Amsterdam

Travel Advice for Seniors: Amsterdam

Our trip to Netherlands was part of a river cruise covering Netherlands and Belgium. We planned the trip early on as we wanted to go during Tulip Season, when the blooms would be in full glory. It’s a special time in Netherlands and while many of the attractions are crowded with tourists even though it is technically “off season”, a lot of tourists, us included, come specifically for this time of year.

We began our trip in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. Netherlands is also known as Holland in some languages, but technically, Holland is two provinces within Netherlands. The country has a pretty flat terrain and is known for its many canals and reclamation projects. It is also well known for its windmills and tulips, both of which we would see in abundance on this trip.

Amsterdam is a fantastic city, unfortunately, usually cram-packed with tourists and cruisers. Since Amsterdam is the starting location as well as a popular stop for many cruises, there are always cruise dumps of several thousand people in the city. We found this had made the locals a little more rude than last time I visited in the late 90’s.

Also, a word on bicyclists…. apparently, they rule the road in Netherlands and even if they run you over (not kidding here), there is little recourse. We had a couple of near misses as Mom has a hearing disability and the small bell on bikes is inaudible. Both times we were cussed out by locals who didn’t stop to see if we were okay. Also, a reminder that Europeans drive on the opposite side of the road as we do in the States and this applies to bicyclists as well, who ride in the space closest to the sidewalk.  

We arrived a few days early on our own to have enough time to visit some of the many world-famous museums. Our flight arrived early in the morning, and we dropped our luggage at the Hotel Atlas Vondelpark, which was a good accommodation and very conveniently located. Also, the Vondelpark was a relaxing diversion at the beginning or end of the day, there was an easy walking path around the park, and it was peaceful and pretty.

First up was the Stedelijk Museum. The Stedelijk has a notable collection of modern and contemporary art including several Van Goghs with a complement of Chagall, Mondrian, Picasso and others. It is located near other excellent museums: The Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum, with a nice green open yard area connecting them.  

Second day up was a much anticipated visit to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. The Rijksmuseum is a world-class museum housing Rembrandt’s famous, “Night Watch” as well as a huge range of Dutch historical artifacts, paintings, and sculptures. Don’t miss works by Vermeer and  Jan Steen. Allocate at least two hours.

It was a rainy day in Amsterdam, so to dry we stopped at a nearby restaurant for a pannenkoeken. If you like pancakes, make a note to stop for this taste treat. Pannenkoeken are similar to pancakes but a little sweeter and is served with fruit and whipping cream or with a lovely cinnamony maple syrup. Delicious!

Dry again, we headed over to the Van Gogh Museum. The museum houses the largest Van Gogh collection in the world and the main exhibition chronicles the various phases of Van Gogh’s artistic life.  Don’t-miss artwork includes:  “The Harvest”, “The Potato Eaters”, “Self Portrait” and “Sunflowers in Arles”. Spend at least an hour or hour and a half here.  

Our third day in Amsterdam featured a Canal Cruise on a glass-topped boat. There are a great deal of canals in Amsterdam and the tour featured a sail by churches, towers, gorgeous 17th century canal houses from the Dutch Golden Age, house boats, and notable bridges.

The afternoon we went to the Bloemenmarkt and the Waterloopleien Flea market. The Bloemenmarkt, or Flower Market is one of the most famous attractions in Amsterdam and is known for its wide range of Dutch tulips and other flowers sold in small shops along the canal. We didn’t buy any bulbs because there are restrictions in the US against bringing plants back, but we did enjoy the flowers and the atmosphere.

We also stopped by the Waterloopleien Flea market, the oldest flea market in the city, which operates daily and features vintage and antique items as well as food and drink vendors.

The centerpiece of our visit was on the final day, a trip to Kuekenhof Gardens. The Gardens are about 35 minutes out of town and plan on spending most of your day there, especially when the tulips are in full bloom, mid-March to mid-May. Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe, is one of the world’s largest flower gardens. It covers an area of 32 hectares and approximately 7 million flower bulbs are planted annually. The first stop was the main greenhouse area that housed several different varieties of tulips which we understood was for vendors as well as tourists. The gardens themselves were also full of tulips and other flowering plants. It was a bit crowded with tourists, but this is unavoidable during the main tulip time of year. Also worth mentioning was the many tulip fields that were on the way to the Gardens. A truly beautiful way to spend a day!

There are many more sights to see in Amsterdam including the Anne Frank House, the Oude Kerk and the Nieuwe Kerk as well as making time to have a wander down Damrack, the main tourist street leading from the Centraal Train Station to the Dam Square, cultural hub of Amsterdam.

I had toured the Anne Frank House in the late 90’s and while interesting, it was tiny and crowded and unless you are specifically interested, I would skip in favor of the stellar museums noted above.

A word on vices in Amsterdam…marijuana is legal here and you will find several shops that sell it including several on the main street, Damrack. You will also no doubt smell it in the air as you walk around. There is also a famed “Red Light” district here in Amsterdam, where prostitution is legal and is monitored. The ladies are on view in large windows. The area is generally safe, and you can take a stroll through the area, but please don’t gawk or leer. A word of caution is probably in order later at night and especially when the footballers are about (soccer fans).

After getting our cultural fill in Amsterdam and succeeding in staying out of the bikers’ way, we were ready to board our river cruise vessel for our ten-day cruise during Tulip Time!

Where we stayed: Hotel Atlas Vondelpark. breakfast included. Nice boutique hotel located next to a park.Centrally located.

How we got there: Flew from US to Amsterdam, cab to hotel.This was part of a ten-day river cruise at Tulip Season, beginning in Amsterdam, cruising through Belgium and ending in Amsterdam. We flew in three days early to enjoy Amsterdam.

General Accessibility Information: Major tourist sites, newer hotels, transportation and most cities are accessible. Many museums offer free or discounted admission for people with disabilities and their caregivers. Accessible travel services offer mobility equipment, accessible hotels, and customized tours. Historic parts of cities may have cobbled streets, and some restaurants may have narrow corridors. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements. See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.