A Weekend in Amsterdam: Bite-Sized Magic by the Canals

We flew from Newcastle with EasyJet, which was easy and quick. The flight was super fast; it was over before I knew it! We got the metro from the airport to Sloterdijk, where we stayed for the trip.

We stayed at the Urban Lodge Hotel, a 5-minute walk from the Sloterdijk station. Sloterdijk is a very convenient area, close enough to the centre on transport, but without the prices of staying in the centre!

I recommend the Urban Lodge Hotel. The rooms are spacious, the hotel has a lovely atmosphere, and the staff are very friendly.

We started by having brunch at 'Local Flavour', located up the street from the hotel. We enjoyed banana pancakes with bacon, maple syrup, a granola bowl, matcha, and a cup of tea, which cost around €15 per person. This was delicious, and the location was convenient, close to the hotel, which meant we didn't have to wait in the queues closer to the centre.

We then took the metro into central Amsterdam. The metro is convenient, as multiple metros always go to central Amsterdam! We got a day ticket, which cost €7.10 per person.

We had a river cruise booked, so we decided to walk from Central Station to the pickup point, which was around a 40-minute walk. It was great to familiarise ourselves with the city.

The river cruise was another fantastic way to see the major attractions and learn about the city's history! You can choose from multiple river cruise options, whether you want to enjoy a daytime or nighttime, food or no food cruise.

For lunch, we decided to fuel ourselves with a cookie and hot chocolate from Het Koekemannetje, which was delicious! We also had a quick sandwich and smoothie from Joe and the Juice, which was very tasty!

We strolled around the canals, enjoying the beautiful scenery around every corner.

We enjoyed a meal at Hongdae in the evening, which was amazing, although expensive! We got two corndogs, six chicken wings and six chicken drumsticks, and two drinks, which came to €43 for two people.

We started the day by having breakfast at Omlegg, close to the central station. It was a 20-minute wait to get seated, but it was worth it. We went at a peak time - 11 am - so going earlier could ensure you don't have as long of a wait.

We then wandered to a popular photo booth in Raamsteeg 2 called Boothclub Amsterdam, which has the most aesthetic photo booth strips and costs €6.

Right opposite the photo booth is a bakery called Hans Egstorf, the oldest bakery in Amsterdam, where we had the most amazing Stroopwafel!

We then went to the Moco Museum, which cost €22 per person. The museum shows Banksy, Warhol, and, to my surprise, Robbie Williams, whose exhibition was actually my favourite!

We had food at Tokyo Ramen Takeichi Kerk. We shared a bowl of ramen and had one drink each. The ramen was delicious and cost €24 in total. The staff here were super friendly, and it wasn't super busy!

We visited the outside of Anne Franks's house and felt the story's impact behind it. It was very impactful, even just seeing the outside of the house!

We ended the night by getting snacks from the local store and returning to the hotel, anticipating our early wake-up to travel home!

WHO WOULD THIS TYPE OF TRIP BE SUITED TO?

This type of trip would be suited to city lovers who like to wander around and explore. Due to the large city, there will be a lot of walking, renting bikes, and transportation to see all the amazing sites.

BEST EXPERIENCE FROM THE TRIP?

My best experience was strolling through the canals and wandering the streets. Amsterdam is such a pretty place to walk around and take in the sites!

Favourite Restaurant Visited:

Although it's not a restaurant, I loved the Stroopwafel from Hans Egstorf. It was the first Stroopwafel I have ever had, and it did NOT disappoint!

General Comments and Tips:

Amsterdam is huge; if you don't want to walk everywhere, I recommend getting a travel card, which varies in price. They start from £7.51 per person and include access to multiple public transport options. Some options are around £50 per person, including free or discounted access to certain attractions and free transport.

I recommend renting bikes to get around the centre, especially in the summer. So many people ride bikes, and it's a great way to see the massive city if you're only there for a short amount of time.