4 days in and around Amsterdam
Amsterdam, I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t get excited on hearing this word and does not dream of going and partying there. Probably most would just keep a couple of days there, party and then head out to cover more countries? I chose to stay there for 4 days and I still felt it was very less. Here is my list of what to do in and around Amsterdam for 4 days:
- Museums: There is no dearth of art and history in Europe and Amsterdam is no different. There are some amazing museums, so chose which ones excite you the most. I visited Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh and loved them both. The tickets were around 18 Euros each when purchased online. You can go there and buy as well.
- Anne Frank House: The tickets for this are only available online and get sold out pretty early. I could not see it because of it was all booked so if your plans are finalized well in advance make sure to purchase the tickets online.
- Heineken Experience: This is a tour of the first ever brewery of Heineken. You can learn about the history of the company, the brewing process, play few games, get photos and videos at fun photo booths and get 2 beers in the end! I enjoyed it. After an online discount, it costed me 16.2 bucks.
- Red light district area: This is the busy and hep area of Amsterdam. Catch a beer, go partying or just roam around the streets. It also has alleys with over 300 cabins offering sexual services. DO NOT take pictures 😛
- Coffee shops: Coffee shop is not where you go to get coffee in Amsterdam. For coffee go to a cafe. For a wide variety of marijuana go here. Bulldog is a famous one. They will check your id at the entrance.
- Cycling: Even though I had heard and was aware that everyone cycles here, it was still pretty amazing to see it. People dressed in business attires, kids, old people everyone is on bikes. And they’re pretty serious about it so don’t come into their lanes or you’ll surely be hit! Rent a bike and roam around the city, it will be an awesome way to explore the city apart from walking.
- Vondelpark: Pack your lunch and head to Vondelpark. It’s right next to the Rijks and Van Gogh museums, so you can rest and soak up the son after the tiring tours.
Visit other towns in Netherlands
- Marken – this is a small island about 25 Km from Amsterdam. I went cycling from Amsterdam and this was the best day of my trip. The route is blissful. The island has a few restaurants and one light house where you can relax.
- Windmills at Zaanse Schans – You can not visit Holland and not see windmills. If you have less time you can visit Zaanse Schans. It’s a cute little town and can be done in 6-10 hours
- Take a tour of any working windmill. If you are lucky and there’s wind you can see stuff in action otherwise you can just roam around.
- Taste and buy cheese at the cheese farm.
- Try on or buy some wooden clogs. They also show demo on how these are made. Don’t forget to get a picture with the big clogs outside the museum.
- Have hot chocolate at the awesome cocoa factory! You have to make your cup yourself ❤
Some other towns that I researched but could not visit. You can check them out
- Kinderdijk – This is a village in Netherlands about 2 hours from Amsterdam. It is said to be a better place to visit for seeing the windmills as more of them are still functional. You can rent a bike upon reaching there and tour the windmills.
- Texel Island – Plan in advance cos you have to leave early. Take a train till Den Helder and then take ferry to the island. It’s not very popular among tourists so get good information before you leave.
- Gouda- the birthplace of Gouda cheese!
I would highly recommend to spend a good amount of time in the country, just soak in the vibe, the culture, the food. Happy travelling 🙂