Best advice on Anne Frank House is buy your tickets online and in advance of your arrival in Amsterdam. If you wait until you arrive in Amsterdam, they will probably already be sold out online. We see this all the time. Then you have no option but to go and wait in line (in the evening is best).

There are red light houses in every neighborhood but the largest and most famous area is the red light district (RLD) and that’s partly because there are also a lot of bars, cafes and restaurants in the RLD so it’s a real party area in the evenings. The other red light area discussed is not a big party area although there are a couple of bars nearby. It is also not in the Jordaan, it is in the area of the Nieuwezijds Kolk and is between the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and the Singel so would better be described as the canalbelt. The Jordaan borders are the Brouwersgracht, the Prinsengracht, the Elandsgracht and the Lijnbaansgracht. If it isn’t between those 4 canals, it isn’t in the Jordaan. Note: the Elandsgracht is a canal that has been filled.

There are only a handful of true ‘brown cafes’ still left in Amsterdam and they are not attached to women in the red light business–even if the women are working nearby. Most are not even in the red light district. They are called brown cafes because of the nicotine stained walls which are mostly wood and nicotine ‘yellow’ paint (it used to white, but over the years nicotine stained the walls to a very mellow yellow.) But, don’t assume that because the walls are wood and yellow that it is a brown cafe. There are only about 6-8 authentic, historic brown cafes. Others just try to be look like one because it’s a style the Dutch like.

Finally, although the Jewish Historic Museum is good, many guests say it isn’t very well organized and often there isn’t much, if any, information as to what you are looking at (one of my Jewish friends thought it was probably better for researchers than for a museum experience–note to staff: could be an area of improvement?) But without fail, all of my guests have loved the Resistance Museum which is very close by the Jewish Historic Museum. (no reason not to see both!)

Finally, Amsterdam is a fabulous city for walking. Unless you have mobility issues or are staying outside of the Centrum (the historic city center), don’t bother buying a OV card/transport pass. You can walk across the Centrum, north-south or east-west in 30 minutes or less–and virtually all of the sites are either in the Centrum or at the edge of the centrum. You won’t ride public transportation frequently enough to make it worth the cost.