A second walking tour of Amsterdam

I have started to put together a second walking tour of Amsterdam and I would like suggestions about additional attractions, etc. We will be leaving shortly for a trip to Europe and Amsterdam will be part of this. So, I intend to do the walking tour I came up with and should have more input in a couple months.

Meanwhile some of you might have a look at the following http://www.*****.com/amsterdam2.html

Keep in mind that the total length of this walk is less than three miles. So there is plenty of room for some expansion, unless you like to spend extra time at the museums.

Hello. Lair Bear,

This sounds wonderful. I see that you have the Flower Market in your second tour. We probably won't be able to see that while we are in Amsterdam next month due to SAIL but the taxi company said the driver could give us a city tour at some point. It would be nice to see the Market but have no clue what it is near. (I know I could do my research but I am about done in with the research for this trip.)

I am hopeful that we will get back to Amsterdam some time to take your walks. At least we will get a "taste" the short time we are there this time. We are planning on using your walks for Brugge and Tallin. I have them printed out and ready to go in the envelopes for the correct ports.

I also took up your suggestion some place about reading Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place. I had read it years ago and yes, it is a must read if one is to get an understanding of that time in our history.

I did respond to you question about Norway in my roll call. Have a great trip!

Pearl

Hello. Lair Bear,

 

This sounds wonderful. I see that you have the Flower Market in your second tour. We probably won't be able to see that while we are in Amsterdam next month due to SAIL but the taxi company said the driver could give us a city tour at some point. It would be nice to see the Market but have no clue what it is near. (I know I could do my research but I am about done in with the research for this trip.)

 

I am hopeful that we will get back to Amsterdam some time to take your walks. At least we will get a "taste" the short time we are there this time. We are planning on using your walks for Brugge and Tallin. I have them printed out and ready to go in the envelopes for the correct ports.

 

I also took up your suggestion some place about reading Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place. I had read it years ago and yes, it is a must read if one is to get an understanding of that time in our history.

 

I did respond to you question about Norway in my roll call. Have a great trip!

 

Pearl

Thanks Pearl, I am constantly updating the second walking tour as the week goes by. We are leaving this Thursday, so not much time left to pack and organize. But it will be fun to see what I planned for Amsterdam.

We do want to visit Haarlem where Corrie ten Boom lived. Her story is fabulous. It will be one of those train excursions that are so easy to do in the Netherlands.

I know that your tour with Rudy's taxi service will be special because of the 'Sail Amsterdam' affair. In fact I think his service is better priced than other taxis that may be waiting at the pier.

But, like you said, someday . . . .

Have a bottle of wine on me! If you can carry it back to the ship!!!

Very interesting walk in which you have and will put in a lot of time.

Maybe you can advise people too to be prepared that the area around Zeedijk still has some problems with drugs and junkies (less then a few years ago).

Close to it is a small Chinatown area.

Around Oude kerk is a part of the Redlightdistrict, so you might see some ladies in the windows.

For Pearl: Flowermarket is almost next to Munttoren (Minttower - in citycenter), on the market there is no cartraffic. But I am sure your driver can point it out to you.

Both of you, have a great cruise.

Thanks, Ine! I have made a note of this and put it with my volumes to take with us. Again, thank you for all of your help with Amsterdam.

Pearl

Nice job. One place that we really enjoyed near your route was the Willet-Holthuysen Museum on Herengracht, across the Amstel from the Hermitage. As a restored mansion, it offers an opportunity to see what it might have been like to live in one of those imposing canal-side houses in the 17th century.

Also, you might want to add a reference to the dockworker statue in the square next to the Portuguese synagogue. It commemorates a general strike in 1941 to protest the German occupation, and specifically the round-ups of Jews to take them to concentration camps. Holland is one of the few occupied countries where such a protest took place; I always find the statue very moving when I am in Amsterdam.

A final nit to pick - Waterlooplein is a flea market, not a flee market.

Nice job. One place that we really enjoyed near your route was the Willet-Holthuysen Museum on Herengracht, across the Amstel from the Hermitage. As a restored mansion, it offers an opportunity to see what it might have been like to live in one of those imposing canal-side houses in the 17th century.

 

Also, you might want to add a reference to the dockworker statue in the square next to the Portuguese synagogue. It commemorates a general strike in 1941 to protest the German occupation, and specifically the round-ups of Jews to take them to concentration camps. Holland is one of the few occupied countries where such a protest took place; I always find the statue very moving when I am in Amsterdam.

 

A final nit to pick - Waterlooplein is a flea market, not a flee market.

Good points and I will incorporate these in my next draft. There were several miss spellings. I just finished my last effort before heading to the airport. You might want to take another look. I will be out of touch for a few weeks.

Keep more of these kind of suggestions coming, please.

