Amsterdam & The Netherlands Tourist Info

[SE6Ajacied]

Well it's not very cool as such but for an authentic Amsterdam experience he could do worse than visitng the Albert Cuypmarkt streetmarket. A more trendy option would be the Waterlooplein fleamarket. Both of these are a must visit whenever I'm in Amsterdam.

A good record shop (Ko can no doubt confirm) is Concerto Records at 52 Utrectsestraat near the Rembrandtplein.

Volendam is also very nice but I'd recommend coming home in the daylight (SPL you have an amazing memory lol).

Just going for a random walk around the canals in Jordaan or maybe De Pijp is also great, especially say on a Sunday morning where it's eerily quiet and deserted.

[ajaxusa]

And do I remember correctly that there's a nice open-air market in the Jordaan on Sat or Sun morning? I thought that was really nice.

OK, now I need more practical advice:

Best pancake house
Best brewery/beer hall (what's the one in the windmill called?)
Best (cheap) restaurants (I like Wagamama, but it's hardly Dutch)

Thanks in advance!

[Jinne]

And do I remember correctly that there's a nice open-air market in the Jordaan on Sat or Sun morning? I thought that was really nice.

OK, now I need more practical advice:

Best pancake house
Best brewery/beer hall (what's the one in the windmill called?)
Best (cheap) restaurants (I like Wagamama, but it's hardly Dutch)

Thanks in advance!

The market is the Noordermarkt and is on saturday. It's indeed a nice market.

Brewery you mean must be Het IJ.

[ajaxusa]

Het Ij, yes that's it. Thanks!

[SE6Ajacied]

The market is the Noordermarkt and is on saturday. It's indeed a nice market.

Perhaps it's just me but I prefer the Monday morning version of Noordermarkt (does it still open??). Fleamarket witha whole load of junk for sale but some wonderful bargains if you don't mind rummaging through the tat. I didn't even know there was a Saturday version.....

[Kowalczyk]

The Noordermarkt market on Saturday morning is actually two markets, kind of. One half of the square is an eco/biological food market, which is really nice. The other half of the square is a fleamarket with loads of used books and records and stuff. The combination of the two is really nice: some crate-digging first, followed by an ecological/biological bite to eat. Also: on the corner of Noordermarkt is a café called Winkel, which has the best home made apple pie in town. Great for a Saturday morning. The Noordermarkt/Westerstraat area is very nice place to go on Saturday morning. Laidback.

Best pancake house... Try this one: http://www.pancake.nl/ 17th century building, beautiful location (Prinsengracht, right by Anne Frank's house and the Westermarkt church tower) and good pancakes, too.

Best beer brewery: 't IJ. Nice and low-key. Authentic place. Don't go for the Heineken thing. That was once nice enough, but it was turned into a very flashy overpriced tourist trap called the 'Heineken Experience'. It's a load of bollocks and a waste of money.

Best cheap restaurants... Hmm. There's many. Many shit ones, too. I'll think about it and come up with a few recommendations...

K.

[ajaxusa]

Excellent, thanks!

[ajaxusa]

Also, I started a map: Suggestions please!

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... d&t=h&z=14

[Philippe]

Does anyone know the dates for this year's Uitmarkt ?

[Over Pasanens Head]

Our favourite is:

http://www.haesjeclaes.nl/?language=en_EN

Also highly recommended is 1st Klasse on Platform 2 @ Amsterdam Central station

Always remembering Van Dobens of course for a great Amsterdam experience

[Ride]

Also, I started a map: Suggestions please!

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... d&t=h&z=14

Akkerstraat 32, Amsterdam

http://wikimapia.org/8584554/nl/Geboort ... an-Cruijff

[ajaxusa]

Akkerstraat 32, Amsterdam

Indeed. :-)

In fact, if I can find it in my dead-letter files, I'm going to recreate the (not quite still) famous Ajax USA History Tour of Amsterdam, which I still consider the crowning achievement in the history of our defunct little club. Surely Ko's masterwork.

[Amol]

This is such great stuff. Me and the wife were planning on coming to Amsterdam this Aug/Sept and I was thinking of posting questions here. But we're collecting so much good stuff already.

Thanks a lot all of you.

[PabloDiablo]

I have not posted on Ajaxtalk for years - in fact, I'm surprised that my username and password still work! Sorry for not coming back and posting again. I originally signed up right before I made the Ajax USA trip (in 2006) and was fortunate enough to have been along for the Ajax History Tour. I have great memories from that trip. I also had some great pictures, but unfortunately I learned a very valuable lesson about backing up my computer.

