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Rick Steves’ Travel Blog

Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick

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Eating Local in Tasty Amsterdam

If you want to eat local in Amsterdam, remember three things: cheese, herring, and Indonesian rijsttafel. What are your favorite Amsterdam edibles?

 

Colonial cuisine is fun. And just like England loves its Indian food, the Dutch hunger for Indonesian. The ritual dish for tourists in Holland is rijsttafel (literally "rice table"). While not a true Indonesian meal, it’s a Dutch innovation designed to highlight the best food of its former colony, especially all the great spices that were a big part of what originally motivated the colonial age. For around $40 you’ll get about 20 dishes and a rainbow of spices with white rice to mix and mingle on your palette. More casual Indonesian restaurants allow you to split this meal.
Colonial cuisine is fun. And just like England loves its Indian food, the Dutch hunger for Indonesian. The ritual dish for tourists in Holland is rijsttafel (literally “rice table”). While not a true Indonesian meal, it’s a Dutch innovation designed to highlight the best food of its former colony, especially all the great spices that were a big part of what originally motivated the colonial age. For around $40 you’ll get about 20 dishes and a rainbow of spices with white rice to mix and mingle on your palette. More casual Indonesian restaurants allow you to split this meal.

 

With its seafaring heritage, Dutch cuisine embraces herring. The local version of a hot-dog stand is a herring stand where variations on fresh herring are dished up--most are not cooked but pickled. For a memory you won’t forget (no matter how you try), don’t miss a little paper plate of herring with pickles and onions.
With its seafaring heritage, Dutch cuisine embraces herring. The local version of a hot-dog stand is a herring stand where variations on fresh herring are dished up–most are not cooked but pickled. For a memory you won’t forget (no matter how you try), don’t miss a little paper plate of herring with pickles and onions.

 

Each day my wandering was made much more fun and educational because I hired a local guide to join me. It’s basically like renting a friend who’s really smart. Then, everything I do, I’m doing with a coach and partner. My guide Frank Sanders and I spent an hour enjoying the Reypenaer cheese tasting.
Each day my wandering was made much more fun and educational because I hired a local guide to join me. It’s basically like renting a friend who’s really smart. Then, everything I do, I’m doing with a coach and partner. My guide Frank Sanders and I spent an hour enjoying the Reypenaer cheese tasting.

 

At the Reypenaer cheese-tasting class we tried five or so Dutch cheeses with three different wines and charted our experience. If you happen to like cheese and wine, this is a very fun class. As I recommend it in my Amsterdam guidebook, I wanted to be sure I was describing it correctly--and you can’t do that without actually enjoying the experience.
At the Reypenaer cheese-tasting class we tried five or so Dutch cheeses with three different wines and charted our experience. If you happen to like cheese and wine, this is a very fun class. As I recommend it in my Amsterdam guidebook, I wanted to be sure I was describing it correctly–and you can’t do that without actually enjoying the experience.

What are some fun, organized, and educational food-tasting experiences you’ve enjoyed in your travels?

 

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Biking in Amsterdam

A key for really enjoying Amsterdam is to go local…on two wheels. The city is designed for bikers, and I feel so right pedaling around town throughout my visit. I always rent a bike upon arrival and keep it at my hotel for the duration of my stay. Behind the train station, free ferries shuttle commuters back and forth across the IJ on Amsterdam’s waterfront. From the other side you can pedal down a canal and, literally within minutes, be in the wide-open polder land and among windmills.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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What’s New in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is as lively–and enjoyably shocking–as ever. The old standbys (Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum) have reopened after closures for renovations, and there are some new joys for sightseers.

