Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide
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You can’t write about Italian food without acknowledging the drinks that accompany it. Coffee and wine in particular enjoy an unrivaled respect from the Italian people, and therefore come in infinite delicious varieties. Italian-style coffee, or espresso, is famous, though the blend of coffee beans used is often from Brazil. The beans are roasted medium to medium-dark in the north, getting progressively darker as you move toward the south.
Leading the world in both wine exports and national wine consumption, Italy is a country that values a good vino.Every year over one million vineyards cultivate grapes for rosso (red wine) and bianco (white wine). Try such regional beauties as Barolo, a classy (read: expensive) staple of Piedmont made from red grapes that are fermented for over 20 years, or Frascati, a cold, clean Roman white.
THE NETHERLANDS
amsterdam
ORIENTATION
ACCOMMODATIONS
SIGHTS
COFFEESHOPS AND SMARTSHOPS
MUNCHIES
NIGHTLIFE
ARTS AND CULTURE
SHOPPING
ESSENTIALS
the hague den haag
ORIENTATION
ACCOMMODATIONS
SIGHTS
COFFEESHOPS AND SMARTSHOPS
FOOD
NIGHTLIFE
ESSENTIALS
rotterdam
ORIENTATION
ACCOMMODATIONS
SIGHTS
COFFEESHOPS AND SMARTSHOPS
FOOD
NIGHTLIFE
FESTIVALS
ESSENTIALS
utrecht
ORIENTATION
ACCOMMODATIONS
SIGHTS
COFFEESHOPS AND SMARTSHOPS
FOOD
NIGHTLIFE
ESSENTIALS
essentials
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
MONEY
SAFETY AND HEALTH
netherlands 101
CUSTOMS AND ETIQUETTE
HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS
There are few places in the world that can pull off the Netherlands’ unique combination of reefer-clouded progressiveness and folksy, earnest charm. Like your straight-edge, ex-hippie high school math teacher, this part of Europe somehow manages to appeal both to tulip-loving, wooden-shoe-lusting grandmas and ganja-crazy, Red-Light-ready students. So, like every other college student, come to Amsterdam to gawk at the coffeeshops and prostitutes, but don’t leave thinking that’s all there is to this quirky country. Take some time to cultivate an appreciation for the Dutch masters; people will think you’re so cool when you declare that the Northern Renaissance was really the site of Western culture’s rebirth. Take time to pick the brains of the friendly, largely English-speaking natives. Obviously, most Dutch people aren’t pot-heads—they’ll tell you that if marijuana was legalized in the states, 700,000 less people would need to be incarcerated annually. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Consider what it would be like to live in a place where hookers are unionized and public works like windmills, dikes, canals, and bike lanes define the national character, and get ready to go Dutch!
greatest hits
• LET’S (VAN) GOGH. The area around Museumplein in Amsterdam features not one, but two of the world’s greatest art museums. Savor the Dutch Golden Age at the Rijksmuseum ( RIJKSMUSEUM) or Sunflowers at the Van Gogh Museum ( VAN GOGH MUSEUM).
• CENTRAAL PERK. It’s no cliché to say that the Netherlands’ coffeeshops are like no others in the world. No matter what your tastes, a visit to even just one is sure to be an enlightening experience (COFFEESHOPS AND SMARTSHOPS).
• DAM GOOD BARS. Rotterdam is a nightlife haven, with laidback and musical bars littering the streets (NIGHTLIFE).
• RULE THE WORLD. The Hague isn’t only the Netherlands’ political capital, it’s also home to much of the world’s international judicial system. Wannabe world leaders, watch your step: you don’t want to end up in the dock at the International Criminal Court (the hague den haag).
student life
It’s hard to think of many countries anywhere in the world that are as friendly to students as the Netherlands. Student scenes and discounts are easy to find, while the wealth of things to do means young people never need constrain themselves to any one place or activity. The Dutch make their cultural institutions extremely accessible, you can purchase a Museumjaarkaart for unlimited access to most of the Netherlands’ numerous museums—it comes at half price for anyone under 26. Many places actively court student customers. If you’re hungry, try ‘Skek in Amsterdam, where you’ll receive a 33% discount by showing a student ID. This might be the first place in the world where people try to borrow IDs from people under 21.
