I'm on a bike... and other things to do in Amsterdam

I'm on a bike.

As stereotypical as tulips, gouda and being good-but-not-quite-good-enough at football, biking is very Dutch and therefore something You Should Do on any Amsterdam trip.

We rented bikes from Amsterdam Black Bikes, who supply bikes that blend in, thus ensuring you don't look like a moron tourist, wobbling your way around the city on a bright red/green/orange contraption.

The one thing you'll learn from walking around Amsterdam on foot is that everyone on a bike (which basically means... everyone) is a bit of a nutter, so thus outfitted with your bike to blend in, the only way of actually doing so is to ride it like you stole it. Avoiding trams, pedestrians and everything else in your path: optional.

Far better then is to get a bike from the World Trade Centre location (about 5 minutes walk from tram 5's stop at Prinses Irenestraat) and head South to Amsterdamse Bos, a large forest with interesting trails for walking, cycling, rowing and horses. Those craving street cycling will get plenty on the way there and could do worse than a swift jaunt through the De Pijp neighbourhood afterwards, which is quieter of vehicular obstacles and has some of Amsterdam's nicer looking residential abodes. A ride to and around parts of Bos, back North to the Olympic Stadium and East to and around De Pijp is doable at a pace that hardly breaks a sweat in 3-3.5 hours or so, with breaks for touristy sights and in-saddle refreshment. If you must head into the centre (there's really no point: take a tram) then make sure you're confident on a bike, know where you're heading and don't mind your bones breaking.

Other things to do in Amsterdam...

Attempt to take a picture of the Amsterdam sign

This is the most pointless thing to do in the centre and yet the one everyone has a go at. It's practically impossible to just get you and/or your other half in unless you've got a paparazzi-level wide-angle lens or you turn up at 5am and even fitting the full thing in with other bystanders included is difficult. What you end up with is a picture of some random tourist with your girlfriend somewhere in the background.

Pointless.

The Museums

If you're not a museum-type person then be warned that Amsterdam is set up either for people to sample the local 'erb or for people to go to a museum. Four of Tripadvisor's Top 10 attractions are museums and if you knock out the outdoor spaces to wander around then only two of the 10 (the library and a concert hall) are indoor things to do which aren't museums. I'll type 'museums' in to this paragraph just one more time in case you haven't got the point yet.

We did the big three which, in no particular order, are Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum and The Van Gogh Museum. If there's a criticism of all of the museums it's that they're very 'come and see' spaces, rather than 'come and learn'. There's nothing in The Van Gogh Museum, for example, about the end of his life; the time spent in Auvers or his death, as covered by Pialat's film.

All of the guide books will tell you to turn up early to avoid queueing and certainly if you're there in the school holidays that is absolutely the case. The queues for Van Gogh and The Rijksmuseum at around lunchtime on two of the days we were there were biblical: even worse than your local post office.

We did Van Gogh on a non-holiday Monday however, turned up at around 9.30am and walked straight in. You'll still need to wait a little / crane you neck / shove people out of the way to see Sunflowers.

Jordaan

Amsterdam's up-and-coming neighbourhood is a trove of independent bars, shops and eateries and it's perfect for a lazy mooch and several drinks. It's not far from Anne Frank House so combining the two is perfect for an early start, followed by a late afternoon. The Lonely Planet Amsterdam guide has an all-encompassing walk which will take you past many of the eateries and show you the quaint-yet-stylish residential streets. Alternatively, this looks to be an extended version of it.

Making a city trip go further

I've written before about breaking out of the city on a city trip and it remains my top recommendation for anyone heading for a long weekend away in a foreign central hub. For Brits, imagine coming to the UK as a foreigner and only seeing London and its sites, staying in some pleasant suburb. You'll hardly leave with a true picture of the nation.

Here's my patented squiggly-edged map of the Amsterdam area, courtesy of Google maps.

We went to Haarlem via train (about €4 each return) and had a nice wander round the market there. There's also a huge and imposing cathedral you can go and visit for those minded to do such things and another smattering of smart, fairly inexpensive cafe-eateries. We did it in half a day because that was all of the time we could spare out of the centre, though several of the guides suggest doing two of the options (Haarlem and Leiden for example) on one train ticket, across a full day. Sounds a good idea to me. Other popular options include Alkmaar or heading further South for a day in Rotterdam. The rail network is great and inexpensive so I can how both could work.

Bargain evening meal

People get sniffy about Wagamama's and it might not be the height of international cuisine Amsterdam has to offer but, owing to its business-orientated location, the Wagamama's at the World Trade Centre actually offers deals to encourage you to eat there at the weekend: and good deals too. We got half price food on the entire menu (automatically applied, no voucher) and spent something like €17 for two ramen mains, a side of edamame, a beer and a wine, which is pretty damn bargainous, especially in Amsterdam, which can be expensive. If you're on a budget or need a cheap meal or two, you could genuinely do far worse for far more.

Plus, sometimes, having biked around for several hours, all you want is a bowl of spicy soupy stuff and enough noodles to feed a legion of angry pedal-powered Dutch people.