Walking, Amsterdam

Walking around the city is my preferred option.
Amsterdam is not a huge city , you can break your walking to parts and just walk.

Most of the attractions are in the middle of the city so it is not problematic to walk.
In 3 days you can walk in most of the touristic parts of the area to my opinion.

There are several guided tour operators in Amsterdam, like:

Genuine volunteer guides, also for handicapped people
Audiocitytours
Self guided audiotours
Amsterdam City Walks
Urban Home & Gardens
Double Dutch Tours
Citytour in the "Pijp" quarter
Rob van Hulst RLD tour
Randy Roy's RLD tour (tip by Geoff)
Mokum events walks
Amsterdam Insiders guided tours
Top Tours
Walther Schooneberg personal walks
New Amsterdam Tours
Altournive-Amsterdam
Wereldreis in Amsterdam, organised group walks along global influences at Amsterdam.

The Renaissance is an excellent start point, as Centraal and all the trams head out from there. Suggestion is to get a Streetwise Amsterdam map, which has tram lines, points of interest, etc clearly marked. Barnes & Noble carries them, but you can also go to www.streetwisemaps.com

Have a great trip!

Walking is a good alternative in Amsterdam.
** You can walk within 20-maximal 45 minutes to every interesting place you want to go to. You see more of beautifull Amsterdam, and you are able to take pictures. I live in Amsterdam, and I also walk often.
** If you are not sure if it is to far, you can always follow the tramrails in the middle of the street (but don't walk on it!). If you don't want to walk anymore, you can get a tram.
** There are also organized walks in the city, showing typical Amsterdam houses, places and things. And also very funny walks. Ask the V.V.V. (touristic information) outside the Central Station, or look at one of the websites below.

If you want to travel around the center of Amsterdam, walking is the best option. You get to see everything, it nice and flat everywhere, and you realise the city center is not as big as imagined. All the shops are close together, so you can find anything you want in just a short while.

1 more image

My friend and I rented a car while in the city. It is NOT worth it. You can get around just by taking the tram, train or even a bicycle. If you are staying in a hotel that is right in the middle of everything, scratch the car idea because it is easier to take public transportation or even to walk than it is to drive. Parking is pretty expensive and that is if you can find a place to park!

I've already described most of this on some of my other pages, but just to recap:

Car rentals -- no way.
Walking -- you betcha, and a lot of it.
Buses -- seemed to be going to outlying areas and places not covered by the trams. Not many of them and we had no need for them while there.
Bicycles -- everywhere, ridden by all ages, apparently hell-bent on getting to their destinations, and will run all over you unless you're very watchful when walking almost anywhere in crowded areas. Can be rented, but if you do be sure to lock that sucker to a solid structure anywhere you leave it. Theft is a very common thing.
Trains -- had no need for them either, and no direct knowledge to share.
Taxis -- no need for them either, but very expensive from what I've read. Be aware, though, that unlike in the U.S. if you're from there, they are prohibited from cruising around and looking for fares, and waving them down is not done. You will, however, find them parked near any popular area, with the front one in the line of cars being the first one to get passengers.

If doing over, we would have ventured to learn the tram routes and use them sooner than we did. Can't say it's a regret, since you can only really experience the sights and streets by walking (or via a canal boat tour), but in hindsight we tired ourselves out more than once the first couple of days there walking blocks and blocks to a destination that would have been a quick and effortless tram ride. The entire tram system was a very efficient thing from our experiences.

Walking is definitely the way to go when exploring Amsterdam. And even if you are not much of a walker, it is still doable, but just don't try to overdo it. I would suggest planning your daily itenerary to see sights in particular areas, and just remember that you can always take a "coffee break"! Be sure and pack comfortable shoes, and if you have ever been to NYC, then you know to watch out for cabs - well in Amsterdam it's that way with bikes!