Amsterdam & Noord Holland People & Culture

By all means visit the markets, but watch out for pick pockets, they are very organised and experienced. Special places to visit include the Royal Palace, Madame Tousaude's for some local wax and if you must, a local coffee shop, but then remember the first item. Amsterdam isn't that representative of Holland any more, if you really want to experience it, head to one of the smaller towns. Centraal Station will take you pretty much anywear quickly and easily. If you are there and they do a public address warning about the pick pockets, don't do what everyone else automatically does, which is clap their hands to where they keep their wallets. Anyone would think the crims were paying the people to do the PA's lol.

If you're in amstardam and planning to sample the local culture. NEVER buy anythin on the street. in a city where sex and drugs are sold legally there's reasons why the people on the street are dodgy.

Den Oever is a very small town in Holland on the western side of the 'Afsluitdijk'. The village itself has no things to offer but a supermarket, but the view over the water and the Afsluitdijk is magnificent! I cycled through it last year and enjoyed the friendly people and environment. have fun!

I loved this city! I agree w/Earl's comment, pay attention and get lost. I walked for days. It was cool but sunny and the walking was so easy. A good travel book will explain many of the sights and the people are very friendly. The architecture, and the hidden garden, and the beer...all good. The Anne Frank house was deeply moving. I was lucky to see alot b/c of friends that live there. Man did i miss their great transport system on returning to Georgia.

Point is to see center of the city, for there culture, boats on rivers, people, but good idea for everybody is to visit suburbs of Amsterdam, there u get best picture of how people r living, enjoying, r talkative with u, and best little shops for u to find anything u want.

If you're in amstardam and planning to sample the local culture. NEVER buy anythin on the street. in a city where sex and drugs are sold legally there's reasons why the people on the street are dodgy.

Amsterdam... land of water and land, history and culture, coupled with modern 'liberties' and lifestyles. Our holiday here was a mixture of highs and lows, some things we absolutely loved, and other things made us feel very uncomfortable. I guess this can be said of most cities in the world, as there is good and bad everywhere, but for us, we had never encountered this type of element before.

We neither loved nor hated it. But we are glad we went.

What appealed to us was the lapping of the waters as our canal boat gently steered down the canal, watching the towering, skinny buildings on either side of us. Watching the young lady sunbathing on the roof of her river-boat; the young man beating his dust-filled carpet with a rod; the young girl curled up on the windowsill overlooking the canal, engrossed in the novel she was reading.

It offers, to the viewer and visitor, an intimate glimpse into the life of Amsterdam and is very special.

Point is to see center of the city, for there culture, boats on rivers, people, but good idea for everybody is to visit suburbs of Amsterdam, there u get best picture of how people r living, enjoying, r talkative with u, and best little shops for u to find anything u want.

Amsterdam is a wonderful city. I stayed at the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel. It was a great choice. It was situated directly at the beginning of one of the biggest shopping streets Leidesplein. Really awesome was the Amsterdam Dungeon of which I found out by accident. It is really worth it. Also if you want to see Madame Tussauds you should buy a combi-ticket for both at the Dungeon. It's cheaper there. At the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijskmuseum I spend a few hrs. They are really big and worth seeing it if you are interested in culture and art. Don't miss to go on a canal cruise. They are a little pricey but really something you must see. For a nice evening crash in to the American Bar in the American Hotel, where you will find a huge wall of fame directly at Leidseplein or at the Pub situated at the end of the Leidseplein where it enters the Leidsestraat.

Very sweet and small but very old city with a lot of things to do. A beautiful church (late 1300), 3 museums and the old fort which is in very good shape..
At the lake (Naardermeer), you have a walking path throe the nature/ woods/ bush, very cool to see there is still some square meters of nature in our small country! This of road track is called 't Laarzenpad...
One of the better French kitchen restaurants in town is 't Arsenaal.

