Book Description
Looking for a travel guide that goes where other guides fear to tread? One that rides roughshod over ad-copy puffery to smartly deliver the real scoop on a destination's sites and attractions? One that dares to be honest, hip, and fun? Look no more. Frommer's Irreverent Travel Guides are wickedly irreverent, unabashedly honest, and downright hilarious, and provide an insider's perspective on which attractions are overrated tourist traps and which are the secret gems that locals love. You'll get the lowdown on restaurants, lodging, and shopping, and even find out what the locals think of you. "Like being taken around by a savvy local," said the New York Times. "Hipper and savvier than other guides," concurred Diversion magazine. Never shy about confronting the issues, the Irreverents are guides to real travel in the real world.

The one-dimensional Amsterdam of tulips, wooden shoes, and 17th-century architecture is the stuff of many a standard guidebook, but with its booming economy, legalized prostitution, and tolerant attitude toward recreational drug use, the city is much more than that. For savvy travelers who want to fully experience the place as the locals live it, Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam is the way to go, offering the lowdown on this hip, cultivated city, where old and new sunnily coexist. You'll discover the proper way to knock back genever (Dutch gin--the potent national spirit), why Amsterdam is considered the Gay Capital of Europe, plus the inside scoop on the red-light district, complete with advice and warnings.


From the Back Cover
"Full of solid, insider information with just the right amount of cynicism." –Travel Savvy magazine Are you tired of cliché-ridden guidebooks packed with promotional fluff? Then move over to the IRREVERENT GUIDES–the travel series that no tourist board would dare to recommend. Look inside for the lowdown on: The best places to stay, whether you’re looking for canal-house coziness or unparalleled luxury Dutch dining worth seeking out–and tourist traps to avoid People watching, hofje hopping, clog shopping, and canal cruising away from the crowds The cafes, tap houses, and smoke shops that the locals love


About the Author
George McDonald is a former deputy editor of and currently contributing writer for Holland Herald, the in-flight magazine for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Now a freelance journalist and travel writer, he has written extensively about Amsterdam and the Netherlands for international magazines and for travel books that include Frommer’s Amsterdam; Frommer’s Portable Amsterdam; Frommer’s Belgium, Holland & Luxembourg; Frommer’s Europe; Frommer’s Europe from $70 a Day; and Frommer’s Europe by Rail. He is also the author of Frommer’s Brussels & Bruges with Ghent & Antwerp.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Looking for a travel guide that goes where other guides fear to tread? One that rides roughshod over ad-copy puffery to smartly deliver the real scoop on a destination's sites and attractions? One that dares to be honest, hip, and fun? Look no more. Frommer's Irreverent Travel Guides are wickedly irreverent, unabashedly honest, and downright hilarious, and provide an insider's perspective on which attractions are overrated tourist traps and which are the secret gems that locals love. You'll get the lowdown on restaurants, lodging, and shopping, and even find out what the locals think of you. "Like being taken around by a savvy local," said the New York Times. "Hipper and savvier than other guides," concurred Diversion magazine. Never shy about confronting the issues, the Irreverents are guides to real travel in the real world.

The one-dimensional Amsterdam of tulips, wooden shoes, and 17th-century architecture is the stuff of many a standard guidebook, but with its booming economy, legalized prostitution, and tolerant attitude toward recreational drug use, the city is much more than that. For savvy travelers who want to fully experience the place as the locals live it, Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam is the way to go, offering the lowdown on this hip, cultivated city, where old and new sunnily coexist. You'll discover the proper way to knock back genever (Dutch gin—the potent national spirit), why Amsterdam is considered the Gay Capital of Europe, plus the inside scoop on the red-light district, complete with advice and warnings.

Author Biography: George McDonald is a former deputy editor of and currently contributing writer for Holland Herald, the in-flight magazine for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Now a freelance journalist and travel writer, he has written extensively about Amsterdam and the Netherlands for international magazines and for travel books that include Frommer’s Amsterdam; Frommer’s Portable Amsterdam; Frommer’s Belgium, Holland & Luxembourg; Frommer’s Europe; Frommer’s Europe from $70 a Day; and Frommer’s Europe by Rail. He is also the author of Frommer’s Brussels & Bruges with Ghent & Antwerp.

SYNOPSIS

"Full of solid, insider information with just the right amount of cynicism." –Travel Savvy magazine

Are you tired of cliché-ridden guidebooks packed with promotional fluff? Then move over to the IRREVERENT GUIDES–the travel series that no tourist board would dare to recommend.