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Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam
 
 
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Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The Internet and 21st century have taken Amsterdam by storm, but many of its hotels belong to earlier epochs..." (more)
Key Phrases: smoking coffee shops, canal bikes, brown cafe, Centraal Station, Golden Age, Munt Plein (more...)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

List Price: $12.99
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Looking for a travel guide that goes where other guides fear to tread? One that rides roughshod over ad-copy puffery to smartly deliver the real scoop on a destination's sites and attractions? One that dares to be honest, hip, and fun? Look no more. Frommer's Irreverent Travel Guides are wickedly irreverent, unabashedly honest, and downright hilarious, and provide an insider's perspective on which attractions are overrated tourist traps and which are the secret gems that locals love. You'll get the lowdown on restaurants, lodging, and shopping, and even find out what the locals think of you. Like being taken around by a savvy local," said the New York Times. "Hipper and savvier than other guides," concurred Diversion magazine. Never shy about confronting the issues, the Irreverents are guides to real travel in the real world.

The one-dimensional Amsterdam of tulips, wooden shoes, and 17th-century architecture is the stuff of many a standard guidebook, but with its booming economy, legalized prostitution, and tolerant attitude toward recreational drug use, the city is much more than that. For savvy travelers who want to fully experience the place as the locals live it, Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam is the way to go, offering the lowdown on this hip, cultivated city, where old and new sunnily coexist. You'll discover the proper way to knock back genever (Dutch gin--the potent national spirit), why Amsterdam is considered the Gay Capital of Europe, plus the inside scoop on the red-light district, complete with advice and warnings.



From the Publisher

The Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam gives you the lowdown, the inside story. It has nothing to sell but the truth, which includes a balance of good and bad. It praises, it trashes, it weighs, and leaves th final decision up to the reader. Our writers take a special pleasure in leading you where other guides fear to tread. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Frommer's; 4th edition (March 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0764565680
  • ISBN-13: 978-0764565687
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,916,445 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

David Downie
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This book cites 3 books:



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Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam
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Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam 3.2 out of 5 stars (8)
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Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam (Irreverent Guides) 3.0 out of 5 stars (5)

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars The Snooty Guide, March 12, 1999
By A Customer
It seems that Frommer's just doesn't get it. The reason alternative guides like Lonely Planet, the Rough Guide, etc. have been so popular in the past decade is that some travelers don't want to pay a lot of money to stay in a bland upscale hotel or eat in snobbish restaurants, let alone visit overpriced tourist traps. They want to go native as much as possible so they can really see what's unique about a place. The focus of this guide, on the other hand, seems to be mainly sneering at attractions and accommodations that aren't quite tasteful enough for the discriminating consumer. What's left over (and there isn't much) is the usual old-school guidebook round of outrageously priced hotels, fussy restaurants, and posh boutiques. Contrary to its title, the guide is far too reverent toward all things expensive. Of course anyone can stay anywhere in comfort and style if they spend enough money. If you can afford to follow the suggestions in this book, you already know where to go and you don't need to buy it.

The bottom line: if you want catty gossip, buy a glossy magazine. If you want a practical guide with an irreverent attitude, get yourself a nice Rough Guide or Let's Go. But whatever you do, don't buy this book.

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read; Great Information, February 22, 2000
By Caroline (Silicon Valley, California) - See all my reviews
My husband and I bought both the Amsterdam and the London versions as we planned our honeymoon. What a great read! Reading the Irreverent Guide further fueled our excitement about Amsterdam and our trip and we found the city to be true to the book's description.

The style of the books are very easy to read, with useful information and a slightly sarcastic, biting tone. The information is presented in a funny manner and it definitely differs from the dry-as-a-bone descriptives that classify so many travel books. Because the book is written based on information from locals, and even partially by locals themselves, this travel guide has more of a travelogue feel than a travel guide feel, which definitely appeals to me. It offers good information about how to really *see* a city or a place the way its seen by people who live there, even if you are only there for a few days.

We used the Amsterdam guide to find our hotel, look up attractions, learn enough about the culture so that we weren't annoyed with the slow wait service, and many other things. We did not have a single negative experience in Amsterdam from following any of the book's recommendations.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Might as well take the front door, August 26, 2000
Given Amsterdam's seedier side, you would think this Back Door Guide would help you sift through all the shops and scenes to give you some cool spots. But the guide was sorely lacking in this department. While giving diverse offerings for daytime fare, the book skimped on the nighttime activities, only listing a few 'highlights,' which were probably in the front door guide anyway. References to the seedier side were left at that - only references. No recommendations. Perhaps their back door guide to a more sedate town like Brussels helps you find the hidden jewel at nights, but this back door offering might have well just said to wander around and go in what looks appealing. Thanks for the help.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money
I have to agree with the review below - there is nothing alternative about this guide. And the writer is so sarcastic about some of the places reviewed, that I wonder why they... Read more
Published on August 17, 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for the party hearty crowd
This guide is not your typical boring tourist drivel. It gives you the lowdown on A'dam: what's the deal with pot and hash at the coffee houses, about the redlight district, cool... Read more
Published on January 28, 1999 by Ralph J. Duncan

5.0 out of 5 stars Great combination of useful info you'll need.
This book is the perfect combination of inside gossip, tourist info, and handy maps. It is pocket-size, though tall; however,anyone with too little time and too little memory... Read more
Published on January 19, 1999

2.0 out of 5 stars The *Irrelevant* Guide to Amsterdam
This guide really doesn't live up to the promise of its title. I can't find anything irreverent about it, except for an occasional potshot at some local attraction. Read more
Published on January 17, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars An irreverant guide for an irreverent city...
Amsterdam pulses and buzzes with life, and a weary traveler can either get caught up in it, get run over by it, or stand and watch it from a safe distance... Read more
Published on October 4, 1998

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