Amsterdam is fertile ground for free and almost-free souvenirs. While floral bouquets don’t travel well on an airplane (and may not be allowed!), seed packets and bulbs are both easy to pack, travel well, and will blossom back home. Plus, they’re totally cheap.

(Please note: US Customs doesn’t want American tourists bringing home just any old bulb or seed, of course. The agency carefully regulates what agricultural items it allows back into the States. When seed shopping, make sure you choose items labeled as “cleared for US Customs.” See comments below for more information.)

Tulip mania peaked in Amsterdam during the city’s 17th-century golden age, sowing the scene for today’s fragrant flower markets, or Bloemenmarkt. We recommend visiting two of the city’s flower markets.

The Aalsmeer Flower Auction

Every morning, the Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, or Aalsmeer flower auction, takes place in nearby Aalsmeer, 10 km south of Amsterdam. The fast-paced auction gives tourists an introduction to the global flower market, as 19 million flowers get bought and sold daily, before being shipped worldwide. Try picking up some sample seeds or bulbs at the market for a cheapo souvenir.

Bloemenmarkt

The Floating Flower Market, or Bloemenmarkt, is in full bloom every day along the Singel canal. The market, held in barges floating along the Singel, is the place to find thousands of seed packets, bulbs, and cut (and dried) flowers for mere euros.

Even if you don’t plan on bringing any seeds home, you might also consider swinging by the Bloemenmarkt at night, as the shops are closing up and eager owners slash their prices on cut fresh flowers. After all, couldn’t your hotel room use a little sprucing up?

More information on Amsterdam Flower Markets

Aalsmeer Flower Auction
Driekolommenplein 1. Open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM. The best time to go is between 7:30 AM and 9 AM.

Amsterdam Bloemenmarkt
Daily between Koninsplein and Heiligeweg.  Monday through Saturday, 9 AM - 5:30 PM, Sunday 11:00 AM - 5:30 PM.

See also: Our guide to recommended budget hotels in Amsterdam.

Editor’s Note: This is the first post in our “Cheapo Souvenirs” blog series. Join us over the next four weeks as we suggest one cheap or free souvenir to bring home from each city we cover on EuroCheapo. Do you have a suggestion for another cheap souvenir in Amsterdam? Leave a comment below!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Looking for ways to save some euros while visiting Amsterdam? Here are five suggestions:

Try some flower power.

Visiting the masterpieces at the Rijksmuseum will set you back €10, but the baroque and renaissance gardens behind it are free to stroll. Delight in the fountains, statues, and the carefully coiffed hedges and plants. The gardens are open daily from 9 am to 6 pm. Baroque gardens are closed on the weekends.

(Note: The Rijksmuseum is undergoing extensive renovations that are scheduled to last until 2010. Until then, visitors may visit a scaled down “best of” collection entitled ”The Masterpieces.”)

Pick up a passport to paintings. 

Speaking of the Rijksmuseum, we’re flying high about the joint venture between the museum and Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport. The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schipol, an art space at the airport maintained by the museum, offers annual exhibits free of charge. This year, an impressive collection of Van Gogh paintings is on display. The gallery is just behind the passport control desks—and is open from 7 am to 10 pm. So, get your stamp and your art on!

Go Dutch!

Ever wondered how to say “ham sandwich” in Dutch? (The answer is broodje ham).  Why not sign up for a local chat buddy and learn even more? Check out the University of Amsterdam’s Web site and bulletin board to find a partner in conversation. Or, just try Craigslist. Our friends over at Trippist recommend the Student Language Exchange too. What better way to connect with Dutch culture than to go, quite literally, Dutch!

Park  yourself.

It’s no secret that Amsterdam has some of the prettiest and most extensive parks. Our favorites include Vondelpark and Beatrixpark. For more space and to catch a game of Frisbee, try Vondel. Another Vondel bonus? Free concerts abound, especially during the summer months. Beatrix is your best bet for quiet and quaint. Relax on a blanket, pull out a good book, and prepare to catch some rays and shut eye.

Go over the river.

