There have been some other recent threads about Amsterdam but I'm finding I still have a couple questions.
As I look for an apartment, I want to pick a good location (i.e. near shops and restaurants, walking distance to some sights, easy public transporation and charming and quiet). We're planning to stay just a week, so, of course, I want the perfect location!
Shannon was telling me that the Jordaan neighborhood was a good choice. And I've sent off some inquiries for apartments in that area, but so far not much has been available. Should I expand my search to other neighborhoods? Would the De Pijp neighborhood be a good choice? Or how about the Museum Quarter?
Another question... I keep hearing that everyone in Amsterdam speaks English, but do I need to learn a little bit of Dutch for the basics? Greetings, ordering in restaurants, buying things in shops, and asking in Dutch if someone speaks English and that sort of thing?
I wouldn't think of traveling in France or Italy or Spain without knowing the basics. I know it will be much easier in the Netherlands, but I also don't want to come across as rude by not attempting a little Dutch.
Sorry I can't help with where to stay in Amsterdam but in my experience every single Douch person speaks some English (from basic communication to absolutely perfect). Consider that, unlike the Italians and Spanish, all the UK and US films and series that they see on TV are NOT translated!
What I'm going to write won't really add anything to this discussion, but the question about whether every (local) person in Amsterdam speaks English amused me because of an incident that happened to me many, many, many years ago. A friend and I were staying with people she knew in Den Haag, and we had gone into Amsterdam by train. I can't now remember why she left earlier, but I think I wanted to see something she didn't, and I said I'd take a later train.
Well, I had always heard also that everyone there spoke English so I wasn't really concerned when I got a little lost. I started asking people on the street for directions back to the Central Station, and to my great surprise and frustration, the first several persons DIDN'T speak English. I finally did find someone who did. This was a very long time ago, though (40+ years); I really don't think you'd run into a similar situation today.
I always learn to say at least "I'm sorry, I don't speak___. Do you speak English?" in the local language. ("Ne govorim hrvatski," anyone?) However, I quickly mostly stopped saying it in Amsterdam, as in some other places like Stockholm, because really everybody under the age of about 80 spoke excellent English and I felt like I was wasting their time stumbling over those preliminaries! However, I did often say at the outset, in English "Sorry, I don't speak Dutch" so as to not appear too impolite. And I did always say things like "thank you" and "goodbye" in Dutch, which at least gave people the chance to laugh at my accent. Whenever I've told Dutch people that I'd like to learn Dutch, though I know I never will, they always say something along the lines of "Why bother?"
About neighborhoods, sorry, it's been a while since I've visited so I'm not too helpful. I liked the Jordaan a lot, of course, and wouldn't give up hope if I were you. I've happily stayed in the canal ring, but only away from the Dam & the Red Light District, which are too bustling for me. The Museum Quarter is quite pleasant and not too far out, and consider it to be a reasonable choice. De Pijp sounds very interesting, too, though I don't know much about it what it's like these days.
Posts: 691 | Location: San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 28 June 2006
Another question... I keep hearing that everyone in Amsterdam speaks English, but do I need to learn a little bit of Dutch for the basics? Greetings, ordering in restaurants, buying things in shops, and asking in Dutch if someone speaks English and that sort of thing?
I wouldn't think of traveling in France or Italy or Spain without knowing the basics. I know it will be much easier in the Netherlands, but I also don't want to come across as rude by not attempting a little Dutch.
-Krista
I always said thank you, your welcome, please, excuse me, etc in my poor Dutch accent. It was always appreciated. PS Speaking English was not just restricted to Amsterdamers. The entire county (under 50) practically speaks it.
When I worked in den Haag I always had a bit of fun asking, "How do I get to Scheveningen?" This drew major chuckles and always breaks the ice because the name Scheveningen (classic North sea beach town near den Haag) had been used as a shibboleth during WWII to identify German spies because only Dutch native speakers really could pronounce it correctly.
Posts: 657 | Location: Palmyra, NJ, USA | Registered: 29 July 2003
I've stayed in the Jordaan area also. I like it a lot. It is a little bit away from transportation so expect to walk. I like the little restaurants and shops. The museum quarter is also good. But I think there are fewer options for restaurants in that area. I haven't been to De Pijp that often so I don't know much about it. It is a bit farther out which probably has its pluses and minuses.
Most of my time in Holland, I stayed outside of Amsterdam. Our office was in Den Haag or Leiden. I've stayed in both cities and know them better than I know Amsterdam. On my last trip I stayed in a smaller town a 20 minute bus ride from Leiden but I went into Amsterdam on the weekends.
Here is a pretty good quick guide to Amsterdam. To this day, I do not know much Dutch. Most young people do know English. There is an larger immigrant population now (Moroccan and Turkish). Sometimes they will not speak English. I was comfortable getting around, shopping and even reading a bit of the newspaper. But I never learned the numbers.
