Amsterdam tips

Getting to Amsterdam

The easiest way to get to Amsterdam is with public transport. Amsterdam Central Station is only a 5-10 minute walk from the Evesterdam venue, and trains arrive there from all over the country, from Germany and Belgium, and of course directly from Schiphol international airport (AMS). Flights to Amsterdam may be as cheap as 80 euros for a round trip, depending on your location! Travel within Amsterdam is very easily done by tram and metro, though the city is small enough that walking is also possible, or of course by bike. Traveling to Amsterdam by car is also possible, but it is best to avoid driving or parking near the center of the city as Amsterdam is really not built for cars and parking is very expensive.

Parking in Amsterdam

For those of you coming by car we’ve compiled some cheap or free parking information. First of all, this map shows the parking costs in Amsterdam. If you park your car outside the coloured areas (for example in Amsterdam Osdorp, Diemen or Amstelveen) you can probably park for free. You can then take the tram or metro into the center. However, as you’re effectively parking in residential areas there is no guarantee of any available parking space. A better option might be Amsterdam’s P+R (Parkeren+Reizen) carparks. These are carparks close to public transport and are significantly cheaper than parking in or near the city center.

• How it works (Dutch)
• The costs (Dutch)
• P+R carpark locations (Dutch)

Staying in Amsterdam

For those of you coming from a bit further away, staying in Amsterdam overnight is the best way to make the most out of Evesterdam. We’ve compiled a list of possible places. This is of course not nearly a complete list of all hotels in Amsterdam. You can always use a website like booking.com to find an available hotel.

Ultra budget

• Couchsurfing
• Asking a local Evesterdammer if you can sleep on his couch via facebook/corp chat

Budget

• Bob’s Youth Hostel
• Flying Pig
• Hotel Hortus
• Hans Brinker
• The Shelter

Mid range

• Airbnb
• Hotel Di-Ann
• Volkshotel
• St Christopher’s at the Winston
• Ibis

Top range

• Krasnapolsky
• The Grand
• Radisson Blu (almost next to the venue)
• Double Tree by Hilton

Many hotels (the Volkshotel for example) are significantly cheaper if you’re willing to share a room with someone else. If you’re coming alone but still want to see if another Evesterdammer is interested in sharing a room, you can post on our facebook page or contact Tjerk Dijkstra to see if anyone is available.

There are also quick trains 24/7 to and from Utrecht and Leiden. Hotels in these cities are most likely cheaper than in Amsterdam.

Nightlife

There are many, many bars and clubs in Amsterdam. Too many to name. So this list is based entirely on the subjective opinion and experience of Dierdra Vaal.

General nightlife areas

• Red Light District
• Leidseplein
• Rembrandtplein

Bars

• Excalibur (Red Light District, rock music)
• Belushi’s (Red Light District, electronic/pop)
• Molly Malone’s (Red Light District)
• Beer Temple (Behind Dam square, specialty beers)
• Gollem’s (Overtoom, specialty beers)
• The Waterhole (Leidseplein, live music/rock)
• Schuim (Behind Dam square, host of Evesterdam 2013)
• Sound Garden (Marnixstraat)
• Hanneke’s Boom (Dijksgracht, best when the weather is nice)

Clubs

• Club AIR (Rembrandtplein)
• Winston’s Kingdom (Red Light District)
• Studio 80 (Rembrandtplein)
• Trouw (Wibautstraat)

Restaurants

• The Pancake Bakery (great pancakes)
• Café de Schutter (for great cheese fondue)
• Everything on a stick
• Kamasutra (Indian)
• Molly Malone’s (Irish/English pub food)
• Abyssinia (Ethiopian)
• Burger Bar
• Burgermeester
• Blauw aan de wal (Fine dining, Red Light District)
• For more, check out the dutch restaurant comparison website iens.nl

Other

• Boom Chicago comedy club (english spoken, and hilarious)