1 Full Day in Amsterdam - Thoughts?

Obviously the answer to this question depends a great deal on your personal interests.
The Anne Frank house is very interesting; the Van Gogh Museum is awesome and small enough to not take a lot of time; a canal ride is always fun; a trek through the Red Light District is entertaining. I'm sure others can add to this list. Luckily Amsterdam is small enough that you can walk around and see a great deal without much effort.

Well as noted,, it should be based mostly on personal taste.

It it were me,, I would go to Anne Franks house,, then perhaps a canal tour,, and then wander around for rest of day.

I have done all sorts of touristy things there,, but really,, found those three things most moving interesting and fun,, ( in that order)

I would also suggest Ann Frank's home, from there take a canal taxi to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum.

Hi Rags,

All great suggestions and I agree! The Red Light District is fascinating--just a quick walk through.

Depending on your food tastes you might enjoy a good meal at a restaurant that serves a rijsttafel (Indonesian rice table.)

While Amsterdam is an very walkable city I found it easy to get lost--I'd suggest getting a good map and make a plan for your visit.

The city center is easy to get to from the airport via the train and the Central Train Station is right in the city center.

Enjoy your journey!

Something else to consider is the brand new Hermitage Museum; it's now the largest art Museum in Amsterdam. The inaugural exhibition is: "At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century". I was there three weeks ago and the restored building and the exhibit are stunning!

http://www.hermitage.nl/en

Or you could smoke a bunch of weed and enjoy a prostitute without having to look over your shoulder.

Josh,, well,, what can I say,, that is funny,, and anyone who doesn't think so is just a stick in the mud!

Yeah, it is a huge laugh. Unless you are one of the women being forced to do it.
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/europe.htm

http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/773

I know it is legal. It is legal in Germany too, but it doesn't make it right.

Where are the women coming from? How are they getting there? The whole thing is sad, rather than being funny, and I am honestly appalled that Rick Steves has sections in his book and on this website that basically say this is ok. I would hope that he would do a bit of research in the human trafficking aspect of "legal prostitution" and then maybe he would remove these references.

"Enjoy" it while it lasts I guess. Within five years almost the entire Amsterdam Red Light District will be mostly shut down by the city government. Amsterdam's loss will be Frankfurt's "gain".

Thanks for the input everyone. I didn't mean for this thread to become a source of controversy. For what it is worth, I don't plan on getting any prostitutes or doing any drugs.

Any other non-licentious activities anyone can suggest?

Seriously, if I had a day for Amsterdam I would spend it in Haarlem.

If you walk around in Amsterdam, be careful crossing streets. You could be run over by a bicycle; they are silent and fast. They have their own lanes and traffic signals. Maybe you should rent a bicycle. You need to be a confident, experienced bicyclist and learn the traffic system there.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Amsterdam

My preference would be to make reservations for the afternoon for the Van Gogh museum and for the Anne Frank house--maybe 13:00 for the Anne Frank House and 15:00 for the Van Gogh to allow travel time and enough time to see everything.

The city history museum is central and I find intersting and the sex museum,is central and more intersting FYI it is a real museum not just quick buck tourist operation.