Rating: 
Summary: Picture Yourself in Amsterdam
Review: When we went to Amsterdam last May, we had no idea what we were going to see. Because we tend to plan our itineraries in advance, it was important that we get some idea of which tourist sights were worth seeing. The DK Eyewitness guides are great for this purpose: They are lavishly illustrated, with colorful maps, schematics, and -- above all -- photographs of tourist destinations in and around Amsterdam. I would NOT, however, recommend that you take this guide with you. It weights 1 pound 3 oz; and we always travel light. So what we recommend is to do your Stateside planning with the DK guide and use a lighter one to accompany you on your travels. It's a pity, because the transportation and street maps alone are worth the price of the guide. A major plus for us is that we chose to visit the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen partly because it looked interesting in the book; and it turned out to be by far our favorite stop. Like other DK guides, this one has an excellent "Practical Information" section on currency, banking, telephoning, and public transportation. It also have colorful pictures of the type of food you might encounter in Amsterdam's restaurants. (And do try the raw new herring with onions and pickles: If you're a sushi-head like me, you will be in heaven.) Where I would not use this guide is for names of specific hotels and restaurants. The information on these is presented in tabular format and leaves off many interesting sidelights that would be important for us as travellers, such as roominess, charm, family ownership, and other intangibles. It's well worth the somewhat steep price to buy this book if you're planning a trip to the Netherlands.
Rating:
Summary: More than a guide!
Review: Whithout this book Amsterdam will be less interesting. Many details will pass behind guest without awaking his explorative spirit. Book is full of information which help reader a lot, during chosing a hotel, restaurant or saving from pickpockets. This is a first book that we actually use, nine more to go (Rome, Paris, ...). "If you don't use this excellent book. During your Amsterdam visit. Everybody will see in your look. How you miss it."
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