June Trip to the Dam

[flambostin66]

Hey all

I Have read some posts on here about Amsterdam, but wanted to post my own little thing.

Well 4 of us are going to amsterdam on 18th of June and We are planning to return home late on the 21st.... Unless any of you guys recommend staying longer...

ok so our route of travel is from england by car via dunkirk =]

I have not really found a hotel yet... though several places have mentioned hostles.... my main concern is parking for my car.. any ideas?

ok so now the coffeeshops... we want to have a plesant, quiet and friendly time... i have heard the coffee shop Mellow Yellow is good and also heard many good things about Grey area

Ps for mods....

I came across a good site that has an interactive map, theres also a forum for amsterdam its mainly all about the strains, prices, coffee shops etc.... am i able to post the link to help people (if it has nt been posted that is)

[GrassHopper]

You must be mad thinking of driving. Have you seen the traffic? Its manic mate! lol I wouldn't do it anyway. Good Luck!

[flambostin66]

You must be mad thinking of driving. Have you seen the traffic? Its manic mate! lol I wouldn't do it anyway. Good Luck!

lol really? you mean in amsterdam it self? or on the way?

i dunno i thought it would be a laugh, the traffic cant be as bad as like rush hour in london...

thanks mate

[GrassHopper]

Well I've never driven in London but been in taxi and buses across London. I think its totally different. Driving in Amsterdam is on right, like france, spain and many others, which is bad enough (for me it is anyway, don't like the idea of it) but particularly in the centre where bikes seem to have right of way, trams and cars used the same roads and its all a bit mad. I could barely navigate across on foot (ok maybe I was totally baked lol)

No, I couldn't do it mate. You must let us know how you got on when you return. lol

[Nutty Professor]

You should try cycling around there baked I came withing a few inches of plowing into two cops on bikes lol, be careful in your car and research the roads and signals before you go. You might wanna stay longer than that so take enough cash it's expensive gl:)

[flambostin66]

Well I've never driven in London but been in taxi and buses across London. I think its totally different. Driving in Amsterdam is on right, like france, spain and many others, which is bad enough (for me it is anyway, don't like the idea of it) but particularly in the centre where bikes seem to have right of way, trams and cars used the same roads and its all a bit mad. I could barely navigate across on foot (ok maybe I was totally baked lol)

No, I couldn't do it mate. You must let us know how you got on when you return. lol

ahh i see, well i have drove to germany once before they tend to let the bikes have right of way there too...

haha i think once i get there the car is going to be parked for 80% of the time... i dont think im going to be in a great state to drive lol

how did u find the distances between places? is it best to just stroll around or taxi?

ahh i was planning to take a lot of pics and maybe create a picture diary on here

thanks for ur help matey

[flambostin66]

You should try cycling around there baked I came withing a few inches of plowing into two cops on bikes lol, be careful in your car and research the roads and signals before you go. You might wanna stay longer than that so take enough cash it's expensive gl:)

haha knowing my luck ill get high get on a bike and fall off lol, what are the police like over there, friendly?

yeah i was thinking about the signals and stuff, i should be okay with the drive its the parking i am thinking about, it looks more bike friendly rather than car friendly.

what would u say is the most expensive part?

thanks

[GrassHopper]

The ultimate way to get around is on those Bike Taxi things but they're not cheap. Trams are the cheapest and run very often. Once you're in the centre you can walk around for hours and hours sometimes not even realising you've been there already, well we did when we were stoned.

The thing I spent most money on was weed n munchies. Drinks in cafes are not cheap either.

Enjoy anyway mate!

[deandeane]

Dont drive in dam mate it will blow your mind its not like driving as we know it? to many cars, bikes and people to hit lol
The oneway system is a nightmare roads that are only for residents! some roads you can only drive on at certain times oneway streets that change the other way at certain times of day etc
Drove there about 20 years ago and would never do it again let the train take the strain.
Driving in Holland is quite easy but i would leave the car on the outskirts of dam and get public transport so much better................

[deandeane]

sorry forgot:D
Parking is no go in the centre of dam there are a few places but would cost an arm and a leg to park all day :D

[dekay]

I have been arrested in this country for being in charge of a pedal cycle whilst under the influence of drink or drugs, lol, not my greatest moment.:)

[flambostin66]

hey guys thanks for the info

so i take it taxi would be good to move about, we are looking to get a cheap hotel/hostle, i have seen a few places, does anyone know like an online search engine that is trust worthy and decent?

regarding my car, i just want to drive there, park up at hotel or where ever and leave it till the journey home.

what did you actually do to get arrested and were you treated okay?

[GrassHopper]

Taxis are expensive mate, better off travelling by tram or train. Just thinking about the driving all the way there... When I first looked at doing it that way it was far more expensive, by the time you paid for petrol and ferry etc, its cheaper to go by plane - at least 10x quicker too. I suppose it depends where you are though too, I live on west coast, if you live anywhere near Harwich will not be so bad.

[mxc]

honestly leave the car or stay in some other city as the dam is not car friendly and parking costs serious money.

build into this buses/trams, baked people and a place where the law heavily favours the cyclist/tram/bus...they crash in to you..its your fault..its a no brainer.

Also if you get caught driving whilst stoned (they will test you at the roadside) you can expect to go to court and they wont release you until they do.

i've driven in holland and its easy but do not drive to amsterdam, you will regret it.

if you must drive then stay out of town and get the train in and out. I actually like rotterdam and it had some great coffee shops/places to eat at good prices yet amsterdam was only a 30 minute train ride away.

Otherwise get the plain/train and really relax and enjoy yourself. Unless your in love with your car and cant leave her for 4 days

[flambostin66]

Taxis are expensive mate, better off travelling by tram or train. Just thinking about the driving all the way there... When I first looked at doing it that way it was far more expensive, by the time you paid for petrol and ferry etc, its cheaper to go by plane - at least 10x quicker too. I suppose it depends where you are though too, I live on west coast, if you live anywhere near Harwich will not be so bad.

ah thats cool looks like public transport then =]

i live not far from london and theres a car full who are happy to split the cost of petrol, also i checked ferry and thats 23 pounds return,

i mean we did look at flying, but the other guys coming think driving would be a funner experience of things, im the only one out of all of us who have drove through europe.

lol my love for my car is slowly falling apart lol, the car has a lot of problems and its going back to the company i got it from (no specific names) lol

[spliffing]

I wouldn't take the car, driving around the dam with bikes and trams all over the place is manic. I drove over with my other half of the time after getting the hoverspeed to Ostend. Got stuck in loads of traffic in Belgium and by the time I got to Amsterdam I was knackered. Parking wasn't too bad at the time, but the exchange rate was a lot more favourable - nowadays it wouldn't be worth it.

You'll enjoy it a lot more if you find a route that doesn't involve driving.