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.