What We Saw and How To See It
Amsterdam is amazing place to spend a long weekend. So much to do, but you really can cram a lot in in 3 days.
We arrived by Eurostar (a fairly new route from St Pancras, London) where you can walk from the station straight into the centre of the city.
The I Amsterdam City Card is a popular way you can explore Amsterdam, which you can use on the ferry, tram, bus and metro (and also gives you discount on some museums). But we enjoyed the walk so didn't feel it was necessary.
Day One
Eat Stroopwafels At Van Wonderen
YUM. Caramel waffles with whatever topping you so desire. Loads of places sell these but these are by far the best. I wouldn't recommend anything other than LARGE.
Boat Along The Canals
We did an hour canal boat tour. An hour is really enough. Get on early so you get a forward facing seat otherwise you walk off acting like you've broken your neck. You get headphones to listen to during the tour, but it's mainly cringey old jokes and a lot of background noise. I'd recommend going to the outside bit out the back of the boat.
Experience The Heineken Experience
I don't think I like Heineken so much, but this is quite good. Very crowded and you get ushered around with the crowds so you complete the whole tour in an hour. Several tasters and 2 free beers at the end. Also a weird immersive experience bit where you feel like a bottle on a production line...
Day Two
Look Artsy The Van Gogh Museum
So much I did not know about Van Gogh. I would recommend getting here for when it opens as it gets busier throughout the day. The writing is really small on the walls and you don't want to be 3 people back. Some amazing art you can get really close to. Also has some Salvador Dali art in there and a few others.
Cuddle With Some Cats At De Poezenboot
Well! If you like fluffy cuddles and a slight whiff of eye watering cat pee then this is your place. You can book online for 15 minutes of cat loving on this floating cat rescue centre.
Visit Anne Frank's House
An absolute must. Harrowing but incredible. I am so keen to read her diary now.
Most of the tickets for this are sold out more than 2 months in advance, so if you don't have one, the only way you are getting one is on the day. Log on to the website at 9am on the day you want to go and wait in the massive queue - it tells you if you are over 200th in the queue then you may as well not bother waiting as it will be sold out. The winner here is to log on about 10 to 9, I think the queue has already started. After failing on day 1 we got tickets on day 2 (we were 247th!).
Day Three
Browse The Flower Market
There are loads and loads of stalls with so many colours and different flowers. Holland is famous for its tulips and you can see plenty here. Good for a 15 minute mooch and there are cheese shops alongside it for tasters too.
Take A Walk Through The Red Light District
We actually stumbled on this by accident but would have sought it out anyway. We walked through the district during the day and I found it very strange and extremely awkward to look at any of the girls. Not sure how I feel about it...
*don't take any pictures of the windows*
Eat local And Seasonal Food At Choux
This restaurant has amazing, in season food, where you can choose from 3, 5 or 7 courses and if you like, matching wines! We tried the 5 course vegetarian menu and they catered exactly to our tastes. We really enjoyed talking to the waiters too! If you are looking for a good meal out then this is definitely it. A lovely way to end our trip.
*Try and fit these in...*
Hire a bike and cycle alongside the canals
Tony's Chocolonely Store
Rijksmuseum
A coffee shop*
Stedelijk Museum
Vondelpark
The 9 streets (a must for a window shop)
* coffee shops in Amsterdam are those that sell weed, they are NOT cafes where you get your croissant and coffee!
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