Amsterdam On A Budget

peachyprice

Savvy_Sue said:

peachyprice said:

Boltonlass said:

Martin says in his latest newsletter that the card machines for  from train travel from the airport to the city do not accept foreign credit cards. Is this correct, I have never read that before and I am visiting in April?

No, its not.  I think the newsletter says you can't use foreign cards online?
Main line ticket machines take all foreign cards, Metro machines don't take Amex, but do take other foreign cards. 

Why would you use an Amex card abroad though??? 

I travel for business,  I claim  expenses and it helps to keep all my business travel in one place, plus I get Avios on my BA Amex 

Toni'sfriend

Savvy_Sue said:

ToxicWomble said:

Can recommend Zaanse Schans if you are looking for a more “Dutch” experience.
Its a short train ride or bus journey from Amsterdam and is free to get Into and walk around. Some parts are charged a small fee for entry.

I suspect you'll either love or hate Zaanse Schans: it's very 'heritage'-centred. 

My recommendation would be to visit the Tony's Chocolonely store near Central Station. You can find out all about them, AND sample all their different flavours, even design your own if you've got the time. 

I second the chocolate shop. Also the American Bar near the Liedseplien. Not particularly cheap but a lovely cafe/bar for a drink. t'smalle in the Jordaan for the best Dutch pea soup.

tfishell

Amsterdam is pricey - especially on weekends when half of Europe makes it their town to party in. You might check Mercure and Ibis hotels which are reasonable.

Savvy_Sue

Another warning: everyone warns you about the bikes. The bikes are mad, they say, there's so many of them, you really need to keep your eyes peeled. 

What they fail to mention is that AS WELL AS the bikes, there are small electric cars and small scooters in the bike lanes ... 

We found it best to use the crossing points and wait for the green man. On the main roads it could take a while to cross a bike lane, a car lane, a tram lane and then repeat in reverse order to finally get to the other side, but often seemed like the best idea!

Sharon87

I've just booked Amsterdam for September. We're staying at one of the Ibis's in central, it was £515 for 3 nights for 1 room with 2 people sharing from Saturday to Tuesday, Friday to Monday was even more! A lot of money, but at least I had some free hotels.com nights to bring the cost down!
I was a bit shocked at the price of the museums! 

I do want to go to the Cheese museum/shop - has anyone been there?

Toni'sfriend

I haven't been to the cheese museum but if you want to buy cheese I would recommend that you buy it in one the Albert Heijn supermarkets rather than the cheese shops which are lovely but very expensive.

John_

peachyprice said:

Shame about the museums, they cost a fortune!  €15-20 per person, outrageous compared to UK prices for proper museums. 

You can get a museum card and get in for much less. I think though, given your post, that they won’t really be your thing, and you’ll do better finding an English pub.

peachyprice

John_ said:

peachyprice said:

Shame about the museums, they cost a fortune!  €15-20 per person, outrageous compared to UK prices for proper museums. 

You can get a museum card and get in for much less. I think though, given your post, that they won’t really be your thing, and you’ll do better finding an English pub.

How on earth would you come to that conclusion? 
Because I don't particularly like Amsterdam and think their museums are expensive I would prefer an English pub?  What an idiotic thing to say, especially when I've also posted that I prefer Haarlem due to it's lack of tacky tourism.

And a museum card is no use if you just have a day to kill and fancy a trip to a museum, you wouldn't get your money's worth unless you rushed through a few, which isn't they way I like to visit museums. 

Toni'sfriend

To be honest I would only go to a museum/art gallery if there was something I was particularly interested in. Just a personal point of view.

As far as Amsterdam is concerned cheap things to to do? A walk in the beautiful Vondel Park, a walk around the canals of the Jordaan, stopping in at the Brown cafes for a drink.  Some of the lovely churches? 
If your're staying at the IBIS at the central station or the IBIS Styles just down the road they are really central and comfortable. Could I recommend going for a drink at Blau Parade in the  Hotel Die Port van Cleve. There is a stunning Delft Tile frieze in the bar. It's only just down the road And if you would like a toastie in a friendly bar the Cafe de Ster

Amsterdam can be as expensive or as cheap as you want Just have a wander