Nice job. One place that we really enjoyed near your route was the Willet-Holthuysen Museum on Herengracht, across the Amstel from the Hermitage. As a restored mansion, it offers an opportunity to see what it might have been like to live in one of those imposing canal-side houses in the 17th century.

I wonder if the museum is still there? Google Maps shows a huge five story building at this location. Although it was a good idea, I have not included this and suggest to walk along the other side of the canal.

I wonder if the museum is still there? Google Maps shows a huge five story building at this location. Although it was a good idea, I have not included this and suggest to walk along the other side of the canal.

As far as I know it is open as usual. This is their website:

http://www.willetholthuysen.nl/

Have a great cruise.

As far as I know it is open as usual. This is their website:

 

http://www.willetholthuysen.nl/

 

Have a great cruise.

I have a feeling that the blue barrier and the 'five story building' are a way to conceal a 'restoration' project in progress. Perhaps that is now completed. We will go by there in August and find out.

It does sound like a nice place to see.

So true about the trams being a potential show-stopper.... but it's the bike riders who give me more general anxiety when I'm wandering about.... I've had a few close calls and icy glares. And mind you, I am TRYING to be respectful of their space!

The curvy parts of the tram tracks at Spui is one of my favorite views in Amsterdam, especially after dark.

Yet, if you're at Spui, why not take a quick detour into Het Begijnhof? Cute cute cute. And peaceful.

Just another thought.... if you're at De Waag, take a quick 3 or 4 block detour down Sint Antoniesbreestraat (it runs straight south from the plaza where Waag sits.... look for the Chinese grocery). This street has some very peculiar examples of modern Dutch architecture. I'm curious why these buildings wound up on that particular street.

Oh yes, the Begijnhof, lovely!

Great walking tours! We really enjoyed the Amsterdam Historical Museum.

Just another thought.... if you're at De Waag, take a quick 3 or 4 block detour down Sint Antoniesbreestraat (it runs straight south from the plaza where Waag sits.... look for the Chinese grocery). This street has some very peculiar examples of modern Dutch architecture. I'm curious why these buildings wound up on that particular street.

When I was working on this walking tour, I also thought about going straight down the Sint Antoniebreestraat, but because of the 'modern buildings' that look so out of place, I decided it would be nicer to walk along the canal section a bit further to the west.

I do agree with you and Wendy that it would be good to include Het Begijnhof. It is a nice place to see and has an interesting background. It is similar to the one in Brugge, and its history was covered in the Walking Tour of that great city.

I do agree with you and Wendy that it would be good to include Het Begijnhof. It is a nice place to see and has an interesting background. It is similar to the one in Brugge, and its history was covered in the Walking Tour of that great city.

I fogot to mention a bit of trivia about the Begijnhof. This was one of the places the Pilgrim Fathers lived before they boarded the Mayflower. It happened right after the 'Reformation' during the early 17th century.

re: Sint Antoniebreestraat

I really should post pictures of this, but I got a few of the most incongruous photos, with both these Plastic-y looking (and brazenly ugly, IMHO) buildings and 17th century church towers. To top it off, some of the modern ones seem to have miserly ventilation.....surely miserable on warm days as when I was there.

re: Begijnhof

Not to mention, one can spend as little as 5 minutes giving the square a look-see before moving on. Or, one can linger in the church, contemplating or whatever.

re: Begijnhof

Not to mention, one can spend as little as 5 minutes giving the square a look-see before moving on. Or, one can linger in the church, contemplating or whatever.

Really? You sound persimistic or perhaps you missed the significance of this wonderful little oasis in the middle of old Amsterdam. It has charm, history and some of the oldest houses in the city. The people who lived here were very special, in my opinion.

I just finished the second walking tour of Amsterdam and it has some pictures of the Begijnhof plus several museums that are worth considering along the way. It does not include the Red Light district and is maybe a bit more oriented towards the 'newer' and fun parts of Amsterdam that you can explore.

For details go to http://www.*****.com/amsterdam2.html

I want to thank those who made suggestions earlier and I have tried to incorporate some of them in this latest version of the Amsterdam Walking Tour, part 2.

Just another thought.... if you're at De Waag, take a quick 3 or 4 block detour down Sint Antoniesbreestraat (it runs straight south from the plaza where Waag sits.... look for the Chinese grocery). This street has some very peculiar examples of modern Dutch architecture. I'm curious why these buildings wound up on that particular street.

When the Metro was dug, they had to tear down most of the buildings standing on top of it. The Nieuwmarkt (don't want to be picky LairBear, but look at the spelling on your site) area was the scene of large riots at that time. When the Metro was finished, they plonked some really ugly modern buildings down on the site.

The Nieuwmarkt (don't want to be picky LairBear, but look at the spelling on your site) area was the scene of large riots at that time. When the Metro was finished, they plonked some really ugly modern buildings down on the site.

