Trip to Amsterdam

"As of last week (and I believe, into next year), most of the Rijksmuseum is closed for renovation, so don't expect big crowds..."

I was there last week. While it's true that parts of the museum are closed for renovation, if you haven't been to the museum in awhile, it's still worth a visit to see the restored Night Watch painting!

Skip the pass. We were there a couple of months ago and lines were virtually nil. I seem to remeber closed buses in London as well, but will defer to others.

What a wonderful surprise for your husband!

I don't have any recommendations for a private tour, but I can tell you that the buses on both the Original Bus Tour and the Big Bus Tour are open air only on the 2nd level. If you sit inside on the first level, you shouldn't freeze to death.

As of last week (and I believe, into next year), most of the Rijksmuseum is closed for renovation, so don't expect big crowds... I walked straight into the museum. I wouldn't expect much a rush on the Van Gogh Museum either, although this is not presently under construction.

Amsterdam doesn't have a hop on hop off tour bus service. Instead it uses canal boats which serve the same purpose...they are covered with glass roofs.

Don't forget to checkout the new Hermitage Museum, it's now Amsterdam's largest art museum: http://www.hermitage.nl

Oh, you lucky ducks! I've only been there twice, but would go again in a minute.
If you have time, go see the Dutch Resistance Museum, Anne Frank's house of course, and take a day to go to Haarlem and see Corrie ten Boom's house.

"Amsterdam doesn't have a hop on hop off tour bus service. Instead it uses canal boats which serve the same purpose...they are covered with glass roofs." If you buy a transit pass (they sell them in a small building directly in front of Centraal Station) and arm yourself with a transit map, you can hop off and on the tram system at your leisure. There are tour buses in the city, although I don't know if these are the hop-on, hop-off variety.

BTW: My favorite painting in the reduced-Rijksmuseum? I don't remember the name or the artist. But, it shows some naughty children trying to force a very non-compliant cat to dance, while an old man sticks his head out of a nearby window to yell at the children. Priceless slice of life from the Dutch Golden Age!

If your plane arrives on time in London, considering time to get out of the airport and the two hours you should be there before your flight leaves you have about 8 hours. You could take the train or tube into London which will be another 1/2 hr to 45 minutes. Windsor is only a 15 minute taxi ride from the airport. You could tour Windsor Castle, walk to Windsor Great Park to see the Long Walk which is the private road for the Royal Family to use to enter and leave the castle, walk to Eton (8 minute walk) to see Eton College (which is a middle and high school) where royal sons and all the well to do send there sons. There are great pubs where you could have a great meal. By going to Windsor I don't think you would feel so rush.

Wow- Thanks everyone for all the great tips. I'm SO excited for the trip, and even though my husband doesn't know where we're going he's excited too :)

I will definitely check out the Hermitage- thanks to whoever mentioned that one.

Happy travels and thanks again!

Hi Molly, sounds like a fun trip for both of you. I lived in The Netherlands for three years and just thought that you should know that the BEST Pancakes/Omeletes in Amsterdam are found at "The Pancake Bakery" located a short walk from the Anne Frankhuis. Address - Prinsengracht 191 - phone (020)625-1333. Opens around noon. Your husband is going to really like you! A nice side trip is a short train ride (20 min) to the quaint city of Haarlem. The Frans Hals Museum there is enjoyable as is the Familie Ten Boom Museum. You can walk everywhere from the train station. Forget the Pass, lines in the winter are short. OK it's official, I'm jealous.

I am not a huge art museum person but my husband (who isn't a huge art museum person but was in Amsterdam without me) loved Rembrandt's house. I found Anne Frank's house interesting - make reservations ahead of time. Really enjoyed the church which is hidden in the canal house. The Zoo and the Resistance Museum were popular with all of us - it was a cold and rainy day at the zoo but we had fun. I have visited Delft, Haarlem and Leiden - all neat towns is you are looking for a January day trip.

Anne Frank's house is very interesting. In January it is open from 9am to 7pm. You do not need reservations.

Yup, that's it! I also liked a similar painting showing children on St. Nicholas' day. The looks on the kids faces (particularly the naughty boy who got a bundle of sticks, and his "good" sister rubbing it in) are priceless.

The House of Bols is right across the street from the Van Gogh Museum. Take the self-guided tour and then have a fancy drink . . . or two. You can get more info on their website. It was interesting and fun. It is easy to take day trips from Amsterdam to the Hague, Madurodam, Rotterdam, Delft.

You are so lucky. The Rijksmuseum has a special exhibition of Hendrik Avercamp paintings & drawings now. It'll be there til Feb. When I learned about it I was so tempted to book a flight but I was just there a few months ago. I bought the exhibition book instead, but I'd love to see it in person. After the Rijks, it's moving to Washington DC.

I too love Hendrik Avercamp! Although I can't make the Rijks exhibit, but I will find the time to see it at the DC National Gallery. It's the first time most all of his work will be displayed in one room.

"Hendrik Avercamp" Was he the deaf guy who painted all of those scenes of ice skaters? If so, his artwork left me with one large, unanswered question- why did the Dutch of the 17th century play golf on ice?

The real question is why did the Dutch of the 17th century like to urinate in public so much while frolicking on the ice? Didn't they have McToilets back then?

Back to the London part of your question. I suggest taking the train (Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect) to Paddington Station. Go to Praed street that runs in front of the station and catch a public double-decker bus. I think it's #15 that runs from Paddington to the Tower of London and beyond. The top level of the bus is enclosed. The views are terrific up there. During large parts of the day there is serious traffic congestion in central London; you might be better off taking the Tube to one or two specific locations. If you plan to sleep during those 12 hours, and check in a couple of hours early at the airport, maybe it would be better to take a tour of Windsor and head back to your hotel.