The Rough Guide Amsterdam [Paperback]

Martin Dunford (Author), Jack Holland (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rough Guide to Amsterdam | Publication Date: July 1, 2000

This guide offers coverage of Amsterdam's coffee shops and art collections, with listings of where to eat, drink and stay, from budget hostels to top hotels, cheap cafes to the best restaurants.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

When to go

Whether you're coming for canals and architecture, or sex and drugs, Amsterdam is a delight at any time of year. In high summer, the city parks are packed and every pavement, doorway and stretch of canalside becomes a choice spot for lazy hanging-out. Spring and autumn are particularly beautiful, with mist hanging over the canals until late morning and low sunlight piercing through the cloud cover. The flatness of the surrounding countryside means that the weather is always changeable, and it's common at any time of year for heavy morning clouds to be blown away to reveal a sunny afternoon. It's never too hot, though, and, save for January and February, when icy winds blow off the canals, the weather is rarely so relentlessly miserable as to ruin a visit – the persistent winter rain can give the city a romantic cast, with wet cobbles glistening under the street-lights and the canals rippled by falling raindrops. But whatever the time of year, you should bear two things in mind: firstly, there are plenty of remarkably hardy mosquitoes living on the canals, at their friskiest in the hot summer evenings, although still a nuisance as late as October; and secondly, the few square kilometres of central Amsterdam comprise one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world – space is at a premium, and you should always book accommodation before leaving home.

Getting out of Amsterdam

Finally, don't fall into the trap of thinking that there's nothing to the Netherlands beyond Amsterdam. Although Amsterdam utterly disproves the theory that a capital city is a microcosm of the nation, there is plenty to see and do outside the city. In spring and early summer the famous bulbfields are in full bloom, and the Randstad cities to the south of Amsterdam, such as Haarlem and Leiden, are worth a visit at any time of the year. Although there isn't much wild nature to be found in the Netherlands, there's some pleasant hiking to be had in the dunes near Bloemendaal-aan-Zee, and it's a quick train ride to the popular beach resort of Zandvoort. Indeed, just about everywhere can be reached quickly and painlessly by public transport – where the trains fizzle out the buses take over.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 6 edition (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858285127
• ISBN-13: 978-1858285122
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,267,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Accurate But Missing That Extra Spark, January 17, 2001

By 

whatevery (go brooklyn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide Amsterdam (Paperback)

First off, the maps are not very helpful. They aren't detailed enough, as far as the little side streets are concerned. Also, the maps are buried in different sections, so if you want to get from Neighborhood A to Neighborhood B you gotta keep on flippin'. The City Center map that's located in the index is adequate for navigating to major points of interests, but only that.

Secondly, while descriptions of restuarants, coffeeshops, htels and stores are accurate, a lot of REALLLLLLLLY cool places that I found on my own there are just not listed.

So, definitely carry it with you but keep in mind that on your own, you will find a lot of people/places and things that haven't been spotted by this guide.