Tours in Amsterdam

[wendyp247]

Need help on Amsterdam tour. All Viatour city tours already booked for April. Anyone familiar with City Discovery Tours? Anyone used them? Thanks for any input.This is for a precruise tour

If you have any other tour operators for a one day in Amsterdam, please forward information. TIA

[Clarea]

Also check the port of call forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=233

[Bookish Angel]

An alternative to tour companies is to get some recent guidebooks and do some internet searches. We spent almost a week in Amsterdam (not a cruise) and got around fine on our own by walking and using public transportation. We saw and did everthing we had planned and more and saved a lot of money.

 

We learned some basic Dutch phrases and because English is widely spoken, were understood at all times.

 

Bon voyage!

[BruMedNick]

Need help on Amsterdam tour. All Viatour city tours already booked for April. Anyone familiar with City Discovery Tours? Anyone used them? Thanks for any input.This is for a precruise tour

 

If you have any other tour operators for a one day in Amsterdam, please forward information. TIA

 

 

 

I did my own tour of AMS when I went to EU in 2016.

 

Where are you staying? If I can ask what are your age ranges? Any particular activity that you’re interested in?

 

Firstly, food: Cafe de Klos. Great ribs, escargot and tomato soup. 3A and 2C, full to the eyeballs, softies, beers and digestifs, €91 and change. Pull the bones out of meat with two fingers. The place is packed, we were placed in a holding bar across the street, bar smelled of bad decisions and regrets, but when you went to the cafe, got rid of everything.

 

There is a kabab shop called Snackbar “Fourty Two”, I’m not sure if the guy is still there, an Egyptian bloke, nice guy, great kebabs and chips; there is a laundromat opposite, closer to Centraal a bit, maybe 50m, and whilst they’re doing your kit, pop over for a snack, €9 or something similar.

 

Frites are everywhere, the late night ones are even better.....🤣

 

Be careful of the differences between coffee shops and bruine kroeg (brown cafes). Former is a dispensary, latter is a bar/coffee shop. You’ll be approached on the street by guys trying to sell you a good time. Just politely decline and walk on, like when you’re being asked to donate to the school jogathon or being given a leaflet at the train station.

 

IF you are inclined, go to reputable coffee shops, pay the little extra, and get proper skunk or bits. Edibles are available, eat a small chunk and wait a bit (longer than you expect!) before eating the whole brownie!

 

At AMS Centraal on the Stationsplein side, bear left as you come out and there is the official tourist building (you can get the Iamsterdam Card there), but found it cheaper just to get a one day travel card if you want to go on trams. The trams get you everywhere.

 

The Heineken Brewery Tour is fun to do, so is the Ice Bar. Def do a canal tour. You can get a ticket to do the canal and Ice Bar for something like €16, or Ice Bar and Red Light Museum for €26.

 

Tram 5 gets you to the Rikjesmuseum, and next door is the Van Gogh Museum. If you’re pressed for time, just get some souvenirs for the VGM in between the two museums (it’s the official museum shop), warm stropwaffles are available around there too. The iAMSTERDAM landmark is between the Rikjesmuseum and VGM also. Anne Frank house is interesting from the outside (I didn’t go in), as is the Science Museum (looks like an oxidised copper ship).

 

RLD, interesting to walk around, the museum is worth it, IMO, just to get a feel for the place. Red lights are female, purple lights are transvestites. NO PICTURES of the ladies! Lights on is waiting for customers, Red light out is in business, dark door frames are closed.

 

There is a day trip south of AMS to Kinderdijk (nearer to Rotterdam) to see traditional Windmills, or closer to AMS north at Zaanse Schans (it’s included in a tour with your Iamsterdam Card).

 

 

Nick

Brunei

[BruMedNick]

I did my own tour of AMS when I went to EU in 2016.

 

Where are you staying? If I can ask what are your age ranges? Any particular activity that you’re interested in?

 

Firstly, food: Cafe de Klos. Great ribs, escargot and tomato soup. 3A and 2C, full to the eyeballs, softies, beers and digestifs, €91 and change. Pull the bones out of meat with two fingers. The place is packed, we were placed in a holding bar across the street, bar smelled of bad decisions and regrets, but when you went to the cafe, got rid of everything.

 

There is a kabab shop called Snackbar “Fourty Two”, I’m not sure if the guy is still there, an Egyptian bloke, nice guy, great kebabs and chips; there is a laundromat opposite, closer to Centraal a bit, maybe 50m, and whilst they’re doing your kit, pop over for a snack, €9 or something similar.

 

Frites are everywhere, the late night ones are even better.....🤣

 

Be careful of the differences between coffee shops and bruine kroeg (brown cafes). Former is a dispensary, latter is a bar/coffee shop. You’ll be approached on the street by guys trying to sell you a good time. Just politely decline and walk on, like when you’re being asked to donate to the school jogathon or being given a leaflet at the train station.

