Just a quick heads up for anyone thinking of traveling to Amsterdam soon - as part of Ferry Fortnight, DFDS Seaways are currently offering two for one on their 2 night mini cruise breaks to Amsterdam, and you can take your car over for free as well, making it a total of £65 for two people and a car (a saving of £64) - ideal for these credit crunching times! - See the DFDS Seaways Ferry Fortnight page for more information.

Ferry fortnight is an initiative set up by the Passenger Shipping Association to encourage more ferry travel from the UK, most of the major operators are offering special deals during this period.

Just a quick note on a nice little article posted on the Times Online website yesterday. Authored by the Rough Guide to Happiness guru Dr Nick Baylis is a great list of The ten happiest places to holiday - and our beloved Amsterdam males it into the list! According to Dr Baylis:

Amsterdam: saving our souls from the over-use of technology

In old Amsterdam, cars come a clear second to bikes, (in both legal precedence and practical terms), proving that we really can do it - rather like we’ve proved smoking can be stopped in public places. Chattering couples ferry each other around the canal-sides on big curvaceous bicycles with sit-up-and-beg handle-bars and two-tone bells. In fact, I own just such a beauty, with the unlikely name of The Sparta Granny.

It seems odd to agree with him on the 'saving us from technology' point while we are sitting here writing a blog, but we know where he is coming from! - We have made these points in numerous posts on this website.......

As we have mentioned several times, Amsterdam is a wonderful city to visit at any time of year. However, we thought that it would be useful to post some videos to try and convey the character of Amsterdam and some of its tourist attractions. This is a selection of some of the best that we have come across, including general tourist guides, the Rijksmuseum, Cycling around Amsterdam and the Anne Frank Museum and the ferry to Amsterdam.

Lonely Planet Travel Guide to Amsterdam



Cycling around Amsterdam



Rijksmuseum State Museum Tour



Anne Frank Museum



Amsterdam in Spring Part 1



Amsterdam in Spring Part 2



There we go! - Hopefully these videos have given you a feel for the atmosphere around Amsterdam, as you can see it is a vibrant and exciting city - try and get there ASAP.

Ferries, Planes, Cars or Trains?

Luckily when travelling to Amsterdam from the UK there are a few options. We are based in Glasgow, Scotland.

Ferry - If like us, you want to take your time and relax, ensuring that you get into 'Amsterdam-mode' before you arrive - we would choose to travel from Newcastle to Amsterdam on a cheap ferry with DFDS Seaways. A far more chilled out experience than running about in airports or being stuck in traffic jams - these ferries have fantastic facilities on board, Restaurants & Cafés, Entertainment, Bars, Shops and Lounges ensures that there is something for everyone.



Car - According to Google Maps, driving the 746 miles from Glasgow to Amsterdam would take 12 hours and 27 minutes. Obviously, this doesnt allow for external factors ie time of day and traffic jams etc (the centre of Amsterdam is ver congested.) If travelling by car it is advisable to park outside the city centre and get a train or a tram, the Amsterdam public transport system is excellent.


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Plane - For those that just cannot wait any longer to get to Amsterdam, there are numerous airlines that fly from the UK. A quick search on cheapflights.co.uk reveals the cheapest of these to be from BMI Airlines at £133 return. A flight usually takes around 1 hour, 15 minutes from Glasgow Airport.

Train - Not so convenient for us in Glasgow as most of the Trains to Amsterdam depart from London and head through the chunnel (some even go via Brussels). Check out Rail Europe for more info.

In summary, if you have plenty of time on your hands and want a relaxing journey, we would choose the ferry to travel to Amsterdam every time. Obviously flying will get you there quicker, car travel can be problematic and the train is a last resort. However you get there though, there is a fantastic city waiting for you.