Thanks UKBayern for pointing this out. I assume that since most readers of the walking tours are English speaking and don't know any Dutch, I have taken the liberty to sometimes clarify street or canal names. In this case it did not work and I will correct it. Please, let me know if there are other sections or names to be changed.

I have been loving (and printing!) these walking tour suggestions - we're going to Amsterdam for vacation in November. I wonder if you have listed any specific weather/timing related caveats? Or should we carry on with our plan to bundle up and head out regardless?

I have been loving (and printing!) these walking tour suggestions - we're going to Amsterdam for vacation in November. I wonder if you have listed any specific weather/timing related caveats? Or should we carry on with our plan to bundle up and head out regardless?

No doubt, November can be nasty and wet. I doubt very much that you will encounter snow that early in the year; however, the winds can be strong. But then again, you never know in that part of Europe. I would suggest rain gear for sure and become familiar with the tram system in case walking is too missirable. Museums are always good on a rainy day. You might consider other indoor events such as the Heineken brewery and the 'Concert Gebouw' orchestra.

Here again, some suggestions from Ine and UKBayern would be helpful. They have more experience about November in Amsterdam.

Good luck and 'prettige dagen'.

Indeed expect rainy and or chilly days in November. Weatherreports of the past can be viewed on http://www.wunderground.com.

Of course a single nice sunny day is possible too.

Dress in layers, leave t-shirts at home, bring some sweaters and raingear.

On the website of the tourism board you will find plenty of activities for all type of weather.

http://www.iamsterdam.com/

Depending how many days you will be here, a visit by train to e.g. haarlem or delft can be interesting too.

Enjoy your stay.

Oh, we're set on clothing (I lived in Belgium a year, ages ago) Layers, goretex, hats - no problems. We love to travel in the off-seasons so we're used to it, and of course we'll check the weather forecast before we leave too. We'll be in Amsterdam 6 days. One day we're going to Rotterdam because my husband wants to see the harbor & the maritime museum. Probably not a lot of museums - I've seen them, my husband isn't too interested. We'll do a couple, to be sure (probably Anne Frank house and possibly the Rijksmuseum though I've heard varied reports on whether what's available now during the renovation is worth the entrance fee or not). Mainly we're hoping to walk & take photos (my husband is a serious amateur, if that's not too much of a contradiction) and eat, shop, sit in pubs & cafes.:p

We'll be in town Nov 26-Dec 2. Are there Christmas markets in Amsterdam? I haven't been able to find any mention online. I know I visited one in Belgium, but cannot remember Amsterdam.....

Thanks for the input so far!!

Oh, we're set on clothing (I lived in Belgium a year, ages ago) Layers, goretex, hats - no problems. We love to travel in the off-seasons so we're used to it, and of course we'll check the weather forecast before we leave too. We'll be in Amsterdam 6 days. One day we're going to Rotterdam because my husband wants to see the harbor & the maritime museum. Probably not a lot of museums - I've seen them, my husband isn't too interested. We'll do a couple, to be sure (probably Anne Frank house and possibly the Rijksmuseum though I've heard varied reports on whether what's available now during the renovation is worth the entrance fee or not). Mainly we're hoping to walk & take photos (my husband is a serious amateur, if that's not too much of a contradiction) and eat, shop, sit in pubs & cafes.:p

 

We'll be in town Nov 26-Dec 2. Are there Christmas markets in Amsterdam? I haven't been able to find any mention online. I know I visited one in Belgium, but cannot remember Amsterdam.....

 

Thanks for the input so far!!

No you will not find any Xmas markets in The Netherlands that time of the year. We have 5 december first, which is St. Nikolaas, a celebration for kids. By tradition any Xmas markets will be after that day, most of them close to Dec. 25. In Germany there might be some Xmasmarkets already.

I think Rijksmuseum is worth a visit. More or less all toppaintings and articles are in the annex, it just saves you time to walk all through the museum.

It is out of season so I think there will be no queus for Anne Frankhuis. Go either early or late in the day in case there is a line.

The Maritime Museum in Rotterdam is very nice. You can also make a nice harbortour by ship, check Spidotours.

Traffic between the citys is easy by train. All information on http://www.ns.nl

If the weather is o.k., (it is outdoors) maybe you can have a walk at Zaanse Schans too:

See the windmills etc.: http://zaanseschans.nl/

A simple busride (nr.91) from centraal Station.

Yes, there's a combo ticket you can get with the Spido tour and access to the maritime museum in Rotterdam. Sadly in the off season, only the short harbor tour is available- my husband is very depressed, as he could gladly spend the entire day in the harbor looking at things:D

We're renting an apartment in a canal house very close to Centraal station so that should be convenient to get the train to Rotterdam. Thanks!