Amsterdam is a city we have of course heard a lot about and had an idea of what it would be like. But it completely surpassed all our expectations! We absolutely fell in love with the Netherlands and the bike culture, the charming neighborhoods and all the beautiful canals. Here is our guide to visiting Amsterdam including where to stay and what to see!
*Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This means at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through a link and make a purchase. This post may also contain other affiliate links and non-affiliate links to products and websites.
Getting to Amsterdam
We took the train from Prague, Czech Republic to Amsterdam which took us over 10 hours. It was definitely a long travel day but we love how much easier taking trains is than flying especially with our Eurail Global Passes. You don’t have to get there 2 or 3 hours ahead and you can bring water or whatever else you want.
If you’re flying you will most likely fly into Amsterdam Airport which is about 20 kms southwest from the city. You can take the train from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal in about 15-20 minutes which makes it really easy!
We actually talked about skipping Amsterdam all together because we were having a hard time finding a place to stay. Well we are SO glad we went because Amsterdam is one of our favorite cities in Europe! We know we will be back because we loved so much about this amazing part of the world.
- We could have easily spent more time but we only had a few more days in Europe before we had to head back to the US.
Where to Stay in Amsterdam
We stayed outside Amsterdam in Haarlem. It is the cutest town that is absolutely worth visiting! Honestly it’s a place we could see ourselves living we liked it so much! It’s really beautiful with a few canals like Amsterdam but so many less people. There are tons of restaurants and cafes and pedestrian only streets to walk around.
- You can take the train from Haarlam to Amsterdam Centraal in 15 minutes so it was super quick to get to everything we wanted to see!
Read More: 5 Reasons to Visit Haarlem in the Netherlands
What to do in Amsterdam
There is so much to do in this unique city and one of the best parts about Amsterdam is that it is all so close to each other! You can easily walk to all the things you want to see and get to see some beautiful streets along the way.
See the Bike Parking Outside the Amsterdam Train Station
Even if you’re not taking the train in you have to at some point see the bike parking outside the Amsterdam train station. It is the most bikes in once place that we have ever seen! It’s insane how many there are in that one area. Rows and rows of bikes and then a multi-floor parking lot not for cars but for bikes.
- The bike culture in Amsterdam (and Haarlem) is exactly like what we heard. Everyone rides a bike and the bike lanes are very legit. Make sure when you’re crossing the street to check the bike lane before walking.
Read More: 5 Reasons to Visit Ljubljana, Slovenia
Wander around the Amsterdam Canals
Honestly you need to, at least for a little while, just walk around Amsterdam without much of a plan. The canals in Amsterdam are absolutely beautiful with detailed buildings lining either side and houseboats everywhere! It’s such a different city that you need to just wander around.
- We couldn’t get over the houseboats! There are so many different types some small, some huge, some very modern and some just a boat. All day we both couldn’t stop pointing them out!
We would recommend getting out in the morning because it was so quiet and nice to walk along the canals. We could easily see wanting to become a runner in Amsterdam because it’s such a scenic place to run!
Walk by the “Gingerbread Houses” on Damrak street near the train station for a really nice picture spot! They are referred to as the gingerbread houses because of the big windows and brown facade that resembles a gingerbread house.
Dam Square is a large square in the center of Amsterdam. You are likely to walk through it at some point during your time in the city. You will see groups of people and a lot going on! From Dam Square you can walk straight to Amsterdam Centraal train station.
Read More: Day Trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Try Stroopwaffle at Croissanterie Egstorf
Stroopwaffle is like two wafers that are cooked and then filled with caramel in the middle. Made primarily in the Netherlands, we saw it handmade in bakeries as well as prepackaged in grocery stores. It’s absolutely delicious and something you have to try! It’s crunchy on the outside but the caramel is soft and gooey in the middle.
Get a stroopwaffle from Croissanterie Egstorf in Amsterdam and you will not regret it! You can watch them being made at the front of the small bakery. You can choose to have chocolate drizzled on top or to eat it plain.
- We also got a Belgian waffle (because we can’t stop ourselves) and it was so good! Seriously this bakery is delicious and a must stop in Amsterdam.
- It’s small but there are a few benches outside to sit and eat because if you get chocolate on top like we did, it can get a little messy.
Read More: 8 Things to do in Brussels, Belgium
Explore the neighborhood of Joordan
The neighborhood of Joordan is so cute! Make sure to spend some exploring this charming area. You will find so many picturesque canals. There are countless restaurants and cafes that are all so trendy! It’s just a really nice neighborhood that is so pretty and welcoming.
- This is an area we know we want to come back to! It just had such a lively feel to it and had so much going on. Plus it doesn’t hurt that it’s incredibly beautiful!
Read More: 8 Things To Do in Prague
Visit the Anne Frank House
In the Joordan neighborhood is the Anne Frank House. If you are planning on visiting make sure to book your tickets way in advance! You can book them online two months in advance of when you’re looking to visit. They reserve 20% of tickets that can be booked online the day of starting at 9:00 AM. We (of course) waited too late to book it in advance so we looked the morning of. At 9:01 AM the online queue had 396 people ahead of us.
- It says if the queue is longer than 200 people it’s not worth waiting because it will most likely be sold out but we waited only about 10 minutes before it was our turn.
- Well they were right because they did end up selling out for the day. So learn from our mistake and book the Anne Frank House as soon as you know your dates in Amsterdam!
- Tickets inside cost 10.50 Euros or $11 USD for an adult.
Eat at the Foodhallen
Foodhallen is a large food hall with over 20 food stalls selling all different types of food. You can find everything from Spanish jamon (Dave was in heaven) to burgers, seafood, Asian dumplings (my own version of heaven), ice cream and so much more!
From the center of Amsterdam it is a bit of a walk. It took us 20-30 minutes to walk there as it’s on the western edge of the city. It was a really nice walk though and a good excuse to explore even more of the city.
- We went around 12:30 and it was bustling with people sitting, eating and drinking.
- We have been to similar food halls in Madrid and Buenos Aires and we really like them because you can get such a variety of food!
- It’s definitely not the most budget option but it was really fun to get something to eat and just enjoy the area!
Read More: Complete Guide to Visiting the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
Skip the Bloemenmarket
The Bloemenmarket was the one thing we didn’t love about Amsterdam. It’s a floating flower market so in my head I pictured floating containers of blooming flowers. Well technically it’s floating but it’s really more like the edge of the stalls are floating but the main area is attached to the sidewalk. Instead of blooming flowers it was mostly flower bulbs and a lot of souvenirs like magnets being sold.
- It was just underwhelming and we enjoyed everything else we did a lot more!
- There were one or two stalls that had really pretty tulips for sale. If you are looking to buy bulbs then this is definitely the place to buy them!
Venture through the Red Light District
The Red Light District (also called De Wallen) is one of the most well known parts of Amsterdam. It’s called the Red Light District because of the red lights that shine throughout the streets of the neighborhood. And while it’s a big part of the city, it also is not what the entire city is like!
However, we had to venture through it before leaving Amsterdam because it’s so well known. There are signs everywhere saying no pictures allowed in order to respect everyone working there so it’s hard to show what it looks like.
It’s worth walking through even just to understand the city a little better. It definitely gets going more at night compared to the day. There were a lot of people walking through like we were just curious to see what its all about in real life.
Amsterdam is much more than just the Red Light District though! It is an amazing city with beautiful buildings, unique canals and a vibrant culture. We know we will be back soon this time to explore even more!
