The final installment of my trip reports from our 20 day trip to Belgium and the Netherlands. This was my first trip to Amsterdam and my husband’s second - he came in the early 90s in his late 20s. His initial impressions was that the city had changed a lot - more crowded and a faster pace than he remembered.
We spent seven days arriving on a Saturday in the midst of ADE the electronic music festival and Amsterdam’s 750 anniversary. Despite the timing of our arrival, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in this beautiful city. Here are some highlights that might be helpful to others - especially those planning their first trip.
*Museums and points of interest *
Anne Frank House - booked six weeks in advance including the optional 30 minute introductory program which was well presented. Moving reminder of the pain inflicted on children- which continues to present day. I couldn’t help but think about children of immigrants in the US and children around the world caught in the middle of political conflicts and war.
Dutch Resistance Museum - well presented museum. In and out privileges which were handy for breaking up our visit. We had lunch and resumed our visit in the afternoon. The museum is located in the Plantage - a beautiful leafy neighborhood.
Van Gogh Museum - bought tickets a couple of days before our visit - which was helpful since the museum was sold out that day even though there were plenty of spots available a couple of days ahead.
Eye Museum - a small film museum a short ferry ride from the Central Station. The building is an architectural marvel and the views from the museum cafe are stunning.
*Canal Cruise * - highly recommend Bow’s Journeys and their restored 1911 boat the Sophie. Max capacity is 12. Lovely way to see the city, enjoy the canals and get a bit of historical information. Includes snacks and open bar.
Walking tour we tend to use the free walking tour options as we mostly have a good experience on the tours we’ve taken in several places . Free walking tour Amsterdam was exceptionally good - highly recommend the guide Matius if you’re able to book with him.
We enjoyed wandering the city and especially enjoyed the DePip neighborhood.
*Food * Amsterdam is an international city with cuisine from all corners of the world including many of the Dutch former colonies. Food and beverage highlights include:
Lebanese Sajeria
Max - Indonesian
Pompadour - patisserie with gorgeous cakes, chocolates and cookies
Kaldis - hot chocolate
Waring Spang Makandra - Surinamese
Dakduif for apple tart
Pats Poffertjes for the Dutch mini pancakes
t’zwaantje - Dutch cuisine
de Plantage - modern European and Mediterranean- across from Dutch Resistance Museum
Lanskroom - stoopwaffle
We tried herring at practically every stand we passed and enjoyed in much more than we thought we would. Van Stapele didn’t have a line so why not - tried the cookie- it’s yummy but nothing to wait in line for.
Other practicalities
Card is king - most places don’t take cash — even the bathrooms have gone to tap and pay. We used very little cash.
While Amsterdam has an extensive public transportation network we walked every where
Our time in Amsterdam was fairly rainy, windy and sometimes cold. This didn’t hamper our plans as most of the rain comes in short spurts and there are so many incredible ways to enjoy the city indoors including reading in one of the many cafes, having a drink in a brown bar, comfort food, hot drinks including gluwien - the seasonal hot wine. The weather doesn’t stop the Dutch and it shouldn’t stop us!
In all I think Amsterdam is a fantastic place for art, history, architecture and more. We had planned to do a couple of day trips but shifted gears to immerse ourself in the city.