SVong-Along

On the train from Amsterdam to Paris, we decided to take a detour and spend a day and night in Brussels. One reason I wanted to stop was to see the Atomium, which was a pit stop on the Amazing Race.  What is it?  The Atomium is the main pavilion and attraction for World's Fair in Brussels in 1958. It is like Belgium's own Eiffel Tower. It is a iron crystal with 9 atoms enlarged 165 billion times. How to get there: public transit is an option but I just used uber. It was about 20 Euro for an Uber ride - 17 min from downtown (Ubers speak french btw).  Ticket cost - for student ID discount - 24.2 Euro for Atomium + Mini Europe between 10:00 to 17:00. (Design Museum also included, but didn't get a chance to check it out.)  TIPS: There is a bathroom in the lobby, but you have to pay an attendant outside 1 Euro. Only use if emergency, otherwise if you can wait 20-30 min there is a bathroom at the very top near the cafe, but it takes a while to get to the cafe bathroom. If ...

If you are visiting Amsterdam for the first time for 2-4 days (and like museums/tourist attractions), one way to maximize your visit is with the iamsterdam city card  - where you can get access to museums [not included: Van Gogh, Anne Frank House], public transit (trams and buses), and a canal cruise and bike rental. [Not sponsored - I was just trying to save money on my own.]  While it was convenient, I did have to still make reservations for 4 of the museums (with most museums being flexible on letting in before reservation slot). For the non-museum person who will be in Amsterdam to chill out, I would not recommend the pass and just booking things individually.  Below is a analysis of cost of items individually vs final price with Iamsterdam card and the cost/benefit analysis: Diamond Museum - €12.50  Moco                     - €17.95- €22  Rijksmuseum         - €22.50  ...