 | Amsterdam Outside Amsterdam Reviews | 1 - 10 of 54 |  |
 me in the seashore with the
markermeer at the back by gasca
I got lost twice and ended up asking to old men who asked were I was from. When I said 'Spain' answered with a big smile and pointed the right direction.
You can get a detailed map of the trip in Mac Bikes renting shop (Centraal Station right side, or behind the chess players near Leidseplein square) for 1 (yes, you are right, in Netherlands you have to pay for everything even for pissing on). Be careful when following the signs on the route map: sometimes it is not very accurate and it's better to follow your orientation (if it's better than mine). You have to cross a narrow river and pay a few cents for it.
See more pictures in travelogue. Leave a Comment
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 pic retaken as 1st a big reed
blocked my face! by jo104
I visited one near Alkmaar
Entry is usually few Euros Leave a Comment
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 Hidden fortress near Purmerend by Pijlmans
The fortresses that came with this technique are called the Dutch Waterline, you can read all about it in English here: http://www.hollandsewaterlinie.nl/ and here http://www.noord-holland.com/ (things to do).
Walking routes around Amsterdam that visit the fortresses can be found under "wandelroutes" at http://www.noord-holland.com/stellingvanamsterdam/.
See my Netherlands page for some English/Dutch keywords to understand these search engines for walks in the Netherlands.
A similar defense line with fortresses was build around Amsterdam, see my Amsterdam Things to Do tip about the Stelling van Amsterdam (Defense Line of Amsterdam). Leave a Comment
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In tulip season (springtime) flower lovers can take a coach trip to Keukenhof, huge gardens dedicated to tulips. Trips can be booked from companies on the Damrak (around 30), or there is a day-trip by train from Central Station for less.
Not far from Amsterdam, in the former Zuiderzee (now the IJsselmeer) is Marken, an island now joined to the mainland by a land bridge. It still has many wooden houses, and you can still see people wearing local costume, not just for tourists. You should at least visit the harbour. There are organised coach tours (around 25), but for much less money (six strips of a strippen-card) you can take bus 111 from Central Station (times can be got from the public transport telephone information line 0900-9292, 0.50 per minute).
There is a group of working windmills along the river at the Zaanse Schans, as well as museums and a cheese factory you can visit. Take the train to Koog-Zaandijk (about 15 minutes), turn left at the bottom of the steps from the platform, and walk straight on right to the end of the street (about 5 minutes). Turn left, and ahead of you is a windmill at the end of a bridge. As you cross the bridge, you can see the working mills on the left. There is a gate at the end of the bridge, on the left.
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 Amstelveen by Pijlmans
There are quite some activities for children, and possibilities for recreation.
Ladies, the shopping center is the biggest in the region!!! (Sorry guys...)
Amstelveen can easily be reached by tram 5 or metro 51 from Amsterdam.
On the picture, Amstelveen is the rectangular shape in the middle, surrounded by green, with Amsterdam in the north. The Amsterdamse Bos (forest) is located to the west of Amstelveen.
Please check out my Amstelveen pages for tips about Amstelveen! Leave a Comment
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Four authentic "banning poles" (banpaal in Dutch) can be found around Amsterdam. In the past (around 1600 AD) these poles marked the borders of the city. The city of Amsterdam had the rights to apprehend suspects within these borders, and to ban/expel convicts from the territory marked by the banning poles.
Banning was a popular punishment for thieves and beggars, but also for cursing, playing dice s(gambling) or prostitution.
Interestingly, the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt made an etching showing one of these banning poles. A part of this banning pole, that has been relocated several times, can now be found in the Geuzenbos at the Spaarndammerdijk close to its original position. It is close to the water-pumping station ("gemaal" in Dutch) near Vaalmuiden/Wethouder van Essenweg.
The other banning poles can be found here:
- Sloterweg in Sloten (1794)
- Amsterdamseweg in Amstelveen (±1625)
- Near the river Amstel, Amsteldijk Noord, close to the Kalfjeslaan in Amstelveen (±1625)
The last banning pole, the one next to the river Amstel, is included in a marked 10 km walk through the Middelpolder, see my off-the-beaten-path tip.
