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The Travel Experiences Thread
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Agnostic Mantis wrote: »Well, today was a bit strange. I felt like I was packing for someone else, it really hasn't sunk in that I'm going anywhere tomorrow night/early Monday morning. I'm always so absent minded about these things.
Has anyone here got experience with Amsterdam? Recommend sights to see or excursions to partake in? Apart from the mandatory 'hookers n' blow' combination.
Obviously for the first week or so I'll be just getting my shizzle together, but after that I've got a bit of time to go exploring before college starts.
So boards, do what you will.....
I have a post in the first page of this thread about Amsterdam
We only went for a weekend but we did the free tour and it was brilliant! It was around 3 hours or something, walking, and there was so much random interesting stuff that you wouldn't have otherwise noticed.
We also went to Anne Frank's house, and then some general wandering around...I might remember more tomorrow! The red light district is...interesting :P Just the general air of the city is so different, so laid back, people sip coffee in cafes while sitting across from a Sex Show place or a gay bar with a model of a giant...something (:pac:)...outside, without batting an eyelid!
A lot of people seem to take a bike and cycle around the place to see it, its not huge in comparison to other cities, and there are lots of bike lanes. Cyclists will try to kill you, beware :P
Theres also a very lovely square which is surrounded by nice buildings and a Madame Tussauds. Thats all I can remember :P0 -
I'm from Amsterdam!
If you can, go along to Dam Square and hope there's something on, it's always brilliant especially if a brass band is playing or some other entertainment is on! You'll find the Royal Palace here too, you'll be amazed at it! Follow some of the Canal Rings and you may just enjoy seeing some of the old houses and what's become of them now...most are still standing and some are home to the seedy side of Amsterdam :P
Anne Frank House isn't too far away, it's quite close to Westerkerk, the tallest church in Amsterdam and then from there try get to the '9 Streets'...it's a small shopping area.
The Amsterdam Dungeon is another place I remember, it's quite good, along with Maddame Tussauds it makes some nice tourist stuff :P One place I'll really recommend though is the NEMO, it's an educational building but it absolutely amazed me!
Drop into a Febo and get some Frikkadellen, you will not be disappointed
Also, for a bit of intense shopping, get the train to Beverwijk and head to the Black Market there.
By all means do check out the Red Light District and the entirety of the city including the fantasy shops! You'll be very surprised at the things you'll find, and by fantasy I mean swords and stuff, not porkswords 'n stuff :P At night and in some places during the day, be extremely careful and be sure not wander down any alleyways on your own or be enticed by a local to follow them. They prey on tourists and once they figure out you don't know a word of Dutch, they'll try get you on your own...if you can, learn a few words just to get you by, they'll be handy.0 -
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Pigwidgeon wrote: »Can anyone who has been to Amsterdam before recommend any hostels/hotels/general areas to stay? I'm probably going to be booking flights to go over for a few days in Feb
I was there nearly 2 years ago and I'm not sure whether to recommend where I stayed or not, it had its good points and bad points. We stayed in "Hotel the Globe".
Good points:
Really really central, its right beside the Red Light District, a few windows down you'll find the ladies themselves :P
Just beside one of the (millions of) canals, so the scenery around it is very pretty.
The hostel bar was awesome, the barman was brilliant and there were loads of drinks deals! It started off every night great for us Most hostels have great bars though.
Bad points:
I thought it was way too expensive for a hostel but maybe that's just the way it is in Amsterdam (I think it was €35 each per night, we went in a group and had "private rooms" as in, we were all together without any randomers with about 8 people per room).
The rooms weren't great, they were quite small (and I've stayed in a lot of cheaper hostels which were still bigger!). They weren't in great condition, it was clean but the standards of some rooms weren't great. At the same time, some were nicer than the one I was in.
Some rooms had an ensuite but I was stuck on a floor where all 4 or 5 dorm rooms shared 1 bathroom with 3 or 4 toilets and showers.
Basically I'd only advise it if you they're all that expensive and you can't find one central enough. The location of it is great but I've been in much better hostels
Linky!0 -
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Pigwidgeon wrote: »I've posted in here so many times asking for advice on places that I've never ended up going. Whoops.
Anyway I'm heading off interrailing for 2 weeks on the 25th of this month. I'm looking into prebooking some accommodation in Venice and bled.
Has anyone been to either and have any recommendations of places?
So far our route in Pisa-Rome-Venice-Bled-Vienna-Prague-Berlin spending 2 or so days in each place!
I'm no help for the ones you actually asked for since we didn't stay in Venice when we were there, and the hostel in Bled was terrible...but in Vienna, the Wombats Hostel, and in Berlin, the Generator Hostel are absolutely excellent
I lovvvve this thread, might add some pics later of some more places I've been in the last year 0 -
QueenOfLeon wrote: »I'm no help for the ones you actually asked for since we didn't stay in Venice when we were there, and the hostel in Bled was terrible...but in Vienna, the Wombats Hostel, and in Berlin, the Generator Hostel are absolutely excellent
I lovvvve this thread, might add some pics later of some more places I've been in the last year
What was the hostel in Bled just as a matter of interest so I can avoid it :P0 -
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So after me having asked about it in here so many times I've finally come back from interrailing. If anyone is thinking about doing it, do, you won't regret it. It was so good. We went for two weeks overall and the route we did was Pisa-Rome-Venice-Ljubljana-Bled-Vienna-Prague-Berlin. We spent two nights in most places apart from Pisa, Venice and Ljubljana where we spent one night and we did three in Rome. My favourite places were Rome, Bled and Berlin. We didn't really do it the way most people do interrailing, as it was just me and my boyfriend going we chose to go for more cheap hotels and stuff instead of hostels. I'd also saved pretty much all my wages for three months so we didn't really do anything on the cheap, I didn't want to have to worry and budget hugely everywhere we went like some of the people we talked to, one of the advantages of only going for two weeks.
I couldn't get over how well organised all the trains were, not one of them was delayed. The only places we had to make reservations as well were in Italy, everywhere else we just hopped on and found seats it was grand.
I'm going to throw up a few random photos, if anyone has any questions about specific places or interrailing in general let me know
Pisa:
Rome:
Lake Bled:
Berlin:
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I'm absolutley over the moon! This october mid-term will be the first time I ever leave Ireland/England. My school's going somewhere in Europe! It was originally supposed to be Italy, but I think we're going somewhere else instead now I'm actually so excited! I even just sent off for my first ever passport n'all AH!! I'll post all the pictures here after I come back! WOOOOP! 0
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