Amsterdam on your own

[scungileen]

We are arriving to Amsterdam in July on the Oriana. Is it possible to see all of the important sites on foot and on your own. We want to see Anne Frank house, one museum, flower market, red light district. We were thinking of taking an afternoon tour of the country to see windmills, cheese factory and clog maker. Can the walking tour on our own be done in the morning so we can take an afternoon tour for the outskirts? Has anyone done the walking tour and how did they do it? What is the best tour for the outskirts? We are docked overnight and we plan to do a canal tour after dinner

[jklc123]

We enjoyed 3 days in Amsterdam a month ago. It is definitely easy to see on your own, but it would be pushing it to see as much as you want to in one morning. The trams are easy to use to save some time between some of the sights you want to see. It would be hard to really enjoy so much in such a short time. Definitely book your Anne Frank House tickets ahead of time or you'll waste 2 hours standing on line. I doubt you could cover everything you wish to see if you include really appreciating one of the wonderful museums.

 

For the countryside, it is easy to take a train or bus from Centraal Station to Zaanse Shans as it is a short ride away, but I am sure it will be filled with tourists from all over the world in July. It was peaceful in November. We used the bus and spent about an hour and a half there.

 

Best wishes for a busy but fun visit!

[Ine]

For day 1 I auggest to stay in the city.

Amsterdam is very walkable and public tansport is frequent and easy.

Indeed make reservations online in AF house, lines can be very long. If holding reservations there is a special entrance door to skip the lines. To watch the story on various vides etc. it might take more then 1 hour inside.

More or less the same for either Rijksmuseum (Rembrandt etc.) or Van Goghmuseum, whre you might need more time.

RLD is close to Centraal Station, not that far from the cruise terminal.

The next day indeed take a bus to Zaanse Schans, more on this website:

http://www.dezaanseschans.nl/en/

[agabbymama]

Not sure if the hop on/hop off canal boat is still in operation in Amsterdam, but if you google it, I'm sure you will find it. It might be another alternative to trams (unfamiliar territory for us suburbanites from Los Angeles) or taxis. Once you arrive at a site, you could get off, then wait for the next boat to continue on. We did a tram from our hotel and thought we knew what we were doing, but missed our stop, then had to sit and wait at the end of the line for the return trip. That was a boring half hour believe me!

 

Be sure to check your dates of stay and the museum schedules. We planned to go to one, but with all the other tours, the museums either weren't open yet or already closed, so we missed the museums.

 

Then take a look at viator dot com for a tour to Zaanse Schans, a cheese farm and Voldendam/Marken. The one we did was approximately 4 hours long. it was a wonderful experience though and glad we did it.

 

We spent 10 days in Holland on a land DIY. The cheese market at Alkmaar, Het Loo Palace, Arnhem, Giethoorn, Maastricht, Westerbork, and Vlissengen to see The Delta Works. We also visited Keukenhof Garden and Delft one day from Amsterdam.

 

Your two days in Amsterdam will only whet your appetite to see and do more. Have a great trip!

[aquilegia]

Agree with the other posters that you can't fit in Anne Frank house, a museum etc all the first morning. And you will need to take a tram to the museum district, as it is some distance from the other things you want to see. If you have time the next day, definitely don't miss Zaanse Schans.

[jklc123]

We're also from Los Angeles area, where we never take public transportation. However, with a day pass for the trams, we found them easy to use. We did miss the stop for our hotel, but got off at the next stop and walked back.

 

We used ( and paid for) only a portion of the Hop on Hop Off boats for our canal cruise around scenic canals and out into the harbor as it was closer to our hotel in the Rembrandtplein area. The trams pass by more frequently than to HOHO boats, in our experience.

[lamchops]

We are arriving to Amsterdam in July on the Oriana. Is it possible to see all of the important sites on foot and on your own. We want to see Anne Frank house, one museum, flower market, red light district. We were thinking of taking an afternoon tour of the country to see windmills, cheese factory and clog maker. Can the walking tour on our own be done in the morning so we can take an afternoon tour for the outskirts? Has anyone done the walking tour and how did they do it? What is the best tour for the outskirts? We are docked overnight and we plan to do a canal tour after dinner

 

We stopped in Amsterdam on our recent Northern Europe cruise and here are my DIY review notes for the day:

 

Amsterdam

 

