Netherlands

Amsterdam is known to be one of Europe’s more popular cities amongst the youth for all the right reasons. Surprisingly, Amsterdam has a lot more to offer apart from the taboo tourist attractions. Some people come to Amsterdam for its beautiful canals and gabled houses and some come here to experience the culture of cafes.

HOW TO GET AROUND

Amsterdam is a city born for biking and walking. The narrow narrow streets and bridges make it a challenge to get around the city by car. The centre of Amsterdam can be easily explored on foot or by bicycle. We opted to walk to most places but took the bus and metro to the places that were not walkable.

TOP THINGS TO SEE

• Canal Cruise: The best way to get a quick tour of the amsterdam canals is a canal cruise. Get a feel for the history and layout of Amsterdam by boat. Take a full tour or hop-on-hop-off tour and travel through the canals of the city. There are many different types of canal cruises to choose from. You can either chose to do a hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tours or an atmospheric candlelit night time cruises with food and wine.
  • TIP: If you are on a budget you can get a free canal cruise with the purchase of the I Amsterdam card.

• Heineken Experience: For all the beer lovers, this is a perfect tour. It shows you the history of the brand and how their beer is made. The tour takes about 2-3 hours and despite it’s touristy nature, we had a really fun time.
  • TIP: Buy your tickets in advance to skip lines.
• Red Light District: Even if you are not a man, it is always intriguing to see what the hype is all about. Yes, it is what you see in the movies; lots of glowing red lights, almost naked women standing in windows trying to lure people in. And yes, whatever you have heard happens here IS true.
  • TIP: Highly recommend taking a walking tour of the red light district. You will get to know a lot more than the eye can see and the ins & outs of this place.
• Coffee Shops: Do not make the mistake of expecting a late or an actual coffee here. Amsterdam is known for its legendary coffeeshops, cafés where you can legally smoke hash, marijuana and other cannabis products. In terms of ambience, every establishment is different. Some offer amazing food, others are great for lounging. Some have a terrible atmosphere, but supply the best hash in town. Others have it all. Remember to know your limits and stay within it!!!
• Vondelpark: If you love people watching as much as we do, we found this to be one of the best parks in to grab a drink and people watch. This park is located very close to the famous “I am Amsterdam” sign and the Van Gogh Museum which are also a good place to visit.

HAPPY BELLY

For the people with a sweet tooth, Amsterdam is filled with plenty of spots where you can find fresh stroopwafels, poffertjes & pancakes: These delicious Dutch treats are not to pass on. There are lots of small little cute restaurants all around town and the food was abosolutely delicious almost everywhere we went. We are suckers for cheese and yogurt, so we went to local grocery stores and brought a whole lot of the local cheese and yogurt to snack on.

OUR STAYS

Airbnb: We decided to do an airbnb in an area called Jordan. Our apartment was beautiful with a cute little balcony and was easily walkable to the dam square and other tourist attractions. We were on a street surrounded with small local cafes and restaurants. There are a lot of cute places that AirBnB has to offer in Amsterdam and based on your budget, you can pick and choose from various options.

OUR ITINERARY: 3 DAYS

Day 1: Free walking tour of Amsterdam, Canal Tour and Check out some Cafe’s.
The walking tours of Amsterdam are free and can be found starting in Dam square. We found this to be a great way to orient ourselves to the city. The tours are about 1-2 hours long based on your tour guide and company. We had signed up for a canal tour and we loved every bit of it. This was a good way to check out most of the city by boat and get to know a lot about the various canals and how it divided the city.

Day 2: Anne Frank House, Vondelpark, Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum
Ann Frank House: We packed a lot of stuff on this day. Started with the Anne Frank house and in all honesty, I was not a huge fan. It was crowded and you basically do a slow walk through the house. Because of the number of people you really don’t get a lot of opportunity to really read a lot about the place on your tour.

Both Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum have a lot to offer for the art fanatics. They are a must visit
Tip: Book tickets online to skip lines.

Day 3: Day trip to Haarlem, Heineken Experience, Red light District
Haarlem is a quiet dutch town which quick train or bike ride from Amsterdam. Haarlem has a beautiful central church, some great outdoor markets and all the beauty of historic Amsterdam with fewer crowds.

WHEN IN AMSTERDAM

DO take your time to familiarize with the rules and signals for bicyling before renting bikes.
DO eat all the poffertjes you can get your hands on.
DO check out the red light district. It has a lot more to offer than you think.
DO check out the local farmers market for fresh produce.
DO try to spend some time exploring the city.