Amsterdam tips/ideas

I love both but Copenhagen is very expensive, so I would suggest amsterdam. If you've never been then I guess you have to walk around the Dam/city center area, but that is usually full of tourists and shops that cater to tourists. This time of year it won't be bad though. The Pijp neighborhood will be a 50/50 mix of locals and tourists...Gollem cafe is a good spot for belgian beers like Cantillion and Westvleteren. Troost is a local brewery in the neighborhood with decent beer. A couple of brown bars that serve great beer in the center are Cafe Spuyt, Wildeman and Gollem. I aslo like Gollem's Overtoom (street) location which is about a 15 minute walk out of the city center. We usually stay in an airbnb in the Overtoom area as that is where a lot of locals hang out. Brewery Troost in Westergas Park is better than Brouwerij 't IJ. Brewery 't ij is over run with tourists but again, this time of year will be more locals and it is at the base of a big windmill....But their beer is mediocre. Proeflokaal Arendsnest is another great old bar that serves only dutch beers. I always hit it at least twice when I am in amsterdam. I usually suggest people rent a bike to get around but again....the weather will suck. If you are at all adventurous, the Vondel Bunker, which is an old Cold War bomb shelter underneath a road in Vondel Park has some counter-culture bands on some nights.Its a weird scene full of misfits....nothing scary...more like misfit geeks.

We usually buy smoke at Grey Area and take it somewhere else to smoke. The coffee shops are pretty depressing places to hang out.

I have a google map with restaurants and bars pinned that I can share if I can figure out how.

I’d like to throw in Brouwerij De Prael for a great brewery that has equally as good bites to eat. Not a far walk from the central train station.

Loved my time spent in Amsterdam even though 80% of it was for wirk. Would go back in a heartbeat. The efficient and cheap public transportation makes it a very easy city to explore.

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If you like art, the Rijksmuseum

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Download the official Rijksmuseum app. It provides an excellent guided tour of the museum that explains the various pieces. You can choose to do multiple length tours that gives you a 30-minute “just the highlights” or a much longer detailed tour.