1. Start with a free map

Free maps are available at the tourist information office, as well as the blue kiosks at Central Station.

2. Food Markets

Stroll along and fill your senses with sight, sound and smell at one of the many outdoor food markets like Albert Cuypstraat and Dapper markets. Go for free samples of cheeses and produce!

3. Free coffee

Some Albert Hein grocery stores have a coffee machine dispensing freshly-ground cups for shoppers; follow your nose!

4. Ferry rides

All ferries behind Central Station are free; pick one and see where it leads you (the average travel time is just five to 15 minutes).

5. See street art

A walk down Spuistraat will make you feel like you’ve entered a gritty and colorful street art exhibition. Art pieces can scale entire building faces, and much of the street is lined with different works side-by-side.

6. The Wave Game

My favorite game to play on a sunny afternoon. Dangle your legs on a canal that’s busy with touristy boats. When one putts along, wave at the boaters and count how many wave back (a good way to measure which boats are the most fun!).

7. Hang at the Dam

Spend time under the National Monument (you know, that tall, phallic-looking statue at Dam Square) and watch the many street performers and gathering crowds come and go.

8. Free jazz

There are quite a few free jazz nights at cafes like Jazz Café Alto and Chet’s. See what’s on when you’re in town. (Check out our previous post on free jazz performances for every night of the week.)

9. Free jigs

Mulligan’s Irish Bar, just off Rembrandtplein, hosts free live Irish music every night in its cozy and cheerful pub.

10. Flower power

Have you seen the floating flower market? It’s better to look and not buy the overly-priced souvenirs anyway, so have at it!

11. Jumping Jordaan

Walking the streets of the Jordaan district is a must for every visitor in Amsterdam. It was once an area for blue-collar workers during the 1600s, but now the quaint and cute streets and alleys have been gentrified and host a number of small art galleries.

12. Nose around Noordermarkt

On Saturdays there is a Farmers market, while Mondays are a mix of vintage clothing and antiques.

13. Nieuwmarkt is neat-o

The giant weigh station in the center of the square, De Waag, is often mistaken for a castle. However, this was the main entrance to old Amsterdam before the Golden Ages; then the square continued to lure locals interested in their main 17th-century attraction – public beheadings.

14. Free internet at the library

The public library (OBA) is right next to Central Station. It’s new and boasts a sleek modern look, with seven floors and the latest computers with free internet, free wireless, and even a free piano for tickling the ivory.

15. Priceless (and free) rooftop view

Also at the OBA is one of the best views of the Dam. Head to the top floor where café La Place is located, and outside there is a roof terrace overlooking the entire city.

16. Park it

Warm weather sends locals out to the parks. Spending the day in the sun with a good book and good company at hotspots like Vondelpark and Westerpark is one of the best ways to pass time in Amsterdam.

17. Naked ladies

Visiting the Red Light District is free, and safe! It’s the most visited part of the city, but hold off until dark when the red lights are glowing and swans gracefully float along the city’s oldest canals.

18. Free peace

In the heart of Spui square is the Begijnhof, a place where French nuns sought refuge from persecution in the 1600s. Inside this courtyard is a hidden Catholic church, a Protestant church (with services in English), and one of the two remaining wooden houses in Amsterdam.

19. Free art

Just next to Begijnhof on the left (from the exit facing the shopping street Kalverstraat ) is a hallway that’s part of the Amsterdam History Museum. It’s free to walk through, and the walls hold large portrait paintings of wealthy families and businessmen from the 1600s.

20. Beach it

A 20-minute train ride takes you to the North Sea coast town of Zandvoort. It’s the perfect place to soak up the sun with a good book.

Also in our guide: Planning a trip to Amsterdam right now? Check out our Amsterdam hotel guide, with reviews of budget hotels that have been visited and inspected by our editors. Read more in our Amsterdam hotel guide.

The post 20 free things to do in Amsterdam appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

A neighborhood with flair

We the Cheapos do love us some far-flung city character. So, when last in the city of Rembrandt and pancake houses, we opted to stay in Plantagebuurt, where today university buildings and historic remnants reign supreme.

Nestled in the northeastern most part of Amsterdam’s city center, the neighborhood is lush with tree-lined sidewalks and smaller parks and is about a 10 to thirty-minute walk from many sights. Neighborhood attractions include the Rembrandt House Museum, Artis Zoo, and easy walking distance to Nieuwmarkt Square, where you can still see an original guild house or visit the flea markets.

Wartime past

Plantagebuurt was a Jewish neighborhood from the 16^th-century when it boasted factories, booming commerce and specialized industry. The neighborhood has always been a bit more isolated by canals and bridge constructions than other parts of Amsterdam, so it’s understandable that in World War II German armies cordoned off the area to create a Jewish ghetto.

When the war ended, many of the tragically deserted homes were destroyed here. Plantagebuurt was eventually restored in the 1970s. Today only the synagogue and the Jewish Museum remind visitors of the neighborhood’s past.

Getting around

Since Amsterdam is a city on bikes, quite literally, it will take you no time at all to get from Plantagebuurt to the rest of the city’s attractions. Or, you can always hoof it. When the Cheapos were last in Amsterdam, they noted that a good, swift pace got them from the Artis Zoo in Plantagebuurt to Centraal Station in about twenty-five minutes.

If you go, be sure to check out Cafe in de Waag and don’t miss the zoo.

For a list of budget hotels in Amsterdam, visit our guide here.

The post Amsterdam Neighborhood Highlight: Plantagebuurt appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Editor’s Note: Pete and Meredith just spent a long weekend in Amsterdam. This is a post from their recent journey.

A little bit of history

In 1488, St. Anthony’s Port – today a weigh house that stands in the center of Nieuwmarkt Square in Amsterdam – opened its doors and became one of the Dutch capital’s original city gates. Later, the building was reconstructed to function as a guild house for surgeons and doctors studying medicine and conducting experiments.

An elaborate octagonal ceiling loomed over the resident medical ampitheater where Amsterdam’s finest practioners could dissect and then study the corpses of recently executed criminals. The general public was welcomed into the demonstrations, and they became as popular as a trip to the movies might be for us today.

Making history

In 1632, Rembrandt painted “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp” in the guild house ampitheater. Today, you can visit this historic stomping ground simply by stopping into the Cafe In de Waag, a restaurant and bar now housed inside the original weigh station, in the center of Amsterdam’s Nieuwmarkt Square.

Today’s special

While dinner is a tad expensive here, a Cheapo can purchase a Heineken for €2.50 or a soda for €2.20.  The evening that we visited ‘In de Waag,’ we opted for nightcaps (two glasses of wine set us back €8). Since the wait staff wasn’t busy with a crazy dinner rush, we were able to linger long over our drinks and ask lots of questions about Rembrandt’s heyday, and how the building fit in to it all.

While we couldn’t exactly peek into the original room where Rembrandt painted the masterpiece, we felt close enough to the real deal. Considering that the Rijksmuseum‘s admission price is €10 per person, we felt like it was all a pretty good deal and a great Cheapo night out!

The post Cheapo Night Out Amsterdam: Cafe In de Waag appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.