The Great Hunt: What are your tips for doing Amsterdam on a budget?

eDicky

AA99 wrote: »

We used the 192 bus to and from Schipol Airport. EU5 each plus wheelchair and luggage and place to stand it. Very helpful drivers and passengers. Pleasant journey too. Quoted EU40 for a taxi from the hotel to Schipol!

I don't know where the 192 bus goes, but the 197 goes directly downtown to Leidseplein, runs every 15 mins. The fare I think was €3.50 but it may have gone up, I use the OV-chipkaart stored value transport card.

hollydays

UnlikelyButTrue wrote: »

We go year after year and I love it. It's possible to save money but be warned- Amsterdam is NOT a cheap city.

I advise getting an apartment to save money- often cheaper than a hotel and you can have your meals from Albert Heijn supermarket and relax at "home".

Do not get the I AMSTERDAM tourist card- you'll never do enough in the time period to get your money's worth. Instead get the OVTravelCard mentioned in previous posts. Or better still, walk- it's beautiful!

From schiphol airport you can get a train into Centraal Station for €4.20 and it takes 15 minutes.

Try people watching in Vondelpark for some free entertainment. It's magic on a sunny day.

You can't beat Maoz for street food- lovely big falafel and salad in pitta and cheap as chips. Speaking of chips, a nice big bag of Vlaamse Frites has to be done while you're there- huge cheap bags of chips with Dutch mayonnaise.

Little bakeries are great for waffles for breakfast.

A lovely morning can be spent in the Jewish quarter for not a lot of money- the Hollandse Schouweburg is a free museum inside a theatre converted into a train station during the nazi occupation of WW2 used to transport people to concentration camps and it gives a fascinating and poignant side to Amsterdam you may not usually see. Just near to it is a memorial park and the nearby Botanic Gardens are great value at around €7.

Take a stroll around the Nine Streets for a beautiful load of artisan and unique shops, and the nearby Spui bookmarket on a Friday morning is fascinating with loads of antique books and artwork. Pop into the amazing Begijnhof courtyard for a free little slice of history and one of the two oldest houses in Amsterdam.

Finally take time to search out the Gevelsteen all over the city- these are pictorial street signs some of which are over 300 years old and are quite unique- there are over 400 across the city and they're amazing.

Overall you will love your time there- it's quite an incredible city and the more you visit, the more you see!

Totally agree about maoz falafel shop-thanks for reminding me of the name-it's the first place I head for some street food lunch.

Tiptaker

If doing the bulb fields at Keukenhof (I know July isn't the time, but for next Spring), don't buy expensive excursion tickets - it's an easy independent train and bus trip. Tickets to the bulb fields and the train/bus tickets can be purchased from the information centre opposite the station in Amsterdam. There's about half mile walk from bus stop to garden's entrance but saves Euros on the organised coach trip.

For transport around city the multi day pass is a must.

Always long queues for Anne Frank's house and Van Gogh museum - buy timed tickets from the info centre - don't think it costs any more and certainly saves time queuing.

Tiptaker

For motorhome/caravan/tent owners, cheap accommodation is Gaasper Camping which is situated 2 mins walk from the metro station that will take you straight into city centre.

eilidhcatriona

UnlikelyButTrue wrote: »

We go year after year and I love it. It's possible to save money but be warned- Amsterdam is NOT a cheap city.

I advise getting an apartment to save money- often cheaper than a hotel and you can have your meals from Albert Heijn supermarket and relax at "home".

Do not get the I AMSTERDAM tourist card- you'll never do enough in the time period to get your money's worth. Instead get the OVTravelCard mentioned in previous posts. Or better still, walk- it's beautiful!

From schiphol airport you can get a train into Centraal Station for €4.20 and it takes 15 minutes.

Try people watching in Vondelpark for some free entertainment. It's magic on a sunny day.

You make some good points but I disagree on some - Amsterdam isn't cheap, but it's also not expensive unless you make it expensive. We are annual (at least) visitors, and absolutely love it.


I completely disagree with you on the iAmsterdam card - at least for the longer periods. We've had it for 3 and 4 days before, and we'll get it next time as well. All your travel within the city, and we visit 2-3 attractions/museums per day. When we were there in May, we got the 4 day card, €85 each and we got over €130 worth each out of it.


Vondelpark is a great tip, and I'd add to that and say just walk - we walk around the city for hours every time we're there, as well as visiting museums, and Amsterdam is a fantastic city to see by foot. The canals with their pretty houses are lovely.


If you're not going to get value from the iAmsterdam card, I would recommend the GVB travelcards that another poster mentioned - you can get them for a variety of durations, longer ones are better value.


And I agree with don't get a taxi from the airport - we always take the train to Centraal which is around €10 for the 2 of us. The buses are good options too.


And now I'm getting sad I'm not there...must be time for another trip there!

auntiejean

My friend and I both in our 60's went to Amsterdam for two nights in March. We stayed in airbnb in De pijp outside the tourist area but on tram route and near a fantastic Moroccan restaurant which was very reasonable. We paid £50 for alarge double room for 2 nights, our own bathroom with towels supplied, use of the kitchen and a table and chairs in our room. Our host was very helpful and gave clear directions to and from the airport which was very close and easy to get to. He also gave recommendations of what to do and see. We were a few stops from the Rijks museum. We bought 48 hour GVB passes for tram and bus and it was very good value for E12.50 each. We had a good idea of what we wanted to see so made maximum use of the time.

ellaaax24

Anybody who is thinking of indulging in the 'green' ... Make one of your first stops the Cannabis College, they are really nice in there and will give you a map of the best coffeeshops to go to that won't rip you off. They also let you know which coffeeshops are cool with you smoking weed you already have (as long as you buy a drink or something of course) which is a godsend as most coffeeshops only let you smoke weed that you have bought there!

jonesMUFCforever

littlereddevil wrote: »

Where do I buy this ticket when I arrive at Schiphol?

There are ticket machines at ground level or you can buy them at the ticket booths at the station part of the airport just by the escelators taking you down to the trains.
They take cash or all well known cards.