Although Amsterdam is not as expensive as other European capitals like London or Paris it is still not a cheap travel destination generally. However if you know where to look the city offers many interesting and even unusual free and cheap attractions. Besides the cheap eats, discount hotels and some free attractions the city has many picturesque sites that can be seen just by walking around the city. For example the classic canals with decorated barges, a few windmills that still remain in the city and the infamous Red Light District.

Take a free ferry ride to North Amsterdam and back again just for a chance to get out on the water! The ferry leaves from Jetty 7 behind the Central Station.  St. Nicolas Boat Club offers free rides on the canals.

Visit one of the many outdoor fresh produce markets and the two large markets which hold all manner of goods. At the Waterlooplein Flea Market you can pick up cheap clothing and at the Albert Cuypmarkt, which stretches for 6 blocks, you can get clothing, food, electronics and much more.

Take a free walking tour with Sandeman''s New Europe Company or the City Free Tour Company.   

Amsterdam has some cheap hostels and hotels which are conveniently located within the city center. With Amsterdam it is not recommended to stay in budget accommodation on the outskirts of the city as transport and the travel time to the center are not worth it.

As alcohol is quite expensive in Holland check out the Happy Hours in some of the bars. You'll find that bars within or near hostels usually have a Happy Hour.

The iamsterdam costs 42€ for 24 hours which saves you 15€. You can get 25% off many of the city's attractions and restaurants as well as free entry to many attractions, free public transport and a free canal cruise. Also look into the Amsterdam Holland Pass (33€). If you plan on visiting a lot of museums then invest in the Museum Jaarkart (Museum Card). The cards can be purchased from the Amsterdam tourist information bureau (VVV).

Rent a bicycle (approximately €10 a day from companies like Mike's Bikes) and join the locals in traveling about the city without spending time on trains and buses. After exploring the city head out to the Amsterdam Forest, a huge park with 50km of cycle paths.

Although the Rijksmuseum requires an entrance fee the museum gardens are free to the general public.

Join the locals in Vondel Park for free summer jazz, classic and cabaret concerts Thursday to Sunday.

To see 17^th century churches for free visit the Westerkerk and Begijnhof.

To eat-on-the-cheap try some of the sidewalk food vendors or head for Vlaamse or Patat Friets (French fries with a variety of unusual sauces); Middle Eastern Maoz; Febo or the automatieks which are vending machines which dispenses snacks and small meals.

Some More Saving Tips

Exchange
1. For best exchange rates, minimum commission and lowest risk, use credit card as much as possible and save on credit card conversion rates by notifying the bank that you are about to spend in Euros before you travel.
2. You can save as much as 7-8% by getting Euros in local ATMs over buying Euros at home.

Restaurants
3. Tap water is perfectly safe to drink both in hotels as well as in restaurant instead bottled mineral water which can be quite costly. It is not rare for wine to be cheaper than water in most cafes and restaurants.
4. Notice that some of the restaurant has some very good lunch deal menus. It will usually cost you somewhere between €7.50 and €10). Organize your meals accordingly and you could save a significant amount of money.
5. Drink local wine instead of a labeled one you a familiar with from home. Local wines wine can cost you around 7-10 Euros per bottle. Just the same, a draft beer would cost you less in many cases than a bottled one.
6. Round up the bill so that you will add something around 10%.
7. Avoid eating too close to the major tourist attractions. Although you could potentially find a decent restaurant near the Van Gogh Mseu, it is more likely that you will get into one of the many tourist traps in which you will get a lousy meal with a large bill.

Phone Calls
8. Do not make call from the hotel. Even with roaming charges, calling from your cell phone will most probably be a better deal.
9. Nevertheless, using a foreigner cell phone SIM does not make much sense as roaming charges are very high. The cheapest way to use your cell both for calls as well as for data would be by purchasing a local pre-paid SIM card and placing it in your phone. This will get you a local number with a pre-paid account and no unpleasant surprises by the end of the trip.
10. Use a pre-paid skype account to make your phone calls. This will allow you free call top another skype account where you have internet access as well as calling any US number in a rate only a few Eurocents per minute. Using this tip as well as the previous one to make phone calls will reduce your phone bill by 90% or more.
Shopping
11. If your total one-day purchase in a given store is more than 175 Euro you should ask the seller for a reimbursement form. Make sure it is signed and take it to the airport with you. In the airport, go to the tax refund office and get a refund of 12% on these purchases.
12. If you are renting an apartment, buy the food in one of the many local markets. It is cheap, fresh and fun.

Free Internet
13. Use free Wi-Fi where available. Vienna is not a heavy promoters of “Free WiFi everywhere” but it still exists near the Tourist Information and in some of the cafes.

Accommodations
14. Consider renting an apartment instead of a hotel room. There is potentially double saving in this approach. First, it costs less than a hotel room and second, it usually has a kitchen in it that will allow you to cook your own food which is naturally considerable cheaper than eating out 3 meals a day. There are many sites today that rent apartments, some even for a period of one week or less.
15. Getting a hotel deal that includes breakfast is not necessarily cheaper of more enjoyable than taking your breakfast in one of the many restaurants. A start to a prefect day may just be a great coffee with the best pastry. This