Amsterdam

JupiterKid

Ever been? I've close relatives who live just outside the city so I visit quite often and know the city well. But walking through the Red Light District is like walking through Temple Bar in Dublin. Coffee shops are a distinct advantage but the city offers so much in the way of beautiful historic urban architecture, museums, galleries and shopping. The canals add so much to the character of Amsterdam.

What's your experience of Amsterdam?

wakka12

JupiterKid wrote: »

Ever been? I've close relatives who live just outside the city so I visit quite often and know the city well. But walking through the Red Light District is like walking through Temple Bar in Dublin. Coffee shops are a distinct advantage but the city offers so much in the way of beautiful historic urban architecture, museums, galleries and shopping. The canals add so much to the character of Amsterdam.

What's your experience of Amsterdam?

Loved every minute there. Cant believe normal people doing their everday normal life things actually live there, so bloody beautiful

the_syco

Yup. Went there, and smoked lots of weed, whilst walking around the place. Had planned to see more of the area, but found that making plans whilst in the cafe's = no plans were carried out

jamesbere

My experience of Amsterdam was having a week long hangover after been there for a weekend.

Your Face

I was there for a weekend.
Pretty chilled out place.
I didn't go mad - mostly just walked around.

368100

Smoked half an "Ak47" on first day of weekend. Friend bought it for me who was used to it....i wasn't. Coffee shop regulars had a great laugh when I went to sit on my chair but missed it by about a metre and fell on my arse in middle of floor. I was sick later so think I had a whitey. All I had to do was top up with space cakes for rest of weekend.

Red light district was interesting. My friend wears glasses and one of the girls started agressivery calling him four eyes. It obviously worked as away in he went. I didnt partake.

Only other thing i found strange was going through a metal detector going into nightclub. Maybe it's a usual thing across Europe, don't know.

Missyelliot2

Go for it! Enjoy!

Lived there for 10 years- it's a beautiful place.The Dutch are great- tell it like it is - zero bull****! I love that!
Need to know where you intend to be.... I cannot describe my level of jealousy!

Hector Bellend

I was there for a week in September.

I went on a beer and fanny bender. It was good craic. Literally and metaphorically

Coffee shops and night life fun, city itself a bit disappointing.

Canis Lupus

Pretty but dull would be my opinion.

Cookie_Monster

Beautiful city, easy to get around, great atmosphere, lots and lots to do. One of my favourite cities

Mr.Plough

Been 3 times. Once with a group of lads for a 21st, once with a girlfriend and once on a staff party.

All good times. Red light is surreal after a few joints. Would like to go back for clubbing specifically.

LordSutch

Hector Bellend wrote: »

I went on a beer and fanny bender. It was good craic. Literally and metaphorically

"a beer and fanny bender"

Interesting

Dick phelan

Great City and not just for the weed or hookers ect actually a really nice city even if you've no interest in any of the things most people associate with the place, in fact i'd recommend the Netherlands more widely was there in March for a week Rotherdam is a really great city as well.

Loon E. Tick

Amsterdam - long queues for chips with mayonnaise and they're not even that special. You only get fooled once. I don't understand the obsession with them.

Yamanoto

sugarman wrote: »

Kip of a place, grand if you want to go and the lash and be surrounded by scobes and stag parties for a few days...but it wasnt my thing at all.

I'd suggest you'd have benefited greatly from venturing beyond De Wallen.

Amsterdam is a city choc-full of quirky design shops, second-hand bookstores, sumptuous art, indie boutiques, excellent cuisine and atmospheric & cosy brown cafes. All criss-crossed by serene waterways and picturesque hump-back bridges, with church steeples intersecting the gabled roofs that appear as something out of a fairy tale.

Wonderful place.

razorblunt

Amsterdam is grand, Anne Frank's gaff was surprisingly spacious, I may have commented this too loudly whilst there too.

I preferred Den Haag as a smaller, nicer spot, to be honest.

lertsnim

Been twice. First time was mostly in and around the red light district and the second time not so much and I had a great time both times.

ImARebel

only just back didn't go near the red light this time, stayed a bit further out and got the tram into the city. Loved it, I've often considered trying to relocate there but with a famliy in tow and the expense of it, I may have missed my opportunity...

