Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam! The Northern Venice if you will. You will fall in love with the canal city, don't be fooled by the "party-place" association but instead prepare yourself to be exposed to a beautiful city filled with art, canals, bikes, amazing architecture and great food! Here is what the Of Rice and Cities team found!

We spent a total of three days in the Amsterdam, that should give you use enough time to see a little bit of everything! Here is our trip itinerary:

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Where to Stay: Zaandam

When I first visited Amsterdam, I fell in love with the hotel that was arranged for us by the University of California study abroad program (UCEAP). " Inntel Hotel Zaandam" is perhaps one of the most picturesque hotels in Europe and you can see why! This four-star hotel is inspired by Dutch architecture as it looks as if it was created with Lego's shaped like typical Dutch homes. This hotel is about twenty minutes north of Amsterdam, the train station is a mere five-minute walk! The rooms here range from moderate to "boujee". On our stay, we splurged on the "Junior Founder Suite" which included a king-size mattress, sauna, shower, and a two-person bath tub. We also found the usual amenities such as a Keurig, mini fridge and safe. We definitely recommend the breakfast buffet! The food is very tasty, they provide snacks and sparkling wine for mimosas! The hotel is also conveniently located next to a shopping center where you can shop for clothes at "Primark", watch a movie at "Pathe!", get groceries at "Albert Hein" and find a place to eat! If you choose to stay in Amsterdam, anything located away from the Red Light District is a safe bet.

Pro-tip #1 - Book your hotel in advance as rates go up in the touristy areas and seasons. We recommend spending a little more (if you can) for the suites as it will make your stay even more memorable! especially if you will be staying with your boo ;)

Zaanse Schans

One of the biggest pros of staying in this hotel is Zaanse Schans! From the hotel you can either drive, walk, bike ride, or take a short bus ride for fifteen minutes. Once you arrive, you will find a beautiful village that is filled with craft shops, museums, a cheese shop and picture perfect windmills! Parking is available nearby, so rent a bike or walk along the paths for a relaxing and joyful time.

Pro-Tip #2: You can easily take a train ride to Zaandam from Amsterdam Central and Schiphol Airport. Do not take the Taxi. If you must, use Uber or look for the "TCA" taxi cabs to avoid getting scammed with higher rates. Amsterdam public transportation is not cheap, but it is clean, reliable and efficient.

Rijksmuseum

One of the best things to do in Amsterdam is to explore the many museums! Our favorites include the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House. Make sure you block several hours for these sites as they are very big! The Rijksmuseum houses many of Rembrandt's masterpieces including the revered "The Night Watch." If you are lucky like we were, you might find the extensive exhibition "All the Rembrandts" on display. You can also expect to find many other works from various dutch masters. The famous "I Am-sterdam" is no longer located in front of the Museum but don't miss out on walking around the premises as you may find interesting objects similar to the creatures from Stranger Things.

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Walk Around

During your visit to the Netherlands, you will notice that city residents are very active! They like to walk around and they LOVE to ride their bicycles. It is estimated there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam! If you are intimidated to ride a bike, walking around this city is such a pleasure. When walking around the city, be careful when stepping off the sidewalk as they're aggressive bike riders that will run you over! My girlfriend and I walked from the Rijksmuseum to the Anne Frank House just for fun and that was a really nice and scenic route! No matter how you wish to get around feel confident that Amsterdam is safe, clean and beautiful.

Pro-Tip #3: Carry with you a light jacket or an umbrella. The Netherlands is much like the California Bay Area, Chicago or Seattle where the weather can change at any moment!

Anne Frank Haus

The Anne Frank House is one of the must do places in Amsterdam. We grow up reading her diary and it is something very personal to walk in her 'shoes'. There is a spiritual feeling when you walk up the super narrow steps to her once safe haven. No pictures are allowed inside so be sure to be respectful during your visit. It is interesting to notice how her hideaway was also front and center, unlike the alleyway house I had pictured when reading the book. The building that was once used as the Nazi Headquarters for Amsterdam is just a few blocks away which also shows how brave they were to hide pretty much underneath their nose.

Pro-Tip #4: The Anne Frank House (bottom right) is a very popular destination. Book your tickets well well in advance as they sell out months in advance sometimes!

