A Weekend In Amsterdam

May 14, 2018





Recently I've received a lot of messages from you guys saying how you've have booked trips to Amsterdam and were wondering if I would be able to give some tips on what to do in the city. Considering I've lived here for about seven months now I thought I would put together a little list of the must see places, best restaurants and my favourite spots.





ACCOMODATION 

I've done Amsterdam in three ways, I've stayed in a hostel, I've stayed in a hotel and I've moved here and live in he suburbs in a home (duh). For this reason I thought I would give you a little rundown of where I've stayed and my thoughts on the places first, after all if you're on a budget then this is always helpful to know!

Okay so, let's start with hostels. There tends to be this stigma around them that they are dirty and annoying but they are the most affordable way to travel and you will meet so many people there. I literally went and sat outside at mine for about five minutes while having a cigarette and met a lovely Canadian who I befriended. It is such a fun way to explore on a budget and you will always get a locker to keep your valuables safe if that is something you are concerned about. The only downside of the shared dorm style ones are the fact you have one bathroom which can be an issue if you are waiting for ages for someone to shower and you're running on a tight schedule.

I use Hostel World to book all my hostels and do all my research and ended up going with Hostel Van Gogh  which was cheap and cheerful (at  €25 a night you can't go wrong) and gave us everything we needed. The central location was perfect and stopped us having to fork out for tram travel as we were able to walk everywhere we needed and we were right by the Museumplein too.

Hotel wise you expect a bit more than a hostel, I loved my hotel and was lucky enough to not have to worry about prices as this was a family holiday meaning my parents kindly paid for it. We stayed in the Ibis Styles Amsterdam City hotel which was on the more affordable side of the hotels within the city but was more homely than a hostel for sure, I think this came to about €120 a night.

Personally I don't see much difference between the two, though if you're on a budget for sure give Hostel World a search!





FOOD AND DRINK 
(all places offer vegetarian options and are centrally based)

Asian food is my weakness and you can find some of the best Ramen over at Ramen-Ya Amsterdam which is a place that I often find myself on a Saturday night with friends. They have some lovely vegetarian options which is easily why it is one of my favourite places to go and grab dinner. Located a five minute walk from Dam Square it is right in the hub of the city and is always super busy, I tend to get there at about 5pm to ensure a space or you can alw

ays make a reservation too!

If you're from England and like me are Wagamama obsessed then you will be happy to know that there are a few of the restaurants in the city too, I tend to go to the one based near Leidseplein as it is along my tram route and I have converted several of my Dutch friends into Wagamama fans.

If Asian food isn't really your thing or you're looking for a Brunch/Lunch spot then I recommend Blue Amsterdam which is one of the prettiest restaurants that I have ever come across. The whole place is built of glass and you are given the most spectacular view of the city as you sit and eat your lunch. Again, the menu features a lot of vegetarian options and this place even goes as far as offering vegan options too!

One of the biggest parts of Dutch food are pancakes and waffles, so I suggest you head out and find yourself a pancake restaurant (there are so many across the city) or grab yourself a waffle.







MUSEUMS 

If you're into art and culture then the museums will for sure be a go to place for you at some point in your trip, have a look into the ones that appeal to you and perhaps only do one or two considering you will end up spending all weekend in museums and not exploring the rest of the city!

The Van Gogh Museum is the place that I immediately tell everyone to go to, purely because Vincent is my all time favourite artist and this place fully encapsulates his experience and journey as a creative in such a beautiful manner. My little trick is if you can pass as an under 18 book your tickets online and claim to be a child, nobody checks you and it's a free museum trip instead of spending on it instead.

For photography there is the FOAM museum which isn't in the Museumplein area but is simple enough to get to with the help of Google Maps, this is always really exciting to go to (though this could just be very biased considering I'm a photography student). It also tends to be quieter than the busy Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum which are constantly packed with their tourist target audience.

If it isn't fully booked then the Anne Frank house is a must see, it makes you value everything you have and gives you such a harsh reminder of the reality of the way the world was not even 100 years ago. This is one of the mot beautiful places and is so worth taking time out of your day to see, I was brought to tears when exploring it.

There's also the sex museum which is always a laugh, take a photo with a massive penis sculpture and learn all about sex. You have to be over sixteen to visit the museum and it costs about €4 to enter which is super cheap in comparison to the prices of some other museums.





OTHER ACTIVITIES 


Rent a bike and pack a picnic, take a cycle through Vondelpark and enjoy the sunny summer weather. There's something so lovely about cycling round this park and you will always see tourists and locals alike cycling round on sunny days.

Canal Cruises are the best way to see the parts of the city that would perhaps of otherwise gone amiss in your visit. There are so many different ones so doing some research in what you want from your cruise would be a good idea; some come with meals and drinks; others are just simply cruises around the city; some take ages and some are much shorter. They're lovely on sunny days but can be equally fun in the rain too.

Thrifting and Flea Markets are always fun to walk around, you can find some complete gems for unbelievably affordable prices. I picked up a winter coat that I always get complemented on for €5 at the Waterlooplein market. I also love the various Episode vintage stores that are scattered around the city as well as Bij Ons Vintage!

The infamous I Amsterdam sign is located in the Museumplein area and is always surrounded by hundreds of tourists trying to get photos at it. This is super fun to go have a look at, and tends to be much quieter and easier to get photos at late at night or in early morning.




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