Amsterdam is packed with so much to do, it's hard to choose how to best plan 2-days there. We went in the early fall, and got lucky with one sunny day (normally, the weather is notoriously gray and rainy). So, we revised our museum / indoor plans and stayed outside as much as possible!
Where to stay: Hotel Eden Manor is in the east end, a bit removed from the city center, but a lot more "neighborhoody" and has a boutique, intimate feel. We had a cozy top floor / attic room. The internet was spotty though - and largely unreliable. Luckily, a McDonald's isn't too far from the hotel, and they have free and solid wifi if you're desperate like I was.
Day 1: If you get lucky with the weather, too, pick an outdoor market to start. If you're staying at the Eden, there's a small market around the corner but it doesn't compare to the big, famous Albert Cuypmarket. Pick up some oddities, some funky jewelry, and a coffee and pastry to prepare for the day. I would skip the floating flower market in favor of wandering the small side streets along the canals in the city centre, next. There are lots of funky shops to wander in and out of, and you can seek out the small but charming Houseboat Museum for a short bit of indoor fun. If you're up for it, take an hourlong canal tour from Amsterdam Central Station. I found it really educational and interesting, and fun to view Amsterdam from the 'canal side'. My favorite part about the tour? The lesson on how deep the canals are: one layer of cycles, one layer of (ahem) overly celebratory cyclists who fell into the canals, and one layer of water. Also, there are bicycles everywhere! We nearly got run over several times, yikes. If it's nice enough to stay outdoors, spend the rest of the day in the Vondelpark. You can rent bikes and ride around, or swing by a grocery store and get goodies for a picnic...then, just lounge.
Amsterdam has the largest Surinamese population outside of Surinam, which translates to a lot of delicious Surinamese food! We liked Spang Makandra but there are many others. Note these restaurants close early - they stop serving at 8:45 pm - so get there with plenty of time to eat.
We weren't up for much nightlife, so headed back to the hotel to get some rest for Day 2:
You'll want to start early to see the Anne Frank House - the lines grow fast, especially after 10 am. Admission is 9 euros per adult. In the spirit of visiting museums, the Rijksmuseum has famously been "under construction" and only partially open for the last 10 years. Until recently -- now the whole space is open, and you can wander the grand space to your heart's content for 15 euros. For a bit of a fancier lunch, try de Kas, in Frankendael Park. For the rest of the afternoon, we just wandered along the canals, poking in and out of the alleys to see the shops, taste some chocolate, and try an apple cake.
Although I didn't find anything particularly special about Dutch food, it was fun to drop into a grocery store and see what's to eat - chocolate sprinkles and butter on toast, stroopwafels (best eaten after softening for a few minutes by placing it on top of your tea mug, as a "lid" of sorts), cheese & bread, and of course pommes with mayo.
And after two days, you'll be ready to head home and plan the next adventure.
Where to stay: Hotel Eden Manor is in the east end, a bit removed from the city center, but a lot more "neighborhoody" and has a boutique, intimate feel. We had a cozy top floor / attic room. The internet was spotty though - and largely unreliable. Luckily, a McDonald's isn't too far from the hotel, and they have free and solid wifi if you're desperate like I was.
Day 1: If you get lucky with the weather, too, pick an outdoor market to start. If you're staying at the Eden, there's a small market around the corner but it doesn't compare to the big, famous Albert Cuypmarket. Pick up some oddities, some funky jewelry, and a coffee and pastry to prepare for the day. I would skip the floating flower market in favor of wandering the small side streets along the canals in the city centre, next. There are lots of funky shops to wander in and out of, and you can seek out the small but charming Houseboat Museum for a short bit of indoor fun. If you're up for it, take an hourlong canal tour from Amsterdam Central Station. I found it really educational and interesting, and fun to view Amsterdam from the 'canal side'. My favorite part about the tour? The lesson on how deep the canals are: one layer of cycles, one layer of (ahem) overly celebratory cyclists who fell into the canals, and one layer of water. Also, there are bicycles everywhere! We nearly got run over several times, yikes. If it's nice enough to stay outdoors, spend the rest of the day in the Vondelpark. You can rent bikes and ride around, or swing by a grocery store and get goodies for a picnic...then, just lounge.Amsterdam has the largest Surinamese population outside of Surinam, which translates to a lot of delicious Surinamese food! We liked Spang Makandra but there are many others. Note these restaurants close early - they stop serving at 8:45 pm - so get there with plenty of time to eat.
We weren't up for much nightlife, so headed back to the hotel to get some rest for Day 2:
You'll want to start early to see the Anne Frank House - the lines grow fast, especially after 10 am. Admission is 9 euros per adult. In the spirit of visiting museums, the Rijksmuseum has famously been "under construction" and only partially open for the last 10 years. Until recently -- now the whole space is open, and you can wander the grand space to your heart's content for 15 euros. For a bit of a fancier lunch, try de Kas, in Frankendael Park. For the rest of the afternoon, we just wandered along the canals, poking in and out of the alleys to see the shops, taste some chocolate, and try an apple cake.Although I didn't find anything particularly special about Dutch food, it was fun to drop into a grocery store and see what's to eat - chocolate sprinkles and butter on toast, stroopwafels (best eaten after softening for a few minutes by placing it on top of your tea mug, as a "lid" of sorts), cheese & bread, and of course pommes with mayo.
And after two days, you'll be ready to head home and plan the next adventure.
Comments
Post a Comment