Amsterdam Recommendations

Amsterdam is a fantastic city with as much variety packed into its compact boundaries as one might expect from one of the most progressive societies in the world. It has first-class museums with some of the world’s greatest works of art (Van Gogh, Rembrandt) as well as the inspiring former home of Anne Frank where she hid out with her family during World War II.

There’s also the infamous, but intriguing red light district and the host of coffee shops (i.e. smoke shops) that abound around the city. But, Amsterdam might be at it’s best just wandering around it’s ubiquitous canals and myriad of parks or just admiring the scenic city from a sidewalk seat at one of it’s plentiful cafes.

The following were my favorite parts of Amsterdam:

• Anne Frank’s House/Museum - the museum is the actual house where Anne Frank and her family and a handful of others hid out for two years towards the end of World War II. Walking through the same rooms where the family sequestered themselves from the outside world is inspiring, yet a bit depressing knowing the ultimate fate of those who were in hiding. It’s a can’t miss museum for any visit to Amsterdam.
• Van Gogh’s Museum - an interesting look at the artist’s chaotic, productive and fairly short life mostly through his own works. It’s also compact enough not to bore someone who struggles to grasp art’s intricacies, like myself.
• Rembrandt House - another museum built into the house where the person lived. You can see the rooms where Rembrandt developed many of his works while he lived in Amsterdam.
• Red Light District - actually a must-see for a visit to Amsterdam. It’s a slightly surreal atmosphere with almost more tour groups walking through to catch a glimpse of the out-in-the-open action than actual patrons. It’s hard to even call the area seedy as it resembles any other Amsterdam neighborhood, especially during the day, with a few surprises in the windows. It gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘window shopping’.
• Prinsengracht Canal - the outermost of the main canals that encircle Amsterdam and also one of the most picturesque. A great place to walk or admire the upscale homes along the pleasant canal from one of the many corner cafes in the area.
• Vondel Park - the city’s large main park with well manicured grounds and plenty of walking and biking trails along the ponds and park lands.
• Sarphati Park - a great neighborhood park about five minutes walk from Prinsengracht canal and surrounded by a nice upscale neighborhood. The park is good sized with a small creek and pond winding through it. A lot of the neighbors walk their dogs there each afternoon or just relax in the sun with friends.
• Aalborg Hotel - a nice budget hotel just outside the canals, but still well inside the city. It’s been renovated recently, has a friendly staff and prices were well in the budget area despite the upscale décor of the rooms, although the single rooms can be shoe boxes…but pleasant ones at that. It’s across the street from Sarphati Park, a couple blocks from a daily outdoor market and plenty of restaurants as well as next to a main tram stop that runs into the rest of the central city in 5-10 minutes.