Much thanks to Jim and Menno for putting all of that together - I was sad to learn that you're not doing that any more. The tour really was top notch - I would have gladly paid. Too bad you guys didn't ask.

I'll be bringing my sons with me April 24th for the Ajax - Excelsior match and I am looking forward to retracing some of the steps that we took on that tour. Thanks so much for all of the great information that you have all provided in this thread.

[SPL]

Just to post a few comments on my weekend in general here. I stayed with my cousin about 15 miles out of the city but the local train took 25 mins to the Central station so in the end there was no problem . I have come back probably healthier as they are vegetarians and great cyclists. 45 mins after I arrived I cycled for 75 min , 12 miles of cycling . Not bad for a 60 year old. The same distance the next night but did not see Bergkamp who lives in Blaricum , the next village to where my cousin lives. And for good measure I had 2 hours of cycling yesterday before coming home in the evening.

Being retired they stay up to 3 am every night drinking red wine, he has 300 bottles in his cellar.I was a bit shattered when I got home. I did manage to see a bit of Amsterdam both on Saturday before heading for de Toekomst and spent an hour walking around on Sunday before meeting up with Menno. The city has not changed a bit but the outskirts are now all tall buildings just like any modern city .

I would have to say I was on a complete high from the minute I arrived until I left , and no I did not smoke any wacky backy!! i will return next spring and intend to visit and watch Ajax every year from now on .

[ajaxusa]

I'm in the process of incorporating all your feedback into my map and related blog post:

http://stillworkingonthat.blogspot.com/ ... erdam.html

Keep the good suggestions coming, and I'll keep updating the map and blog.

[arizonaajax]

very cool thread!

[arizonaajax]

will definitely have questions and comments to add to this thread as we get closer to October when I hope to attend my first live Ajax match.

[AjaxSeattle]

This is my first post on the forum but I am not a stranger to Ajax-USA as I joined the group on the trip to Amsterdam in February of 2002 and what a trip it was. We went to 2 games, attended a practice, toured the Arena and of course the history tour. And I met some great people, Jim, Menno, Ben, Ray and others who have this passion for Ajax as I do. In my case, it was my family in Holland who have that same passion who turned me into a Ajax fan when I made a trip to Holland in 1995.

I went to a game at Demeer with my cousin in 1995 who is a season ticket holder and over the years in follow up trips, I have been to other games at the Arena besides the ones in 2002 with Ajax-USA. One game that stands out was the one on the Sunday following 9/11 as I was in Holland when that happened. I went to the game with my cousin and the support of the Ajax fans that afternoon for the USA was unbelievable with the many signs and American flags throughout the Arena. Before the game, there were several minutes of silence in remembrance of the victims and you could hear a pin drop in the Arena. Never have 50,000 people been that silent.

I have heard some talk about a possible reunion of Ajax-USA in Amsterdam sometime in the future and if that happens, I am ready to join the crowd.

[arizonaajax]

The Noordermarkt market on Saturday morning is actually two markets, kind of. One half of the square is an eco/biological food market, which is really nice. The other half of the square is a fleamarket with loads of used books and records and stuff. The combination of the two is really nice: some crate-digging first, followed by an ecological/biological bite to eat. Also: on the corner of Noordermarkt is a café called Winkel, which has the best home made apple pie in town. Great for a Saturday morning. The Noordermarkt/Westerstraat area is very nice place to go on Saturday morning. Laidback.

Best pancake house... Try this one: http://www.pancake.nl/ 17th century building, beautiful location (Prinsengracht, right by Anne Frank's house and the Westermarkt church tower) and good pancakes, too.

Best beer brewery: 't IJ. Nice and low-key. Authentic place. Don't go for the Heineken thing. That was once nice enough, but it was turned into a very flashy overpriced tourist trap called the 'Heineken Experience'. It's a load of bollocks and a waste of money.

Best cheap restaurants... Hmm. There's many. Many shit ones, too. I'll think about it and come up with a few recommendations...

K.

I am definitely going to have to remember that pancake place when I head over on any future Amsterdam trip.

[Kowalczyk]

Nice one, this...

10 Things You May Have Thought Were American, But Really Are Dutch!

K.

[Tom_]

But the only good things on that list are Rutger Hauer and WiFi...

[Orange14]

Pretty dumb to attribute Ben & Jerry's to Unilever.

[Kowalczyk]

But the only good things on that list are Rutger Hauer and WiFi...

And Golden Earring!

K.

[martinkohout]

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I'm reading and thus far enjoying Russell Shorto's new book, Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City. Anybody else out there read it already?