Mario and I arrived in Amsterdam early on a Thursday morning after catching the last flight out the night before! That’s the best way to travel if you want to arrive fresh! Haha!
The weather was cold and wet — so different from what we knew Morocco was going to be. We hadn’t really packed for the cold because we were so focused on our Morocco trip, and, in hindsight, I’ll never book another not/cold country trip again — not, if I can help it.
Despite it, we did all we could during the 5-days we had in Amsterdam. We generally love to walk, explore, and be with the people when traveling and this trip was all of that and more. We walked ourselves sick actually, haha. Way to make yourself tired enough for a plane ride home. Amsterdam has a mature feeling. As if there is a build-up of history, art, and acceptance. You feel how old the city is and that is has gone through many evolutions to become the creative hub that it is today.
Here are a few of my Top Amsterdam Travel Tips — where I hope to help you with the small things that you wish that you had read before traveling to a foreign city you’re so excited to see! So, without further ado…
YOUR CONNECTIVITY
Wifi is coo’ and things, but, get that SIM card as soon as you land. Google Maps has been my best friend! It tells you every train, every stop, and more… with the option of different routes… and, nothing is ever late. Never. Ever. Please don’t be cheapskate my dear SAFFA, buy the SIM Card.
YOUR TRANSPORT
Firstly, We hit the ground running armed and, thankfully, armed with a mini umbrella we had bought at home (ALWAYS CARRY AN UMBRELLA IN AMSTERDAM)! The rain comes and goes in spurts – to travel like a real Amsterdamer download BUIENALARM – an app they use to tell when it’s going to rain (the app is accurate to the minute)… trust me on this.
Secondly, the best thing we could have done was get our GVB cards (a 5-day card allowing us a free pass to all trains, trams, busses, ferries), for about €29,50 (around R560 – R580). You can get a card charged for the duration of your trip! I put mine straight into my phone cover so I could just scan my phone every time without taking my wallet out (and keep it safe).
Thirdly, you haven’t had a true Amsterdam experience if you haven’t ridden a bike. Our accommodation provided bike hire for the day for around €10 – €15, which was a better option than hiring from anywhere else in the city.
YOUR ACCOMMODATION
Stay on the outskirts. We stayed at a well-priced (read: relatively cheap) hotel in Amsterdam’s Arena Boulevard. It was one of the best decisions we made. Not only was the hotel affordable (as the area is predominantly a student area), very good value for money (clean, well kept, good design & layout), and had good service, but it was also close to a train station, and more. Staying outside of the immediate city helps broaden one’s travel and exploration horizons.
YOUR FOOD
Again, stay on the outskirts. The best food is there! Coming from Cape Town — a city that has some of the best food selection (at the best prices) in the world, finding good food is always tricky. We picked up quite a bit of street food and visited a few restaurants in search of traditional Dutch food while we were in Amsterdam, but, the best meal we had was by far a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant that we stumbled upon when in search of a jazz club one night. It was the cheapest meal we’d bought, and we ate like kings!
YOUR SIGHTSEEING
Using the advice of a good friend Winston Douglas, who also happens to be a 3-time South African Coffee Barista Champion, we ended up seeing most of the cosmopolitan city’s neighborhoods by searching out the recommended caffeine waterholes (and, not the coffee-shops you’re thinking). Read my blog See Amsterdam Through Its Top 5 Coffee Shops, here.
Otherwise, are two of the museums we enjoyed the most in and amongst all of our exploring…
The Eye Film Museum: A film archive and museum, The Eye preserves and presents both Dutch and foreign films screened in the Netherlands. It is free to walk around and take in most of the sites, except for the actual films and a few exhibitions.
The Stedelijk Museum Of Modern Art: Established in 1874 and dedicated to contemporary art and design, the Stedelijk is a beast of a museum. If I’d known how amazing it was, I would have put aside more than the 4-hours I spent in there. The museum boasts endless wonders with works of art from artists such as Van Gogh, Kadinsky, Matisse, Warhol, Dumas, Gilbert & George, and more…
The history of the museum is as interesting as the work inside it as it has long stood for social activism in the Netherlands and was probably some of the best money we spend in Amsterdam during our time there.
Enjoy your trip to Amsterdam!
Love,
Eden
#TheGoodSis
#TravelLight
