I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In this blog, I’ll tell you what I got up to and give you a few recommendations of what you can do over a few days (or weekend) in Amsterdam.
Where to stay
Amsterdam is, of course, very popular with tourists so there are many places to stay. I stayed at ClinkNoord Hostel. The hostel was located in a great spot just a quick ferry ride (approx. 5 minutes) and a 2 minute walk from Centraal Station. The rooms were clean and comfortable and the hostel had a really friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The hostel was good value for money, approx. £60 per night for a female only 4-bed room with en suite.
Transport
Transport is pretty easy to navigate. You can get ferries, trains, trams and buses around the city. I mainly walked or used the tram and ferry. Ferries are free (AMAZING) and run all day and night. You can get a day ticket for the tram for €9 or with any of the transport, you can pay directly with your bank card.
3-Day Itinerary for Amsterdam
Day 1
Jump on the tram to ARTIS and explore the zoo and aquarium. Entry to the zoo costs €25 (for adults, cheaper if booked online ahead of visit) and includes entry to the planetarium too. I know not everyone agrees with zoos but this is truly one of the best zoos I have visited (from both a personal and professional stance). The enclosures are well thought out, spacious and nothing is overgrown. The team at the zoo is constantly updating the area. It was a really enjoyable visit and I took around 2.5 hours to wander through the zoo (and still didn’t see everything).
After your zoo visit, hop on the tram and head back to Centraal. From Centraal, I walked along the canals to Dam. Dam Square is next to the Royal Palace and Madame Tussauds (which you could visit if you wanted). Be aware that there are lots of pigeons around Dam Square and people feed them and they will jump on you if encouraged (GROSS!!!). I sat here and got a hot dog from one of the food stalls in the square.
From Dam Square, it’s an easy walk to the Anne Frank House (Haus). This is an incredibly popular attraction in Amsterdam, tickets are released 6 weeks in advance and sell out extremely fast. Entry is €16 and it is timed entry. I booked as soon as tickets were released and the only time I could get always 16:30-16:45 - in other words, book your ticket ASAP. The audio guide (highly recommended and free) was really informative - there are bits of information on the walls and around various exhibits so you can go without but the audio guide gives far more information. It was a really sobering experience, walking through each of the rooms and then through the annex when the Frank family (and others) hid for a couple of years - it was just so interesting. I don’t think I’ve heard a crowd of people be so quiet before.
Day 2
On my second day in Amsterdam, I went out on a Windmills and Countryside day trip. I booked this through Get Your Guide but you can book this in person at the Tours and Tickets office in Centraal Station. The trip started around 8:30am (and we had to meet the guides 15 minutes before to get our tickets and wristbands). Throughout the trip, we had an audio guide giving us facts about the area and the country as a whole.
Our first stop on the day trip was to Zaanse Schans to visit the windmills of which there are only around 1000 left in the whole of The Netherlands. Such a sweet and beautiful place with lots of charm. Here, we had a tour of one of the windmills which was really interesting – the one we visited produces peanut oil in a traditional way and the tour inside was quite interesting. We learnt how windmills operate and how their use has changed throughout history (bit nerdy but interesting). We were then able to go up onto the balcony to admire the view.
The second stop on the trip was to Volendam for a visit to a cheese factory, then lunch and then a bakery visit. Anyone that knows me knows how much I love cheese and let’s just say I was in cheese heaven at the factory. We were given a demonstration on how they make Gouda (pronounced HOW-DER, the lady was very strict on pronunciation) before heading to the shop floor to sample 40 (yes, 40!) flavours of cheese – I tried pesto, garlic, pepper, truffle, smoked goat, smoked cow, 2 year old, 3 year old, natural, chilli, herb and garlic, and rosemary to name a few – absolute HEAVEN!
After our cheese tasting, it was time for lunch. Lunch wasn’t included in the day trip but the guides gave us their recommendation of when to eat – it was cheap and cheerful and the service was fast and friendly. I had a chicken schnitzel and chips which cost me €20 and it was delicious!
After lunch, we went to Mrs Woltje’s bakery for a demonstration on how they make stroopwafels. If you haven’t heard of or had stroopwafels, they are a delicious sweet snack of a thin waffle (wafel) with caramel through the middle. The bakery still use the original recipe for stroopwafels although this has been adapted from leftover bread dough to the sweet dough it is today. It was really interesting and of course, we ended the visit with a tasting – traditional cinnamon caramel, salted caramel and honey were the flavours on offer and they were all delicious! We then had a boat ride (optional) to our final stop.
The third and final stop on the day trip was to the village of Marken. In this traditional fishing village, we had a clog (wooden shoe) making demonstration. This was really interesting – the machines are still powered by a steam engine (from 1913). Plastic moulds guide the machinery along the wood blocks to make the outline and hollow out each shoe before they are hung up to dry before decorating. Traditionally, farmers used to make shoes for the whole family during winter while the ground was frozen and they couldn’t work the land. Hand-making each shoe would take around 4-5 hours. The shoe made during the demonstration was made in a matter of minutes. It really was a fascinating demonstration!
After this, it was time to head back to Amsterdam. It was such a fantastic day trip and good value to money - £45 (including the boat trip) and the whole trip lasts around 6 hours. There was plenty of time in each place and enough time to buy souvenirs if you wanted to.
Day 3
Start the day with a hot chocolate (or whatever drink you choose) and a snack at Starbucks before getting the tram to the museums. There are several museums in Amsterdam – I would recommend the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum. Be aware that the Van Gogh Museum is extremely popular and it’s best to book well in advance of your visit so as not to miss out! You can spend as much time as you want at the museums before getting the tram back to Centraal. You can then take another walk along the canals to the Red Light District (best to visit in the evenings).
Other things you can do in Amsterdam
This was my first time to Amsterdam but my sister has been several times. She has done (and highly recommends) the following;
Heineken Experience – entry includes 3 pints of Heineken (a highlight)
A canal cruise – very interesting and good way to see the city
A’Dam Lookout – this has a swing and great views of Amsterdam and if you are staying at ClinkNoord, it’s right next door to the hostel
I really enjoyed my visit to Amsterdam and I look forward to when I can go back as I definitely didn’t have enough time to see everything.
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