What to see with limited time in Amsterdam?

[cruzky]

Our port time in Amsterdam will be on Sunday from 8:30a.m. - 2:00p.m. Anyone have any suggestions what to do in the short amount of time we have? We're not interested in museums. Does anyone have any idea what time the HoHo canal cruises run and shops open? Is the Heineken experience open on Sunday?

 

Thanks

Roseanna

[Ine]

Our port time in Amsterdam will be on Sunday from 8:30a.m. - 2:00p.m. Anyone have any suggestions what to do in the short amount of time we have? We're not interested in museums. Does anyone have any idea what time the HoHo canal cruises run and shops open? Is the Heineken experience open on Sunday?

 

Thanks

Roseanna

 

Yes Heineken Experience is op on Sundays from 10.00 am till 6pm.Most shops in city-center are also open on Sundays, some from 10.00am others around noon.

Check this site for info regarding the HoHoships, you can check the timetable.

http://www.canal.nl/en/product.php?pr_id=81&theme_id=3

 

This site from the tourist office gives you also much information:

http://www.vvvamsterdam.nl/

[cruzky]

Thanks for the response

Roseanna

[Wilbo]

Take a trip through the canal system. Very interesting and enjoyable.

You can see most of the major sites this way.

the train station has been restored, the gold leaf on the exterior will amaze you.

The royal residence is across from the train station.

the famous Red Light area is only a couple of blocks away. It is a fact, More tourists visit this area than customers.

Have a great trip.

[cruzky]

Thanks for the info

Roseanna

[thehen]

Well, neighbor, we just returned from our Baltic tour, and the canal boats run from 10 am to about 9 pm. You can get your tickets online, and redeem your voucher at any ticket office. The only major wait we had, was the Ann Frank house. This was a great experience, and I believe that you can book this ticket online also. With this option, I believe that you can walk in without waiting in the line. You must try the local pancakes while you're there, and the best place to do this is just down the street from Ann Frank - the pancake bakery. The Red light district is interesting, and is worth a walk through. We did a 'tour', and got a lot of interesting info from our guide. Be aware of the coffee shops (no coffee available) and the cafes (here's where you buy your coffee). It's a great city, very walkable and scenic, but with your limited time, hop on the canal boats and see most of the sights from the water.

 

elaine

[thehen]

Here's another thought. We hired a private guide to pick us up at our hotel in Amsterdam, and drive us through the countryside to the pier in Rotterdam stopping along the way for sightseeing. This was a wonderful tour. I do know that Wynand can do day or half/day tours in Amsterdam, and might put together an itinerary for your group that would be most efficient and economical. He is very flexible, and prompt. Check out his webpage at http://www.privatehollandtravel.com if this sounds like it might work for you.

 

elaine

[Ine]

Check maps B4 and B5 of these maps, you will see it is all close together.

http://www.amsterdam.info/print/map/

For just a few hours it is hardly worth for hire a guide, public transport is o.k., many sites are walking distance from eachother. And of course you can take the HoHo canalboat, or make a "ordinary" canalboatride etc..

[Host CJSKIDS]

We did the Anne Frank house first thing in the am and the line was very short, we noticed as we left that the line had gotten much longer. It was great and something that I wouldn't have missed.

[Ine]

You can make reservations on-line for Ann Frank house, so you can avoid possible waitinglines.

http://www.annefrank.org/content.asp?pid=1&lid=1&setlanguage=2

[cruzky]

Thanks for the info neighbor. What part of Louisville do you live in? We live in the Westport/Hurstbourne corridor. We are doing the Baltic in May and have a very short stop in Amsterdam. Wish we were spending more time there.

 

Thanks to all

 

Roseanna

[Amaranthine33]

Our port time in Amsterdam will be on Sunday from 8:30a.m. - 2:00p.m. Anyone have any suggestions what to do in the short amount of time we have? We're not interested in museums. Does anyone have any idea what time the HoHo canal cruises run and shops open? Is the Heineken experience open on Sunday?

 

Thanks

Roseanna

 

You can walk around the Red Light District, visit some "coffee" shops and experience their product (but don't bring it back to you on the ship!). I also suggest Ann Frank's house. The Heineken experience was also a highlight of my visit. All I remember was going to the tour at 9am and walking out at 11:30 a.m. completely drunk. I don't know if they're still freely serving pints since I was there 10 years ago, but as a 22 year old, I had the time of my life in Amsterdam!

[RenieRaider]

Check maps B4 and B5 of these maps, you will see it is all close together.

http://www.amsterdam.info/print/map/

For just a few hours it is hardly worth for hire a guide, public transport is o.k., many sites are walking distance from eachother. And of course you can take the HoHo canalboat, or make a "ordinary" canalboatride etc..

 

What's the difference between a HOHO Canal Boat and ordinary canalboatride?

Same places visited? How often can you HOHO???

 

Thanks for the great info!

[Ine]

What's the difference between a HOHO Canal Boat and ordinary canalboatride?

Same places visited? How often can you HOHO???

 

Thanks for the great info!

 

On the ordinary canalride, you make a roundtrip without stops.It usually lasts about 1 hour. There is a guide or a "taped" guide that explains all where you are going.

As an example check this website:http://www.rederijkooij.nl/index_en.html

 

The Ho-Ho gets around according a certain schedule and you can get on and off and take the next ship to continue. In one of the postings above I gave that website already.