We had done our research and was going to take the 30 minute walk from the cruise center to Anne Frank House and then continuing to Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. I thought we had 2 days in Amsterdam as we stayed overnight but the ship departed at 9:00 the next morning. When I realized this, I tried booking Anne Frank House on-line but we waited too long to decide. We hoped that they would have tickets at the door but we were told that there was nothing available for the remainder of September. Book your tickets on-line early for the $10eu adult price. My DW says that we now have another reason to visit Amsterdam. We continued our walk to the Rijksmuseum stopping off to browse shops along the way. The Rijksmuseum contained a couple of Van Gogh’s, Rembrandts as well as many other artifacts. It was a great visit but after a few hours I didn’t feel as compelled to go to the Van Gogh museum which was just 100 yards away. We actually got in line to buy tickets but we thought it would be nice to walk back to the ship along a canal and grab a quick bite as well as browse the shops. As we cycle regularly back home, we thought about renting a bike to get back but we realized quickly we’re out of our league. There’s freeway driving and then there’s Los Angeles freeway driving. We saw couples cycling a top speed holding hands with bikes only 12” apart. There were more people cycling at midnight there than during rush hour in Vancouver and we’re one of the most bike friendly cities in North America. You have a better chance of being hit by a cyclist than by and other vehicle in Amsterdam. My crazy dinner mates convinced us to leave the ship at 11:00pm and walk the 15 minutes to the “Red Light” district. It’s one major party zone but neither my DW nor the other 3 ladies in our group felt unsafe or threatened. We headed back to the ship at 12:30 while the others went for refreshments at a bar along the cruise terminal. I thoroughly enjoyed Amsterdam and may return as it’s a hub for air travel.

 

It was a flat easy walk and the time passed quickly. You could always take a bus or canal boat back from the museum area.

[KirkNC]

I would suggest buying Rick Steve's Amsterdam book. It highlights all the sites, has walking tours as well as all the info you need to get around. For Anne Frank, you better have reservations.

[whatnot]

If you have reservations, is it possible dot do the Anne Frank, the Van Gogh, and the Flower Market in one day, or is that too much?

[Ine]

If you have reservations, is it possible dot do the Anne Frank, the Van Gogh, and the Flower Market in one day, or is that too much?

Yes that should be no problem. Book one of the museums in the morning, visit flowermarket around lunchtime and book the other museum after that.

[Northern Aurora]

If you have reservations, is it possible dot do the Anne Frank, the Van Gogh, and the Flower Market in one day, or is that too much?

 

On our last trip to Amsterdam this past May we spent a week in the city. Since tastes and interests vary greatly it is difficult to recommend the timing of a visit, but it may be helpful to share our experience.

 

During our visit there in 2010 the wonderful Rijksmuseum was only partially open as it was being renovated; this past May we spent an entire day there. We also spent much of another day at the Van Gogh Museum. And I find the Anne Frank House a very moving experience so we spent at least 45 minutes in their cafe after visiting the annex as I need the time to reflect. We've also paired a morning visit to the Anne Frank House with an afternoon visit to the Willet-Holthuysen house museum. We have also spent the bulk of a day at the excellent maritime museum.

 

We also have had no confusion or difficulties using the tram system.

[Aliasamy]

If you have reservations, is it possible dot do the Anne Frank, the Van Gogh, and the Flower Market in one day, or is that too much?

We will be in Amsterdam in August from 8am - 4pm. Does this amount of time give us the opportunity to do AFH, the flower market and the Van Gogh and get back to the ship on time? Should we realistically do AFH, the flower market and settle for a nice lunch?

Edited February 19, 2015 by Aliasamy
Wrong month

[mj_holiday]

Yes that should be no problem. Book one of the museums in the morning, visit flowermarket around lunchtime and book the other museum after that.

 

Besides the A Frank house do you need to book reservations at the other museums such as Van Gogh?

[Ine]

Besides the A Frank house do you need to book reservations at the other museums such as Van Gogh?

 

If you want to use the short time you are in Amsterdam, yes you better do. Lines at other museums in general are less longer, but recently the special about Rembrandt at Rijksmuseum made lines again rather long.

Please be aware of this activity from 19-23 August 2015, that will attract many extra visitors again and cruiseships will not dock at ther terminal during these days.https://www.sail.nl/2015

[jklc123]

We will be in Amsterdam in August from 8am - 4pm. Does this amount of time give us the opportunity to do AFH, the flower market and the Van Gogh and get back to the ship on time? Should we realistically do AFH, the flower market and settle for a nice lunch?