Something Different: Maritime Museum

Another fun museum is the "Maritime Museum" here you can expect to learn about the famous Dutch West India Company. They have exhibits inside the building but one of the best features is the full-size ship replica docked right outside the museum. With your ticket, you have access to board the ship and take advantage of the awesome picture opportunities.

Consider a Boat Tour with Flagship Amsterdam

Once you have explored the Maritime Museum, we recommend taking an actual boat ride throughout the city canals! You can find various companies online, the one we used an upcoming company named Flagship Amsterdam. Puck and Tim were our awesome guides! They took us on a hour trip that was enjoyable and very informative! We were both delighted that flagship also offers moderately priced beer, wine, and cocktails during their tour! While we didn't take advantage of this, a lot of the other passengers were pretty pleased. Ride with them and find out how and why there are so many canals in Amsterdam!

Red Light District

We also recommend you visit or at least pass by the infamous "Red Light District" it's a pretty graphic place at night so be ready to see prostitution prolifically displayed, bars/clubs, coffeehouse (a.k.a weed cafes) and many many people. For a more relaxed and family friendly version, visit this district during the day time.

Interesting Food Finds

Dutch cuisine isn't necessarily held as one of the best in the world, but the Dutch do themselves justice with snacks and pastries. One of the highly rated breakfast places in the city is "The Pancake Bakery " once there be sure to try the famous Dutch mini pancakes called Poffertjes! In the Albert Cuyp Market, you can find the famous "original stroopwafels" stand, these guys are famous for their freshly made waffles which you can go nuts with your choice of toppings! If you walk around the market, you may be able to find both bitterbollen and oliebollen. Oliebollen are Dutch doughnut holes, while bitterbollen are Dutch croquettes, deep fried rounds filled with meat and gravy. If you are brave, herring is also commonly found. The Dutch love to eat this fish raw with diced onions (be sure to have mints handy).

During our walk from the Rijksmuseum to the Anne Frank house we stumped upon an interesting snack shop called Sumsum Amsterdam. They serve Halva, a tahini based dessert from the Middle-East. They are happy to cut samples for you so be sure to stop by! Our favorite flavor was the traditional and the espresso. This is definitely one of the most interesting food finds during our trip!

If you're looking for something to eat near the Anne Frank House, consider Fou Fow Ramen. My girlfriend had the vegetarian gyoza appetizer and the vegetarian broth ramen, which I had the chicken wing appetizer with the chicken broth ramen. The food here is delicious, though I would say the pork broth ramen is probably better tasting then the slightly bland chicken broth.

Lastly, we would like to shoutout our favorite brewery in Amsterdam named "Brouwerij'T IJ." Yes, Their windmill designed tasting room is located near the Maritime Museum, yes Heineken is king but once you visit their brewery be sure to stop by this place for awesome brews! my favorite brew has to be their "ijwit," "Zatte" and "Natte." The prices are also are very reasonable so definitely add this place to your itinerary!

Final Thoughts

The Netherlands is honestly my second home. I love the people, the culture, the art and the architecture. Don't scratch this place off your travel plans simply because of the cliche of it being a "party-city" don't be fooled to think this is a dirty place. If the party scene is not what brings you here, all you need to do is avoid the Red Light District and also careful not to confuse coffeeshops (a.k.a weed cafes) with (coffee serving) cafes when the caffeine cravings come. You will be surprised to find how much beauty Amsterdam has to offer. If you are here for more than three days, I recommend going to the seasonal tulip field "Keukenhof", and take day trips to nearby cities Gouda and Delft which are only an hour train ride away! The best time to visit The Netherlands is after the snow season and in the fall after the summer tourist season between mid April-June and September-November. December is cold but also lovely as the Dutch really enjoy Christmas!

Email me at ofriceandcities@gmail.com if you enjoyed the article, if you went to Amsterdam and tried anything I mentioned or if you did something I totally missed!

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Places we didn't try but caught our attention:

- The Avocado Show Restaurant

- Golden Temple Restaurant

- Zoet & Hartig Haarlemmerdijk

- Hakata Senpachi

- Amsterdam Cheese Museum