Jun 15, 2025

For when you next find yourself in Amsterdam

Dear Future Me,

The next time you go to Amsterdam I'd recommend going for 3 days and 2 nights — plenty of time to see it all. Amsterdam is a fairly small city, but packed with lots of great vibes.

Remember that tulip season in Amsterdam is between mid April to mid May — not in mid June. You might also want to prepare yourself to pay more for accommodation (last time you spent ~£60/night).

Rent a bike instead of getting the public transportation pass! It's lovely to bike around and it's faster to get around than waiting for the trams. You can return a bike at any of the Black Bike branches. It's also cheaper to rent the bike for multiple days (especially if you get the pedalbrake, rather than handlebrake bicycles). Some branches are cheaper to rent from than others and have different deals.

I'd recommend doing a food walking tour (try booking this earlier than just the night before) or the alternative tour with Free Walking Tours. We had a lot of fun with our tour guide!

The canal tour was beautiful at sunset — less hot and you get to see the city a little differently. I loved the open top vibes from Flagship Canal Cruise (sometimes the online coupons work!) and the incredibly charming host.

There are tons of museums in Amsterdam, but I only went to the Rijksmuseum which seemed like it had all the famous art (enough to make you feel cultured). There's no need to book the guided tour because there's a free mobile app. Just remember to bring your earphones. The I Amsterdam pass is only going to be worth it if you decide you want to see more than 2 museums.

There's surprisingly tons of Indonesian and Surinamese food around! Of the restaurants we visited, I'd go back to Kafe Kontrast to try the rest of their menu.

But if you're in the mood for Dutch food, I'd definitely try their bitterballen! We went to Cafe de Engelbewaarder and loved their mixed fried platter. They had spring rolls with cheese and leek (delicious!) and a lovely view of the canal.

Apple pie is another typical Dutch food. We stumbled on Blend's near our Airbnb which was truly delicious and apple pies elsewhere like Winkel 43, weren't quite as good.

Chinatown in Amsterdam was surprisingly authentic and there was no shortage of good Asian food around!

We had a good workout walking in Amsterdam. It's a flat city with a high surface area of canals and lovely neighborhoods. We biked the circular trail down to Amstelhoek, quite a trek that we nearly gave up on, but worth it to see the rolling farmlands of the Netherlands. I'd maybe get biking shorts so you don't end up with a sore butt the day after.

Lastly, Dutch people are incredibly kind. One man cycled back around to help us get through a gate and a woman by the river shared butter cookies with us. I'd definitely recommend going back and perhaps this time trying the herring, making it for the tulips and swimming in the canal. Or if you go with a bigger group of friends, rent a boat and amble through the canals!