I’m not one to turn down an opportunity to travel abroad. So when my boss told me I should go work from our office in Amsterdam for a few weeks, it took me half a thought to decide.
Thanks to an entire Slack channel for employees looking for Amsterdam housing at the company, I stayed my first 2 weeks with a woman who worked in HR—snatching up her offer of €400 for a room in Amsterdam-Noord when Airbnbs of the same caliber were going for €1,500.
A light commute
She was fantastic, giving me plenty of recommendations, letting me borrow her extra bike to commute to and from the office, and lending me her museum card for Museum Week, which gave me free entrance into every museum, church, castle and historical site on my list—and some I never even considered visiting.
After I got my fill of solo touring Amsterdam, my sister and 2 cousins joined me for a whirlwind of a week experiencing some once-in-a-lifetime sights, discovering we aren’t tour bus people, and dining at a few fantastic restaurants—and a few that didn’t live up to the hype.
Attractions
Keukenhof tulip gardens
One of the top highlights of our trip, the tulip gardens at Keukenhof were unlike any we’ve ever seen. What seemed like hundreds of variations of tulips—ranging from sleek petals of bone white and canary yellow to ruffles of ruby red and blood orange—as well as vibrant hues of other flowers like royally purple and magenta hyacinths, bright and buttery daffodils, and some exotic orange flowers whose spiky green tops were reminiscent of pineapples.
The orchid greenhouse was also impressive—with every visible surface overflowing with colorful, curving spindles—as were the path of cherry blossoms whose flowers swayed dreamily above us as a few fluttered ethereally to earth.
While we did see the what felt like never-ending rows of tulips, we learned that those were farmed tulips and not designed for our visiting pleasure.
Heineken Experience
Hardly the most-anticipated attraction for any of us, we were all surprised by how much we enjoyed the Heineken Experience. What started with a self-guided tour through the old brewery ended with a couple beers in their basement bar fit for a nightclub, and then another (if you buy the right ticket) at their rooftop bar that treated us to the best views of Amsterdam.
Wine and cheese canal cruise
We picked the perfect way to end our jam-packed tourist day—with a boat tour along the canals offering unlimited wine and cheese as we cruised passed Amsterdam’s questionably structured houses. A little bit of rain to start, the trip ended nice and clear with the setting sun illuminating the evening clouds.
Pancake boat
On our last day in Amsterdam, my sister and I had lunch on the Pannenkoekenboot, a double decker pontoon that featured unlimited Dutch pancakes dressed yourself from a variety of sweet and savory toppings.
Wandering
After our few busy touristy days, we loved simply wandering throughout the city to see what we would stumble upon.
Musicians making shopping more enjoyable
The Red Light District
Sidewalks bedecked with flowers
Canals carving the city
Museums
Old Church
The oldest building in Amsterdam, Oude Kirk felt old—from the wood paneling arching from stained glass windows made into a patchwork from centuries of repairs, to the elaborate carvings on the tombstones-covered floors worn smooth and interesting.
The space was made all the more eerie with an art installation that had faux bats handing from the rafters and one holy room with the only window stained deep red to bathe the entire space in a rather horrific color.
New Church
The Nieuwe Kerk looked similar to the Old Church, with the arches and air of solemnity, but was slightly more decadent thanks to its intricate woodwork and gilded paneling.
Royal Palace
With multiple massive wings, each more ornate than the next, the Royal Palace Amsterdam was a great place to (literally) get lost in for a morning.
Rembrandthuis
Rembrandthuis walked you through the very narrow, 5-story house that Rembrandt lived in—giving glimpses of his life, including authentic bits and pieces of housewares and kitchenware, and his art, even displaying some original sketches and paint creation techniques in his studio.
Mauritshuis
By far my favorite museum I visited, partially due to the ornate and vibrant decor of the house itself, Mauritshuis was home to Girl With a Pearl Earring and other paintings that were just as impressive but less alluring in my honest, Tracy Chevalier-loving opinion.
Panorama Mesdag
It was at Panorama Mesdag that I learned panorama paintings were a popular attraction long before their more annoying digital versions interrupted social media feeds. The experience was made much more enjoyable by the beach-themed hut you climb to view the painting and the sound of waves and seagulls that accompanied your viewing.
House of the Book
This entire Huis van het boek museum was in Dutch, so I unfortunately didn’t get much out of it. But they did have a few cool exhibitions and some adorably tiny books.
National Maritime Museum
The Het Scheepvaartmuseum did a really nice job of having a mix of maritime-inspired exhibits, ranging from collections of ship figureheads and nautical navigational tools to paintings and photos of oceanic scenes.
Foam
Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam (Foam) had a variety of interesting exhibitions that included unique displays—not just photos on the wall—to give it an almost interactive feel.
