A Snapshot Guide to Amsterdam
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If you are planning a trip to Amsterdam in 2024 and want a quick, summarised guide of everything you need to know, then this article is for you! We will run you through how to get there, some of the top things to do and where to stay!
The beautiful canals of Amsterdam
Amsterdam Travel Resources
Accommodation: Find your perfect stay! We stayed in THIS HO(S)TEL and it was great.
Flights: Look for the best deals with Skyscanner!
Transport: Omio is a great resource for searching for transport around Europe, including trains and buses!
Activities: Find things to do during your time in Amsterdam, such as a relaxing cruise down the canals, a bike tour through the city, or a visit to the Van Gogh Museum!
Our YouTube Videos: Part 1 where we explore the canals and go on a canal cruise and Part 2 where we visit the Anne Frank House, bike ride through Vondelpark and visit Europe’s smallest restaurant!
Other Articles: Click here to see what other articles we have on Amsterdam!
Welcome to Amsterdam! Amsterdam is a great starting point to your Europe itinerary. With easy access to popular destinations in all directions, such as London or Berlin, it’s a great place to begin your Europe adventures. It has a perfect mix of history, culture and fun, so there is sure to be something to suit everyone.
HOW TO GET HERE
The beautiful canals of Amsterdam
How to get to Amsterdam will largely depend on where you are coming from. If you aren’t flying directly into Amsterdam, it’s very likely you’re probably flying into London. Fortunately, you have a couple of options to get to Amsterdam from London, and both are quite easy. The easiest and fastest option is to get a cheap flight. Flight time between the two cities is around 1 hour and 10 minutes, making it a very fast option. Depending on when you’re travelling, the flight prices may not be too bad, but if you are travelling during peak tourist season in summer, then you can expect this to likely be the more expensive option of the two.
TIP: If you are a flying into London, make sure you check what airport you are arriving into before booking your flight to Amsterdam. While you can switch airports, it’s much easier to fly into and out of the same airport.
Your second option from London is to take a train. There are generally about 10 trains running every day, and the journey will take just under four hours. While it’s certainly not cheap, it may work out a little cheaper than flying, and the journey isn’t significantly longer than the flight time.
HOW TO GET AROUND
We consider Amsterdam to be a very walkable city, but obviously whether or not a city is walkable to you will depend on what you plan on doing, and your personal circumstances and mobility. We didn’t take a single piece of public transport while in Amsterdam, choosing to walk everywhere. The only time we didn’t walk was the day we hired a bike and we used that to get us to some further out locations, such as Museumplein and Vondelpark.
If you aren’t in a position to walk extended distances, Amsterdam has an extensive public transport network that you can take advantage of. You can look to purchase an unlimited GVB card which will give you access to the metros, trams, buses and ferries for the required number of days you select.
WHAT TO DO
Riding a bike around Vondelpark is a must-do in Amsterdam!
1) Explore Amsterdam’s famous canals: One of our favourite things we did during our time in Amsterdam was to get up really early and wander the quiet streets before the rest of the town wakes up. The canals are so beautiful early in the morning and there is something so special about wandering the streets while no one else is up. While hitting the streets and exploring is a must-do, one of the other most popular things to do in Amsterdam is to take a cruise down the canals. There are many different options to suit you taste - you can do a private cruise, a booze-fuelled cruise, a morning cruise, or an evening cruise. There is definitely something to suit your style and this is a great way to take in the beauty of the canals, Amsterdam’s unique architecture and learn a little more about the city.
2) Visit the Anne Frank Museum: It is strange to call such a somber experience a must-do, but a visit to the Anne Frank House is something you should do when visiting Amsterdam. While her story is well-known, you will gain a wealth of information that you might not have known prior, including information on the brave people who helped the Frank family hide in the annex. Visiting the annex itself is a bit of an out of body experience - our brains still haven’t quite processed standing inside the place where they hid for so long. If you do wish to visit the Anne Frank House, you will definitely need to pre-book your tickets, as they generally sell out months in advance. Tickets can be purchased through the official website, and these go on sale every Tuesday at 10am CEST, for a visit six weeks later. We’d highly recommend putting this date in your calendar and purchasing your tickets as soon as they become available so you aren’t left disappointed.
3) Ride a bike around Vondelpark (and the city if you’re brave enough): If there is one thing Amsterdam is known for aside from its canals (and you know, the other thing), it’s the sheer number of bikes in the city! When we say bikes are everywhere, they are literally EVERYWHERE. It wouldn’t surprise us if there were more bikes than people in the city! Nonetheless, it is the most popular way to get around the city and makes for a very popular tourist activity. There are plenty of places to hire a bike from, however, given the chaos of the streets, it can be an intimidating thought. The perfect place to ride a bike is Vondelpark. This park is a must-visit during your time in Amsterdam, and has plenty of tracks and trails for you to ride around. If you’re feeling brave after doing so, you can venture out into the city and feel like a true local.
4) Visit the Amsterdam Cheese Museum: Okay this one is a little random, but it is perfect for budget travellers as it is completely free! Now it is not a big museum - it’s not much bigger than a regular shop, however, if you love cheese, it’s definitely worth a visit. You can help yourself to free samples of all the different cheeses on offer, or explore the museum floor and learn a little about the cheese making process. While it won’t entertain you for hours, it’s a perfect place to stop in for 30-minutes or so!
5) Visit one or more of Amsterdam’s many museums, including the Van Gogh Museum: Amsterdam’s Museumplein is home to several museums, including two of the most popular ones in the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. While visiting museums isn’t for everyone, if it is of interest to you, then you could easily spend a day or two exploring these.
TIP: If you plan to visit lots of Amsterdam’s museums, a popular option is to purchase the Amsterdam City Card, which includes entry to several of the main attractions, unlimited use of public transport and a free canal cruise! There are some exclusions so make sure you read what is included before purchasing!
6) Visit Europe’s SMALLEST restaurant: Upstairs Pannenkoekenhuis (Upstairs Pancake House) claims to be the smallest restaurant in ALL of Europe, and let me tell you, they may have a case. This tiny restaurant only has four tables, so if you want to check it out, you better make sure you make a reservation because it fills up quick! We turned up and they were fully booked, but we were fortunate enough to be able to make a reservation for the following day. This restaurant serves up a variety of sweet and savoury pancakes, this restaurant has such a unique charm. The owner sticks her head out the upstairs window to call you up when your table is ready and will talk you through her favourite options. It is such a charming spot, and if you can manage a reservation, it is absolutely worth it!
A visit to the Anne Frank museum on almost all Amsterdam itineraries
The Amsterdam Cheese Museum is the perfect budget-friendly, time-filler for your Amsterdam itinerary!
If you can’t tell, we absolutely love Amsterdam and there is so much to do! On top of the main attractions listed above, some other popular activities include:
Visiting Dam Square
Trying Poffertjes
Explore the beautiful architecture of the Jordaan district
Visit the Red Light District
Delicious pancakes from Upstairs Pannenkoekenhuis
Some delicious poffertjes!
WHERE TO STAY
As we mentioned earlier, we found Amsterdam to be a very walkable city, but whether or not it is walkable for you will depend on where you are staying. We stayed about a two minute walk around from Amsterdam Centraale, at This Ho(s)tel. While only offering up basic pods, the bathrooms were incredible and the location was second to none. We found Amsterdam to have some of the most expensive accommodation of everywhere we visited, so be prepared to pay a little more.
We’d suggest staying anywhere in and around the Old Centre, as this will allow you to walk pretty much anywhere you need to go. Jordaan is a very popular neighbourhood, and a great option if you are travelling with kids.