Great spot to just walk around, hit the parks and just chill. Love it, love it, love it.

(did I mention I love it, lol)

Aglomerado

Been there 3 times. Last time (May 2017) we stayed out in a lovely little place called De Rijp and got buses into Amsterdam. Rural Holland is lovely (even if flat!).

There's much more to it than coffee shops and de wallen. Canal boat trips are nice and relaxing. The parks are pretty. Lots of museums and art. Albert Cuyp market is buzzing. Brown bars are great for relaxing with a few beers.

Billy Mays

Love the place. Do a weekend in Amsterdam at least once a year.

Let's be honest, the RLD is a bit of a kip. It's grand the first couple of times you go but after that the novelty of it wears off. I avoid it like the plague now. There's much better parts of the city to go drinking in. It's like someone visiting Dublin for the first time goes straight to Temple Bar but on subsequent visits realises there's much better pubs in other parts of the city.

Vondelpark is great on a sunny day for chilling out with a smoke. Hannekes Boom near Central Station is probably my favourite bar. Great spot on the river for a few beers and a smoke.

ennis81

Me and my hubby been going for 15 years, we love it!!
We rent a houseboat these days from a man we have gotten to know, couldn't stay in a hotel there now
Like other have said the RLD is good for a look but very seedy & dirty, we wouldn't really venture there anymore
So much to do over there, I personally love the flower market and the cheese shops

donegaLroad

my favorite place in Amsterdam is the Van Gogh museum. I went twice when I was there.

inforfun

There are many much nicer cities in The Netherlands and i would support it very much if one day they want to go the Catalan way.

Then again, most people ending up there are only there for one thing so keep going there.

sbsquarepants

wakka12 wrote: »

Loved every minute there. Cant believe normal people doing their everday normal life things actually live there, so bloody beautiful

I stayed in Eindhoven for a while (lovely place), but took a day trip to Amsterdam (I'm not into weed at all so coffee shops are no bonus to me). It was nice, beautiful looking, lots of interesting things to see and do, but very hectic, I was there for new years though so probably not the best time to gauge it. Red light district is sleazy beyond imagination - not my cup of tea.

You can buy magic mushrooms in the shops though.......which is handy!

crustyjuggler

ImARebel wrote: »

only just back didn't go near the red light this time, stayed a bit further out and got the tram into the city. Loved it, I've often considered trying to relocate there but with a famliy in tow and the expense of it, I may have missed my opportunity...

Great spot to just walk around, hit the parks and just chill. Love it, love it, love it.

(did I mention I love it, lol)

What kind of courses should somebody be educated in to move to Holland and get a job ?

crossmolinalad

Lived there most of my life but luckily moved away from Amsterdam to Mayo 25 years ago
Stone mad you get from all of the tourists with their wheely bags ,drunkenness in the middle of the night while others has to go up early in the morning for work
My sister still lives there but is thinking moving away from there also
Its getting worse and worse by the week

Kimbot

One of my favourite places in the world, such a relaxed city

dudara

I've lived and/or worked in Amsterdam for about 2.5 years in total. Plus I've gone back on many weekends.

Once you get away from the tourist crush around Centraal and the Red Light district, it's a fantastic city with lots of great restaurants and bars. Lots of different areas / neighbourhoods to check out.

Top tip - next time you're ordering fries from one of the little frites shops, ask for "oorlog" fries

ImARebel

crustyjuggler wrote: »

What kind of courses should somebody be educated in to move to Holland and get a job ?

Couldn't tell you, I was looking at it from an IT point of view and while there are jobs there, i'm not sure they would pay enough to support a family of 4. Way back when I was just out of college I looked into going over, but I ended up not bothering and a part of me wishes I'd just gone for it....

Billy86

razorblunt wrote: »

Amsterdam is grand, Anne Frank's gaff was surprisingly spacious, I may have commented this too loudly whilst there too.

I preferred Den Haag as a smaller, nicer spot, to be honest.

