Four Days in Amsterdam
Arriving in Amsterdam
We left Detroit, Michigan at 10:15 pm or an 8 hour overnight flight to Amsterdam. With the time difference of 6 hours we arrived in Amsterdam around noon the next day, and were grateful to our Airbnb for allowing us to drop off luggage early so we could start exploring this fun city right away.
We stayed in the Pijp area which was a perfect location for walking most anyplace we wanted to go. Our first stop was right around the corner at the Albert Cuyp Market where we enjoyed some delicious street food including our first taste of Stroopwafels before heading out to see more of the city.
Amsterdam is a vibrant city and we loved it right away!
The first thing we had to get accustomed to were all the bikes which seemed to come at us from every direction. Eventually we caught on to where we should walk to stay off the bike paths.
And with my parking skills I’m afraid I would end up in the canal if I tried to drive here.
After an amazing dinner at Cecconi’s we spent our first evening on a a 1-hour Flagship Luxury Sightseeing Canal Tour. It was a gorgeous night and the perfect way to get an overall view of the city while keeping ourselves awake until a reasonable bedtime.
We would highly recommend this tour booked through TripAdvisor. It was a smaller group of people with personal commentary and a lot of fun. We learned about the bridges, architecture, a little history, and stories of how many bikes, people, and even cars sometimes fall into the canals. A few fun facts:
Amsterdam is considered the most watery city of the world. Almost a quarter of the city is covered by water – canals and harbors have been a central part of life in Amsterdam for hundreds of years and continue to be an integral aspect of life today.
All together, the 165 Amsterdam canals are over 100 kilometers (60 miles) long.
Amsterdam canal houses were built in a tall and skinny style due to space restrictions and a policy of taxing buildings by the width of their frontage.
Many of Amsterdam's buildings have a cantilevered beam and hook protruding from the gable at roof height. These would be used to winch possessions, and merchandise in the case of warehouses, to the upper levels. These buildings intentionally tilt forward slightly to keep what is being lifted from banging into the building.
However the houses tilting sideways are not intentional - The houses were built for the wealthy bankers and merchants and did double-duty as both houses and work spaces. The soil was so swampy that they had to built on stilts and that caused them to wobble and sink into the river, so now they are each a little off kilter!
Some locals live in the 2,500 houseboats on the canals of Amsterdam, others are used as Airbnbs.
The Dutch love to cycle and there are more than 800,000 bicycles in Amsterdam. But some can be a bit reckless with them, so every year, more than 10,000 bicycles are fished out from the canals.
There are over 1,200 picturesque bridges in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam Day 2: Breakfast and the Rijksmuseum
After an amazing sleep in a super comfy bed we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Oeuf. Soaking in the sunshine with our coffee and watching the people stroll by we felt like we had truly arrived in Amsterdam.
From there we had a leisurely stroll taking in the sites on the way to our assigned time slot at the Rijksmuseum. We were happy we had purchased these tickets way in advance because after our arrival everything was sold out. This was the case for several attractions. We had waited too long for tickets to the Anne Frank House so be sure to plan ahead for anything on your “must see” list.
From the museum we walked toward Dam Square, the Royal Palace and stopped into Begijnhof (the hidden courtyard) and stood in line to try another stroopwafel at Van Wonderen Stroopwafels.
As the sun began to set we continued our stroll through the Medieval Centre and the Red Light District just before things started to get busy for the night.
Day 3 A Rainy Day
Our day started indulging in the pancakes at Mr. Stacks. This was a really low key day wondering the streets and shops of the Jordaan area and The 9 Streets, walking the canals. It was a rainy day, but still lovely and we finished the evening indulging in more delicious food.
Day 4 The Tulip Fields
Our last full day in Amsterdam we took a trip to Lisse to visit the tulip fields. We booked a round trip shuttle which gave us flexibility for exploring on our own. Our first stop was the beautiful spring garden Keukenhof.
From there we joined a fun 3-hour bike tour. Because of the cool weather the tulips were not all in full bloom, but the daffodils were out and the fields of hyacinth smelled so good! We learned about the history of the gardens and that the fields are planted for the bulbs to grow, multiply and sell. Seeing the beautiful blooms in the fields is just a side benefit.
Leaving Amsterdam
Our last day I woke before sunrise for one final walk around the city. I enjoyed the peaceful quiet morning to take photos before one last Amsterdam breakfast in an outdoor cafe. We were sad to leave this beautiful city, but excited to take the train to our next stop - a visit with family in Brussels Belgium.