Dutch is actually somewhat close to English. If you just try pronouncing some of the words, you can sometimes understand. Learn a few basics as you would for any country. Yes, Ja, No, Nee. Thank you - Bedankt or Dank u. Please - Alstublieft. Goodbye - Tot ziens. Do you speak English - Spreekt u Engels? The 'g' letter is very hard for me. It is a gutteral hacking sound that I could never master so I didn't say good morning (goedemorgen).
I wouldn't worry about speaking. But I would learn items that you might need to read such as a menu and a few general items for getting around such as Cashier - Kassa. Railway platform - Spoor, Exit - Uitang. Reading the menu I've found to be challenging. I know the romance/latin languages and read cookbooks. The Dutch words are totally different. Kip - Chicken, groenten - vegetables, vlees - meat, vis - fish.
I recommend getting a copy of the Rough Guide to either Amsterdam or the Netherlands. They have a good section on language. Time Out Amsterdam is also excellent for restaurants and events.
The weather in Early October will be mixed. You may be brilliant fall days and also days of wind and rain. But mostly mild (50's during the days). The sun will not be setting too early (7pm) so you will have adequate daylight. I've been there in the winter and sunset is at 3:30 in December!
I did a little googling - This site has some nice looking apartments. None of them are in the Jordaan area. A couple are in De Pijp. Most all the locations look fine. I stayed at the Acacia. It was ages ago (1990) but take a look at the reviews on trip advisor. They are pretty accurate. They have studios and a houseboat for rent. If it is the same studio as what we had, expect very steep stairs. The kitchen back then seemed pretty small and sparse but that was before I was knew what to expect in a European kitchen. I'd probably look around elsewhere first unless you can get the houseboat.
If you want to know more about my last experience in Holland, check out the Netherlands archive on my blog.
Like you, I wouldn't dream of going to France, Spain, Germany or Italy expecting everyone to speak English. And even in Israel, where I've been told that "everyone speaks English" this is not really the case.
However, I did find that EVERYONE I came across in Amsterdam spoke English; of course, this was only hotels, restaurant, etc. Thing is, they know that no one speaks Dutch, so they speak English. Of course, it's polite to learn the basic terms of politesse: Hello, goodbye, please, thank you. Oh yes, and the words for "entrance" and "exit" are extremely important.
As for areas, I can't help you. I was only there for a week, and stayed in a hotel on one of the canals. The neighborhood was fine, only trouble was that Amsterdamers on bicycles appear to be aiming at pedestrians. The area around the Vdam (I don't remember exactly what it's called) was not a pleasant place to be, but I don't recall being worried about it.
Thank you Marian, Marta and everyone for the helpful replies. I'm still searching for apartments in the Jordaan neighborhood, but I also sent off an inquiry for one in the Museum quarter, so I will branch out a little.
I am also going to get a Rough guide and read Marta's Netherlands archive. Oh, and I'm going to need a better jacket - Yikes, 50s during the days!! That's like the dead of winter in Santa Barbara. This is going to be an adventure!
As I have said before and will probably say again, I don't think you can find a better place to stay in Amsterdam than on one of their boats which really gives you a feel for canal life and is very romantic.
The boat we chose had an absolutely ideal location on Brouwersgracht that was in walking distance to everything. Even the cabby who brought us there from the airport was impressed with the location and said it was the best.
Yes, we were there several weeks and never had any trouble with anyone not knowing English. We always learn the basic words and phrases of any country we are in and I think it is appreciated everywhere.
You did not mention when you were going, but the weather was great there last fall. You will find it and Europe generally MUCH more humid than you are used to in California. I have been in the humidity for a year now and still am adjusting to it.
If you will be there in the fall or winter, plan on lots of rain or at least that is what all of our Dutch friends ( and my sil is Dutch) say. I think even this summer, the weather was not so great, but last summer there was a long heat wave after some cool weather.
Hi Krista- Your ideas of the Jordaan and the museum district are great. We loved our apt. in the Jordaan. Lots of details about it in the most recent 5 posts on our blog, if you'd like more info. I agree with all the posts about the language - indeed everyone speaks English quite well. What a great choice this town is for someone in the design business - the architecture alone is fascinating. And the museums!!! You'll love it all! Amsterdam is a favorite destination of ours - I'm glad you'll get to enjoy it too! Anne
The general rule in Europe is: the smaller the population of a country, the better is the spoken English of the population. The sense of this is that if a population is small, it is impossible to function on a larger scale in Europe without a second language. This is reinforced in the school systems of the smaller countries. Places like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland and Belgium have programs in place for English Language lessons starting in the second grade. The vast majority of the people in these countries speak some English, and most of that majority speak it well. It is completely different even in Germany, where people speak English well in general, but not nearly to the degree as in Holland or Denmark for example. Have no worries about not being appropriate in Holland speaking English. I doubt whether you will come accross a situation where you will feel at all uncomfortable.
Krista, when I lived in Hamburg (about the same latitude as Amsterdam) I loved taking pictures on nice days in October. The shadows are long, and the sun is getting lower and lower in the sky. Keep a camera with you to capture special early morning and late afternoon moments of light. It can be rainy and dark on some days. Good raingear is recommended for enjoying the city, regardless of the weather. I have only been there twice and enjoyed myself both times.