The banning pool on the Amsterdamseweg in Amstelveen is close to the parks "De Braak", "Thijssepark" and "Broersepark" in Amstelveen and a visit to the banning pole could be combined with a visit to these parks. Please see my Amstelveen tips if you are interested. Leave a Comment
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The Diemerbos (Forest of Diemen) is located in the (south)east of Amsterdam, where the highways A1 and A9 meet, close to the suburb Diemen. Sinds 1993, when fast-growing trees were planted, this has been a literary growing recreational area.
You can do a nice 9 km, 2 h long, marked walk through this unique piece of nature, that is surrounded by highways. Especially after wet periods it can be a very muddy walk since parts of the route are unpaved, so take good walking shoes!
The hike starts at the end of the Muiderstraatweg in Diemen, close to the junction of the Muiderstraatweg with the Weteringweg. There is a big parking here. The closest public transport is the last stop of tram 9 in Diemen. See www.gvb.nl for details.
From this point you enter the forest and follow the hexagonal signs "Diemerbosroute" of the Dutch Touring Association (ANWB). Also a shorter, 3 km, 50 min long, marked walk from Staatsbosbeheer starts here, with red marking, see the pictures.
The Diemerbosroute also takes you along the Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal (Amsterdam-Rhine Canal), that connects Amsterdam with the important shipping artery the river Rhine.
You can print the map that is among the pictures and take it with you for the unlikely case that you get lost in this small forest.
Follow the link below for my Netherlands page if you are interested in more hiking information. Leave a Comment
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 Ouderkerkerplas, Ouderkerk aan
de Amstel by Pijlmans
See e.g. my Amsterdam tips about the Amsterdamse Bos (forest of Amsterdam) or the beautiful small parks in my Amstelveen tips.
Additionally, you will find a lot more information about hiking and walking around Amsterdam and in Holland in general on my page about the Netherlands. Leave a Comment
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This might not sound exciting but it really is something worth seeing, whether your a Flower lover or not. Tours do go here, or you can get there on your own steam like I did. I caught Bus 172 from outside Central Station. It took about an hour to get there, and stops right at the Complex. This is the WORLD'S LARGEST FLOWER AUCTION, so as you can imagine, its extremely busy. You walk on a high boardwalk overlooking all the Flowers and action. You can peer through the window at the Auction room and see the buyers in Action, how fast each lot is sold, its amazing! I saw Flowers that I hadn't seen before. There is a souvenir shop and a Cafe for that morning cuppa & cake(quite expensive) Take your time and enjoy.
Open on WEEKDAYS ONLY from 7.30am - 11am.
Admission 5 euro (2009)
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The Defense Line of Amsterdam is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. See for more info about the Fortresses of the Defense Line:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/1aa8ba/
This 8-10 km marked hike takes you along two fortresses of the Defense Line of Amsterdam:
Fortress along the river Drecht (http://www.fortaandedrecht.nl/)
Fort De Kwakel (http://www.stelling-amsterdam.nl/forten/kwakel/)
The walk starts and finishes in the village De Kwakel, at the bus stop (bus 147) at the crossing Drechtdijk-Kerklaan. The route is marked with red/yellow stickers on signposts. Some parts are unpaved, so wear good shoes and avoid this walk after a very rainy period.
See http://www.9292ov.nl/ for public transport information. It e.g. takes 60-90 minutes by bus to get to De Kwakel from Amsterdam Central Station. Leave a Comment
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- Prinsenhuis Design Apartments
Prinsengracht 967, Amsterdam - Nl-Hotel
Nassaukade 368, Amsterdam - Qbic Hotel Wtc Amsterdam
Strawinskylaan 241, Amsterdam - Vijaya
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 44, Amsterdam - Seasons Hotel Amsterdam
Stadhouderskade 135, Amsterdam - Eden Amsterdam Centre Hotel
Nassaukade 387 390 (formerly Tulip Inn Amsterdam Centre), Amsterdam - Marriott Amsterdam
Stadhouderskade 12, Amsterdam - Old Nickel
Nieuwe Brugsteeg 11, Amsterdam - Bed and Breakfast Amsterdam
Sloterkade 65-1, Amsterdam - AMS Hotel Concert Inn
De Lairessestraat 11, Amsterdam - Hotel Neutraal
Damrak 8, Amsterdam - Hotel the Golden Bear Amsterdam
Kerkstraat 37, Amsterdam - Tulip Inn Amsterdam Riverside
Provincialeweg 38, Amsterdam - Parkhotel
Stadhouderskade 25, Amsterdam - Sipermann
Roemer Visscherstraat 35, Amsterdam
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