The area just east of the extremely central Central Station has a fixed-up, glassy high-rise feel. Anyone is welcome to venture into the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel and head up 11 floors to the rooftop Sky Lounge. Come here to enjoy a drink--and what is suddenly the best "high-wide" view over Amsterdam.
The area just east of the extremely central Central Station has a fixed-up, glassy high-rise feel. Anyone is welcome to venture into the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel and head up 11 floors to the rooftop Sky Lounge. Come here to enjoy a drink–and what is suddenly the best “high-wide” view over Amsterdam.
Amsterdam’s big three art museums gather at the Museumplein--its museum park. The park itself is a people-friendly delight. The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, understandably popular, are plagued by long lines. But the local favorite (and a great opportunity to just be in the modern art world) is all yours at the newly reopened Stedelijk Museum. London has its Tate Modern. Paris has the Pompidou. And Amsterdam offers an equally stimulating modern art museum. Like the others, it combines striking architecture (it's nicknamed "the bath tub" because of its odd shape), 20th-century favorites (Dali, Picasso, Kandinsky), and crazy contemporary art. While I’m not a big fan of abstract art, I found the contemporary sections of the Stedelijk really fun. What are your favorite modern art museum experiences in Europe?
Amsterdam’s big three art museums gather at the Museumplein–its museum park. The park itself is a people-friendly delight. The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, understandably popular, are plagued by long lines. But the local favorite (and a great opportunity to just be in the modern art world) is all yours at the newly reopened Stedelijk Museum. London has its Tate Modern. Paris has the Pompidou. And Amsterdam offers an equally stimulating modern art museum. Like the others, it combines striking architecture (it’s nicknamed “the bath tub” because of its odd shape), 20th-century favorites (Dali, Picasso, Kandinsky), and crazy contemporary art. While I’m not a big fan of abstract art, I found the contemporary sections of the Stedelijk really fun. What are your favorite modern art museum experiences in Europe?
Amsterdam’s mayor is pushing an initiative to take the sleaze out of the sex and drug industries--businesses that the city famously tolerates. While fans of sex and drugs worry he’s rolling back the tolerance that is so endearing about Dutch society, I think he just wants to show that sex and drugs don’t need to be sleazy...and he’s doing a good job at it. The Red Light District is now a little more compact; windows promoting fashion and artists are now spliced in among all the windows with red lights and enticing women. And the streets remain the happy domain of regular people out having fun without the layer of shady characters making money in shady ways. I’d love to hear others’ feeling or stories about Amsterdam’s Red Light District.
Amsterdam’s mayor is pushing an initiative to take the sleaze out of the sex and drug industries–businesses that the city famously tolerates. While fans of sex and drugs worry he’s rolling back the tolerance that is so endearing about Dutch society, I think he just wants to show that sex and drugs don’t need to be sleazy…and he’s doing a good job at it. The Red Light District is now a little more compact; windows promoting fashion and artists are now spliced in among all the windows with red lights and enticing women. And the streets remain the happy domain of regular people out having fun without the layer of shady characters making money in shady ways. I’d love to hear others’ feeling or stories about Amsterdam’s Red Light District.
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Eating My Way Through Paris

I can return to Paris again and again for the rest of my life. Just being there–with no intention of seeing anything new–is a fine vacation opportunity. With our tour over, I enjoyed a personal day before heading for Amsterdam and the Netherlands to scout for my upcoming TV shoot. The plan: Take my own audio tours and eat very well.

rick-steves-audio-tour-ste-chapelleWe’ve produced about 45 self-guided audio tours (all free with my Rick Steves’ Audio Europe Travel App), and every chance I get, I try to actually take them. When I follow along, I can see if they work well. And (this may sound a bit weird) but I also take them because they cover my favorite places–and I simply enjoy hearing myself talking about them. It’s fun to be immersed in a tour of a place like Paris’ Gothic lantern of stained glass, Sainte-Chapelle–and drift by another traveler enjoying the same audio tour. So far, the only one that doesn’t work well is Florence’s Uffizi Gallery (because they rearranged much of the featured art).

 

paris-by-mouth-food-tourAs has been my theme in the last year or two of guidebook research, I am finding new experiences to complement the great sights. Food tours are trendy across Europe, and I’m taking lots of them. Food tours generally take three to four hours and cost around $100. Some are worthwhile, and many are not. In Paris, we joined a Paris by Mouth food tour: six stops in three hours for €95. Our guide was an expert, expat foodie, and I gained a fun new appreciation of baguettes, croissants, cheese, and the way French people make the most out of eating. (For much more on this food tour–if you don’t mind a little food porn–see Trish Feaster’s blog at The Travelphile.com.)

rick-steves-violon-ingres-paris

After 50 days of steady work (OK–steady fun, too), I treated myself to a Michelin-star restaurant. We don’t list many destination restaurants in our guidebooks, but people come to Paris to eat well, and you’ll certainly do that at Le Violon d’Ingres.

violon-ingres-truffle-egg

At Le Violon d’Ingres, the dishes are extremely creative and, while excellent, I’m glad I opted for a sampler menu which gave me twice as many plates (with half-sized portions) as a regular menu. The Degustation Menu cost €95 for eight small plates served delicately and beautifully presented. I added on the matching wine. If you’re planning on binging for an extravagant meal in France, you’ll get the best value in smaller towns in the countryside. But for me, my fine Parisian dinner at Le Violon d’Ingres was a splurge I’ll never forget.

rick-steves-chef-christian-constant

As we list his restaurant in our book, renowned chef Christian Constant dropped by to see us. There’s a family tree-type photo wall of all the chefs who’ve trained with Monsieur Constant. After our meal, I was not surprised that his kitchen has spawned so many highly regarded and successful chefs.

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My Best of Europe Tour is Finished

My Best of Europe tour is finished. (I feel like sending that Rick Steves fellow a letter to tell him what a great time I had.)  I hope you enjoyed following my adventures these last three weeks. Of course, we’re really proud of our tour program. This year, we’re having our best season ever. So far over 19,000 travelers have signed up on over 800 of our 2014 tours, and plans for our 2015 season are well under way. The Best of Europe tour you joined me on is just one of over 30 different itineraries.

If you’re curious about our tour program, go to my tours website and browse around. We understand trusting a tour company with your precious vacation time and money is a huge decision, so call 425-608-4217 if you have more questions after you’ve looked at our website.

Each year we throw a big party for our tour alums and our guides. This little video clip lets you join the party for a few minutes. Check it out and think about letting us turn your travel dreams into smooth and affordable reality. Thanks.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.