Overview
8 nights (5 in Amsterdam, 3 in Assen for a work event).
Lodging:
- Amsterdam: N29 Bed and Breakfast. Lovely hosts. Decent breakfast. Comfy beds. Not central, but very convenient access to the metro - 2 stops away from Centraal. Only caveat was steep stairs (no elevator).
- Assen: City Hotel De Jonge. Got the job done. Central location (I think the only central hotel)
Food:
Highlights were stroopwafels (plain), bitterballen, smoked eel. We relied mainly on Google reviews and the Michelin Guide to find restaurants. We made reservations for almost all meals because we were there during Easter and King's Day.
Transportation: While in Amsterdam, we relied on public transportation. I got overwhelmed by all of the transit pass options, so we ended up just using our phones to tap to pay for each individual trip. It may have cost more overall, but it was convenient and worth it (to me). Just remember to tap in and out.
Weather: We had some sunny days and some drizzly days. Nights were chilly (mid 40s). I was glad that I brought a puffer jacket in addition to a rain coat. I brought rain pants but didn't end up needing them.
Additional comments:
- Was a little underwhelmed by the RS self-guided walks, which I usually enjoy. They felt pretty repetitive in terms of content and followed some of the most touristed stretches (didn't feel very "back door"). We often found that by just cutting over a block, we could get out of the way of the hordes.
- Everyone spoke English, but saying thank you in Dutch seemed to always be well-received.
- Relied on Rough Guides for areas not covered by RS.
Itinerary:
4/18 (Friday): Depart Seattle ~5:30 (we like the evening flights when available because we're sleepier so there's a chance we might actually sleep, and they get us to Europe later in the day so we don't have as long to fight to stay awake.)
4/19 (Saturday): Arrive Amsterdam ~1pm
- Drop stuff off
- Get quick coffee
- Do RS Welcome and Red Light walks + Our Lord in the Attic Museum (I actually really enjoyed this)
- Dinner near end of walk
4/20 (Sun - Easter)
- Morning canal boat tour (Pure Boats - very chill, probably due to the "early" start)
- RS Jordaan walk
- loooong lunch
4/21 (Easter Monday)
Today was our biggest miss. I didn't know Easter Monday was a thing. I knew most sights in Haarlem were closed on Mondays, but the plan had been to go to the market, church, and windmill museum. All were closed. There was also a heavy drizzle, so we cut our losses after about an hour and headed back to Amsterdam and went to the Maritime Museum (a little too kid centric for me) and the Resistance Museum.
4/22 (Tuesday)
Keukenhoff! We bought the 7:30 combi ticket time slot knowing it would be a bit of a stretch but having read that it doesn't actually restrict you to boarding at that time. Ended up catching it around 8. I'm glad we got there early because while it was busy, we still had some breathing room.
Leiden for lunch/afternoon. We both really liked Leiden. It felt sleepy (not as many tourists) and alive (due to the university) at the same time.
4/23 (Wednesday)
Edam, Marken, Vollendam day trip
We really liked Edam (very charming and fairly quiet when we were there). Volendam was too touristy for my taste. I did enjoy exploring some of the back lanes behind the harbor front, though. Marken felt like a bit of a cross between the two.
4/24 (Thursday)
- Picked up rental car
- visited Makkum, Hindeloopen, and Sloten. All three felt pretty sleepy when we were there, but it was a bit drizzly, so that may have kept people away.
4/25 (Friday) and 4/26 (Saturday): This was my work event. It also happened to be King's Day, and based on how bonkers it got here, I'm glad we weren't in Amsterdam for it!
4/27 (Sunday) Fly home