WELCOME TO MY Amsterdam TRAVEL GUIDE.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHERE TO STAY
THINGS TO DO
RESTAURANTS
GENERAL TIPS
The first thing I say about Amsterdam whenever asked about it is “it feels like you are walking through a fairy tail storybook.” I had no expectations going into the trip and was blown away how beautiful each corner you turn is. Amsterdam was always a place that I wanted to visit, but soon after seeing The Fault In Our Stars, it moved up quickly on the list of where to visit next. Clearly you can tell I am heavily influenced on movies to decide where to travel, just like the Cheetah Girls made me want to go to Barcelona. We spent six nights and it was plenty of time. Many people say you only need around two-three days there, but it was nice to have one activity planned once a day and have the rest of the time to really absorb the culture.
WHERE TO STAY
Each traveler is different when it comes to their priority on where to say. Some like having the local experience or some like staying closer to downtown. When it comes to me, I prefer to have the local experience. Our Airbnb was located in the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam.
The Jordaan neighborhood is home to where Anne Frank went into hiding during World War 2 and where Rembrandt spent the last few years of his life. This quaint and calm neighborhood is filled with the most beautiful canals, shops, restaurants, etc but still a close walk to other areas throughout Amsterdam. This area truly embodies the Dutch way of living and I couldn’t recommend staying in this area enough.
This is has been wallpaper on my work computer since this trip!
THINGS TO DO
ANNE FRANK HOUSE
Address: Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hours: 9 am to 5 pm everyday of the week
Ticket Prices: 10.50€
The Anne Frank House should be at the top of your list of things to do in Amsterdam. As students in the United States, we have learned about Anne Frank’s story since middle school and being able to visit where she spent her time in hiding from the Nazi’s in the 1940’s is a very surreal experience.
The most important thing to remember while planning your visit to the Anne Frank House- tickets must be purchased in advance on their website and ONLY on their website. 80% of their tickets are released exactly two months ahead and only 20% released on the day of. If you can plan ahead for tickets in advance, it would be the best way to guarantee entrance into the museum. While in the museum, you are not allowed to take photos inside out of respect. There is no tour guide for each group but everyone does receive an audio guide to explain what each room was and happened in those room during Anne Frank’s time there.
SANDMAN’S NEW EUROPE WALKING TOUR
Meeting Spot: Dam, 1012 JL Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hours: 10 am to 2 pm everyday of the week
Ticket Prices: Free
SANDMAN'S NEW EUROPE WEBSITE LINK
If you read my Barcelona Travel Guide, you know my favorite walking tour company is Sandman’s New Europe Tours. For those who don’t know, Sandman’s New Europe tours are FREE! All you do is tip your tour guide at the end. Each tour guide I have ever had is kind, knowledgeable and will spend time to answer any question you have. We did the Free Tour of Amsterdam first. During this tour we learned about the Dutch bike culture, walk through the Amsterdam’s iconic canals and bridges, gained an understanding of how Amsterdam was during World War 2 and how the red light district came to be. We booked this tour for our second day in Amsterdam and was able to see all of the big tourist locations during it. Doing walking tour as one of the first excursions is beneficial to me so as I am walking around the city for the rest of the trip, I can have a full understanding on the history of the city.
SANDMAN’S COUNTRY SIDE BIKE TOUR
Meeting Spot: Sea Palace Restaurant, Oosterdokskade 8
Hours: 2 pm on select days
Ticket Prices: 24 €
SANDMAN'S NEW EUROPE BIKE TOUR LINK
Another tour we did through Sandman’s was their country side bike tour. When doing my research on things to do in Amsterdam, I was like “okay biking is popular, let’s do a bike tour.” And boy, that was interesting.
The one rule of Amsterdam we learned quickly before the tour- DO NOT WALK IN THE BIKE LANE. Biking is the main form of transportation and the locals will run you over and they will not care at all.
We started the tour in the city and of course were struggling at first since none of us had been on a bike since childhood. Looking back, not even sure why we booked this tour. Immediately we get a comment from a local to our group “if you don’t know how to ride a bike, don’t do a tour.” So that just made us more anxious, but we were heading to the country side and had hope there would be less pissed off locals. We took a ferry across the river and entered to the more calm and quaint country side.
We were biking for a least an hour when I fell off my bike in front of our entire group. We were crossing over a bridge and had to take a quick left turn. From going down the bridge, my bike picked up some acceleration and in order for me not to fall into a river, I had to jump off my bike- in front of everyone. I did not get hurt as I landed in the grass, but my ego hurt more.
