When most people come to Amsterdam, they have their hands more than full just seeing the main attractions and sights that they’ve heard so much about. So it can be difficult to get past the checklist stuff to really discover the cool and out-of-the-way places in a city like this. But if you have already done most of the main stuff, or you want to find interesting bars and restaurants that aren’t on the tourist strips, you’ve got some new friends to help you out.
I’ve recently heard about a new travel site that goes deeper than most other sites, to bring you honest recommendations from actual locals in each city. Spottedbylocals – Amsterdam looks pretty new, but it’s off to a good start. You can search for things by neighborhood, or by category, and you’ll be checking out extremely valuable information written by actual Amsterdam residents. Want to know which is the best Thai restaurant along Zeedijk? They’ve got you covered.
Using advice from locals the best way
If you ask a local about the infamous Amsterdam Red Light District, or which is the best hostel bar, they’ll probably tell you to steer clear of all of that, even though you might be in the city to party anyway. But on the other hand, if you want to find out a nice and inexpensive restaurant in the Jordaan neighborhood, or the coolest club that isn’t jammed with tourists, then this advice is invaluable.
Amsterdam is an interesting city in that most of the famous places are fun and easy to find, but they form sort of a theme park that is contained within an amazing place that has plenty of other wonderful things going for it. You’d be cheating yourself if you skipped cliché things like the Anne Frank House or a visit to an Amsterdam coffee shop, but you’d also only be scratching the surface of the town.
Check out some restaurant or club recommendations in the neighborhoods you’ll be visiting. Most of this stuff isn’t in guidebooks, and the places listed in those books tend to be crowded and past their primes anyway. They’ve got (slow-loading) maps on just about all of their recommendations, so you’ll have an easy time adding some of these things to your itinerary.
