I'm trying to convince my parents to take my brother and I on a family vacation to Amsterdam. Usually when we travel we stay in the states and it becomes rather boring and redundant.
My dad thinks that the only thing to do in places like Europe are to go on guided tours. Are there things in Amsterdam we could do do / see as a family without guided tours?
2006-12-22 03:56:46 · 8 answers · asked by roundmeoutside1234 1 in Travel ➔ Europe (Continental) ➔ Netherlands
Amsterdam is famous for it's drugs and red light district. That's not a place for family vacation. Why don't you go to Paris or London or Rome - much more to see there.
2006-12-22 03:59:14 · answer #1 · answered by Michael R 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
mudson 08 is the only one with a decent answer because as he says he HAS been there. All the rest will never stop amazing me about their ignorance regarding Amsterdam when they have NEVER been there.
Of course you can go with your family and enjoy it without guided tours. There is plenty to do and see. When you arrive buy a travel guide and go. Enjoy it.
For more info go to:
http://www.visitamsterdam.nl/
In the meantime i give you some tips:
Go to the Rijksmuseum to see among others the Night Watch by Rembrandt.
Visit the Van Gogh Museum with an incredible collection of Vincent van Gogh paintings.
Don´t miss the Anne Frank House, very impressive.
Tour along the canals.
Visit a Diamond Factory.
Rent a bike and try to see as much as possible.
surroundings (outside Amsterdam)
Go to Volendam and Marken where people still wears the traditional costumes.
Marken with the cheese market.
And have fun. Lots of it.
http://homepages.cwi.nl/~steven/amsterdam.html
2006-12-22 06:20:44 · answer #2 · answered by Martha P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't listen to these people! My girlfriend was not to thrilled to go to Amsterdam when we went to Europe because she thought it was all prostitutes and drugs. For the most part, that is confined to a section of town and is easily avoidable. If you do the research on the places to see you never need a guided tour in Europe, but its up to you to figure out where to go and what it all means. In Amsterdam, there is the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijkmuseum, the Anne Frank House which you can do at your own pace and don't need a guide (although it can get overwhelming). If you're not into museums Amsterdam is beautiful on its own, just walking the canals and checking out the square and the coolest train station in Europe. There's plenty to do as a family if you choose to avoid the red light district. By the way, my girlfriend, who thought she'd hate Amsterdam now considers it one of her favorite cities in Europe!
2006-12-22 04:06:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Depending on your interests, there are millions of things to do in Amsterdam and all over Europe. It helps to have a tour guide because they know the best and fun places to go to but if you decide to go on your own, you have to do a lot of research. There are lots of travel books and videos that you can borrow from public libraries (expensive to buy) and the best and cheapest time to travel is during low season, like now - wintertime. Summer is the most expensive but the best time to go.
2006-12-22 04:06:36 · answer #4 · answered by micharooni 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get on a commuter train and go to the village of Hoorne, allowing yourself some time for lunch, shopping and visiting a local museum.
2006-12-22 04:04:37 · answer #5 · answered by Zelda Hunter 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
amsterdam is not really a family place
2006-12-22 03:58:56 · answer #6 · answered by links305 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Is this a trick Question? Try the space cake!!!
2006-12-22 04:00:30 · answer #7 · answered by Danny_Briere_Fan_48 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Smoke dope and have sex with prostitutes...legally...
2006-12-22 03:58:49 · answer #8 · answered by dj 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