At the end of our tour our tour guide, we apologized for being so clumsy and he said “you guys weren’t the worst, but close to it.” Moral of the story, if you have been on a bike recently then you’ll probably be okay doing a tour. If not- just admire from afar. However, if you are up for the challenge, the sights you see on this tour are beautiful and peaceful. And you get to see an iconic windmill!
VAN GOGH MUSEUM
Address: Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hours: 9 am to 5 pm everyday of the week
Ticket Prices: 18€ can order in advance online
Wesbite: https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/plan-your-visit
You know you are a big deal when you have a museum dedicated just to your art. The Van Gogh Museum houses over 200 pieces of Van Gogh’s art. Most famously his paintings, Almond Blossom, Sunflowers, Self Portrait as a Painter, The Bedroom and The Potato Eaters are all located here. Even if you are not into art or have a strong knowledge of his work, you most likely will recognize those and still enjoy your time at this museum. Sadly the most famous of them all, Starry Night is not in this museum, it is at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Outside the museum is Vondelpark. Vondelpark is the Netherland’s most famous park and has around 10 million visitors each year. We spent some time just lounging on the grass people watching and had the best time!
CANAL CRUISE
Address: Amstel 51F in front of the Hermitage Museum
Hours: 9:30 am to 8 pm everyday of the week
Ticket Prices: 22.50 €
A canal cruise is a way to see the various neighborhoods of the city from another perspective that biking and walking can’t do. There are types of cruises for everybody- dinner cruises, history cruises even pizza cruises. But of course we chose the premium cruise with all the drinks included. We were definitely the annoying Americans but we had a blast.
The most interesting fact our tour guide mentioned is how many cars attempt to parallel park on the street and end up falling into the canals. So I did a quick google search and around 35 cars a year do end up falling in. The morbid side of me was really hoping to see that happen during this tour, but sadly did not.
A’DAM LOOKOUT
Address: Overhoeksplein 51031 KS Amsterdam
Hours: 10 am to 10 pm everyday of the week
Ticket Prices: 14.50 €
A’Dam Lookout is an observation deck with a beautiful panorama view of Amsterdam. On the sky deck, there is the “over the edge” swing. It is Europe’s highest swing and literally swings OVER the building!!! Something I would never dare to do, but was fun to watch my friends do. A’Dam Lookout is across the river and taking a taxi or Uber would be the easiest way to get here.
HEINEKEN TOUR
Address: Stadhouderskade 78, 1072 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hours: 10:30 am to 5:30 pm during the week and 10:30 am to 7 pm during the weekend
Ticket Prices: 18 €
The Heineken Experience is located in the former original brewery of Heineken. It opened in 1867 and stayed there until 1988 when it was time to expand. During this tour you will learn about the company’s history and how they brew their beer. At the end of the tour you will receive chips for two free beers and turns into a fun bar to hangout in.
ALBERT CUYP MARKET
Address: Albert Cuypstraat, 1073 BD Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hours: 9AM to 5PM Monday through Saturday closed on Sundays
Ticket Prices: Free
ALBERT CUYP MARKET WEBSITE LINK
Albert Cuyp Market is Amsterdam’s oldest street market located in the De Piji district. You can find anything dutch here- from flowers, food, clothing etc.
AMSTERDAM CHEESE MUSEUM
The Amsterdam Cheese Museum was visited by our group at least once a day, sometimes even twice. It is a small museum featuring the history of cheese making & tastings, plus a store with many cheeses. It is a two minute walk to the Anne Frank Museum, in the Joordan neighborhood. If you are looking for a free thing to do and free food- definitely a place to stop by! They also do have a cute photo booth downstairs.
Address: Prinsengracht 112, 1015 EA Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hours: 10AM-6PM
THE BLOEMENMARKET
Address: Singel, 1012 DH Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hours: 9AM to 5PM everyday of the week
Ticket Prices: Free
THE BLOEMENMARKET WEBSITE LINK
Amsterdam’s famous floating Flower Market. Take a moment to admire all of the gorgeous flowers. Remember if you are a US Citizen, you can only bring back bulbs approved with certificates by the US Government and will have to claim them while arriving at customs. I had to show the bags with the sealed certificates.
