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Where to go first in AMSTERDAM?
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| Dam Square - the Koninklijk Paleis at the back |
But before anything else I would really like to write a bit about the transportation system in Amsterdam. It seemed quite complicated to me at first, but once you go there and ask, you suddenly realise it's verrry very easy to use.
I would recommend you to use the trams as they go almost every place in the city. Busses might be a bit more complicated for a tourist, but tram maps are easy to use. And once you buy a 3-day or one-week travel card, you will not have to pay some extra money for travel. My friend and I had bought 2 travel cards (I'm not sure how they were called in Amsterdam) with limitless usage for 3 full days, and paid only 15 euros per one. That counted like 5 euros for one day, and was quite cheap for us. And yet of course we did not have to use them a lot, as Amsterdam was too small and we preferred walking by foot while getting from one place to another. Another choice might be the OV-chipkaart, for which you have to pay 7.50 euros to buy the card, and top up later on for travel. They all can be used both in trams and buses. Metro is also a way of transportation in the city, but to be honest, I never seen any signs of metro during my stay. Trams are the most used...
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| Me around the hotel we stayed in on Beethovenstraat |
Oh by the way, never forget that there is a check-in and check-out system on every of them, tram, bus or metro, with no exception, so you'll have to use your card 2 times, once when you get in to check-in with the card and to leave the vehicle to check-out. If you forget this, probably you'll experience some problems while checking-in or out for the next time.
Knowing which trams or busses go to your hotel will be of great importance, since the city might look complicated as you're not accustomed to it yet and you may lose your way back to your hotel at nights. (Note that trams work only till the midnight, so you either will choose to travel by bus or hire a taxi to get to your hotel after 12 o'clock.)
So... know which lines and numbers go to your hotel's destination, know which numbers go to the centre, know when is the last time of the last tram, and know which direction is to the city, which is to your hotel. (For those who reserve a hotel room right in the middle of the city, this will not be a subject of course.)
Taxis are the best way to get to your hotel when it's dark, I wanted to let you know...
And enough of transportation.
Now let's get started with the areas you should see first!
Dam square (the Old city) and Nieuwe Kerk
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| The back façade of Nieuwe Kerk |
When you get there you will see the National Monument of Amsterdam right then, because the square is not filled with decoration stuff and a big, empty place is reserved for the monument only. The next thing you may do is to visit the New Church, which is called as Nieuwe Kerk. The church is a very well designed gothic piece, and known as being a crowning place for all the Dutch monarchs since 1814.The Great Organ (1645), the Carved Pulpit (1664), Tomb of Michiel de Ruyter (1607-1676), the stained-glass windows, gilded cherubs, and some others I am unable to point out here are the things worth seeing. There is a lovely mini-shopping area that you can find great pieces from books to little lovely souvenirs which will remind you of the city and the church.When you're finished with the church, you may want to visit the Madame Tussaud where you can see great waxworks inside. I have not visited it in Amsterdam so that I would not lose time while waiting in the long queue, but I visited the Madame Tussaud that is located in London before, so I have an idea of how the waxworks should seem. It is definitely worth seeing if you have never been to any waxwork museum, and I'm sure you'll love seeing most of the celebrities that you already know from the TVs.
Another thing you should see on Dam Square is the Koninklijk Paleis, which is right next to the Nieuwe Kerk, so you won't need to pay too much attention to see it. It's already there with its huuuuge size and beauty. Built as the town hall, building's clasiccal façade and fine sculptures were intended to glorify the city and its government.Centraal Station, where you can find the boat trips later on, is located right at the north of the area, and the famous Begijnhof is in a very close distance to the Dam Square. Besides, for the history lovers, Amsterdams Historisch Museum is also located in this part of the city. City's history can be seen in there, but yet there are much more famous museums you will want to see, so if you REALLY have time to go there, go. If not, you'd better go on with the next places I'll offer you.