Of course, two of the most (in)famous attractions in the Netherlands are its coffeeshops and its nightlife. Fortunately, neither disappoint, and both are key reasons why this is such a great student country. In Amsterdam, coffeeshops are everywhere, but pick carefully, as quality varies enormously. Check out our extensive listings to help you decide where to visit. Though the best coffeeshops are very much confined to Amsterdam, great nightlife is common across the country. In Amsterdam, parties rage nightly in Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein, while the central areas like the Red Light District offer a seedier, but uniquely “Amsterdam,” experience. Elsewhere, Rotterdam and Utrecht are both lively destinations featuring plenty of young professionals in the former and students (often of the study abroad kind) in the latter. While The Hague may be the quieter counterpart to its neighbors, it is a great place to take your parents if they decide to tag along, and has a solid youth culture of its own as well. Wherever you are in the Netherlands, take advantage of this great student country, an essential experience in any trip through Europe.
amsterdam
020
Tell someone you’re going to Amsterdam, and you’ll be met with a chuckle and a knowing smile. Yes, everyone will think you’re after hookers and weed, but the tolerant laws here are shared by many Dutch cities that can’t claim Amsterdam’s title as the liberal capital of the West. Its characteristic tolerance has defined the city for centuries, long before the advent of drug tourism and prostitutes’ unions. A refuge for Protestants and Jews fleeing Belgium in the 16th century, this center of sea trade and capital of a formerly imperialist nation has grown to be a tremendously diverse and progressive place that is more remarkable for letting its residents (and visitors) be whoever they please than for being a pothead’s paradise.
As you stroll the streets, appreciate the culture and vitality of this pretty city. You can walk it in under an hour, moving from the peaceful canals of the Jordaan to the leering men and gaudy porn stores of the Red Light District. Old trading money lives on in graceful canal houses, while a few blocks away, repurposed squats are now clubs and cinemas. The city makes a strong effort to aid its burgeoning arts and culture scene, so Amsterdam is truly getting cooler by the day. And as long as you really like beer, food and drink here are far cheaper than the fare in other European cities.
Whether you’re obsessed with Dutch painting, want to dance all night at a GLBT club, or just want to sit in a coffeeshop and get high, you’re guaranteed to have a good time in Amsterdam. If you’re the stoner, make sure to mix it up and go to Vondelpark every once in a while. And if you’re the art student, we hear that Sunflowers looks really cool when you’re high.
The Netherlands
ORIENTATION
The first step to getting a handle on Amsterdam’s geography is to learn about its canals. The Singel encloses the heart of the Centrum, made up of the Oude Zijd, Red Light District, and Nieuwe Zijd from east to west. Barely 1km in diameter, the Centrum overflows with bars, brothels, clubs, and tourists wading through wafts of marijuana smoke. Centraal Station sits at the northern end. After that, running in concentric circles you have the Herengracht, Keizergracht, and Prinsengracht, a somewhat classier area filled with good restaurants and intriguing museums. Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein are nestled in
to the central part of the ring. To the east of the canal ring is Jodenbuurt and Plantage, the city’s historically Jewish district. Continuing around the south of the canal ring to the west, you’ve got De Pijp, an artsy neighborhood filled with immigrants and hipsters, then Museumplein, home to some of the city’s most important museums and its biggest central park. Moving farther clockwise, you’ll find the Oud-West and Westerpark, two largely residential neighborhoods that are experiencing a boom in popularity and culture. In between Westerpark and the canal ring is the lovely Jordaan, north of which (and just west of Centraal Station) lies Scheepvaartbuurt.
