Amsterdam, Rotterdam & the Hague

by Derek Blyth

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 013028713X
• ISBN13: 9780130287137
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

The Best Rotterdam Guidebook Available

The American Express Travel Guide to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague, is now almost 20 years old. It was originally published in 1988, and the revised edition is from 1992. Obviously this guidebook is very dated and information in it is less reliable than a more contemporary guide would be. If your interest is in Amsterdam, forget this book, there are many newer and better books available; the same goes for The Hague, which is generally thoroughly covered in most Amsterdam guides. The sole reason this guide is worth obtaining is for its coverage of Rotterdam, one of Europe's unheralded gems. Rotterdam is my favorite city in the Netherlands, but is overshadowed by Amsterdam to such a degree that it is rarely covered in guidebooks, and almost never with more than a couple of cursory paragraphs. This book has many fine tips for sightseeing in Rotterdam, although the information on hotels and especially restaurants is now fairly obsolete. The book explains Rotterdam's significance as Europe's biggest port (it was until recently the biggest in the world, and it's still the busiest) and its special history as Europe's most cutting-edge architectural wonder. Rotterdam was razed to the ground by Germany in May 1940. Virtually nothing was left, and after the war modern architects built a truly amazing city from the ashes. Many of the buildings are publicly accessible, and I highly encourage a multi-day architectural exploration of the city: I promise you will be stunned. The city is easy to access via a 45-minute train ride from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, and reservations are not needed. The Rotterdam Centraal Station is in the Weena area, which is very central for your sightseeing needs (as an aside, I recommend staying at the Westin, immediately across from the station, it is very modern and was not built when the book was written). The city is very walkable, and in this regard the book gives some suggestions for walks to take in interesting sights. There are a few black and white maps included in the book, but most hotels have updated maps for free. Highlights covered in the book include the Spido Havenrondvarrt, a boat tour of the Europoort, which is an easy walk from most anywhere in the city. It is located on the River Maas at the base of the Erasmus Bridge (Erasmusbrug), a world famous and captivatingly beautiful bridge built since the book was published. A further stroll up the riverside Boompjes, takes you to the Blaak area, where you will pass the Witte Huis (White House), one of the few buildings to survive World War Two (p. 214). Just beyond the Witte Huis is perhaps Rotterdam's most famous architectural wonder, Piet Blom's famous Kijk-Kubus, or Cube Houses, which must be seen in person to fully appreciate (p.221). As a note, you can enter Number 70 for a very small fee, and it is highly recommended. Other places that are musts include the Nederlands Architectuur Instituut, the whimsical "twisted lamp-post" by Cor Kraat (at the corner

Re-written and re-published as Travel & Leisure: Amsterdam

Travel & Leisure magazine and Macmillan Travel designed a newer version of this book entitled, Travel & Leisure: Amsterdam (published in 1997). The original American Express Guide contains excellent, detailed chapters on Sites and Attractions, Art and Architecture, and Cafes. It also includes a side trip to Rotterdam that captures the essence of the city and takes the reader to the most interesting museums and architectural sites.