic suggestion. Although we did not do one in Amsterdam we did a canal ride in Brugge and it was definately a memorable experience.

That is a short layover. Here is a 3 hours city itinerary.

Skip the canal boats. Waste of time and money in my opinion.

Walk straight south from Centraal Station to the Dam, but walk on the left side next to the water (where you'll see a lot of boat tours) so you avoid the bustle and in front of all the cafes and such. Poke your head into the Bijenkorf department store, the most famous in Amsterdam.

Come out the south door onto the Dam and the National Monument, and the Krasnapolsky hotel. From here go east (left) to the red lights if you must or west through the square to Kalverstraat, Amsterdam's best known shopping "street" but not impressive.

Go south on Kalverstraat to the Spui. Look west a couple hundred yards and see the Cafe Luxembourg. For a coffee, a snack, and some good people watching try the Cafe Luxembourg at the Spui (pronounced "spow").

Or continue to the end of Kalverstraat to the Mint Tower then to the floating Flower Market right there in the Singel canal.

At the west end of the Flower Market at Koningsplein turn left and go SW. Watch out for trams and bicycles on Leidsestraat. Penty of outdoor cafes at Leidseplein. Contine SW and cross the Singelgracht canal toward the Marriott hotel and turn left (SE) about a quarter mile to the Rijksmuseum. If you don't have time to visit go into the shop and buy a print or something. Great posters for sale.

From here catch a taxi to Schiphol airport, better than an E ride at Disneyland.

In Centraal Station and on the streets beware of pickpockets. The scum are everywhere the tourists find themselves.

HI!

We were in Amsterdam for 2 days/ 1 night last June.

My suggestion is for you to take the canal tour, and maybe stroll around the Damrak area which is lined with food and clothing shops.

Skip the Heineken Brewery if this is the only time you got for Amsterdam. We went there, and i suppose there are a lot better things to do while in the colorful city of Amsterdam!

Enjoy!

Take a canal tour and walk around the red light district. Now that's an eye opener.

I did the sex museum, which was amusing, but I think walking around the red light district is much more authentic.

I think Hopscotch has given some interesting directions however I do not know how easy it would be to know in which map direction you are headed such as "NW" or "SW"

The canal boat tour would give an overall flavor of the city without the possibility of getting hopelessly lost.

Dukey,
Use a street map.

I'm going to print out these lists and take a look at a map--found a really good one on (I think) amsterdam.com which I had to print over 24 (!) sheets of paper, cut and cellotape together. Big, but user friendly. I do like Hopscotch's suggestions because it seems like I'd be able to take in quite a bit. I'm more of a walker than anything in cities, so that route sounds feasible to me. I am hedging on the canal tour: I remember it being a good way of seeing the city, and it would be relaxing, but I would be afraid it would eat up 1/4 of my time. I suppose it depends on the length of the tour, eh? Most guides seem to list them at 40-90 min in length, and I think the longer end would be worse for me.

Hopscotch: is there a website for Cafe Luxembourg, by any chance? I'm afraid googling it will just bring up a load of same-named places everywhere <b>but</b> A'dam.

I fear that you are right lazuliangel. No web site visible, but they hardly need it. The Cafe Luxembourg has become internationally known since I started going there in the 80s or 90s. I can't remember. I was last there in January 06.

A google will turn up many references including a copy of the menu, pictures, reviews, etc. The site http://tinyurl.com/y3yhdh is a good account except that Cafe Luxembourg is not a brown cafe as reported by Le Figaro.

THE brown cafe is the Hoppe, two doors north, a favorite of mine for 30 years. Oh, the stories I could tell! Just last year I was eyeing a pretty woman standing behind my Dutch girlfriend while telling her about Dolf, a bulb merchant I used to tip with years ago in the Hoppe. Dolf walked in minutes later! I hadn't seen him in over a decade. Then he hugged the pretty woman, his girl friend. I love travel.

Palm bier is served in a fluted oversize brandy sniffer at the Cafe Luxembourg. The traditional Dutch drink is Jenever, Dutch gin served ice cold in an overflowing fluted shot glass. It is pronounced &quot;yuh-nave-er&quot; but ask for the jounge, pronounced &quot;young-uh&quot;, or just ask for &quot;een borel&quot; pronounced &quot;ain borrel.&quot; The food at Cafe Luxembourg is excellent, service is also good by Dutch standards, and the waitresses are first class beauties of several nationalities. The communal front table has a dozen seats and at least a dozen international newspapers including the IHT (the New York Times of Paris) for a free read. Smoke is everywhere. There are chairs and tables on the sidewalk plus the glassed in patio, prime seating during typically rainy weather.

Historical fact, if you care at all, the Cafe Luxembourg occupies the same location as the German tourist office did 30 years ago. Other than that very little has changed at the Spui.

A hundred yards north on Spuistraat is the Luden restaurant. Good and reasonable and good service. A bit further north is the historical and internationally famous Five Flies restaurant.

Pity your short stay.

Canal trip would be your best bet, the brewery is called The Heineken experience and it is no longer a working brewery but a museum and exhibition center. In the short time you have I would say skip it. As for the Anne Frank House your right about getting there early before the big queues. I would jump on a canal bus. you can hop and off about 14 different stops. I would get off at the Anne Frank House First, there is a stop outside. Anne Frank house will take about 1 hour maybe a little bit more depending you, you can go at your own pace. Then hop back on the canal to see a bit of the place. Make sure you get off and walk around a few stops . Hop off at Leidseplein when your ready for something to eat lots of bars cafes, resturants and street entertainers you can eat outside and watch the world go by. That should still leave a bit of time to decide if you want to hop back on and see a bit more from the canal bus or pick a place that you like to go and see. My self I would inclined to not seek out the very famous or wellknow resturants and cafes as they are likley to be busy and you don't have a lot of time to wait around to order your food etc.