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Amsterdam accommodation for 3 twentysomething lads
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If he's going on his own then definitely get a dorm room in a hostel - with some earplugs and an eye mask. He will have other young people to chat with and hostels usually run pub crawls etc. I've booked several times through Hostelworld website or app - they have lots of reviews, and you pay a deposit then the rest in cash on arrival. It's busy enough in the centre of Amsterdam to be safe at night, just obviously he needs to watch out for his wallet and check out if he needs to bring his own lock for the dorm room lockers."I cannot make my days longer so I strive to make them better." Paul Theroux0
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probably silly question but what area is the "centre" of Amsterdam when looking at accommodation? On some sites you can choose by distance from a particular landmark or area but don't know which one would be central.0
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To elaborate on my last post...
If you want to be fairly central, I'd stay inside the Singelgracht (canal). The area round Centraal Station, including the Red Light District is the inner canal ring. And the outer canal ring goes out up to the Singelgracht. From there you should be max. 1.8km from the centre. Easily walkable, or a short tram ride.
You could stay a bit further out if you don't mind getting public transport, but this usually stops around midnight, which isn't great if you're out partying. But maybe look at hotels near the main tram routes?
http://maps.gvb.nl/nl/lijnen?tram&showIt may not be advice that will work with 3 lads but when I went to the Van Gogh Museum in June I arrived at opening time and only had to queue for about 5 minutes...
No way! The shortest I've queued there was about 80 minutes!
No reason that 3 lads won't enjoy the Van Gogh Museum, though. I was with 2 other lads (all in our 20s), and we all enjoyed it -- definitely a highlight of the trip. I mean... I had no interest in art, and it was worth waiting 80 minutes for! That's saying something!
The Rijksmuseum is quite interesting if you want to get a bit of an overview of Dutch history.
And there are always one-off exhibitions and events scattered throughout the city. Might be worth finding out if there's anything interesting happening during the visit.
If they're going out drinking, there is rarely a choice of beer. In most places it's just Heineken (or Grolsch). It's worth looking out for some brown cafes where you'll be more likely to meet locals, and will get to try some local beers. There are quite a few microbreweries too.
If they're going to buy weed, this is only tolerated in designated coffeshops. It used to be of poorer quality and more expensive in the red light district, but with the gentrification of the area quality has improved. Now it can be the best place to buy. The Dampkring coffeshops have been building a solid reputation in recent years.
If they're going to be visiting lots of museums and attractions, there are special cards you can buy that give you inclusive entry into all the popular places (and many others), along with bus/tram access for a certain time (24 hours, 48 hours, etc.).
Clubbing is different to most cities I've been to. The clubs that are visible are all terrible tourist traps with rubbish music, no real vibe, stoned/drunk tourists, etc. If you want a proper nightclub with great music and a friendly vibe... you need to be told where to go. The good clubs are hidden in unlit alleys behind a single soundproofed fire-exit door. You could walk right past a club and not know its there. Stare hopefully into the peep-hole and you might find that it opens.
There are also lots of private parties, which are only advertised to those "in the know" by word of mouth. I think the problem is that drugs tourists and stag parties ruin the vibe for clubbers, so there's a more secretive underground scene. Bar staff are the best people to ask, but English people are viewed with suspicion (too many drunk/stoned stag parties) so you really need to strike up a rapport before anyone will tell you the best clubs/parties to go to.
If it's sunny, the Vondelpark is a short walk from the Leiseplein and a great place for a picnic. There are sometimes small-ish open-air music events there.
Honestly, there's so much to do in Amsterdam, there's something for everyone. It depends what you're interested in.
Hope your lad and his mates have fun.
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his friends seem to be dragging their heels apparently so he's thinking of going on his own. i'm thinking it will make the accommodation much more expensive as a single traveller but will have a look.
MUCH more expensive unless he can cope in a shared dorm in a hostel. :-/
I like my creature comforts, but as skint_chick says, hostels are a great place to meet some interesting people.probably silly question but what area is the "centre" of Amsterdam when looking at accommodation? On some sites you can choose by distance from a particular landmark or area but don't know which one would be central.
I'd say the centre is the inner-canal ring. It depends which area your son wants to be closest to. For bar-hopping and socialising, the red light district (a 5 min walk South from Centraal Station) is a great place to be. Accommodation can be expensive... but there are also a number of cheap hostels.
Otherwise, I'd choose somewhere around The Amsterdam Dungeon as the central point for a hotel search...?0 -
Thank you so much Esuhl for your most informative posts. There are now 2 of them going so I think he will enjoy it much more. Well ... That's the latest update anyway!0
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We stayed in a hotel (The West Cord) down 1 of the streets that you walk down from the station, its pretty much opposite the station well not quite opposite.
It all depends what hes wanting to do there.
Theres the Heineken experience or the Xtra cold Ice Bar which imo both are cool. Taxi did cost about €50 (this was for 3 so dont know if for 1 it would be less) or you can take the train from the airport to the centre for cheaper than a taxi.
Trams were cheap and easy to use.0 -
Taxi did cost about €50 (this was for 3 so dont know if for 1 it would be less) or you can take the train from the airport to the centre for cheaper than a taxi.
Unless you're staying to the West, outside the outer canal ring, it's going to be quicker, cheaper and easier to get the train. There's a train station in the lower floor of the airport, and it's just one train to Centraal. I think its about €9 each way.
The tickets are disposable contactless cards. You need to touch in to validate the ticket BEFORE you get on the train. There are two different types of contactless points. You need to touch the ticket to the points in the ticket office, not the ones down on the platform.
The ticket machines are a little baffling, so I always buy the tickets from a counter with a real person to talk to.Trams were cheap and easy to use.
Frequent, easy-to-use, clearly marked stops, faster than walking, and you can get a good view of the city. Trams are the easiest way to get around besides walking.
Leaving Centraal Station, a lot of people will walk straight ahead down Damrak. There are a lot of over-priced tourist traps here. Lots of unhygienic restaurants with no prices on the menu... where people order a greasy burger and end up being stung for €30.0 -
Unless you're staying to the West, outside the outer canal ring, it's going to be quicker, cheaper and easier to get the train. There's a train station in the lower floor of the airport, and it's just one train to Centraal. I think its about €9 each way.
The tickets are disposable contactless cards. You need to touch in to validate the ticket BEFORE you get on the train. There are two different types of contactless points. You need to touch the ticket to the points in the ticket office, not the ones down on the platform.
The ticket machines are a little baffling, so I always buy the tickets from a counter with a real person to talk to.
Frequent, easy-to-use, clearly marked stops, faster than walking, and you can get a good view of the city. Trams are the easiest way to get around besides walking.
Leaving Centraal Station, a lot of people will walk straight ahead down Damrak. There are a lot of over-priced tourist traps here. Lots of unhygienic restaurants with no prices on the menu... where people order a greasy burger and end up being stung for €30.
I didn't research it enough to know the airport had a train stop on the airports lower floor, only realised this was the case when we came to leave.0 -
I didn't research it enough to know the airport had a train stop on the airports lower floor, only realised this was the case when we came to leave.
I think most larger European city airports have a station on site or occasionally very close by, certainly common in Germany Switzerland and much of Scandinavia.
The U.K. Is very much poorer in this regard.0 -
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