Since Amsterdam’s touristy canal tours can get pricey, we recommend the free ferry (about a 5-minute ride) from Central Station (the Ruyterkade) over the River IJ. We admit, the tour isn’t long, but it offers a great view of Amsterdam’s shoreline and lets visitors fully appreciate Amsterdam’s rich port and shipping trade history. Ferries leave every 7.5 minutes between 6:30 am and 11 pm daily; every quarter hour at other times of day.

If you’ve rented a bike, spend the day on the other side, touring the countryside and nearby small villages of Monnickendam, Marken, and Volendam. Cycling maps are available at all of Amsterdam’s bike shops (read more about this countryside bike tour).

Popularity: 14% [?]

 
Sebastien Tellier is representing France in Eurovision this year.

It’s sunny again today! Here are some of the things we’ve taken a shine to this week:

On Wednesday, Amsterdam became the World Book Capital for one whole year! Thanks to Trippist for reading up on this, and getting us excited about the city-wide book fair scheduled for May 18th!

Meanwhile in Paris, Heather Stimmler-Hall recounts in her “Secrets of Paris” blog her tale of wine dating on the 56th floor of the Tour Montparnasse. What is “wine dating,” you ask? It involves tasting three types of wine, mingling with available Frenchmen, cold cuts, and a towering view. Sign us up.

And then there’s the flight news! Less Than a Shoestring got us all knotted up about UK and Irish airports charging surprise, unavoidable airport taxes. And from a vending machine, no less!

Meanwhile, BudgetTravel alerts us to Cheapo-friendly fares in May from NYC to Rome, Naples, and other Italian cities on Eurofly. Fares are from $499 and don’t include $75 in taxes.

And finally, thanks to Alex of Spendthrift Shoestring for swinging by the office to play us some official entries in the Eurovision 2008 contest. We’re especially excited about Sebastien Tellier (pictured above on a boat), Jelena Tomašević, and, of course, No Angels.

What a way to kick off the weekend!

Popularity: 15% [?]

Amsterdam is one of the best European cities for cycling. See the city, speed along the canals, and act like a local.

Ready to roll? First, grab a good map. The tourism office facing Centraal Station offers a bike-specific map with highlighted biking paths and touring suggestions.

Then, go get a bike! Where?

Mike’s Bike Tours
Kerkstraat 134

One of the most popular bike rentals in Amsterdam, Mike’s (along with other rental agencies) requires you to leave some sort of deposit when you rent a bike:  your passport, an imprint of your credit card, or a deposit of €200. They provide you with two bike locks, and will even demonstrate how to use them!

(A word of caution: Mike’s also has a location in Munich and it can be a bit tricky to navigate their web site, so if you decide to book online, make sure you’re on the Mike’s Amsterdam page!)

Rates - 1/2 day: €5 (€8 with insurance); 1 day: €7 (€10 with insurance).

Frederic Rental Bike
Brouwerstgracht, 78

All bikes go for €10 a day (no hourly rentals) and Frederic requires a deposit of either a credit card or passport. Insurance is included in the price.

The advantages of renting from Frederic are simple: It’s cheap, you don’t have to deposit any money, and the bikes are free of giant logos that make them look like dorky, commercial rental bikes. These bikes are “originals,” and thus great for cycling hipsters. Also, Frederic’s staff claims they are “gastronomical freaks” and will fill you with their culinary expertise before you speed off.  While we don’t recommend eating your meals on wheels, you’ll at least know the best places to stop for a meal.

Canal Bike
Weteringschans 26- 1 hg

Ok, so this isn’t a traditional bike company. Canal Bike only rents “canal bikes,” which are pedal boats for two, three, and four people. With pedal boats, you’re free to tour the city via its famous waterways. Canal Bike holds onto a €50 deposit due at the time of your booking. Dock your boat at the Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, or countless other city attractions.

Rate - €8 per person for 1-2 people;  €7 per person for more than 2 people.

Mac Bike
Multiple locations around the city

If you’re making a group booking (10 people or more), we think Mac is the best plan of attack. They offer great rental discounts and even lead some of the most unique tours in town, grouped by interest (gay, architecture, even Hans Brinker).

Rates - From €6 (3 hours) to €25 (1 day), depending on type of bike and length of rental.

Bike City
68 - 70 Bloemgracht

Bike City is great if you plan to rent for more than a day. They offer really reasonable 5-day rates (€34-44.50) and prices are significantly reduced if you rent for more than 5 days.

