Ultimate Amsterdam Travel Guide: Plan Your Perfect Trip!

Amsterdam Travel Guide

I can’t say enough good things about Amsterdam, the houses look like little gingerbread homes, the city is amazingly clean, the people are so kind and it’s not very big so you can walk (or as the locals prefer) bike everywhere! Follow this Amsterdam Travel Guide to plan your perfect trip!

This post is an in-depth Amsterdam Travel Guide

Weather

Visiting in December, the weather was in the 40s – 50s. There were little rain showers almost every day but they did not last long. Compared to the winters in the northeast USA, they feel very mild, so if you usually don’t prefer to travel during colder months Amsterdam is still a safe option!

Things To Do In Amsterdam

Mana Boat Tour, Bloemenmarkt, Red Light District

There is so much to do and see in Amsterdam, they have both seasonal activities as well as year-round things to do. If you are there for a long weekend I recommend the below three as the top things you can not miss.

Ann Frank House – Wow there are truly no words to describe the experience of visiting the Ann Frank House, to be standing in a place with so much history is an amazing feeling! The line was probably almost two hours to get in, and although it was 100% worth the wait I suggest getting there early to beat the crowds!

Canal Tour By Boat – This was my favorite for sure, we booked through Airbnb and did ours with MANA boat tours. The boat was lit up with string lights and so cozy with blankets, truly the boat was so beautiful that other boat tours were stopping to take pictures of it. The bonus is you get a free drink with your ticket!

Bloemenmarkt Flower Market– This is an outdoor flower market located along the canal, every stall is filled with every tulip souvenir you can think of. It’s free and is an easy addition to your day!

Other Noteworthy Activities:

Van Gogh Museum
Bike Tours
Amsterdam Red Light District – It’s a sight to see! It’s actually in a beautiful part of town with some nice bars and coffee shops.
Tulip Fields Tour – They are in season from the end of March to mid-May.
Heineken Brewery Tours
The Bulldog Coffee Shop – The infamous Amsterdam “Coffee Shop”

Where To Stay In Amsterdam

Every visit to Amsterdam I have stayed in a hostel. The city caters a lot to tourism so I have found all the hostels I stayed in to be great accommodations and had no issues at all! It also is such a great way to meet other travelers and much cheaper than hotels and Airbnbs in the center of town!

The Flying Pig Hostel – They have four different locations we stayed in the one downtown it was very central, you can walk everywhere.
The Bull Dog Hotel – This is located right in the red light district so it’s not the most peaceful rest of your life as there is a lot going on outside, but it’s also very central to everything.
Clinknoord – This was actually on the other side of the river so you have to take a 10-minute ferry over to get to town, but it was sooo easy and the ferry was free. It drops you off right at the train station so your right in the middle and can walk anywhere from there or catch a train back to the airport.
HOT TIP: Utilize the train to get to and from the airport, this was the last stop of our trip so we got lazy and ubered to our hostel instead of taking the train and we really regretted it, Uber is expensive and the train is quick, cheap and easy.

Food & Drinks

Gs Really Nice Place, Blue Amsterdam, Pluk

You won’t have any trouble finding a good meal in Amsterdam. I’m pretty picky with my meals I like them to be good restaurants with good fresh ingredients so I do a lot of research on this part! Below are some of my favorites.

Pluk – It’s a nice bright atmosphere and the food is amazing, a good breakfast spot with smoothie bowls and pancakes. They have a cinnamon swirl pastry that is to die for.
Gs really nice place – located in a quiet tucked-away neighborhood you almost miss it walking by its super small and quaint. They have an extensive bloody mary menu and play old school rap. The food was equally as good as the bloody marys, highly suggest for brunch!
Gusto Resteraunte – Okay so if you only go to one place go here. Maybe it’s wrong because I’m telling you to eat Italian in Amsterdam but seriously you can’t miss this place it’s too good. The owners are from Italy and super nice!
Coffee and Coconuts – This place had really great vibes, they serve mostly healthy options and is basically just like a relaxed coffee house.
Bakers and Roasters – This is such a great breakfast or lunch spot, they tend to get pretty busy so be prepared to wait for a little, however, it is 100% worth the wait. They have a ton of options and everything is freshly sourced.
Our Corner – This is just a little bar located on the corner of two pretty busy streets, its really nice to just grab a drink and sit under the heat lamp to talk and people watch!
Blue Amsterdam – Has beautiful panoramic views of Amsterdam. It was very busy the entire time we were there we managed to get really great seats – be prepared to wait for a little.
Proeflokaal De Ooievaar – This is a tiny tiny bar on the corner of two streets it’s really nice if you want to duck in to warm up, is filled with lots of locals.
Cafe ‘T Smalle – A very authentic Dutch bar, they had outdoor seating on a floating dock on the river so it was a great place to grab a drink and sit and watch the boats go by.