Travel to Netherlands

Amsterdam (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

Format: Paperback
Author: Fiona Duncan
ReleaseDate: 20 January, 2003
Publisher: DK Travel
Rating:

Never looked at it after the first time
I dont think it has a lot of really useful information, there just arent a lot of details provided - it feels like it tries to cover too much. I just returned from amsterdam and I brought some internet materials that I printed out (different articles) and two guide books, I never looked at this one while I was there.
My advice would be to decide on what you are interested in doing there: walking, museums, biking. . . and find for a book that is more directly related to what you are looking for. I feel I wasted my money on this book.

Amsterdam travel guide
The guides are concise, listing the 10 most popular sites to see under a variety of categories. We have been very pleased with all of the Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides that we have purchased for cities we were visiting. The Amsterdam guide is exactly what we need to carry with us so we will have it as an easy reference. I expecially like the colored pictures along with the text.

Not Quite the Only Book You Need
They are small and thin enough to fit in a purse, have great maps and are usually all you need. I have used the "Top 10" travel guides on several trips to Europe. The "Top 10 Amsterdam" guide is somewhat deficient, however.

There is very little information on the famous Red Light District: There is just one short paragraph on the Red Light District on page 77 and a brief mention under "A Day in the Oude Zijde" on page 79. As far as the famous "Smoking Coffeeshops" (where marijuana is served) are concerned, there is just one sentence on them on page 51.

Aside from that, the guide is very good. There are lists of Amsterdam's top ten sights, top ten museums, top ten Churches, top ten bars, top ten clubs, etc. The maps of Amsterdam are very useful, as are the diagrams of the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, showing where the most famous works of art are located. There are also top ten lists for different geographic areas of the city.

There are several lists of hotels, including "Top 10 Budget Hotels," and top ten lists of things like "Shopping Tips," "Arriving in Amsterdam," and "Getting Around. "

I would recommend this book for those who have no interest in Amsterdam's sleazy side. For the rest, I would recommend the Frommer's guide instead (although, unlike the Top 10 guide, Frommer's does not have many photographs).

I would add that the list of "Top 10 Restaurants" does not include the historic and opulent Cafe Americain, where Mata Hari had her wedding reception. I would list the Cafe Americain as the number one dining experience in Amsterdam.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Netherlands travel books.

	Holland (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
	Streetwise Amsterdam (Streetwise)
	Top 10 Brussels & Antwerp Bruges, Ghent (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
	Joe Pauker's Get Lost! the Cool Guide to Amsterdam
	Amsterdam Made Easy: The Best Sights and Walks of Amsterdam (Open Road Travel Guides)