Was in Amsterdam with a h girlfriend for a few days in July, lovely place as I hadn't been in about 10 years, but we went to The Haag for the last day and I definitely agree. Got lucky with a sunny day after rain all week in Amsterdam, but the place is really nice a peaceful, and (what I assume was) the main city square with a bunch of pubs and beer gardens out the front was beautiful and an excellent atmosphere, lively but not obnoxious.

dudara

crustyjuggler wrote: »

What kind of courses should somebody be educated in to move to Holland and get a job ?

This doesn't list specific careers, but I've seen lots of IT people move there. Check out the 30% tax ruling that exists in the Netherlands.

Grayson

dudara wrote: »

I've lived and/or worked in Amsterdam for about 2.5 years in total. Plus I've gone back on many weekends.

Once you get away from the tourist crush around Centraal and the Red Light district, it's a fantastic city with lots of great restaurants and bars. Lots of different areas / neighbourhoods to check out.

Top tip - next time you're ordering fries from one of the little frites shops, ask for "oorlog" fries

is oorlog = poo? Because it sounds like it.

I love the netherlands. Been ther 6 times. Everytime I'm there I end up thinking why can't dublin be more like this. Little bars/coffee shops everywhere (I mean coffee shops as in cafes), the transport system is amazing. It's just lovely.

Grayson

razorblunt wrote: »

Amsterdam is grand, Anne Frank's gaff was surprisingly spacious, I may have commented this too loudly whilst there too.

I preferred Den Haag as a smaller, nicer spot, to be honest.

My first time going to see it i was stoned. My self and my friends got lost and spent 3 hours stoned in the rain. I have no idea how the nazi's found it, we had a map and couldn't. When we got there we were standing in the queue and one of my friends said "I guess that's the house. Probably has like a kitchen and sitting room and stuff. I've seen kitchens before. There's a McDonalds back there".

And that's how I still haven't seen it yet.


Someone mentioned moving there. I've been thinking about it for years. There's a site called together abroad and another called undutchables that they should look at.

inforfun

Grayson wrote: »

is oorlog = poo? Because it sounds like it.

I love the netherlands. Been ther 6 times. Everytime I'm there I end up thinking why can't dublin be more like this. Little bars/coffee shops everywhere (I mean coffee shops as in cafes), the transport system is amazing. It's just lovely.

oorlog = War

peanut sauce, onions, mayonaise over your fries
Add curry sauce and you ll have to order a patat Chernobyl.

Just get over it and order yourself a Kapsalon (hairdresser)

Thing is, those names are quite often used all over the country but can have different outcomes on your plate, depending on where you are.

The Kapsalon was invented in Rotterdam and is the ultimate hangover prevention meal.

murpho999

Lived in NL for a few years.

Sad to see here that many people rate it just for drugs and RLD which is not what the city is about at all and they are trying to change that reputation.

RDL is very sad and seedy when you realise its run by criminals with mostly trafficked girls.

Nice to go the art musems, cafes, restraurants bike tours etc.

Wouldn't like to live there I think places like Utrecht or Haarlem are better.

Also, knowing the Dutch as I do now, a very dull and rigid bunch, I'm glad I don't live there anymore.

crossmolinalad

dudara wrote: »

This doesn't list specific careers, but I've seen lots of IT people move there. Check out the 30% tax ruling that exists in the Netherlands.

And don't forget about the highly expensive health insurance you must have there

razorblunt

Billy86 wrote: »

Was in Amsterdam with a h girlfriend for a few days in July, lovely place as I hadn't been in about 10 years, but we went to The Haag for the last day and I definitely agree. Got lucky with a sunny day after rain all week in Amsterdam, but the place is really nice a peaceful, and (what I assume was) the main city square with a bunch of pubs and beer gardens out the front was beautiful and an excellent atmosphere, lively but not obnoxious.

Yeah, that square was great. Its a city that gets noticeably quieter at weekends too as a lot of folk might only be there for work, commuting from Amsterdam or Rotterdam to it.

dudara

Grayson wrote: »

is oorlog = poo? Because it sounds like it.

The literal translation is war. When it comes to fries, it means a topping of Dutch satay sauce (which is rich and damn tasty) plus raw diced onions. It's glorious stuff.

Berserker

JupiterKid wrote: »

But walking through the Red Light District is like walking through Temple Bar in Dublin. .... The canals add so much to the character of Amsterdam.

