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Lonely Planet Amsterdam

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Lonely The world's leading travel guide publisher

Lonely Planet Amsterdam is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Cycle along tree-lined canals, stroll among the Dutch masters, or explore coffee shops and bars; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Amsterdam and begin your journey now!

Inside the Lonely Planet Amsterdam Travel



Colour maps and images throughout

Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests

Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices

Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss

Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, museums, galleries, shopping, drinking, nightlife, canals, Dutch painting, architecture, contemporary Dutch design and more

Free, convenient pull-out Amsterdam map (included in print version), plus over 35 maps

Covers Medieval Centre, Red Light District, Nieuwmarkt, Plantage, Eastern Islands, Western Canal Ring, Southern Canal Ring, Jordaan, Vondelpark, the Old South, De Pijp, Oosterpark, South Amsterdam and more
eBook (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones)



Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges

Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews

Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience

Seamlessly flip between pages

Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash

Embedded links to recommendations' websites

Zoom-in maps and images

Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing
The Perfect Lonely Planet Amsterdam, our most comprehensive guide to Amsterdam, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled.


Looking for just the highlights of Amsterdam? Check out Pocket Amsterdam, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.
Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet The Netherlands for a comprehensive look at all the region has to offer.
Written and researched by Lonely Planet.

About Lonely Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.

TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards winner in Favorite Travel Guide category for 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

798 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1997

536 people are currently reading
170 people want to read

About the author

Writing for Lonely Planet since 2004, Catherine has authored, researched and curated well over 100 guidebooks.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
138 (31%)
4 stars
203 (46%)
3 stars
83 (18%)
2 stars
15 (3%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
2 reviews
March 6, 2022
Lonely Planet's Amsterdam covers the bases when it comes to planning a trip. Personally, I am just a couple of months out from heading there myself, so while I cannot yet attest to how often and how useful it will come to be once I am there, I can say it has been pretty useful to get a handle on what I might be looking forward to. I used this book as a casual read whenever I found the time. The majority of the book goes through the top spots in each of Amsterdam's neighborhoods. This includes places to eat, sights to see, entertainment options, shopping experiences, and sometimes other activities. For any length of trip, there are endless references you can pick from in the book, and you will never run out of places to go eat. One of my favorite parts about the Neighborhood section is the "Neighborhood walk" that lays out a nice walk or bike around the neighborhood to visit the top spots. Throughout this section as well there are various pictures for you to get the vibe, but not enough to spoil anything.
Another section goes through the history of the Netherlands, and while I didn't particularly like this section the most myself, I can see how history buffs would be able to plow right through it and love it.
Additionally, I would want to point out that the authors make sure to include all logistical information as well. This would include trams routes, bike rentals, power outlet types, service fees, tipping amount, wifi, ticket costs, hotels, and even Language basics at the back of the book.
Overall I have enjoyed my read of this travel guide, and the only reason it doesn't get a 5 star is I haven't yet used it in Amsterdam yet. I may come back and update this if I find it exceptional.
Profile Image for Mind the Book.
936 reviews70 followers
November 18, 2020
Who the fuck skaffar en resguide för att få ett sådant här råd: "... a light trench coat or jacket and a small travel umbrella will mean you're prepared for the weather but can still blend in with the crowd."

Styrkan hos Lonely Planet är annars living like a local-intentionen och understanding-sektionen, där man brukar få överblick över befolkningens värderingar och livsstil eller avgörande förändringar i infrastruktur och arkitektur och gärna med popkulturella referenser. När det är som bäst skrivet påminner en LP om podcasten Staden. Guiderna till Seattle, New England och Puglia & Basilicata är några favoriter.

Tillförde Amsterdamguiden något? Ja, passagen om Van Gogh är fin (suffering as an art form, morbid style, self-destruction...). Vid mitt återbesök förra helgen ville jag gärna utforska det nya Amsterdam. Glad över att denna LP gav mig idén att hoppa på en båt bakom Centraal Station ut till NDSM Werf, "post-apocalyptic vibe", "ubercool", "edgy arts community", "abandoned trams", "an old submarine"... etc.

