Ah, Amsterdam. From picturesque canals, to delightfully narrow homes and stylish people speeding by on bikes, spending a long weekend here is a memorable experience.
I was fortunate to end a 10-day trip in Europe in Amsterdam over 4th of July. While celebrating America’s freedom from the British was not on the agenda, here is what I would recommend to stay, what to see and where to eat and drink for a few days.
What To See
Sandemans Free Walking Tour As I was a solo traveler for my time in Amsterdam, I opted for a free group walking tour from Sandemans. I’ve done a few trips solo and my general rule is to find some sort of activity that’s social each day. It could be a walking tour, eating at the bar at a lively restaurant, but it helps to have some casual conversations with people.
As for the walking tour, I enjoyed it. It was the first thing I did in Amsterdam and it helped me to get my bearings. We went through the Red Light District, saw the Anne Frank House, and much, much more. While the tour is free, the guides do work on tips, so be prepared to give them 10 euros or so per person for their time. You can also put down a small fee to reserve a specific tour time, but FYI, that $$$ does not make its way to the guides (or so our guide told us).
First Friday at the Van Gogh Museum As it happened, I was in Amsterdam for the first Friday of the month and the Van Gogh Museum stays open late, has a bar and a DJ or band. How cool is that? It was a great way to spend a few hours, even if you can only enjoy drinks on the first floor.
If the museum is high on your list, definitely pre-book tickets as the lines were crazy long throughout the day.
I Amsterdam You cannot come to Amsterdam without snapping a classic tourist photo at the I Amsterdam sign! Also, the adjacent park is nice and worth a wander through.
Canals, Canals and EVEN MORE Canals! While all of the above sights were fantastic, my #1 goal was to come to Amsterdam and wander the canals and enjoy a life of leisure for a few days. Take a look at these lovely photos and let me know if you agree :).
Where to Eat & Drink I’ll be honest, I don’t think I mastered the Amsterdam dining scene during my first visit. I kept my meals pretty low key, but here are a few standouts.
Venkel Venkel is a fabulous little cafe open for casual lunch and dinner daily. From the over-sized salads to fresh pressed juices, I was so happy for a healthy option.
Café Nielsen After the line at adjacent Pancakes! was hopelessly long, my gaze wandered over to Café Nielsen. With its charming blue exterior and window seats for solo guests, I jumped in. Little did I know that 10Best also ranks this restaurant quite high in Amsterdam!
I ate eggs, toast and mushrooms and splurged on an unbelievably delicious piece of carrot cake. I’m going to go ahead and call this one a happy accident of a find!
Where to Stay I stayed at the CitizenM Amsterdam and it proved to be an interesting choice. Wondering why? Take a peek at my room.
The room is definitely quirky – especially to an American who has never seen a room quite like it. Oh, and fun fact – to get into the shower, you need to hop in there naked and completely close the doors before it will turn on. Which, might not be so bad….unless you’re not on that level with your travel companion.
However, as a solo traveler, the room was perfectly comfortable. It is a little outside of Amsterdam proper, but it’s a very short train ride into the city center and you can purchase tickets (with cash) on the train if needed. I also loved the ground floor of the hotel where you could eat every meal of the day and the social bar in the evenings. I had an early flight home and ended up eating dinner at the hotel and watching one of the World Cup games from the lounge area and it was a lot of fun to be around fellow travelers.
Thank you Amsterdam for a wonderful few days. I know I’ll be back!!