Firstly, there is a heck of a lot more to Amsterdam than the RLD. Personally, I believe that it doesn't adds too much to the city. What time did you walk through the RLD at? Didn't like it at night at all. It was/is full of dodgy gits, pimps keeping an eye on their prostitutes, people trying to sell hard drugs and con men trying to rip off tourists.

crossmolinalad wrote: »

And don't forget about the highly expensive health insurance you must have there

And the cost of renting a place.

JJJJNR

sugarman wrote: »

Kip of a place, grand if you want to go and the lash and be surrounded by scobes and stag parties for a few days...but it wasnt my thing at all.

Utrecht on the other hand, absolutely beautiful city... much more relaxed and not over run with the above/tourists in general, very scenic and clean.. a lot more traditional. Had great craic with the locals, big student town.. literally only 30mins away from Amsterdam central too.

The first time I was in Amsterdam ('01) we were supposed to go to Utrecht for a football game v Ajax, I had emailed the ticket office for bookings etc and they gave us passes to the best seats in the house (their words)..

.We never made it to Utrecht.

murpho999

crossmolinalad wrote: »

And don't forget about the highly expensive health insurance you must have there

Private insurance for higher earners is usually paid for by employers.

Lower earners pay public insurance which is very affordable.

As a result of everybody paying for healthcare they have an excellent Universal healthcare system and you don't pay anything to visit your GP or dentist.

JJJJNR

sugarman wrote: »

but I seriously suggest to anyone heading to Amsterdam for few days.. to do a day trip to Utrecht.

Yep best of luck with that.

Mister Vain

The best thing about Amsterdam for me was the people. So friendly and great fun to hang out with. I met some really cool people there in various bars. The actually city itself is nothing special to look at though. Parts of it are really dirty and run down. I didn't feel particularly safe at night. I had a good time there but I don't think I would go back.

irelandrover

murpho999 wrote: »

Private insurance for higher earners is usually paid for by employers.

Lower earners pay public insurance which is very affordable.

As a result of everybody paying for healthcare they have an excellent Universal healthcare system and you don't pay anything to visit your GP or dentist.

I live in Holland and i know no-one that has their insurance paid. I've never even heard of it as a thing here.

MadDog76

Been about 6 - 8 times, love it ........... and that's all I'm saying!

Surreptitious

MadDog76 wrote: »

Been about 6 - 8 times, love it ........... and that's all I'm saying!

Durty ol maddog.

Mister Vain

Durty Nelly's is great.

dd972

Find it a bit of an irritating place, especially being hassled by Surinamese drug dealers and street hoods, and a bit too anglophone, prefer Brussels, Antwerp or Paris or Nijmegen or Maastricht in NL.

JupiterKid

Amsterdam can be a great city if you know where to go and what to see. I'm over staying with my older sister and her family who live in the Zaan region, about 20km north of the city. Only 25 mins by train. I have a couple of friends also in Amsterdam who I try to catch up with when I visit.

There is a Banksy/Dali exhibition on in one of the art museums which I went to see on Sat with some friends who were over visiting from Dublin. A boat tour is a must - it's a great way to see the city.

I was also swimming au naturel on Sunday in a beautiful historic swimming pool. Most public pools in Holland have a time slot for nude swimming each week. Very liberating and you must try it at least once in your lifetime.:)

The downside of Amsterdam is that it is constantly packed with tourists, many of the less savoury variety. Especially in the Red Light District. But I avoid that area as there's nothing there that interests me.

I don't find the Dutch rigid and dull at all. Very friendly and helpful, especially those who are under 50. Quite a few older Dutch don't speak English and the region my sister lives in is very different from Amsterdam itself - quite traditional with lots of old windmills and painted green wooden houses yet close to city. A lot of people who visit Amsterdam and only see the RLD get the completely wrong impression of Holland.

murpho999

irelandrover wrote: »

I live in Holland and i know no-one that has their insurance paid. I've never even heard of it as a thing here.

Where I worked it was covered, and so was my wife's. Was a great perk.

Knew plenty of other people who worked in other companies and fields and they had t covered too.