If you want a NON Tauck hotel, we love THE CRAFTSMEN for it's character, breakfast, location, authenticity. You can check it out on TripAdvisor. The Tauck hotels are always amazing though too.
I think everyone needs to see the Anne Frank House - tickets must be bought online on opening day or you won't get in - the website has dates and instructions.
A Gouda and wine tasting in one of the Cheese shops is fun. A canal cruise is a great way to see the area.
Rick Steves has a WONDERFUL Amsterdam Guide book that is worth getting if it's your first time there.
We have this trip booked for April - I need to research what is included in Amsterdam with Tauck and I'll get back to you. How many extra days did you add? That will help with prioritizing the best things to see and do.
If you are there in the spring, check whether Tauck includes the Keukenhoff Gardens for the tulip schedule. If Tauck doesn't do it, you can do it on your own on a half day tour (Viatour?) which leaves from near the train station. Also a tour to Bruges (in case you haven't had enough chocolate in Switzerland. Another fun tour was a walking tour through the Red Light district at night.
Delft day trip. I did not see the remodel of the Rembrandt House when there this past April, but it is interesting when I visited a few years ago. the canal tours at night are cool.
It all depends on your interests. You can't go wrong with a canal cruise. We love the area called The Nine Little Streets for the quaint shops, cuisine and the ability to interact with locals. Of course, there are the museums...large, small, traditional and quirky.
Taking a tour of a canal houseboat was fun and informative. There is so much to do and explore. Not too far from the Anne Frank house is the Lord in the Attic, a small but fully functional church housed in the attic of a home. I do not know if it is still operational.
Leaving for Amsterdam on 7 April, arriving 8 April in mid afternoon. Anyone have any restaurant recommendations for dinner on Monday and Tuesday? I have seen recommendations for Johannes, Casa di David, Toscanini & d'Vijff Vlieghen (Five Flies) from FB. Any other recommendations from those that have been to Amsterdam recently. Thank you!
One of my favorite areas of Amsterdam is referred to as the Nine Little Streets. You will find a multitude of places offering traditional Dutch food in unpretentious settings.
For a late lunch we always stop at Restaurant 't Zwaantje and usually have the pea soup. If you are interested in a more refined multi-course meal, we found de Silveren Spiegel to be excellent. We also had an equally elegant meal at Tauck's hotel of choice for the Yuletide Spirit cruise this past December. The sea bream was sublime.
The Rhine, Swiss Alps and Amsterdam tour was our first Tauck river cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Have a great journey and please consider posting a review afterwards.
Edited to correct the spelling of restaurant's name. I also want to give the Dutch name for their pea soup...snert. I love it!
For the folks interested in Amstersdam's participation in resistance activities during WW2, there are a series of books by Michael Reit which are novels descrribing Dutch citizens deported to work camps ("On the Tracks", "Tracks to Freedom", "They Bled Orange") and transporting Jewish refugees ("Orphans of War")
Comments
If you want a NON Tauck hotel, we love THE CRAFTSMEN for it's character, breakfast, location, authenticity. You can check it out on TripAdvisor. The Tauck hotels are always amazing though too.
I think everyone needs to see the Anne Frank House - tickets must be bought online on opening day or you won't get in - the website has dates and instructions.
A Gouda and wine tasting in one of the Cheese shops is fun. A canal cruise is a great way to see the area.
Rick Steves has a WONDERFUL Amsterdam Guide book that is worth getting if it's your first time there.
We have this trip booked for April - I need to research what is included in Amsterdam with Tauck and I'll get back to you. How many extra days did you add? That will help with prioritizing the best things to see and do.
If you are there in the spring, check whether Tauck includes the Keukenhoff Gardens for the tulip schedule. If Tauck doesn't do it, you can do it on your own on a half day tour (Viatour?) which leaves from near the train station. Also a tour to Bruges (in case you haven't had enough chocolate in Switzerland. Another fun tour was a walking tour through the Red Light district at night.
Delft day trip. I did not see the remodel of the Rembrandt House when there this past April, but it is interesting when I visited a few years ago. the canal tours at night are cool.
It all depends on your interests. You can't go wrong with a canal cruise. We love the area called The Nine Little Streets for the quaint shops, cuisine and the ability to interact with locals. Of course, there are the museums...large, small, traditional and quirky.
Taking a tour of a canal houseboat was fun and informative. There is so much to do and explore. Not too far from the Anne Frank house is the Lord in the Attic, a small but fully functional church housed in the attic of a home. I do not know if it is still operational.
My husband and I just returned from a week in Amsterdam on our own..We loved the Resistance Museum.
Ladybombay, I loved it too, I think it gets overlooked a lot.
Leaving for Amsterdam on 7 April, arriving 8 April in mid afternoon. Anyone have any restaurant recommendations for dinner on Monday and Tuesday? I have seen recommendations for Johannes, Casa di David, Toscanini & d'Vijff Vlieghen (Five Flies) from FB. Any other recommendations from those that have been to Amsterdam recently. Thank you!
LynneH,
One of my favorite areas of Amsterdam is referred to as the Nine Little Streets. You will find a multitude of places offering traditional Dutch food in unpretentious settings.
For a late lunch we always stop at Restaurant 't Zwaantje and usually have the pea soup. If you are interested in a more refined multi-course meal, we found de Silveren Spiegel to be excellent. We also had an equally elegant meal at Tauck's hotel of choice for the Yuletide Spirit cruise this past December. The sea bream was sublime.
The Rhine, Swiss Alps and Amsterdam tour was our first Tauck river cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Have a great journey and please consider posting a review afterwards.
We also went to Restaurant’t Zwaentje when we were there in October, and it was wonderful. Enjoy the cruise.
For the folks interested in Amstersdam's participation in resistance activities during WW2, there are a series of books by Michael Reit which are novels descrribing Dutch citizens deported to work camps ("On the Tracks", "Tracks to Freedom", "They Bled Orange") and transporting Jewish refugees ("Orphans of War")
Sherry, the Resistance Museum is one of the best curated museums we have ever visited
The Resistance Museum in Amsterdam is not to be missed.