Travel Diaries: Amsterdam

Hey Guys,

So today I wanted to kick start a new series on my Blog. I've decided to do quite a few series which you will being seeing on my blog including today's topic, Travel Diaries. My aim is to share my tips and advice about certain places I've been/going to so I can share my love for these amazing places and also share the bad parts too!

I am starting the series off with my favourite place in the whole wide world EVER. Amsterdam. To say I have only been 3 times, I feel like it's my second home. And so far, I haven't gone or got a trip to Amsterdam planned this year which is heart-breaking … going to have to sort that out! So the series are going to have 5 parts to them to ensure a wide amount of things are spoken about but if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.

First of all 1. Travel

One of the main things I can advise when booking a trip to Amsterdam is to fly there rather than go on the ferry. Legit, everyone I have spoken to who didn't like Amsterdam, have all gone on the ferry. I dont know whether that's because they only got either one or two rushed days there or because of the long journey from the ferry port to the city but it just doesn't seem to work if you want the full experience Amsterdam offers to so many people. Going by plane literally takes an hour and it feels like 20 mins you're in the air without taking off or landing. It's the quickest flight ever and it's so easy to navigate round in the airport there. It's actually a very nice airport with good shops and places to relax. Personally i'd never even plan to go on the ferry so 100% look at flights! If i'm correct, some ferry options means you dont even get to stay over in Amsterdam which I think you're deffo not getting the full Amsterdam experience if you're not there for more than 24 hours... re-think everything if you're not flying!

Next, travelling around when you get to Amsterdam. Don't get me wrong, the best way to travel when you're there is to walk as you get to see everything and it is so pretty there that everything is nice to look at and a long walk is never boring. But, depending where you are staying, it might be worth getting a pass for the trams, which is an experience in itself. The first time me and Zac went we didn't use the trams once as we were in a very central place (I will get onto hotels next) and we only used the tram on the last day. Basically, you pay for passes either on the tram at a person who is either at the front or in the carriage or at a kiosk dotted around Amsterdam. You then use the passes to scan in and out of the tram when you get on and get off. You can get day, week, 3 day etc passes which can work out cheaper depending how long you're there for and they're super easy to catch. You can literally type it in on your phone where you want to go on maps and it will tell you what number tram you need to get and where to get on. The second time we went we stayed out of the centre so we used a tram every day but the third time we went, even though we were still quite central, we got a weeks pass so we ended up travelling to different parts of Amsterdam we might not have walked to. We also got lost at some point and ended up in the wrong place, but its all fun and games!

Next up, 2. Accommodation

The first and last time we went we stayed at a lovely hotel called The Alfred Hotel. Very affordable, modern and in a central location. It's situated near the museum area which is about a 20 min walk from the city (sometimes took us 20 mins, sometimes took us an hour...depends whether you get distracted!) but it was a nice walk and surrounded by cute little shops and boutiques. The hotel offers a wide range of rooms but doesn't offer breakfast. The first time we stayed there, we had a very weird experience where the cupboard fell off the wall at around 3am one night. We still to this day have no idea why or how that happened but it didn't put us off going again and both times round the room was clean, compact and what we needed. I do believe there are some rooms which are under-ground which you can choose not to have if you don't like the idea of it. I also dont think there is a place to hang your clothes either so depending what type of clothing you take you may want to consider that! The staff there were lovely and you can also rent a bike from reception!

The second time we went we stayed In an Air B&B. If you book far in advance you can get some amazing places to stay including apartments next to a canal and also canal boats to stay on. They have always been fully booked when I've looked but I am determined to stay in a boat one day! The apartment we stayed In was about 1 hour & half walk but only around the corner from an Albert Heijn - the most amazing supermarket ever. Staying in an apartment was a completely different experienced which I also loved. We were able to really live like a local and it was a different staying in someone else's home but also welcoming and comfortable. We had our own little balcony, could cook dinner at home (even though we LOVED eating out) and I think could work better for people who like a bit more room and space when going away. My advice when booking on Air B&B is to not stay any further than a 20 min tram journey away from the city as the travelling could become annoying if it's too far.

One of the most popular ways to get around other than trams are by bike! Literally everyone there bikes and there are lanes on the roads specifically for the riders so you have to look a billion times before crossing the road, even then someone nearly takes you out! There are so many places to hire bikes, most hotels do so and you can find different hire shops around the city.

3. Food & Drink

One of the many reasons I LOVE Amsterdam is the food! Fresh cakes, donuts, cheese, bread, waffles, fruit, coffee, milkshakes, smoothies, pizza - any food you can think off, they have it! Walking around the city, your nose is full of the different smells coming from each corner you go round. All we seem to do in Amsterdam is walk, eat, window shop, eat, walk, coffee stop, eat, explore, walk and EAT SOME MORE. It's all you could ever want for a holiday.

The DampKring Coffee shop has the most AMAZING

strawberry milkshake - honestly, I have never tasted something so nice and every time I've gone over the last 3 years they have tasted the exact same! Another recommendation of ours is the New York Pizza's they have dotted around the city - you NEED to try the 4 cheese pizza, I have never tasted pizza like it and you can get a maahooosive slice for like 1 Euro.