 

I think you can do all three. I would use the tram system to shorten time between the sites you want to visit. I would get morning AFH tickets, afterwards walk down Rozengracht through the Jordaan district (maybe popping into a shop or two) past the next canal, where you can catch a tram to the Museum Quarter (trams 3 and 12 stop near the Van Gogh). We had bought Van Gogh tickets ahead of time but still had to wait in line 15 minutes with everyone else who had bought tickets, and this was in November with fewer tourists than in summer. You'll probably need a nice lunch by then. Several restaurants in the area. Then tram 16 or 24 to see the Flower Market on the Singel. (Also lots of restaurants in the nearby Rembrandtplein). If you have time and strength, walk up the Rokin past Dam Square and up Damrak to Centraal Station. Or taxi to your dock, depending on where it is.

[Aliasamy]

I think you can do all three. I would use the tram system to shorten time between the sites you want to visit. I would get morning AFH tickets, afterwards walk down Rozengracht through the Jordaan district (maybe popping into a shop or two) past the next canal, where you can catch a tram to the Museum Quarter (trams 3 and 12 stop near the Van Gogh). We had bought Van Gogh tickets ahead of time but still had to wait in line 15 minutes with everyone else who had bought tickets, and this was in November with fewer tourists than in summer. You'll probably need a nice lunch by then. Several restaurants in the area. Then tram 16 or 24 to see the Flower Market on the Singel. (Also lots of restaurants in the nearby Rembrandtplein). If you have time and strength, walk up the Rokin past Dam Square and up Damrak to Centraal Station. Or taxi to your dock, depending on where it is.

Thanks so much for your reply. I will definitely book the tickets online but it looks as though you can only book them out about six weeks in advance for AFH.

[Aliasamy]

If you want to use the short time you are in Amsterdam, yes you better do. Lines at other museums in general are less longer, but recently the special about Rembrandt at Rijksmuseum made lines again rather long.

Please be aware of this activity from 19-23 August 2015, that will attract many extra visitors again and cruiseships will not dock at ther terminal during these days.https://www.sail.nl/2015

 

 

The tall ships look amazing. We will be in Amsterdam on 4th August. Will the weather still be warm?

[Ine]

The tall ships look amazing. We will be in Amsterdam on 4th August. Will the weather still be warm?

 

 

Weather is unfortunately not real stable in The Netherlands, so you never know. In general it must be nice and sunny, but be prepared for cooler and even rainy days.

[runnerandme]

We will arrive in Amsterdam about 11AM after a long flight. We will have to check in on the ship by three pm the next day.(May 2 and May 3)

 

We would like to see the tulips at Keukenhof, and the Zaanse Schans.

We also have a one hour canal tour with the hotel.

I think we will save the museums for our return.

 

Which one would be better to do in the afternoon? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Connie

[Ine]

Since Keukenhof is only open in spring, I think that is your best choice for the afternoon. Maybe you even have time the next morning for a quick visit to zaanse schans.

[jersey2]

Thanks so much for your reply. I will definitely book the tickets online but it looks as though you can only book them out about six weeks in advance for AFH.

 

Tickets for AFH are available through Oct. Book well in advance to get what you want.

[runnerandme]

Thanks Ine for all you helpful information on cruise critic.

 

 

Connie

[Ine]

Thanks Ine for all you helpful information on cruise critic.

 

 

Connie

 

You are welcome. Hope you have a great cruise.

Since we will be back in The Netherlands in May and it will be the 1st time we will see Silhouette sail from Amsterdam, we intend to be along Northsea canal (about 1 hr. outside Amsterdam) to make some photos of the ship. (weather depending).

[Kiwidebbie]

We enjoyed 3 days in Amsterdam a month ago. It is definitely easy to see on your own, but it would be pushing it to see as much as you want to in one morning. The trams are easy to use to save some time between some of the sights you want to see. It would be hard to really enjoy so much in such a short time. Definitely book your Anne Frank House tickets ahead of time or you'll waste 2 hours standing on line. I doubt you could cover everything you wish to see if you include really appreciating one of the wonderful museums.

 

For the countryside, it is easy to take a train or bus from Centraal Station to Zaanse Shans as it is a short ride away, but I am sure it will be filled with tourists from all over the world in July. It was peaceful in November. We used the bus and spent about an hour and a half there.

 

Best wishes for a busy but fun visit!

 

We will be there in November this year! How was the weather? Our first trip on river cruise but have done ocean cruises before. Looking forward to it.

[jklc123]

We will be there in November this year! How was the weather? Our first trip on river cruise but have done ocean cruises before. Looking forward to it.

 

The weather was cool. Light jackets needed. A little rain. Gray skies most days, but then, we were only there 3 days.