Amsterdam.

When my sister came to visit me this fall, we took a look at a huge number of extra places to go and visit. On our shortlist was Paris, Prague, Amsterdam, Edinburgh…When it came down to it, we booked Amsterdam – mostly because the flights were cheaper.

We had an incredible visit, quickly making Amsterdam one of the favourite cities that I have ever visited.

Here is a quick recap and a few must see, must do adventures to have in Amsterdam.

Accommodation:
We chose to stay at an AirBnB (Anne Frank BnB) really close to the Anne Frank house. While it was not my most stellar Air BnB experience, we did have an incredible location within walking distance of most attractions. Although, in Amsterdam, most things are within walking or biking distance.

Getting Around:
On our first day, we rented bikes for a 50 Euro deposit and 9 Euros for the full day. Everyone bikes in Amsterdam. It was an incredibly easy way to get around, and we managed to cover a huge portion of the city further from where we were staying. Including a tour through Vondel park.

Taking the tram from the central station was also incredibly easy when we had all of our luggage, but I would not recommend doing it more than to travel with baggage. The city is incredibly easy to navigate, making the trams just a convenience than a necessity.

Eating, Drinking and Wandering:

My favourite thing to do in any city is to wander around getting lost in the sights. Amsterdam was the perfect place for that. There were, however, a few spots that we went to on purpose to wander:

• Red Light District
• De 9 Straatjes (The 9 Streets)
• Museumplein
• Nieuwmarkt
• Canal Ring
• Anne Frank house
• The Heineken Experience

Eating:

We found that every cheese shop had samples, that got dangerous after a while, as the cheese in Amsterdam – Gouda – is amazing. They have tons of flavours, and had I known I could maintain some self restraint, I would have bought some.

The streets in Jordaan are lined with cafes and little shops, but coffee to go was a little harder to come by. But once we found the Screaming Bean, we went back frequently.

We also found a great restaurant for dinner Cafe Curtis – the food was fantastic, and we even found a few more Canadians to chat with.

 

We had an amazing time in Amsterdam – I would go back.