Amsterdam Off The Beaten Path

We loved the Zaanse Schans. We're in Europe now with to married couples and no kids an we looked for a place for a nice walk. At www.dutcmills.eu we read that you better avoid Zaanse Schans on...

Quite frankly I prefer Haarlem to Amsterdam for two reasons, one from the past: Arts in Haarlem, especially painting, preceded Amsterdam and Haarlem was often at the top of arts and culture in the...

A small sidestep South to the former Plaatboef at ROZENGRACHT 40; nowadays it's called VELVET MUSIC. Return to the PRINSENGRACHT. You will see the Anne Frank House across the canal and De Westerkerk...

Besides graffitti, statues and sculptures are usually the only form of public art in a city - but not in Amsterdam! I discovered the first truly public and free art gallery is located in the center of...

Many Amsterdammers like to spend a warm summer’s day on the sandy expanses of the North Sea coast. The seaside resorts of Zandvoort and Bloemendaal are very popular, and both can be reached easily by...

Go North to the REMBRANDT PLEIN; through the HALVE MAAN STEEG to the AMSTEL river. At Amstel 100 you'll find AMSTEL ANTIQUES, a shop half filled with records. The owner is selling records on Saturdays...

I am not sure what I am supposed to comment! This is a topic with room for debate. I will therefore look at it from a tourist perspective. Generally as a tourist, we look for something different to...

I went in February, and it was still fun! Cold enough that they had a huge ice house set up you could walk through, and a miniature to match the rest of this fun park----most in 1:25 scale. The Dutch...

The park was somewhat a deception because there were nearly no flowers although it was begin May and in the country, from my train, I had seen many huge fields with flowers, late tulips and other...

Marken is a former island, that is now connected to the mainland by a dam. It is a small fishermen's town with characteristic wooden houses. Other people already wrote interesting tips about Marken....

“Guarded within the old red wall’s embrace, Marshalled like soldiers in gay company, The tulips stand arrayed. Here infantry Wheels out into the sunlight. What bold grace Sets off their tunics, white...

A beautiful town which still retains much of its "fishing village" past, although it now relies on the tourist trade and the shops, restaurants and cafes focus on satisfying the demands of the 21st...

Riekermolen is to the south of Amsterdam... there is no direction placards to it but if you are walking alongside Amstel river from Martin Luther King Park to Amstel Park anyone will tell you how to...

A few km from A`dam is Muiden. Nice typical village with the river and boats all along. On its edge you find this castle now, after many years, open to the public. April up to and including October:...

Molen De Gooyer is (I think) the last surviving windmill in Amsterdam. It is an extremely impressive sight, though you can only view it from the outside. It dates from the early 1700's and was...

I take pictures of these kinds of creations in every city I visit. This one is a huge snake at the façade of whole building. It was colorful and attractive, although I haven't noticed it since I...

Always try to go attended to the most famous city of the Netherlands, ..no need to suggest to take nice walks along roadsides. Lovely view of the main capital , just not as bad as it seems . The...

The Dappermarkt in the eastern part of Amsterdam was chosen as 'Best market of The Netherlands' in 2006. It's a good place to see the different cultures of the city side by side. There are Dutch,...

In the weekends a ferryboat connects the North bank of the Nieuwe Meer (Oude Haagseweg near McDonald´s and the beaches) with the South bank (close to the pancake restaurant Boerderij Meerzicht, see my...

If you are looking to spend a day outside Amsterdam to see Dutch landscape and traditional villages, probably the best choice is to take a trip to villages Edam, Volendam and Marken. All of them are...

A note: If you are looking for RECORD MANIA, that used to be in the Jordaan area at Hartenstraat 9, you have to go to the Ferdinand Bolstraat 30 instead (Beyond Heineken Experience). Record Mania is a...

A city like AMS with its big and famous red light district must have a "sex musem" as well, I guess. There is also an "Erotic museum" right in the red light zone, but we didn´t visit that. The sex...

I always look for things I like to do (go to fleamarkets, visit secret shows, eat with the locals) so I spend hours scouring the net. In Amsterdam, now you don't have to. The best kept secret for...

This may not be much 'off' the beaten path, as Holland is known for its diamond trade, but visit a diamond house - many of them offer tours and demonstrations of polishing & cutting. Some will require...

We used the hydrofoil to connect with the DFDS ferry to Newcastle @ 5 euros each. You can avoid the main canal road & head under the bridge half right in front of the ferry. The walk into Ijmuiden...