We visited the Hard Rock Café the first time we went and the service was amazing. Try the chicken wings for starters! Also, for the burger lovers you NEED to try Lombardo's Gourmet Burgers and have a Lamb burger - Oh My God...I can still taste it now. Next up, The Breakfast Club. This is somewhere my friend recommended the first year we went and we went exploring one day to find out when we got there for late brunch at 4pm...it had closed. We literally walked ALL DAY but we managed to find it last time we went (the power of maps on our phones and a tram pass). There are loads of different ones around the city but I recommend you share two plates because there is just too much to choose from! We had an English Breakfast and American Pancakes...both amazing. I also had a green smoothie & Zac got an English Breakfast Tea. Next up is a place called Lost and Found in Amsterdam. We had a hot chocolate and Vanilla milkshake here and vibes were so nice. Very chilled out, cliché Amsterdam but again. amazing service. On our last trip we found the amazing Aran Irish Pub which is near the Van Gough Museum & Vondel Park. Lovely atmosphere in there and we also had a lovely meal there one night. Reminded me of PS I love you and then the song The Galway Girl that Gerad Butler sings came on and I was loving it. Bagels and Beans was a place we went to one morning for breakfast which was very tasty and last but not least, Gaucho's was our treat of the holiday. I had a filet steak which was to die for! Highly recommend for date night.

4. Attractions

So unlike most people, I haven't done the typical, Ice Bar, Lookout or Anne Frank. All three of those things however are the 3 things I want to do next time I go. We went the the Van Gough Museum which was incredible. Something so different and interesting to see. I was obsessed with his sunflower drawing as a child and to see that in real life, right in front of me was something I will always remember. Vondel Park is an amazing park which I have seen both in summer and winter and I can say is beautiful all year round. We saw it when it was all frozen up and the ice had covered the paths but we also saw it when the leaves were green and the sun beaming onto the water. It's a lovely place to get away from the city to relax and we had to walk through there every night to get to our hotel and wasn't one bit scary! That's one of the things I love about Amsterdam, I always felt safe.

One of our favourite things we did was The Zoo. It was something we hadn't thought of doing and we went in the middle of February so it was cold meaning some of the animals weren't out but we spent the whole day there. There was so much to see and a nice café with gorgeous food to eat. As far as I can remember it wasn't expensive and it was 100% worth the money. We would highly recommend.

The shopping in Amsterdam is ridiculously good. From high street shops to designer, to little boutiques and shops such as Brandy Melville. There is something for everyone so make sure you take some spare money because guaranteed you will want to shop all day long.

If coffee shops are your thing or you're going with someone who's wanted to go to them, a few I have found nice and not over the top are The DampKring and Easy Times. They are both very chilled with really nice people running both places and I felt very welcome from going in there my first and last time.

5. Expenses

I have found that accommodation and flights can be either very cheap or very expensive. Weekends are obviously more than week days. Summer is more expensive. Sometimes it's better to purchase a holiday package and sometimes its cheaper to buy separate. The best thing I've learnt is to shop around and try every way to find the best option. Easy Jet do very cheap flights sometimes and then at the end of booking flights offer hotels at discounted prices. Or if you book early enough on Air B&B you can get some amazing deals on there. But for example, the first time me and Zac went I think we paid around roughly £180 each for flights and hotel for 4 days which was great because we booked it 2 weeks before and it was like -80 outside so no one was going haha. But do your research and also I booked The Alfred Hotel online directly through their website the second time we went there as they had a good offer on but the first time we went I got a deal with Easy Jet when booking through them.

Amsterdam itself is very expensive depending what you want to do. Try planning out your days. For example if you know you want to do the Anne Frank tour, you have to book it to avoid waiting in a queue for 2 hours so decide what you want to do for the amount of days you're there and take into consideration food in restaurants probably average around 7-20 Euro's but you can also get cheap alternatives such as the New York Pizza or if you are staying in an apartment with kitchen appliances there lovely supermarkets to shop in to cook your food at home on the odd night.

Overall, personally, my experiences of Amsterdam have been amazing. I have never felt so at home, away from home. Everyone makes you feel welcome wherever you go, the atmosphere is so relaxing you just feel so at ease and everywhere you look you just need to take a picture. Also, for any dog lovers, they are everywhere. Made me miss my little pooch at home but it made me happy seeing so many different doggies running along side their owners bike and loving life in the park.

A lot of people, including myself before I went assumes Amsterdam is only for people who smoke weed and want to go to the Red Light District but there is so much more to see. The culture itself is something which makes me want to go back every year and I think out of anywhere in the world I would love to live there. You make it what you want to and If you want to go sit in the coffee shops its amazing. If you want to go to all the museums there is so much to see and if you like walking there is so many pretty places to look.

I will continue to love Amsterdam and I have enjoyed writing this post so much because it makes me happy thinking about it. Every time I smell good coffee or look at the pictures on my phone it takes me back to how I feel when I'm there. Content.

So if you haven't been, please go. You wont regret it.

If you liked this post and have enjoyed reading, please let me know. I am planning on doing a few other travel diaries as I have loved writing this one.

Until next time,

Chloe x