 

IF you are inclined, go to reputable coffee shops, pay the little extra, and get proper skunk or bits. Edibles are available, eat a small chunk and wait a bit (longer than you expect!) before eating the whole brownie!

 

At AMS Centraal on the Stationsplein side, bear left as you come out and there is the official tourist building (you can get the Iamsterdam Card there), but found it cheaper just to get a one day travel card if you want to go on trams. The trams get you everywhere.

 

The Heineken Brewery Tour is fun to do, so is the Ice Bar. Def do a canal tour. You can get a ticket to do the canal and Ice Bar for something like €16, or Ice Bar and Red Light Museum for €26.

 

Tram 5 gets you to the Rikjesmuseum, and next door is the Van Gogh Museum. If you’re pressed for time, just get some souvenirs for the VGM in between the two museums (it’s the official museum shop), warm stropwaffles are available around there too. The iAMSTERDAM landmark is between the Rikjesmuseum and VGM also. Anne Frank house is interesting from the outside (I didn’t go in), as is the Science Museum (looks like an oxidised copper ship).

 

RLD, interesting to walk around, the museum is worth it, IMO, just to get a feel for the place. Red lights are female, purple lights are transvestites. NO PICTURES of the ladies! Lights on is waiting for customers, Red light out is in business, dark door frames are closed.

 

There is a day trip south of AMS to Kinderdijk (nearer to Rotterdam) to see traditional Windmills, or closer to AMS north at Zaanse Schans (it’s included in a tour with your Iamsterdam Card).

 

 

Nick

Brunei

 

 

 

Any more questions or if you need a local contact, I can probably find someone who’s in the neighbourhood...

 

 

Nick

Brunei

[jamesr3939]

We did our own walking tour. The city is pretty compact. Unless you want to venture outside the downtown I would get some travel books and plan my own. All the major venues are a short walk from the pier. Make sure to see the Red Light District at night.

[crazy4cruisin51]

We used Amsterdam City Tours in 2015 and they were fantastic. /www.amsterdamcitytours.com

 

We went to Keukenhof Gardens (full bloom in April) which were amazing, toured a cheese factory, windmill and a Dutch wooden shoe factory as well as a tour around the city. Had a very enjoyable day.

 

Good luck. To keep costs down, post on your cruise roll call and other folks may join you.

 

Sent from my SM-T813 using Tapatalk

[cruisegirl1]

Thank you to those who offered advise. We will be there 4 days post cruise and hope to mostly tour on our own.

 

M

[wendychloecruiser]

Arrange tickets before you leave home for the Anne Frank house. They sell out.

[cruisegirl1]

Arrange tickets before you leave home for the Anne Frank house. They sell out.

 

Thanks - did that exactly 60 days out from the day we plann to go.

 

M

[lbjen]

I would say do the Anne Frank huis, get pannekoeken for lunch at the place nearby to there, wander around the Jordaan and then take one of the canal tours that leaves from in front of Centraal Station (if you can, go at the end of the afternoon when the bridges are all lit for the evening). If you’re going to have 4 days post cruise too, you’ll see it all then. It’s not a big city at all.

[BruMedNick]

 

(NOT MY PICTURE, not sure who the author is; picture posted +/- 2h ago)

 

No canal tours in AMS for the time being...bring more schnapps...

 

 

Nick

Brunei

[papaflamingo]

We were in Amsterdam for 4 days last year. If you plan to really see museums, get a Museumkaart. It's designed for locals, but anyone can buy it. I believe it's about 60 Euros and gets you admission in over 400 museums around Holland, including Rieksmuseum, Anne Frank, Van Gogh, Resistance Museum (worth the visit), Ships Museum, etc. Also if you have a day, take the bus from the Central Station to Zaanse Schans. It's an easy ride out. They have working windmills, a museum (you can use the Museumkaart for it), a wooden shoe factory, cheese making, etc. We spent about 5 hours out there. Very nice. If you go, do not miss the Lumber Mill! Best windmill their. If you go get the Museumkaart, you can still reserve a time for Van Gogh museum. Do this on line, no charge (maybe 50 cents).

If you find some time go to Muiden and see Muiderslot Castle then eat at a restaurant on the canal there. You can take the bus or train/bus combo. Get a public transportation pass for as many days as you need.

NOTE: This is NOT the IAmsterdam pass. We found that to be more expensive for our needs. If you buy a Museumkaart, you get unlimited entrances. IAmsterdam card will give entrances or discounts to somethings the Museumkaart doesn't, but they didn't interest us. One more point on the Museumkaart.. you can purchase it at the entrance of any museum that honors it. Even though it's designed for locals, you have 30 days to register it, so any tourist can use it for 30 days.

Anyway, Amsterdam is a wonderful city! Do a Canal tour for sure. We did Amsterdam Boat Center on the classic boat. It was really fun. The captain was a real character, free wine, and only a handful of passengers. Highly recommended.

Have a great trip!