Amsterdam Travel Answers

No, they are not waterbuses but canal-boat tours - good for a general sightseeing tour and to help get your bearings, but not for just getting from A to B, for which you are more likely to walk, cycle or use trams. All depends on where you are staying, but for a stay of 1 1/2 days, I'd say you will just be walking around the centre.

Walking is probably the best way...

Amsterdam is not at all like Venice, and while there are canals, there are roads that you will be sharing with bicycles and cars. The only way to enjoy that part of Amsterdam is to walk.

Hi everybody, Thank you for your answers. I'll be staying close to the railway station, which I have checked is a pretty practical location, so I imagine the best way will be to walk.....not a problem, as I love walking:-) Ellen

It really depends where you will be based and where you want to visit. Imo cycling is the best way to get around Amsterdam but you need to be competent and confident so for a short visit (especially if it's your first visit), walking is probably best, with the occcasional tram ride for longer distances (eg Centraal Station to Museumplein). It's worth taking a Canal Boat Tour to get an overview of the layout of the city but not practical as a form of transport.

From a hotel near Centraal walking central historical Amsterdam is very easy indeed, and most enjoyable imo (even in the below-freezing temps of my visit). Make sure you explore the RDL on foot (for the architecture, not for anything else!) and don't miss the Oude Kerk.

There IS a canal bus which runs three routes and stops at most major attractions (17 in total). This is an excellent way for a first timer to orientate yourself and see the city from the water and the trips come with a recorded multi-lingual commentary. Then you can do some walking which i also wholeheartedly endorse. The canal bus website, with details of prices, routes and timings, is here - http://www.canal.nl/bus/en/

Thanks, johngayton - when I first read the question, I thought to myself, surely I remember some sort of a water bus thing but the responses seemed to say not - and you have supplied the answer and reassured me that I didn't dream it all!

Yes, cycling is a good idea, but you need to be good at it, and.....I am used to cycle in the forest and in the country side, but not in the middle of a city, and we (my son and I) will only stay in Amsterdam for a short period of time, before we embark on a cruise ship that will take us along the Norwegian coast to the North Cape. I am really looking forward to it as I have never been to the northern part of Norway before. So I think we'll take Leics advice to walk safely around, because it's no fun going on a cruise trip with a broken leg or other injuries:-D On the map, the city centre seems to be pretty compact, so I hope we'll see as much as possible....I have even seen that there are organized canal-tours that last an hour, so maybe that is a good idea when we are fed up with walking...! Ellen

Yes, that's a good compromise imo. The short canal tours are interesting and certainly worth taking (and give your legs a rest as well as get another view of the city!). If you want to visit the Anne Frank Museum/House (and you should, imo) can I suggest you make it the first place you go to on your full day? Get there as near to 9am as possible, because even with Feb temps at -6 there was a longish queue by 10am. Or perhaps you'd prefer to buy your tickets online in advance? It is so much more moving an experience if you can be there without too many others... http://www.annefrank.org/

Yes, I would love to visit the Anne Frank museum, and I'll check the website for the canal busses. There seems to be so many things to do in Amsterdam that I'm sure I will travel there on another occasion for a longer period.... I am looking forward to seeing you all in Bergamo:-) Ellen

You can use the so-called Canal bus, a hop on-hop off canal boat with stops at most center city attractions. See: "Canal Bus" - Canal bus Tip by pieter_jan_v If you really want to explore the canals you can hire a private boat or go for a candle light dinner on one of the canal boats. See: "CANAL BOAT TOURS" - Canal boat Tip by pieter_jan_v Renting a bicycle is a good alternative and walking too. The local tourist office has some booklets with theme routes to walk or cycle. See: "The Amsterdam Tourist Offices" - TOURIST INFORMATION Tip by pieter_jan_v and "Walking the JAVA island" - City Walks Tip by pieter_jan_v PJ

.... and I almost forgot: you also can cycle on the canals: "Water bicycle" - Water bike Tip by pieter_jan_v PJ

I usually stay near the central station and find walking or taking the tram is the best way to see the city.

When walking , please be aware that there is often a dedicated bicycle lane which looks like a sidewalk but is emphatically NOT for pedestrians, and Amsterdammers are fed up enough with dodging tourists who don't get it that they are quite happy to run you down. If the lane has a bike marked on the pavement and/or you see a sign saying 'fietspad', *don't* walk in it.

I can add "Bicycles" - Crossing the streets / Traffic Tip by pieter_jan_v to the previous reply (this tip also contains a link to many Amsterdam cycling routes). PJ