For what it's worth, here's some lists of what we did do, preceded by an explanation of the everyday machinations that made such activities possible.
We stayed at the Port van Cleve. It's 4 star, but star rating in Amsterdam does not guarantee you a sizable room nor a significant thickness of wall. Whilst the hotel was well located and we were well provided for, you may consider the extra expense over a hostel not worth the effort. A bike is well worth hiring if you plan to journey the city and beyond. Otherwise, both bikes and public transport are needless accessories for a compact and easily navigable city. Amsterdam is not the Venice of the north; there may be a lot of canals, but they are not the principal thoroughfares and are not the best landmarks to navigate by. We navigated the city using the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide and the Coffee Shop Guide. We rented bikes from the first place we found off Dam Square - Damstraat Rent-a-bike, for 35 euros for the week. As far as eating goes there are plenty of varied cuisines to choose from, though breakfast can be a trial if you don't want to gorge on pancakes or ham and eggs. If you like fallafel you're in luck cos it's the Amsterdam equivalent of chip shops. We went to Green Planet twice because of the friendly service and eco-vege menu. Lieve was an experience from the moment we opened the door. Before you see a menu you're asked to select an ambience to eat in; gastranomic, Belgian baroque or traditional. The website gives more details, but check the photos for the selection card we were given and the fab decor of the place. We're not sure if it was something they put in the wine, but we decided we were given some of the best food we've ever eaten, in particular the intense chocolate dessert which more or less induced orgasm. Well recommended.
what we did do
All the coffeeshops we visited listed vaguely in order of merit (created with the assitance of the Coffee Shop Guide (the best guide to Amsterdam regardless of drug philosophy and usually available to buy in the very first coffeeshop you pass over the threshold of))...
- Abraxas
- Rokerij
- Dampkring
- Barney's
- Greenhouse
- Bluebird
- Pink Floyd
- The Doors
- Jolly Joker
- the bushdocter
...thought frankly we generally only visted the best, so the tail end of the list doesn't represent places we hated.
Places to go and things to do because we did and we liked (1) obvious: Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh museum, Zaanse Schans, Anne Frank Huis, Vondelpark...
Places to go and things to do because we did and we liked (2) less obvious: Amsterdam Bos, Tuschinski Theatre, Sauna Deco, IJ micro-brewery (Brouwerij 't IJ)...
Places we ate: Green Planet, Lieve
Places we drank: IJ micro-brewery (Brouwerij 't IJ),de barderij, Soho, Casablanca, Cafe Schiller
Places we danced: Back 2 Back xtra large at Kingdom in Marcanti Plaza.
Places we shopped: Henk
Things people frequently do but we didn't for one reason or another: See a live sex show, try a vaporiser, visit the erotic museum, visit the hemp museum, heineken museum, royal palace, any of the churches, ride a tram...
Questions we did not find the answer to: why is Betty Boop everywhere, why are there so many shops specialising in light fittings.
Things you should never do in Amsterdam: walk on a cycle lane, try to pronounce Van Gogh the same way Dutch people pronounce it.