Rates - €10-14.50 per 24 hour period.

Note: Prices are shown for half-day and full-day rentals, although multiple day rentals are available through most bike agencies.  A half-day rental makes sense for a fun tour of the town, although real cycle nuts (we see that Lance Armstrong bracelet!) and tourists looking to use their bike for daily transportation will want a longer rental.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Maybe it’s Van Gogh’s trippy sunflowers or that wacky, tacky Red Light District. But there’s something about Amsterdam’s love of the unusual that pops up in its hotel offerings. We’ve weeded out the ho-hum hotel experiences to bring you a few of our favorite joints (so many puns, so little space!):

Hotel de Filosoof
What: Three-star hotel near the Vondelpark
Doubles: From € 80
Theme: Enlightenment

Each room here is dedicated to a philosopher. You could stay in “Clouds” and pay homage to Aristophanes and Socrates, drifting to sleep in a bed with a blue, velveteen comforter. Or, opt for Confucius, which lifts up the ideals of Taoism and showcases an array of strong, ancient-looking (intentionally) purple décor. Neitche’s room just plain scared us. (Not surprising, considering the whole “God is dead” thing. Sweet dreams!) Thankfully, the hotel has 38 rooms to choose from, a spacious outdoor garden, and an art gallery.

Hemp Hotel 
What: One-star hotel in the southern canal ring
Doubles: € 65 - 70
Theme: Baked not fried

Proclaiming itself “a unique specialty hotel for the hemp-aware traveler,” the Hemp Hotel is on our top ten list of favorite hotel visits (for purely professional reasons, natch). We were awed and amused by the various hemp-themed rooms decorated with eclectic furniture and a host of hemp-a-riffic accoutrements: hemp curtains, towels and plants.  The hotel is owned by a prominent marijuana activist and inventor of the Pollinator, a device that extracts hash from hemp leaves. With a coffee shop downstairs, the Hemp is a bit of a time vortex and many guests remain on for long, strange trips. (One guest, in fact, never left — and became one of the hotel’s managers!)

Winston Hotel
What: Two-star hotel in the Red Light District
Doubles: € 60-105
Theme: Artist madhouse

After spending a couple nights at the Winston, we labeled it ”The Winston Museum of Contemporary Art,” as each room was designed by a different artist. Décors range from simple opaque canvases to large-format paintings that resemble Spirograph creations. Many rooms also have their own distinct genres. For instance, the Heineken room enjoys a green, bottled-up effect (Note: See also Smirnoff Button room.).  Maria’s Room is furnished entirely in white, producing an immaculate, yet oddly Clockwork Orange feel. We bunked in a dominatrix-themed space. And liked it.  

The Greenhouse Effect
What: Two-star hotel in the Red Light District
Doubles: € 95-130
Theme: Out of this world

At this diamond in the snuff (it’s situated in the heart of the red-light district), themed rooms run the gamut from the plain and proper (”City Oasis” suite) to the downright surreal (”Turkish Delight” and ”1001 Arabian Nights”).  A trance-inducing club downstairs features live music each weekend and looks sure to provide oodles of Kerouac-ky observations for postcards and personal diaries.

Lloyd Hotel
What: One-star to five-star hotel in the Eastern Docklands
Doubles: From €90 (see Website for special offers)
Theme: Pick a star (rating)

Offering its guests a range of rooms from a one-star to a five-star rating, the Lloyd really knows how to shake up hotel classification systems! This sophisticated and chic hotel, located in a fashionable area, displays architectural majesty—1920’s art deco mixed with modern flair, and lets you pick a room, any room, via various star ratings. However all rooms provide the same amenities (free WiFi and satellite television) and all guests (even the Cheapos) enjoy the same 24-hour service. Furthermore, all have access to the fancy “Cultural Embassy,” a space that serves as an art gallery, entertainment space, and lounge.

A 1-star room offers less space and shared bathrooms, while a 3-star, for example, has noteworthy 1920s furniture designed by De Bazel. We’d likely opt for a 2-star, deemed “surprising” by the hotel on its Website, as you get your own bathroom with “plenty of room to take a shower” (insert joke here), and some even provide water views. On a search we did for February, we found double rooms from €90 (one star) to €210 (five stars). What a range!

