Time Out Amsterdam

Lets face it, your not just going to Amsterdam to see Ann Frank's house, your going to visit the notorious coffeeshops. This book starts you off with the history of Amsterdam, and it then breaks off into different sections like hotels and restuarants. Some guides might not stray into the touchy subjects such as prostitution and drugs. Yet this guide does not fear these. It has its own sections on sex and coffeeshops. It lists names of hotels, restuarants, and coffeshops all including a small description. The colored photos are also a nice part to the guide. The guide is also very easy to navigate through. If you purchase this guide, also purchase an Amsterdam map as with this guide, it does not have a pullout map or a very detailed one in the first place. It also does not have a star-rating system which is a minor let down. You might think about the Michelin guide because of its star rating system yet the Michelin guide is a bit conservative. It does not explore sex and drugs. None the less, this guide is extremely informative and will work very well with a color pullout map to help you navigate through the streets of Amsterdam.

I'm a dedicated Timeout Guide user. Time out guides are not for the budget conscious...if you have disposable income and aren't financially constrained, Time out is a wonderful guide...and the people of Timeout did their typical informative, witty reviews in a great book. No complaints, and Amsterdam is just damn cool. One note...do not stay at the 5 star Bilderburg Garden hotel...it's more like a top end 3 star / low end 4 star.

I brought several books on a recent trip to Amsterdam, but this was the only one I used while walking and sightseeing. The book's small size makes it convenient to hold, but don't be fooled: this book is jam-packed with useful information. The maps in the back are indispensable, and, unlike the Eyewitness Travel Guides, which are also great, this book lists a good number of budget accomodations and also provides important details (time open, admission prices, etc) that I found, for the most part, very accurate. The section on what to do outside Amsterdam was also extremely useful. Case in point: My glasses broke during the trip, and the book actually listed places to get them fixed or replaced! It was amazing how much practical information they squeezed into a small book. The only thing I wish would change about the book is a more detailed guide to what documents are needed to travel in Amsterdam, and where you can use American ATM cards other than AmEx, if they do exist. Overall, the best travel guide I've seen to Amsterdam!

if you're going to amsterdam, there's probably a few different reasons why, and this book covers them all. i'd recommend it mostly to younger folks, or the young-at-heart. a great all around guide, with detail of night-life, eating & drinking (...etc), and great things to see and do. it's written by locals, so the info is accurate. i used a friend's while i was there, and now and buying my own now that i'm back in the states!...it will live in your pocket while you're there!

It's another typically consistent offering from the Time Out series. For visitors wanting the most superficial introduction to the rich history of the city of Amsterdam and the outlying districts, its a good read, but the reviews of the restaurants and bars etc. can be slightly outdated, though the whole concept of "gezellig" means that atmosphere may never be consistent. Good tool for the arsenal for the prepared traveller, though, as usual, nothing beats experience and experimentation.For amazing insight into history of city, visit Amsterdam Historische Museum - always empty - ancheck in advance the opening of the museums such as Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum as book can be out of date - very disappointing.