A day in Amsterdam.

I'm still waiting for my ETBD guide book to arrive (most of my trip is in Germany, but I'm also going to have a day and a half in Amsterdam and a day in Bruges), but I found on the web for Amsterdam: a bike tour that takes about 3 1/2 hours http://www.yellowbike.nl/e/city-bike-tour/ a cheese tasting (and wine drinking) in the basement of a cheese shop that takes about an hour. http://www.wijngaardkaas.nl/en/proeflokaal/ and I'm considering going to a place called Zaanse Schans, which is 20 minutes north of Amsterdam by train, and which sounds kind of like Williamsburg, Virginia, a tourist site where people work in jobs they might have had a couple hundred years ago. I'm still thinking about it, anyway.
http://www.zaanseschans.nl/ But I should get my ETBD guidebook next week, and maybe when I do I'll find none of these are rated as worth doing!

Brendon, There's plenty you can do in one day, it all depends on what you enjoy doing. The main tourist attractions are: The Van Gogh museum The Rijksmuseum (old masters) Anne Frank house museum A canal boat tour
Wandering around Dam Square and walking along the canals. I was there for one day and did the Van Gogh museum (I'm a big fan), the canal boat tour, walked along the canals for about an hour, had lunch in Dam Square. The lines at the Anne Frank museum were too long so I didn't get to see that, will be on my list if I get back there again. I had the best time just wandering around and people-watching. Have fun!

Nancy, I may have read the website wrong, but it looked like the Rijksmuseum is closed until 2013, or only one wing was open, or something. Is it open now? Is it worth going to while it's under construction?

We went to Zaanse Schans several years ago. Just so happened the day we were there most everything was closed. Very little going on. You could possibly check upfront to see. Because of our experience, it was a disappointment.

You can have a very pleasant half day n Amsterdam just walking along the various canals. Most of them are lined with green trees. Interesting lunch (sandwich) shops. Flower market along one of the canals, maybe a weekly market

"...I may have read the website wrong, but it looked like the Rijksmuseum is closed until 2013, or only one wing was open, or something. Is it open now? Is it worth going to while it's under construction?..." The main part of the Rijks museum has been closed for over 10 years. The Philips wing has remained open during the construction. It contains only the very best of the Rijks' collection, so it's a must see sight. Almost all the pieces on exhibit are priceless!

Zaanse Schans is nice is you have never been up close with windmills before and you don't mind a few fellow tourists.

I would say spend some time along the canals and walking around the city because it has such a neat feel. Maybe a canal tour? Or bike rental? You could also fit in a museum - I'd also recommend the Rijksmuseum.

Brandon- thx for asking your question as I have a layover in Amsterdam for six hours on my way to Estonia. For any one reading, is it possible for me to catch public trans from the airport into town and do some of these things? My preference would be a museum and canal stroll and, of course, something to eat. In mid May... Thx from PDX!!

"We will probably get to Amsterdam around 11 in the morning. " Knowing the traffic in that part of Belgium and the Netherlands, 11 am sounds far too optimistic, especially if you're driving on a weekday. I was disappointed by the reduced-Rijk museum. Not that there was anything wrong with what's on display... but it's kind of like smelling a delicious meal but not being able to eat it. I wanted more! That being said, there's at least one painting I would go out of my way to view again (and I'm mentioning this less as a recommendation but more in the hopes that someone else can identify the painting for me). It's one of those Dutch Golden Age slice of life studies. A group of small children tease a cat while an adult sticks his head out the window to yell at them, presumably to stop. The expressions on everyone's face (including the poor cat) are beyond brilliant. So, anyone know the painting I'm talking about?

It's the The Dance by Jan Steen: http://tinyurl.com/7gn8hel

That's it! Dank u wel, meneer.