As for markets - Waterlooplein is probably your best bet and most convenient big daily flea market near the centrum within walking distance. Albert Cuyp Markt is a 6 day street market a bit further out in the area called De Pijp. Noordermarkt is a textiles and farmers market in the Jordaan area on a Monday and on other certain days youÂ’ll find markets dedicated to books, stamps and etchings. The Bloemmarkt (flowermarket) is a bit underwhelming imho but worth wandering by I guess. De Looier is a small indoor antiques market with lots of different stalls.
Without doubt I highly recommend walking around the Red Light District (RLD) to see the scantily clad women in the windows trying to beckon in customers, besides that, itÂ’s the oldest part of the city with amazing architecture and with the church called Oude Kerk. (donÂ’t blatantly wave a camera about in the RLD, the window girls hate it if it points their way) ThereÂ’s a live sex show theatre, a peep show, banana bar and window girls from stunners to rough hags to ladyboys to Africans dotted all over the area of De Wallen (RLD) as well as plethora of coffeeshops, bars and cafes and itÂ’s all safe, but can get a little edgy after 2am.
If youÂ’re going anytime soon during the peak, be prepared for insane queue lengths everywhere to top museums or attractions. IÂ’ve not been nor do I give a hoot about seeing hidden rooms behind a bookcase of the Anne Frank house, but the queues to this place is mad. The other notable attractions include Stedelijk, Van Gogh or the main Rijksmuseum that has the painting called Nightwatch. The Cloggies in AÂ’dam seem to have museums dedicated to all sorts of things, like smoking pipes, spectacles, cats, tulips, diamonds, barrel organs, vodka, torture, houseboats, Heineken beer, tropical plants, marijuana, geology, WWII (resistance), sex & eroticism, science, art, modern art, photography/film, etc, etc.
OSKA above mentioned getting info about nightclubs in coffeeshop 222 . DonÂ’t bother as itÂ’s been closed for well over 5 years. I gave up clubbing years ago, but they do have venues dedicated to certain genres of dance music. Club Paradiso, Sugar Factory and Melkweg are the main venues but there are many others and as a result your best bet is to find the nearest Smartshop (a place that sells herbal stimulants) and gather flyers of upcoming events such as in the shop Conscious Dreams located in a street called Warmoesstraat near the RLD.
As far as IÂ’m concerned, forget using the trams and hire a bike. ItÂ’s deceiving just how much youÂ’ll end up walking, especially a first time. Believe me, after a day or two youÂ’ll be at a snailÂ’s pace, but with a bike the entire city is within easy reach from Vondelpark to Centraal Station. IÂ’ve not done a canal cruise so canÂ’t pass judgement on that but there are 3 different colour coded looped lines around the city canals taking you to different areas with hop on hop off points scattered about.
A’dam is a maze and you will get lost and disoriented – get a good map or Smartphone map and you’ll be fine. A’dam is a perpetual building site, expect grumpy and unfriendly service in pubs and cafes, you’ll always have the uneasy feeling you’re being ripped off or conned and as you’ve not mentioned anything about visiting a weed coffeeshop, I’ll skip this part unless you need more info?. Expect huge amounts of froth on your beer, don’t walk into bike lanes without looking first, expect insanely steep staircases and street dealers are no longer pestering tourists like they used, the city has cracked down and moved them out of the area in the RLD.
I will conclude to say that if anyone is considering doing Amsterdam is to do it soon. ItÂ’s no longer the fun gritty place it used to be and too many changes have taken place for the worse over the years IÂ’ve been. Enjoy it while it lasts as tolerance and freedom in the city is deteriorating which has already occurred in other parts of the Netherlands and will soon encroach on Amsterdam one day, possibly, maybeÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…we all wait and see.
A video I personally captured and made of Amsterdam -