I am trying to plan a vacation to Amsterdam, but not really havin an easy time of it online. If you have been, what should I expect to pay for a decent hotel, and also, is most of Amsterdam in walking distance?
Yes, I’ve been to Amsterdam, and I don’t know why it should be so difficult to get hotel info online.
This site for instance lists several hotels with star ratings and prices in Euros. In my experience it’s a very easy city to explore by foot, and for slightly longer journeys the public transport system is comprehensive and cheap.
IIRC, hotel prices are similar to being in a major US city. There are small, cheap places, and big expensive ones. Of course, there are a ton of youth hostels. I enjoy walking, so I found most of Amsterdam accessable by foot, supplemented by their trolley system. I always stay near Vondel Park and found it a nice walk to Central Station.
I don’t have any sites, but I recall finding tons of info regarding hotels and such. As for walking, just punch up a map and check out the distances. It’s a beautiful, interesting city to walk around.
Here are some more hotel sites:
http://www.1st-hotels-amsterdam.com/
http://www.holland-amsterdam-hotels.com/ (€ to $US convertor included)
http://www.hotelclub.net/directcity.asp?id=26
And here’s Lonely Planet’s map.
I was there for half an hour between flights once in 1979.
I went with my parents when I was 14. Everything there is pretty much within walking distance. The only time we didn’t walk was on the way to and from the airport. I don’t really know what to tell you about sight-seeing, my parents new there way around everywhere. They go there a couple times a year; I won’t even begin to peculate why. The only thing I would say is, definitely take a trip to the Van Gough Museum.
Agreed that it’s easy to walk around the city, just watch out for the light-rail trains that run along the streets. Nine out of ten foreign tourists* report nearly being run over by them at least once.
[sub]*informal survey by me[/sub]
You might also contemplate contacting Coldfire, who lives there.
Or actually do get run over by a motorbike while avoiding said light-rail trains, having “lost count” of the numerous special purpose lanes*.
*[sub]first hand experience by me :rolleyes: [/sub]
If you feel like doing a search there are a few threads from the past (every 3 months or so) where the place has come up and some extensive suggestions about what to do.
Oh, by the way, if you find a REALLY cheap hotel that seems like it should be more expensive, chances are there is something horribly wrong with it that the website isn’t being forthcoming about (“The website said all rooms had phones and bathrooms!” “Oh, no, not these rooms. These rooms don’t.” Bitter? Oh, yes. . . ). Figure out what the going rate is-- abberations are . . . probably abberant.
Are there any special parks one should visit?
I was there for a couple of days last summer, and I found that I was able to walk to everything that I wanted to see. It’s a really fun city to just wander around in, and (as long as you have the time to spare) I’d actually suggest walking from place to place. It’s a unique mixture of dirt, obnoxious tourists, and beautiful buildings…not something that you want to miss. One thing that I have to say, though, is that I found it very easy to get lost in Amsterdam. The map I had was very unhelpful (not very detailed) and I really scared myself by wandering way off track a couple of times.
Oh, here are a couple of those old threads.
um. . .one
and two.
Parks. . hmm. The Vondelpark is nice and has some good birds-- some feral parakeets. Reminds me a lot of Golden Gate park. I’ve heard that there is a monkeypark by the zoo but I don’t think I’ve located it.
I was in Amsterdam for two nights during a one week vacation in Europe. During that time I stayed at a bed and breakfast within the city. This was very convenient, affordable and made it easy for me to park my rental.
Unfortunately I took that vacation without any money and was therefore unable to visit several museums that I wanted to see, or to even eat lunch or supper during that time. 
Global Citizen
Don’t forget to visit the Oudezides Voorburgwaal! Lovely window shopping!!
I love Amsterdam! And I don’t even drink or do drugs.
Hmm Oudezijds Voorburgwaal, Qagdop. . . Don’t drink, don’t smoke. . what DO you do?
Apologies to Adam Ant.
I like to watch. It’s the best.
Apologies to Peter Sellers.
Not really able to help with the hotels but I thought I should mention that when I went I stayed in Harlemm, which is a suburb of Amsterdam.
And don’t miss the Anne Frank exhibit, it is incredible.