Amsterdam (NL)
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the famous garden is vondelpark… near Hard Rock Cafe, Leidseplein area. if you walk through this garden, you will find the famous museum; Rijksmuseum (Rembrandt's) and Van Gogh.
you should go to 9streets area (http://www.theninestreets.com/), some good shops are located there (RW amsterdam, Lee Amsterdam, Spoiled, Carhartt, Tenue de Nimes etc etc…) and also nice cafes and restaurants.
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Mank…. i think what your wife means is KEUKENHOF (http://www.keukenhof.nl/nl/287/keukenhof-2012-open-for-public.html), the tulips garden. it's not in Amsterdam.
let me know when you guys coming, maybe i can join as well….
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This is from memory, as I haven't been to Amsterdam for over a year and a half.
Good places to eat:
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Beurs van Berlage Café, just off Beursplein in the centre. It's only open for lunch.
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Burgermeester - probably the best burgers in Amsterdam.
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Burger Bar - Kolksteeg (off Nieuwendijk), Reguliersbreestreet, and Warmoestraat. They're more or less a hole in the wall, but far, far better than the chains.
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Van Puffelen - restaurant to the west of the centre.
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Eat Mode - Asian fusion food in China Town.
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Vlaamse Friteshuis - on Voetboogstraat, just around the corner from the shopping mall at the bottom of Kalverstraat. Probably the best chips in Amsterdam.
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Pannenkoekenhuis "Upstairs" - Grimburgwal, does a range of very good pancakes.
If you like chocolate, keep an eye open for Leonidas, and Australian (who also sell very good ice cream). The Netherlands has Belgium next door, so you get the good stuff there. In fact, even the Albert Heijn (equivalent of Sainsbury's) own brand is superior to what Cadburys churns out in the UK.
I don't know the pubs in Amsterdam, but De Bierkoning on Paleisstraat stocks an enormous range of Belgian, Dutch, German, Russian, and pretty much anyone else you can think of.
Aside from the Nine Streets, take a look down PC Hooftstraat. That's where the expensive, designer shops can be found.
If you're into more formal wear, Society sometimes produce interesting pieces.
Nesoptiek on Grimburgwal have a fantastic range of spectacles.
For the bikers, De Leertent on Sarphatistraat stock various lids and leathers.
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Forgot to mention the Denham store on Prinsengracht. Prices vary across the range, but some of the more expensive models are made of Japanese denim, and sometimes even sewn there too.
Half day closing in the Netherlands tends to be on a Monday. So bear that in mind if you're making plans.
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@Lenn.DC4:
Tenue de Nimes at the Elandsgracht is one of the best denim shops in Europe. Fun place to hang out, friendly people. They sell IH
I was there last week. Nice shop, but they did not sell IH any more!
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There's an amazing Thai restaurant, Klaas Compaen, in the Centrum, not too far from all the er fun er stuff. The door looks like the place was made for hobbits. The food is sublime.
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anybody has a recommendation where to stay a couple of nights? looking for a cool hotel. a small hotel with great vibes and where the people are cool and easy to deal with. don´t need breakfast, since i think it´s better to grab something in the city than in a hotel.
thinking about visiting the city in a month or two.
thanks a ton in advance.
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I usually stay at this place, http://avenue-hotel.nl/ breakfast is included last time i was there. The good thing is it's within walking distance of the train station, and this bar is right round the corner, http://www.indewildeman.nl/index.php?lang=en
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Stayed at Citizen M last month, would definitely recommend
Staff are friendly and it's pretty reasonable.
It's not that central but is really easy to get to from the airport and is right on a tram line so getting into the centre only takes about 15 minsAlso if you like apple pie Winkel 43 is fantastic
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thanks a ton for your recommendations guys @jonesy4885 @Isogorth but in the end, we went with Airbnb…so a "normal" apartment is where we're staying. should be fun, since it's going to be the first time we're using it ^^
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I took my girlfriend to Amsterdam last year (She had played Miep in her Am-Dram production of Ann Frank) so we went off to Ann franks house following this. I saw a totally different side to Amsterdam, I had only ever seen the coffee houses and red light district as a youth
Such a lovely place and somewhere we went for dinner was 'Ron Gastrobar', pretty cool place and decent food.
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Enjoy Amsterdam!
@Aetas I've booked into the Hotel Museumzicht. Never stayed at the Flying Pig.
Sure you won't chose the Flying
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(Only a Seul sideline)Was there the last week.
Eurocrazybikecity…. but this is only one face of Europe's cities!
Post a pic @Graeme if you like it in Amsterdam.
Regards -
The IJ-Hallen in North Amsterdam is the biggest flea market in Europe. I haven't been in, but the building is worth seeing from the outside.
Nearby to the IJ-Hallen is Biker Outfit, who're a major stockist for Rev'it, and other gear. They ship worldwide, and are good to deal with. I'm planning on ordering a jacket off them in the next week or two.
The Vlaams Friteshuis Vlemickx on Voetboogstraat does the best chips in Amsterdam. @Seul will complain that I'm a heathen, eating them without mayonnaise!
Other places to eat in Amsterdam are Burgerfabriek on Warmoesstraat, Burgermeester, which I didn't visit this time, and Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs on Grimburgwal.
Opposite Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs is Nes Optiek, which is a fantastic opticians. They have a lot of obscure, and frequently quirky frames in stock.
I ate at Eat Mode, which I used to like, but I think that they were a bit better in the past.
Ganache Amsterdam, which is a shop in De Oude Kerk in the centre of the Red Light District, does exceedingly good chocolate.
Denham Denim have a few shops around the city. Their products vary in quality from generic G-Star, through to decent raw, selvedge gear. They don't just stick to a five pocket pattern, which is something that really appeals. This is a pair of the carrot (I think) style.
They also produce other goods, such as these chairs in an indigo-dyed camel leather.
I like their Prinsengracht store best, though their Hobbemastraat, just around the corner from PC Hooftstraat, is supposed to be the flagship.
Tenue de Nîmes has two stores in central Amsterdam, on Haarlemmerstraat and Elandsgracht. They're the best denim shops in town, although they carry a narrower range of Japanese brands than somewhere like Rivet and Hide. Their own-brand and collaboration products are great, typically having tonal stitching.
They also run Red Wing Amsterdam on Reestraat, which is worth a visit.
For high-end fashion, PC Hooftstraat is probably your destination of choice. The Chanel boutique is worth a look for the fantastic, glass brick facade.
Also on PC Hooftstraat is the Tourbillon boutique, which stocks the Swatch group's brands. In fact, there are several watch shops along this street.
Bever are the main chain of outdoor shops in the Netherlands. The best one to visit is at Gelderlandplein, in the south of Amsterdam. There's another on Stadhouderskade in the centre, with a women's store around the corner on Overtoom.
Their biggest shop is actually in The Hague, just behind Den Haag HS station.
If you're a fan of Fjallraven, their flagship store is on Rozengracht. I found it shortly before closing time, but it's definitely worth a look.
Lastly, 360volt on Prinsengracht is an Aladdin's cave of vintage and industrial light fittings. They're not cheap, but their products are very, very cool.
