Amsterdam on the cheap
Want more bang for your buck? Fred Mawer goes on a money-saving tour of the Dutch capital and likes what he sees
Amsterdam can be an expensive place to visit. In a recent cost comparison of European city break destinations, the Dutch capital was the third priciest out of 36 cities. Affordable hotels that are centrally located are in short supply, so accommodation can be particularly steep at peak times.
It’s easy to blow €80 on a modest dinner for two in a canalside restaurant, and entrance fees to leading museums are nothing short of extortionate – €17 to the Van Gogh Museum and €17.50 to the Rijksmuseum. Even the cost of spending a penny can make you wince: it costs 70c at Centraal Station.
That said, you can still have a wonderful time on a limited budget – I’ve managed to do so many times. Here are my money-saving strategies and recommendations…
WHERE TO STAY
To keep accommodation costs down, consider visiting in the winter months, when hotel rates can be half what they are in the peak spring-to-autumn period. You’ll also get much more for your money if you base yourself a little outside the city centre, and not overlooking a canal (all rates given below exclude breakfast).
Stylishly transformed from a university science building, the new Generator Amsterdam (generatorhostels.com), in a park a 10-minute tram ride from the centre, is the city’s smartest hostel. A bed in a shared quad room costs from €15, or €75 for an en-suite twin.
For a proper hotel, I highly recommend the Volks-hotel (volkshotel.nl), which is next to a metro stop just south-east of the centre. An industrial-chic conversion of newspaper offices, it has a bar/cafe/lobby packed with local hipsters working on their laptops, and slick bedrooms with far-reaching views from upper floors (from about €78).
Alternatively, bag a cabin-like twin room with shared bathroom (from €51) in the Lloyd (lloydhotel.com) in the regenerated Eastern Docklands, 10 minutes from Centraal Station by tram. Once a boarding house for emigrants heading to the Americas, the laidback designer hotel also serves as a thriving arts centre.
Airbnb (airbnb.ie) is big business in Amsterdam – there are plenty of positively reviewed private rooms for under €70 a night.
GETTING AROUND
Amsterdam is compact, with most places you’ll want to visit within walking distance. To speed up explorations or travel outside the centre, buy a GVB pass (gvb.nl) for unlimited travel on the excellent network of trams, buses and the metro. Costing €7.50 for one day, €12.50 for two days or €17 for three days, the passes are much better value than the €2.90 one-hour ticket.
If you fancy renting a bike (though it’s better to be on foot when pottering around the centre and canals) I’d recommend investigating one of the city’s quieter outlying areas, such as the Eastern Docklands, with its eyecatching modern architecture. I always use MacBike (macbike.nl), which has reliable bikes and six depots across the city: the cheapest cycle costs €9.25 for three hours, including insurance. Don’t bother with a canal cruise on a mainstream, enclosed or semi-enclosed boat: it will be dull with taped commentary. Weather permitting, pay a little more for a personalised tour on a small, open boat – €19.50 with Stromma (stromma.nl).
AFFORDABLE SIGHTSEEING
Don’t overspend on museums: for me, the most enjoyable thing to do in Amsterdam is to wander along
the canals, admiring the tilting, gabled houses and little bridges. The most atmospheric area is the western Canal Ring, especially the Negen Straatjes – nine little streets lined with tempting cafes and one-off shops.
I’d therefore think long and hard before investing in the I amsterdam City Card (iamsterdamcard.com), a combined sightseeing and travel pass. It costs €67 for 48 hours, so you’d need to cram in an awful lot to make it pay. The card doesn’t cover all the top attractions either: Anne Frank House is excluded, and you get only a small discount on the Rijksmuseum’s admission fee.
Top free sights include hofje – flower-bedecked courtyards surrounded by almshouses hidden from the street. The most famous is the Begijnhof, but you can unearth others in the pretty Jordaan area.
Take a free ferry ride from behind Centraal Station across the IJ waterway to the city’s modern architectural wow, the EYE (eyefilm.nl). The white, spaceship-like zigzag building is a film museum and cinema, but is worth visiting just for a coffee in its amphitheatrical cafe.
You could also take a free guided walking tour of the city – 360 Amsterdam (360amsterdamtours.com) offers several daily tours using engaging and knowledgeable guides.
But bear in mind that you’re expected (though not obliged) to tip – €10 a head is the going rate.
WHERE TO EAT
Snacking, eating in cafes and heading out of the centre will minimise food expenses. And note that there’s no need to tip: at most, locals round up the bill to the nearest euro or two. When tackling the big museums, buy sandwiches and drinks from the subterranean Albert Heijn supermarket next to the Stedelijk Museum, and have a picnic on the grassy space that is Museumplein. And no visit to Amsterdam is complete without a paper cone of chips. The city’s best can be had at hole-in-the-wall Vleminckx (vleminckxdesausmeester.nl): from €3, topped with a dollop of mayo. Delicious, low-price lunches can be had at La Place self-service cafeteria on the top floor of Amsterdam’s main library (great views from the terrace) a short walk east of Centraal Station: bumper sandwiches from €4. In the evening, hop on a tram out to Foodhallen (foodhallen.nl) in the Oud-West district. In the former tram depot are dozens of food vendors, offering everything from tacos to sushi, and steak sandwiches to dim sum. Most dishes cost around €7 to €9; you eat at communal tables. Also head down to De Pijp, a buzzing neighbourhood packed with affordable places to eat. I’ve eaten well at Bazar (hotelbazar.nl), a North African/ Middle Eastern restaurant in a converted church (dish of the day is about €8), and Thrill Grill (thrillgrill.nl) – gourmet burgers from €8.95.
GETTING THERE
Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies into Amsterdam from Dublin from €24.99; Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) has fares from Dublin from €34.99; KLM (klm.com) flies from Dublin from €98 return. The train from the airport to Centraal Station takes up to 20 minutes; €4.20 one way.