[thehen]

Roseanna,

 

Actually, we live just down the road from you in White Blossom ......small world, isn't it? Amsterdam is such a great city, but you can get decidedly different views if you only visit one section of it. We stayed near Leidseplein which is close to the museums and restaurants, shopping scene and flower market. If I had stayed near Damrak square, I'd have a much different perspective of the city. So, my suggestion is to get on the canal boat and jump off by Ann Frank house early in the day. After that, hop back on the boat and tour the city by water. Time permitting, walk through the 'red light district' - so you can say you did. In such a short time, you'll have little opportunity to visit much else.

 

elaine

[lmrumley]

We have booked the same guide for an extra addon day in April,2008 and are very excited about the whole experience. Sounds like he is very flexible and will cater to your own personal agenda.

[roysmith99]

Hi folks,

 

I have had the pleasure of visiting Amsterdam four or five times each year for the last ten years and, last year my wife and I met some Canadian friends their to be their guides.

 

If I may suggest the following:

 

Avoid the hop on hop off canal boats if your time is limited. The reason is that they are not very frequent and when cruise ships are in port they are often full. You may have to wait for 30 mins or an hour for the next. Don't get me wrong they are excellent if you have lots of time and no deadlines.

 

I'd always purchase a day ticket for the trams. The number 25 leaves right outside the terminal, then change as necessary to get anywhere in the city in minutes. I'd suggest taking the 25 to the Dam or Munt Plein from where you can easily access the main sights; Rembrant Square, Floating Flower Market, Begijnhof and the Leidsestraat (a main shopping street) leading to the Leidseplein and towards the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Coster Diamond factory.

 

The Anne Frank house is well worth the visit but you need to try to avoid the queues, if you get there and find a 90 minute wait you will have wasted a lot of your day. It can be reached via tram 13 or 17 from the Centraal Station or from Tram 14 from the Dam.

 

As for the Red Light District, it's also accessible from the Dam or Munt Plein and it is interesting to walk back to the ship from wither of these places, via the RLD and the Oosterdock - but be aware of the swing bridge across the dock that can cause a delay in your walk.

 

.

[pcur]

Hi folks,

 

I have had the pleasure of visiting Amsterdam four or five times each year for the last ten years and, last year my wife and I met some Canadian friends their to be their guides.

 

If I may suggest the following:

 

Avoid the hop on hop off canal boats if your time is limited. The reason is that they are not very frequent and when cruise ships are in port they are often full. You may have to wait for 30 mins or an hour for the next. Don't get me wrong they are excellent if you have lots of time and no deadlines.

 

I'd always purchase a day ticket for the trams. The number 25 leaves right outside the terminal, then change as necessary to get anywhere in the city in minutes. I'd suggest taking the 25 to the Dam or Munt Plein from where you can easily access the main sights; Rembrant Square, Floating Flower Market, Begijnhof and the Leidsestraat (a main shopping street) leading to the Leidseplein and towards the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Coster Diamond factory.

 

The Anne Frank house is well worth the visit but you need to try to avoid the queues, if you get there and find a 90 minute wait you will have wasted a lot of your day. It can be reached via tram 13 or 17 from the Centraal Station or from Tram 14 from the Dam.

 

As for the Red Light District, it's also accessible from the Dam or Munt Plein and it is interesting to walk back to the ship from wither of these places, via the RLD and the Oosterdock - but be aware of the swing bridge across the dock that can cause a delay in your walk.

 

.

 

I don't completely agree. If you buy your ticket online, and you download the canal routes, you can walk to some of the sites near the pier, and then hop the HOHO at a different location. We used it and you really can see more this way without trying to navigate trams and buses. You also get the narration so you know what you're looking at.

 

Here's what I suggest to get your bearings before you arrive:

 

Buy a laminated pop-up map of Amsterdam (Barnes and Nobles or Borders for $8). The canal routes are shown on the maps, as well as all the other sites.

 

Email me at pcurri at yahoo dot com. I have the maps, schedules, and even Hlitner's wonderful picture of the dock area showing the walk to the Central Train Station! The picture makes things look a lot more industrial than they really are, and our ship, the Millie, docked closer.

 

It's about a 15 minute walk to the train station, and you will see on the maps the canal "overpass" right in front of it. The hoho picks up on both sides of the overpass.

 

You can walk to other places or take a bus (pick up in front of the train station), and then catch the hoho at another stop.

 

The pop-up map will show you all of it, and the schedules and hoho routes I can send you will add to that.

 

You can find all of this online, but I don't have the urls, except we bought our tickets online at Viator.com. You probably can find the maps and schedules to do your planning there instead of emailing me. Your choice.

 

We walked down, got on the hoho, got off a few places, got off again near the red light district, and walked the 30 minutes from there back to the ship. We didn't do any museums, because we wanted to see the whole city instead.

 

I agree about pre-buying for the Anne Frank house, and if you do any museums, I'd pick one and give it most of your time, skipping the rest of the touring.

 

We were there in April and the weather was quite nice, by the way.

[swisskris]

My husband is from near Amsterdam and we go back 4 times yr....so I like to think I'm a bit of an expert ;)

 

The HOHO in AMS is not worth the money so I personally wouldn't recommend it.

 

With just 6 hrs give or take I would not suggest visiting any museums which is a shame b/c the Van Gogh and Rijks are both amazing. You'd need atleast 1/2 day just for the Rijks.

 

I strongly suggest you visit the Anne Frank house, the lines will be long so make it your first stop. You may have to wait up to 40 min in line it is really worth it.

 

I would also suggest doing a canal tour, just not the HOHO. There are different ones you can do but the 75 min tour is best b/c you get to see a lot of the city.

 

If you still have some time then visit the Heineken Brewery Museum b/c it is a lot of fun and you get a souvenir glass and tin plus 2 free beers :D

 

Check out the Leidseplein as there is some beautiful architecture. Also the Dam area that is where the Royal Palace is.