Another thing you should see on Dam Square is the Koninklijk Paleis, which is right next to the Nieuwe Kerk, so you won't need to pay too much attention to see it. It's already there with its huuuuge size and beauty. Built as the town hall, building's clasiccal façade and fine sculptures were intended to glorify the city and its government.Centraal Station, where you can find the boat trips later on, is located right at the north of the area, and the famous Begijnhof is in a very close distance to the Dam Square. Besides, for the history lovers, Amsterdams Historisch Museum is also located in this part of the city. City's history can be seen in there, but yet there are much more famous museums you will want to see, so if you REALLY have time to go there, go. If not, you'd better go on with the next places I'll offer you.
Leidseplein - The liveliest area in Amsterdam
We stayed in Amsterdam for 4 days and almost every day we visited the Leidseplein at least for once. As you all may already know, Amsterdam is famous with its coffe shops and little drugs that are legal to use. The Bulldog is the most famous coffe shop in Amsterdam, but very unfortunately, in Bulldog, it's almost impossible to find a place to sit. We went there at about 8-9 PM, and it was full with people already. So, although the staff was incredibly lovely and fun, we had to leave the place and find another coffe shop.
We chose another one, which was located on a street that is a bit far from the square, as we were able to find it only, but to be honest, the products were great inside. I'm not sure what's the main thing with Bulldog's fame, but we tried space cakes both from the Bulldog and the other coffe shop we found; the one we bought was way more delicious than the one we bought from the Bulldog. So never say 'I'll buy from the Bulldog, it's the best I know'... All the coffe shops are of good quality in Amsterdam (Well, almost all...)
But pleeease please be careful if you ever want to try any of the space cakes or mushrooms or smoke something else. This may be your first time, it's the well-known fact that people who start with high dose of space cakes or mushrooms experience a night like a nightmare... So get suggestions from the staff inside, and wait long for the drug you used to show its effect. It takes about 1-2 hours to see...
The famous Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam is also very close to this area, all you need to do is to follow the signs that show the cafe, and you're there! A very important advice here, don't go there when you're too hungry, instead go there 1 hour earlier than your usual dinner time, because you'll be told that there is no seats in the restaurant, so you will either wait for a place to be reserved or get in and start drinking in the bar. We preferred waiting for the restaurant, and were given a stuff looking like a joy stick that will give signals when a table is available. The best thing to do while waiting is to sit in the bar next to Hard Rock and drink 2-3 bottles of Heineken beers. That's what we did! It lasted more than 1 hour for us to see the signal on the joy stick I kept in my hand... But then, we were there! In the Hard Rock Cafe with loads of decorations on the walls, and lively atmosphere inside. The best thing for me was to see Lenny Kravitz's old guitar. Old pictures, loads of other guitars, prints on the walls... A greatly decorated place for those who love the world of rock.
When it comes to food, the cafe is perfect! I recommend you the Legendary Hamburgers that are well-known as the delicious pieces special to the Hard Rock. They were soooo so delicious, I was never aware of the fact that I actually was eating just a hamburger! It's too big and the meat is incredibly delicious... Sauces are also like the food itself. We ate 2 dinners in there, once in restaurant, and the second was in the bar - but with the same menu! LEGENDARY BURGERS for both of us!
Please note that we ONLY drank Heineken as it is a Dutch speciality and deserve to be chosen among all the other beers when you're in Holland! Drink loads of Heinekens.
And finally, I'll recommend you another dinner place where we went twice again - The Steak House right next to the Hard Rock Cafe. The steaks was great, and the red shadowy atmosphere inside is peaceful. Staff is helpful, so you won't need any recommendations on food.
What's more? I definitely recommend you to walk around and discover the surroundings. Little bridges you'll have to cross to reach the Hard Rock, the leaves on the water, little stores that are mostly closed at night but yet looking lovely... Everything is so lovely, you should definitely spend at least half an hour wandering around to see this area.
After the dinner, the best thing you'd do is to go back to the Leidseplein and discover the nightclubs and pubs to enjoy a few more drinks and even maybe some legal drug...
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