STRAAT
I didn’t expect to like the STRAAT Museum as much as I did. The hundreds of pieces in the museum went from weird and disturbing to feminine and ethereal, but each piece was no less captivating than another.
Museum van Loon
Museum van Loon lets you walk back in time through a house beautifully preserved to get a sense of the noble life in 19th century Amsterdam.
Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography
Huis Marseille was a rather small museum, but has some engaging pieces that made it worth an afternoon.
Rijks Museum
Maybe I was getting snobbish by the time we got to the Rijks Museum because I wildly impressed by it. The most impressive work we saw was Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.
Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh Museum was another museum that was cool to see but didn’t blow us away. I loved seeing his Almond Blossoms and one of his Sunflowers, but turns out the rest of his better-known works are owned by other museums around the world.
Kasteel de Haar
Kasteel de Haar set a new bar for awe-inspiring castles. The 1800s renovation introduced details that were almost absurd by today’s standard—including chandeliers with brass knights riding stallions and miniature marble carvings of ladies dancing above doorways.
Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House was by far the most impactful of the museums we visited—the impact amplified by the prohibition of photography. The exhibition takes you through the family’s journey of their time hiding in the house, showcasing bits and pieces of their life left behind the bookcase.
Day trips
The Hague
We booked the bus tour below in advance of our trip, but not knowing how much time we’d have to spend in The Hague, and not at all wanting to miss seeing Girl with a Pearl Earring at Mauritshuis in case we had no time (which we didn’t), I took the train out one Sunday.
I enjoyed a perfectly sunny day strolling the streets in solitude between museums and palaces, and stumbling on a couple great little markets. I also got attacked by the boldest seagull I’ve ever encountered, who swiped right out of my hand the not-half-eaten empanada I thought would taste even better sitting at the edge of the lake’s retaining wall.
Roermond
The German family I stayed with for 2 months in 2014 has a cottage in Roermond, a 2-hour train ride from Amsterdam, so I spent a wonderful Easter weekend with them. We hit the Saturday market, snacked on kibbeling (lightly battered fish with aioli), and shopped the quaint, colorful streets.
Bus tours
Giethoorn
After realizing that my pronunciation of “GITE-horn” was supposed to be “GEET-hawn”, my roommate told us it was a cute but slow-paced town—the kind her parents took her grandparents to for the day.
The old part of the town was built on canals, which is the main method of transportation for residents living in the houses with thatched roofs and blooming gardens that would rival those in any fairytale. Despite a bout of brutal winds and unfortunately chilly weather crossing the nearby lake, we had a lovely time cruising through the canals before helping several boutiques (probably) exceed their sales quotas for the day.
Rotterdam, Delft, The Hague & Madurodam
It was this bus tour that solidified our dislike for bus tours. Don’t get me wrong, we had fun and saw some great places—but absolutely hated the whole “half jog back to the bus because our restaurant in Delft took an hour and a half to serve us food” ordeal. The tour guide actually left 2 people behind since we couldn’t be late for boat tour in Rotterdam.
Rotterdam
Delft
Madurodam in The Hague
We were surprised by how much we enjoyed the miniature park of Madurodam. Initially thinking the tiny town was a fun project for some rich with too much time on his hands, we found out it was actually a parents’ memorial dedicated to their son who died in WWII.
Restaurants
We splurged one a few fancy restaurants, including:
MR PORTER (⭐⭐⭐): The rooftop views, dining room, and bathroom negated the hefty bill at the steakhouse—but we unfortunately couldn’t say the same for the food, which wasn’t bad but also wasn’t the best steak and appetizers we’ve ever had. We especially didn’t like being pushed out after 2 hours.
Secret Garden (⭐⭐⭐): The dining room decorated with faux foliage and peacocks made for an Instagram-worthy experience, but the tapas-style plates left us hungry and the scant service made us frustrated.
Proeflokaal A. van Wees (⭐⭐⭐⭐): We wandered into this cozy bar that featured great beer and nice, heavy traditional Dutch food.
d'Vijff Vlieghen (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): Definitely one of our best meals in Amsterdam, the moody, dungeonesque atmosphere paired nicely with the upscale take on traditional Dutch food—including potato soup that was hand-poured tableside over the cream and a dessert of decadent orange spice cake.
Van Speyk (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): Between the combination of French and Dutch cuisine and the sparkling chandeliers against the exposed brick, this place epitomized fine dining. I was confused by almost everything we ordered (pictured below)—from the duck foie gras topped with caviar to the bone-in fish baked in salt—but would absolutely suffer the confusion again for a meal like that one.
After sending the cousins off back home, my sister and I took another travel opportunity and set off for a tiny tour of Belgium.