For details on Amsterdam map, click here
Oude Zijd
The centrally-located Oude Zijd manages to encapsulate many of Amsterdam’s multifaceted qualities in a narrow stretch of real estate. The northern strip, centered on Zeedijk, is as close as Amsterdam gets to having a Chinatown. Zeedijk spills into Nieuwmarkt, a lovely square dominated by a medieval ex-fortress. The bars and cafes lining Nieuwmarkt’s perimeter are popular places for tourists and locals to rub elbows over a beer. The Oude Zijd is bordered on one side by the Red Light District and on the other by Jodenbuurt and represents something of a balance between those starkly different neighborhoods.
Red Light District
Like it or not, the Red Light District is what draws many travelers to Amsterdam. The neighborhood’s goings-on are remarkably well regulated and policed, but the area is definitely no Disneyland (though the number of families with children sightseeing here during the day might surprise you). The Oudezijds Achterburgwal, with its live sex shows and porn palaces, is the Red Light’s main artery. Most of the working-girl-filled windows line the streets perpendicular to this main thoroughfare and stretch to Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Warmoesstraat. Yes, this is very much a neighborhood about sex, but the high concentration of hotels on Warmoesstraat means that there is an industry here for the less red-blooded traveler as well. In fact, you’ll find many bars and coffeeshops that have nothing to do with prostitution. If you want to see the neighborhood at its most hedonistic, come on a Friday or Saturday night; to be less overwhelmed, try strolling through on an afternoon, especially midweek.
Nieuwe Zijd
Older than the Oude Zijd (but home to a church that’s younger than the Oude Kerk, thus explaining the neighborhoods’ confusing name swap), the Nieuwe Zijd offers a mix of history, culture, and a whole lot of tourists. Damrak, its eastern edge, stretches from Centraal Station to Dam Square and then turns into Rokin. These are some of the busiest streets in the city, full of souvenir shops and shawarma stands. As you head west, the streets become less crowded and more hip. Spuistraat, in particular, is loaded with artsy cafes and boutique stores. All in all, the Nieuwe Zijd is a not-to-be-missed microcosm of the city as a whole. Either Dam Square, lined by the Nieuwe Kerk and Koninklijk Palace, or cafe- and bookstore-filled Spuistraat, make good starting points for an exploration of the area.
Canal Ring West and Scheepvaartbuurt
The Canal Ring West comprises—spoiler alert—a ring of three canals: the Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht (helpful hint: they go in alphabetical order from the center of the city toward the west), from Brouwersgracht down to the Leidseplein. It is an extremely pretty stretch of the city, chock-full of grand canal houses and quaint houseboats. Three major sights—the Anne Frank House, Westerkerk, and the Homomonument—are located in this neighborhood as well as smaller museums devoted to everything from Bibles to eyeglasses. The Nine Streets, small lanes running from the Prinsengracht to the Singel, south of Raadhuisstraat, are a highlight of the neighborhood. They are packed with more unique stores and vibrant cafes than we can fit in our guidebook. To the north of the canals is the city’s old shipping quarter, Scheepvaartbuurt, which would make quite a round of Wheel of Fortune. Its main street, Haarlemmerplein, is worth a visit—lined with restaurants, stores, and coffeeshops, it’s one of the few parts of the city center that is crowded with locals rather than tourists.
Central Canal Ring and Rembrandtplein
The Central Canal Ring is, in some ways, the least remarkable part of central Amsterdam. Fortunately, it at least has Rembrandtplein to provide some great and extremely concentrated nightlife. For more excitement, head north to the Centrum, for better sights and food, go south to Museumplein or De Pijp. It’s certainly not an unpleasant area, however, and the Golden Bend boasts some of Amsterdam’s most impressive architecture.