On my recent trip which included Amsterdam, I was walking through the courtyard of what I think might be a public housing project. This was near Centraal Station. There were about five small children playing outside. One girl of about five started jabbering to me.
I was a bit flummoxed, but said "Do you speak English?"
She said, "Yes", and then proceeded with "Do you have a dog at home?". I had observed these same children having a conversation with an older Dutch woman who was walking a dog, just shortly before I walked through. In any event, several of the other children joined in, one of them telling me she knew about a dog I could have.
These children were of African descent, so I was considering possibilities like maybe one parent was a native English speaker, or who knows what, but based on this experience, Amsterdam is a place where even five-year-old children speak English fluently!
WT, we did look for a houseboat, but couldn't find anything that would work for us. Anne, I tried to get the apartment you had, but it wasn't available. But I did get a different apartment from VRBO and it's in the Jordaan area, so I am very happy.
So, it sounds like I don't need to worry about learning much Dutch. Hopefully my guidebook will have what I need. But I do need to start looking for a decent rain jacket. Diana, glad to hear that there can be nice lighting in October. I will definitely be taking lots of photos.
When I worked in den Haag I always had a bit of fun asking, "How do I get to Scheveningen?" This drew major chuckles and always breaks the ice because the name Scheveningen (classic North sea beach town near den Haag) had been used as a shibboleth during WWII to identify German spies because only Dutch native speakers really could pronounce it correctly
I go to Holland once a year to visit Dutch friends (and not in Amsterdam, further out in the country) and am always so impressed at the fluency in English to be found everywhere. One clue might be the popularity of the BBC TV channels with my friend's teenagers. I can read road and supermarket signs now, which is helpful.
Last time I went, my friend and I went on the train for a day trip to Scheveningen, and she amused herself by devoting the time to getting me to pronounce it properly. In the end, I acheived a passable version (and it is now my Dutch 'party piece') by realising that for an English speaker you just have to hurl yourself at it, with no inhibitions ! I still think I sound like a dog barking.
Posts: 917 | Location: London, UK | Registered: 20 September 2006
The 'joke' in my office was to call it 'Shavingcream' which is not at all close to how to say it. On one of my stays in Holland, it was during November and December. Sinter Klaas arrives by sea at Scheveningen around Nov 19th. This is in preparation for Sinter Klaas Day which is Dec 5th
My fiancee (wife in 4 days!) are spending a week in Amsterdam in November as part of our 2-week European tour. When we were planning our travels I hadn't yet found this site. Our plan was to plan the first week, and let the second week be an adventure at our whim. I had heard that an apartment was a good idea for an extended stay and as I was googleing around I found flatmates.nl. I can't vouch for the quality of the apartment yet, but the service we've received so far has been great. I plan on posting here about our trip when I get back.
Hi Scott, welcome to Slow Travel! You're going to love staying in an apartment and that one does look nice. I'll be leaving for my trip soon and I'll be blogging, so keep in touch.
I have to laugh about pronouncing Scheveningen because I have been married to a Dutchman for 53 years and I still can't pronounce hardly anything right. (Of course, we live in California and he does not speak Dutch except in Holland.) I love the concept of hurling yourself at the word -- might as well, as nothing is going to come out right, anyway.
Charnee
Charnee Smit: Italian in a previous life.
Posts: 277 | Location: San Leandro, CA | Registered: 21 September 2007
What people are saying about everyone speaking English is true - my husband and I have been to Amsterdam three times now and have never encountered anyone who didn't speak English. That said, we enjoy using some of the basic phrases. I like this web site, because they include mp3 files so you can hear how to pronounce the words:
Regarding where to stay - we've stayed in a different location each time. The first time we stayed at the Nova Hotel on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. It was very centrally located yet quiet, and we could easily take the tram or walk to everything.
The second time we stayed at a beautiful apartment on the Overtoom, but found it a bit out of the way.
The third time we stayed at an apartment overlooking the Singel Canal, at Spui, and it was the best apartment yet. We found Spui to be very centrally located and pretty, but not as quiet as Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. I agree that the Jordaan is probably the quietest, and prettiest residential neighborhood in central A'dam, at least that I'm familiar with.
Originally posted by Scott_N: My fiancee (wife in 4 days!) are spending a week in Amsterdam in November as part of our 2-week European tour. When we were planning our travels I hadn't yet found this site. Our plan was to plan the first week, and let the second week be an adventure at our whim. I had heard that an apartment was a good idea for an extended stay and as I was googleing around I found flatmates.nl. I can't vouch for the quality of the apartment yet, but the service we've received so far has been great. I plan on posting here about our trip when I get back.
Hi we stayed in a houseboat for a week in Amsterdam last November www.phildutch.net. I looked up that web address, flatmates,you provided and they have alot of great accomodations. We are going back to Amsterdam in May of 2008 or September not sure yet but will definately be staying in the houseboat they have listed on this site it looks wonderful...
Thanks!
Posts: 1367 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
Slow Travel Talk 
The area around the Vdam (I don't remember exactly what it's called) was not a pleasant place to be, but I don't recall being worried about it.