Litteratursektionen är minst sagt measly. Kan vi i #boblmaf skicka in en komplettering?!
Profile Image for Pete daPixie.
1,505 reviews3 followers
March 27, 2012
I have spent quite a while in study for my forthcoming sojourn to the Netherlands, both using books and the internet. Hot off the press is 2012's 'Amsterdam' from 'lonely planet'. Written by Karla Zimmerman and Sarah Chandler, this guide is very comprehensive and well worth the time spent in perusal. The neighbourhoods of the city are split up into sections with adequate maps, main site recommendations and some very useful local knowledge tips. For the prospective tourist interested in art museums, historical and cultural information or the way to the cannabis college and the erotic museum this guide contains over three hundred factual pages of up to date advice. Not just a city guide, also included are a number of additional day trips from Amsterdam within a radius of thirty five miles to such locations as Haarlem, Leiden and Delft.
I will hit my local library in the next few days to renew this book and use it in Holland. Who better to saunter around Amsterdam with than someone called Zimmerman.
Profile Image for Johanne.
1,075 reviews14 followers
July 11, 2017
I still prefer a guide book to a trawl of the web, provided useful on the go information although I think these days fewer hotel where to eat recommendations and more itineraries etc would be a better use of the format
Profile Image for Irvi.
88 reviews7 followers
August 4, 2019
Decent book, especially when you have limited time in the Netherlands and still wants to have a glimpse of what it’s like.
Profile Image for Alger Smythe-Hopkins.
1,100 reviews175 followers
June 8, 2020
Not as useful as I hoped it would be, but still worth having on my trip.
At some point I am really going to need to stop and figure out what it is that makes some places more accessible by guide than others. I once thought that it might be a matter of how walkable a city is, like Amsterdam having nearly all of its places of greatest interest in the center of the city making a guide less helpful because you would just find things as you moved from one thing to the next. This isn't the case, as I discovered in Delft. Having a lovely walkable city to tour was improved with the help of the city guide, as was Haarlem. Amsterdam not so much. It may be how much I share the tastes of the writer of the guide.

Anyway, this volume wasn't useless as a guide to Amsterdam, but it wasn't essential either.
Profile Image for Jane Lewis.
1 review
June 13, 2018
Guide all about it!

I’m able to take the guide with me (on my kindle) as I spend a wonderful few days in Amsterdam. Language translation is easy and extremely helpful. Now I’m ready to take on Norway and it’s beautiful coastline. Thank you Lonely Planet for keeping my trip informative, practical and in my hands to get the most out of my visits to The Netherlands and Norway. Dank u.
Profile Image for Lucrezia Rinaldi .
121 reviews4 followers
March 6, 2019
Davvero un'ottima guida turistica, tra pochi giorni partirò per Amsterdam e devo dire che dopo aver letto questa guida mi sento preparatissima, i consigli presenti all'interno sono semplici e pratici e spesso vengono consigliate attrazioni meno turistiche e più tipiche per provare a pieno l'esperienza Olandese.

La consiglio davvero a tutti coloro che devono partire e sicuramente ne acquisterò altre di questa marca per i miei prossimi viaggi!
Profile Image for Violet Webster.
25 reviews
July 27, 2023
Definitely informational! I don’t think you’re supposed to read travel guides cover to cover but I am a crazy person. Beware the edition that you get! Some of the places listed were closed when I looked online since I had the 2013 edition. That’s not the book’s fault though, just my library’s.
Profile Image for Tamara.
127 reviews
March 3, 2017
I loved the layout and how many pictures of Amsterdam they featured! It got me really excited to travel! Also the language part at the back was helpful.
27 reviews
February 20, 2020
Book was organized and offered good itineraries. Trip is in April so will have to update then.
590 reviews5 followers
February 3, 2023
Can't go there yet, but really enjoyed learning about Amsterdam from this Lonely Planet guide.

Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Kevin.
Author 3 books26 followers
July 16, 2015
Another winner from Lonely Planet. The map is a great overview of the city's tram line, and the neighborhood guys really helped us make an itinerary. I wish the hotel guide had been a little more thorough, but hotel info changes too fast for a book to keep up.
Profile Image for Jamie.
713 reviews3 followers
June 16, 2011
We took this book with us when we were in Amsterdam-it was very useful and much easier than carrying than other travel books that we had with us.
Profile Image for Chris Gager.
2,062 reviews88 followers
July 12, 2011
Very useful when I lived in A'dam in the spring of 2006(two months plus).
Profile Image for Kyle.
233 reviews11 followers
September 25, 2011
Without this book, I would have felt pretty helpless in Amsterdam. Good descriptions of attractions, handy maps, and interesting tidbits. Very useful!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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