We’d say all of these hotels are worth the trip.

Did we miss a themed hotel in Amsterdam that you know about or would recommend? Tell us below!

Popularity: 16% [?]

Amsterdam’s notorious Red Light District, that central section of seedy sex shops and cinemas, is set to clean up its act.

Job Cohen, the city’s Mayor, announced on Monday that Amsterdam will soon begin requiring all red-light merchants and services to go “legit.” Since the trade’s legalization in 2000, the area has continued to be plagued with pimps and petty crime, along with unregulated prostitution.

The mayor’s new plan will enforce permits and inspections, and will require businesses to have official business telephone numbers and registered addresses.

The Associated Press reports that the city hopes to lure in luxury hotels, fashionable boutiques, squeaky-clean restaurants and other crowd-pleasers to  the area. And what about the tourists who come to Amsterdam primarily to take in the city’s seedy side?

According to councilman Lodewijk Asscher, “We know that the tourists that come here now, the rowdy Britons, aren’t always the tourists that you’d like to have in the city,” he said. 

No comment.

Popularity: 13% [?]

It’s possible to get almost anywhere in Amsterdam by foot, tram, bus, and, of course, the trusty Dutch bicycle. Since 2003, the city, recognizing a need for speedier transit, has been digging for a subway. In a city lined with canals and soggy earth, a dig of this sort presents some unique challenges.  

Yesterday’s Boston Globe had an interesting look at the logistics. Let’s just say that Amsterdam is a “city in motion”…

Most of Amsterdam is supported by a system of underground wooden poles and pilings, and the land itself tends to shift and sink a couple millimeters a year. And if digging wasn’t a big enough problem, large, rumbling trains could affect this delicate balancing act once the subway’s up and running.

Best of luck with your dig, Amsterdam. We wish you stability.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Photo by Milda Palilionyte

One of these neighborhood gatherings is not like the other: block party, garage sale, open house at the corner bordello.

Amsterdam’s sex workers participated in a meet and greet with visitors last Saturday in the second annual open house sponsored by Amsterdam’s Prostitutie Informatie Centrum (or Prostitution Information Center, PIC). For six hours, hundreds of spectators were invited to enter dimly-lit sex clubs and peep shows during daylight hours. Open doors offered a free look inside the city’s famed Red Light District dens.

From breitbart.com we found the following quote. “Last year, I noticed that there were a lot of female visitors,” noted Mariska Majoor from PIC, former prostitute and organizer of the open day. “So we asked for men prepared to prostitute themselves to be in the windows for one day. It is only the second time in the history of Amsterdam that men are offering themselves to women…in the windows like their female colleagues.”

On the heels of the open house, a bronze statue dedicated to ladies of the night (see above) was unveiled to the public on the Oudekerksplein—in front of the Old Church—in the heart of the Red Light District. Els Rijerse’s sculpture represents a female member of the oldest profession standing on a doorstep, sporting a self-assured stance, hands on hips, looking towards the stars.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Photograph by SkyEurope

To promote their recent addition of Vienna as a new base airport, SkyEurope is hawking €19 airfares (taxes and charges included!) to and from Vienna.

These low fares will apply to flights to and from all sixteen destinations served by SkyEurope from Vienna. Among the highlights, in our view: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bucharest, Larnaca, Paris, Thessaloniki, and Zadar.

The €19 fares are on sale through Sunday.

We’re still waiting for Kiev and Istanbul to show up on the SkyEurope map, but these low fares will do for now.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Photograph by Kari Hoerchler

For Cheapos who oppose hostels for whatever reason—perhaps they promised their Mom they’d never stay in one or they have a crushing fear of Australians—finding a hotel in a expensive city like Amsterdam can be a miserable experience, especially given that many recommendations for cheap hotels are made by travel writers who never so much as glance at a room.

A classic example is the Hotel van Onna in the zippy Jordaan neighborhood. The prices are fair, considering the ‘hood (a double is €90.) The van Onna is recommended by everyone from Time Out to Frommer’s. Despite the charming owner and the fact that the rooms overlook the canal, don’t you think the blurbs could have mentioned that if you hold your arms out from your sides you can touch both walls of a double room at the same time? Or is it just that we’re too tall?

Popularity: 6% [?]