When walking out of Schipol Airport you can feel very lost. Avoid taking taxis if you can; the public transport in the Netherlands is generally very good. To get to Amsterdam from Schipol I would recommend that you take one of the many trains from below ground level, tickets can be obtain from inside of the Airport. Alternatively there is a more scenic route to Amsterdam via Amstelveen; take the 300 bus heading to Amsterdam Bijlmer and get off at Oranjebaan which is the stop after Amstelveen Bus station. Transfer the the Tram station and take Tram No5 (Centraal) into Amsterdam centre. Note: The 300 bus to Amsterdam Bijlmer will also take you directly to The Amsterdam Arena, home of Ajax and also the Heineken Music Hall.

Grashoppers Club is a cool location with cool people and cool music

not too many fancy restaurants. in some of the fast food places you can hear tarkan!s music:) tulips and all the other flower are sold everywhere.It is scattered all around the town. for me it is a place of dikes and bikes...ask grass menus. it is not as rich as our eageon kitchen olive oil vegetable plates:))

The Queensday or in Dutch 'Koniginnendag', is celebrated throughout the Netherlands every year on April 30 (if this is a Sunday, on the 29th). Live music and other events take place during that day, people parade on the canals. If you don't like big crowds with people getting drunk and urinating everywhere avoid the central places like Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein, Nieuwmarkt etc. during that day. You can find a more relaxed atmosphere in the Jordaan and parts of Oud-Zuid, for example with small Bands playing in pubs, and if you are lucky you might find a seat. Another alternative is to avoid Amsterdam completely and go to Leiden or Utrecht where you will find a more relaxed atmosphere.

Free coffee in Amsterdam? It's possible. Just go into the Lucky Strike shop, Leidsestraat, and you will enjoy free coffee or tea, listening to the good music in the same time. If you smoke, you will enjoy even more;-)

Definately hire a bike. That was you get the real experiance of amsterdam.

Alkmaar is above all Holland's cheese town. During the season from the first Friday of April to the first Friday of September a traditional cheese market is being held here on Friday mornings between 10 and 12.30. The cheeses are sold by dealers on a clap of hands. Thereupon the 400 year old cheese porters' guild goes into action, carrying the cheese off on barrows after the lot has been weighed at the Waag (the official scales). In the Waaggebouw - in which the scales are housed - a cheese museum that tells everything about dairy farming has been established.

Alkmaar is historical with around 400 monuments. The Waag, dating back in its earliest form to the 14th century, the 16th century town-hall, Grote St. Laurens Church and the many courtyards , facades and canals give the town an ambience all of its own. With the past as a setting, the town has a modern stock of shops offering a wide choice. Besides the predominantly small shops in the old centre, the Noorder Arcade with large scale shopping facilities stands by the side of the Noord Holland Canal.

Alkmaar is the biggest town in the region and therefore also its centre for going out. There is a range of restaurants of various kinds, pavement cafés and coffee houses, as well as theatres and museums. Numerous events are also organised including The Relief of Alkmaar, Culinary Plaza and Cheese Town Jazz. Relaxation can also be found in the Geestmerambacht recreational area close by, and the parks and sports facilities.

rent a bike and ride around the canals... 

Things you have to see are:diamonds, Rembrandts' house, Van Gogh's museum, and coffe shops. maybe you could rent a bike, but you can walk along the city...watch, of the fast bike riders, they often hit you!

nothing cmpares with a good salty fish sandwich for breakfast. it a once in a life-time experience

By all means visit the markets, but watch out for pick pockets, they are very organised and experienced. Special places to visit include the Royal Palace, Madame Tousaude's for some local wax and if you must, a local coffee shop, but then remember the first item. Amsterdam isn't that representative of Holland any more, if you really want to experience it, head to one of the smaller towns. Centraal Station will take you pretty much anywear quickly and easily. If you are there and they do a public address warning about the pick pockets, don't do what everyone else automatically does, which is clap their hands to where they keep their wallets. Anyone would think the crims were paying the people to do the PA's lol.

Definately hire a bike. That was you get the real experiance of amsterdam.

Stay at "Bob's youth hostel" and buy your green stuff at the "Bulldog Coffee Shop" and it's a fun, albeit hard to recall, trip.

If you're in amstardam and planning to sample the local culture. NEVER buy anythin on the street. in a city where sex and drugs are sold legally there's reasons why the people on the street are dodgy.

Grasshopper a must! Great selection