Travel to Netherlands

Lonely Planet Amsterdam

Format: Paperback
Author: Andrew Bender
ReleaseDate: March, 2006
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Rating:

Get a more recent edition
Lonely Planet has a 2006 edition for Amsterdam--which you need (or one more recent) because so many museums are closed (apparently until 2008/09) and there is much construction going on in the city.

Reliable and Informative Travel Guide
Andrew Bender provides humorous yet accurate information on the culture and norms of Amsterdam as well as key surrounding areas (Den Haag, Haarlem, etc. Over the past two years, I've purchased and used five Lonely Planet guides, and this one ranks among the top. ) Day after day during our week-long trip, we turned to his guide for advice and weren't disappointed. Highly recommended. .

Good list of cheap eateries
The descriptions of the establishments that I am familiar with were right on the money. The value in "Lonely Planet Amsterdam" is in the thumbnail sketches of cafes and reasonably-priced restaurants. They are grouped by neighborhood and have basic information, such as opening hours. I was disappointed that Indonesian restaurants were short-changed, because they "aren't authentically Asian. " True, but an Indonesian rijstafel shared between half a dozen or more people is not too expensive and is an authentically Dutch form of entertainment. The biggest problem with the book is that it doesn't open flat. You need both hands to force it open wide enough to read comfortably and then it's hard to flip through the pages. And you will do a lot of flipping, because there's no good index to help you find things.

There are about half a dozen pages of photographs of the Amsterdam area, unnaturally sunny and uncrowded. Amsterdam is one of Europe's most interesting and picturesque cities, but nobody goes there for the weather, and the crowds of pedestrians and bicycles are part of the charm. The description of Dutch culture was spot on. Amsterdammers in particular are very broad-minded-one of the reasons that Amsterdam is a favorite vacation spot for gays and lesbians--but they're not part of the have-a-nice-day crowd. Expect them to be polite and helpful, rather than effusive.

I have half a dozen guides to Amsterdam and find that no one of them covers all aspects of a visit. "Lonely Planet Amsterdam" is most useful as a way of finding somewhere quick to eat when you're out sight-seeing.

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

	Joe Pauker's Get Lost! the Cool Guide to Amsterdam
	Streetwise Amsterdam (Streetwise)
	Lonely Planet Amsterdam City Map
	Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam (Irreverent Guides)
	Amsterdam Made Easy: The Best Sights and Walks of Amsterdam (Open Road Travel Guides)