West Of Town
To the west of the Canal Ring, Jordaan has developed from a working class neighborhood into one of Amsterdam’s prettiest and most fashionable. You won’t find any of the sights that make Amsterdam famous here, but the restaurants and cafes are not to be missed. Further west is the residential Westerpark, with a loyal and vocal—don’t expect to hear much English out here—community spirit. South of Westerpark is the Oud-West, still dominated by locals but with a few large streets (Kinkerstraat and Overtoom in particular) full of small ethnic cafes and cheap chain stores that keep the area busier.
Museumplein and Leidseplein
Museumplein feels distinctly different from the rest of the city center. With its excellent cultural sites, it draws larger groups of older and more affluent tourists than do the backpacker-filled areas to the north. The square itself is a large, grassy field lined with some of the best museums in the world—it may be the obvious touristy thing to do, but no visit to Amsterdam is complete without a trip to the Van Gogh Museum or Rijksmuseum. To the north is the incredibly different Leidseplein, a massive nightlife hub rivaled only by Rembrandtplein. A busy and touristy region, this part of Amsterdam has a polarizing effect on those who pass through it, inspiring devotion or disapproval but very rarely anything in between.
De Pijp
De Pijp may lack in traditional history or cultural sights, but it more than makes up for that in terms of modern culture. A mix of different immigrant communities, students, and artists enjoy the relatively inexpensive (for the pre-gentrified moment) housing, the excellent ethnic restaurants, and the fun cafes of the area. Albert Cuypmarkt, one of the largest markets in the city, is a focal point.
Jodenbuurt and Plantage
Jodenbuurt and Plantage are two of the less-touristy neighborhoods that travelers are still likely to visit. A high concentration of sights and museums is the real draw here, but don’t overlook the few excellent restaurants and small bars that dot the area. Jodenbuurt, centered around Waterlooplein, takes its name from its history as a 17th-century Jewish immigrant neighborhood. The Holocaust tragically devastated Amsterdam’s Jewish population, lowering the population from 55,000 to just over 5000. Today, many moving and informative museums recount the Dutch Jewish community’s experience. Stretching around Jodenbuurt to the east is Plantage, with its large streets and many lovely parks. Most commercial establishments can be found in the streets near the Artis Zoo.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Unless you’re going to be shelling out for one of the glitzy, multi-star hotels in Amsterdam, chances are you’ll either be staying in a big backpacker hostel or a small hotel in a converted canal house. For the most part, pretty much anything you find in the city center will be at lease decent, but there’s a huge variety in value—some rooms are simply small white boxes with a bed, while others are lovingly decorated with modern elegance or a cool theme. To stretch your euro the most, consider staying in one of the neighborhoods outside of the main canal ring. Otherwise, the hostels in the center are well-maintained and home to vibrant social scenes.
Oude Zijd
Most accommodations are concentrated in the Red Light District and Nieuwe Zijd, leaving the Oude Zijd with slim pickings. However, it’s here that you can find two of the city’s best and most affordable hostels.
SHELTER CITY
Barndesteeg 21
HOSTEL
020 62 532 30 www.shelter.nl
Shelter City is a large and friendly Christian hostel (with no religious requirements for gu
ests) in the heart of the Oude Zijd. Dorms range in size from 4 to 16 beds per room. All are single-sex, and most come with shared baths. There are many comfortable common spaces, including a cafe and courtyard garden in this hostel that’s extremely popular with young backpackers from all over.
Nieuwmarkt. Just off the southwestern edge of the square. No drugs or alcohol allowed. Dorms €14.50-32.50. Discounts available for longer stays.
STAYOKAY AMSTERDAM STADSDOELEN (HI)
Kloveniersburgwal 97
HOSTEL
020 62 468 31 www.stayokay.com/stadsdoelen
Located in a tranquil part of the Oude Zijd, this hostel is near to Jodenbuurt. Rooms are plain and clean, with a slightly older feel than many of the other Stayokays (a Dutch hostel chain) due to its location in an old canal building.