I recently had the luxury of visiting Amsterdam with my boyfriend (watch the video here!), which was our first holiday alone. We were there for just a full day and two half days, and yet we managed to pack in everything we wanted to do. So I thought I would create an Amsterdam Travel Guide for anyone planning a trip!
We did do a few other things like the Sex museum and the Foam (photography) museum, but I wouldn’t say they are a MUST. The Sex museum was super quirky and weird, so if you like that sort of thing I recon you’d love it!! It was interesting, but I wouldn’t necessarily go back.
Tips
- Plan the trip before you go. We wrote down the times of everything we were going to do on the respective days. This helped a lot when it came to exploring and packing everything in.
- Watch out for cyclists!! There are more cyclists than cars, and the roads are built specifically for cyclists so watch out as they can be lethal!
- How could I create an Amsterdam travel guide and not tell you all this… Coffeeshop vs Coffee House? Learn the difference! A Coffeeshop sells items with pot, and a Coffee House is where they sell normal coffee, no pot.
- Get up Early. You want to pack as much in as possible so make sure you get up early so you don’t miss out!
MUST VISIT…
Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House was such an interesting experience. I loved listening to the entire story, and walking through the house. I learnt so much, and it is definitely a must visit if you have time.
Make sure you book tickets though!! Queue’s are awful if you want to buy them there and then. We are lucky we had pre-bought tickets.
Christmas Market
If you are in Amsterdam around Christmas time I STRONGLY recommend the Christmas Market!! It was absolutely stunning, and pictures will never do it justice.
There were so many lovely food huts with potato twisters, waffles, loaded nachos, and more! I also bought myself a stunning wooden notebook with “Amsterdam” written on it to remind myself of the adventures!
Amsterdam Canals
I highly recommend simply walking around Amsterdam and the canals! You end up finding so many hidden treasures like shopping malls (we found Magna Plaza), Floating flower markets, restaurants, etc.
*Featured Restaurant
Blue Amsterdam
The only restaurant we went to that is worth a mention would be Blue Amsterdam, It is located on the top floor of a shopping mall, and the lift opens out into a 360 restaurant like the CN Tower in Toronto (read my Toronto post here). You get a lovely view over Amsterdam, and the food was delicious! The restaurant decor was very modern and pretty, and the food was actually rather cheap!! A definite must visit!
Have you been to Amsterdam?
I have been to Amsterdam, but out hotel wasn’t in the most glamorous location (you could probably guess where). I did visit the Anne Frank house, Van Gogh museum and lots of the china shops. It was almost 2 years ago while the Banksy exhibition was still on! Didn’t visit the Sex museum but I have heard of it. Glad you had a good time! Happy new year x
Author
Awhh!! Ours wasn’t in a very glamorous place either! Oh that’s amazing!! I hope you had fun!! Happy new year! xx
Happy new year! x