RIJKSMUSEUM
Address: Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hours: 9 am to 5 pm daily
Ticket Prices: 17.50€ per person
The Rijksmuseum is Amsterdam’s national museum with famous works from Rembrandt and Vermeer. The Rijksmuseum Museum was something we were rushing to do but had some extra time to burn and decided to go. If you are a person who isn’t into art or museums as much, I would say skip it and just go to the Van Gogh Museum. Mainly because there is more recognizable art at the Van Gogh museum rather than the Rijkmuseum. There were musicians playing in the entrance way in a tunnel which was a nice touch though.
Outside of the Rijksmuseum is the “ I Amsterdam” sign. It’s a fun little photo op but be warned, if you go during mid day it is going to be packed and hard to get others not in your photo. Early mornings are the best to visit for less crowds. Also since this sign is a big tourist thing to do, most people are willing to take your picture if you take theirs.
RED LIGHT DISTRICT
Amsterdam’s De Wallen red light district is known to be the city’s most provocative area with window brothels, sex shops, live sex shows and museums all in one street. During the day there is not as much activity but during night time it is swarmed with crowds and the neon red lights illuminate the canals.
Not something I personally wanted to spend a lot of time in, but it something to stroll through in Amsterdam. Sex work is regulated and safe in this city and please be respectful. The most important thing to remember is not take photos of the women working. If caught, security will find you and take your phone.
COFFEESHOPS
In Amsterdam if you were to say “where is the best coffee shop?” you would might get a different answer than you would assume in the United States. A coffeeshop in Amsterdam is a shop where you can buy marijuana in. However, you have to remember that marijuana is not technically legal, just tolerated. That means smoke as much as you want in the coffee shop but not out in the streets.
Some suggested coffeeshops:
Coffeeshop Old Amsterdam
Address: Amstel 8, 1017 AA Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bluebird
Address: Sint Antoniesbreestraat 71, 1011 HB Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bulldog
Address: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 90, 1012 GG Amsterdam, Netherlands
Grey Area
Address: Oude Leliestraat 2, 1015 AW Amsterdam, Netherlands
420 Cafe
Address: Oudebrugsteeg 27, 1012 JN Amsterdam, Netherlands
Greenhouse Centrum
Address: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 191, 1012 EW Amsterdam, Netherlands
RESTAURANTS
Amsterdam is a melting pot of people, which means you can get any type of food you would like. Some places are a hit or a miss so try to look at reviews before deciding to go there. If you don’t have cell service check to see if it has a Trip Adviser sticker on the outside. That’s usually a good sign it will be a nice choice! Below are a few place I went to while in Amsterdam-
The Pancake Bakery
Address: Prinsengracht 191, 1015 DS Amsterdam, Netherlands
The crepes…. that is all you need to know. If there is a line WAIT it out. The line moves quickly!
Le Petit Deli
Address: Tweede Egelantiersdwarsstraat 16, 1015 SC Amsterdam, Netherlands
If you do end up staying in the Joordan neighborhood and want an actual coffee shop, Le Peite Deli is the one for you!
Salmuera
Address: Rozengracht 106, 1016 NH Amsterdam, Netherlands
We stumbled into this place and had the BEST experience. The staff was very friendly and couldn’t stop ordering more and more tapas!
Bakers and Roasters
Address: Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat 54, 1072 BH Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amazing brunch! The vibe is so cute in there too!
Vleminckk
Address: Voetboogstraat 33, 1012 XK Amsterdam, Netherlands
We searched high and low for this hole in the wall french fry stand. There was a long line waiting for these fries, but something you MUST get! I tried fries at another place and they did not compare to Vleminckk.
Original Stroopwafel
Address: Albert Cuyp Straat t/o 182 Stand 134, 1073 BL Amsterdam, Netherlands
The best and only place to get a delicious stroopwafel. Located in Albert Cuyp Market!
Some places we didn’t get a chance to eat at but looked great:
Bulls & Dogs
The Avocado Show
Café George
Omelegg
The Butcher
Foodhallen
Daalder
Bagels and Beans
Vegan Junk Food Bar
GENERAL TIPS
I felt very safe throughout the city but as always, watch your surroundings and belongings.
Book as many tours as soon as possible, many of them fill up quickly.
If you decide to go out at night, the locals do not wear short club dresses. They wear normal work clothes and they will judge you if you do wear short going out clothes.
Tipping isn’t required while at a restaurant.
Most people speak English so it’s easy to ask for directions, help or to order something.
Thanks for reading-
xo Jenna
