Just book them when you get there Graham. There are at least 2 offices on Rokin, station end, opposite the canal boat quays

As promised, here is my tour report from our 4 night trip in June:

The Journey

We flew from East Midlands to Amsterdam with Flybe. The flight was on time on the way out, but we had a 1½ hour delay on the way back, although this wasn’t too bad as it meant we ended up qualifying for two £60 vouchers to put towards some other flights. When we arrived in Amsterdam, we decided to get the train direct to Centraal Station as this seemed like the easiest thing to do. It actually turned out to be more complicated that we expected though, as most of the ticket machines only accept cards (tickets are €4 each way with an extra charge for paying by Visa/Mastercard) and we wanted to pay by cash. We then had trouble working out which train to get, as all of them were passing through Centraal to go to other destinations so were shown under the main destination. We also couldn’t work out if we were supposed to validate our tickets or not (you don’t). As you might expect, it turned out that the best thing to do was just to ask at the Information Desk, but I do think that they could have provided some information boards as well.

The Apartment (http://www.damsquarebnb.com/dam-square-apartment.html)

We found this apartment on Trip Advisor and thought it had a good price and location for a first time visit. Kevin, the owner, was very prompt and helpful in replying to emails and payment of the deposit was easy. The apartment is just across the road from Dam Square and only 2 tram stops from Centraal Station, or a 10 minute walk. As mentioned by other reviewers, this is a historic building with some quite steep stairs, but Kevin helped us get our bag up and down and we soon got used to them. The apartment comprises of a living/dining area with a kitchenette, a bathroom and a separate bedroom. We found it a bit cramped, but it was manageable for a short break. It would have been nice to have had a bit more storage space and a second mirror though. The kitchenette has a fridge, toaster, kettle, coffee maker, microwave and sink so was ideal for preparing light meals and snacks – the nearest Albert Heijn supermarket is only 2 minutes away and there are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the vicinity as well, including the De Mol snack bar immediately opposite. The location of the apartment was perfect for sightseeing as it is right next to many of the tram routes, but we did have some issues with noise which made it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. All in all, we really did like the apartment, but I think next time we’d go for something in a quieter area, maybe a bit further into the Jordan district. I’d still recommend it as a good place for a first time visit though.

Things to do

Before we went, we had read lots of discussions on the pros and cons of the various transport and tourist pass options – in the end we decided to go all out and get the 72 hour I Amsterdam Card at a cost of €67 each. This gave us unlimited use of GVB public transport and free or discounted entry to various museums and attractions. A 72 hour travel pass costs €16.50 so we needed to visit €50 worth of attractions to make it worth buying and I think we managed around €80 in the end so it was a good purchase. The main places we visited were as follows:

Our Lord in the Attic (Amstelkring) – Lovely old house with a secret in the attic. The audio tour is free and worth listening to as there aren’t many information boards around the house.

Oude Kerk – Nice church on the edge of the Red Light District.

Tropen Museum – An absolutely fascinating museum with lots to see – allow at least half a day.

Blue Boat Cruises – Really good cruise, despite the cheesy commentary. Shame the captain and his friend didn’t stop talking for the whole time we were on there though!

Vondelpark – Nice for a walk but not much to see.

Resistance Museum – More of a war museum to be honest, although they did have a good temporary exhibition on the Holocaust. The audio tour didn’t add much to the written information and it was very cold in there so we didn’t enjoy as much as we might have done.

Botanical Gardens – Small but very lovely, we particularly enjoyed the large greenhouse areas.

Museum Van Loon – An interesting old house but only enough to keep you there for about an hour.

Artis Zoo – Absolutely fantastic zoo – we had to spend the entire day there to fit in everything. We particularly enjoyed the enclosures where you were in with the animals, such as the monkey and butterfly houses.

Begijnhof – Worth a visit if you are passing – not exactly tranquil though thanks to the tour groups!

Restaurants

De Struisvogel (INVALID URL – We picked this restaurant for our first night in Amsterdam as it was relatively near our apartment and the set menu seemed good value. The food turned out to be absolutely lovely and we were completely stuffed – the venison steak was particularly good. The service was also good, but they seemed a bit understaffed towards the end of the night. All in all, a great experience, we would definitely go back.

Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx – An Amsterdam institution and well worth a visit if you are passing.

Eatmosfera (INVALID URL – After a couple of nice, but expensive meals in Amsterdam, it was a relief to come across this place. The service was very quick, the pizzas were very tasty and excellent value for money. The location is also very good – easy to get to but quite quiet. We would definitely go back.

The Pantry (INVALID URL – We were recommended this restaurant by a friend as we wanted to try some traditional Dutch cuisine. We decided to go for the set menus as they looked to be good value, and we were very impressed with the food and the service – I particularly enjoyed the Carpaccio of Beef. The only slight disappointment was that they do not serve tap water and the bottled water was very expensive, but we would still be happy to go back.

Bars

The Cave – A small rock bar on the Prinsengracht. Sadly it was empty when we went and the barman played nothing but Down/Pantera for 2 hours. Apparently it’s busier at weekends and they have bands on.

Rock Planet – Decent sized rock bar on Oudezijds Voorburgwal with interesting décor and a good selection of videos. Recommended.

T’Smalle – Nice Brown café in the Jordaan district

Chris – Apparently the oldest bar in the Jordaan – a nice place for a quiet drink

Gollem – A Belgian bar just off Singel with an amazing range of beers. Recommended.

De Drie Fleschjes – A traditional gin and liquor tasting bar not far from the Dam Square – a free sample was included as part of our I Amsterdam Card benefits.

Cafe Soundgarden – An alternative bar on the west edge of the Jordaan with a canal view terrace. Sadly our visit was spoilt a bit by a group of rowdy guests, but we’d still go back.

Great trip report Corinne

Glad you enjoyed your visit and it sounds as though managed to fit a lot in, thanks for sharing all those great tips.

There was just too many choices of hotels with most having some feature that was perhaps different or better than an other hotel, so I decided on a budget narrowed down the hotels and have finally booked my hotel.

Going to a hotel called The Fita in the Museumplein http://www.hotelfita.com

Thanks for your report Corinne & lots of advice too

Glad you are, at last sorted Graham

Looks like a decent hotel Graham, hope you enjoy yourself