Quick Facts:
- Population: ~2.5 million in Greater Amsterdam area
- Currency: Euro
Did you Know?
- Amsterdam has over 165 canals. It has more canals and bridges than Venice!
- The city sits about 6.5 feet below sea level.
Getting Around:
- Amsterdam city center is very walkable. Most tourist spots are within a 15-20 minute walk.
- Bicycles! There are more bikes than people living in the city. Be careful, though, biking is serious business for locals and commuters.
- There are trams and the metro for traveling longer distances (e.g. airport).
What kind of electrical outlets do they have in Amsterdam? Click here to find out!
I loved Amsterdam! It’s a wonderful city to just walk around and explore.
Even though the streets were busy with people – and bicycles! – there was a certain calmness that made us want to take our time and admire beauty and quirkiness that makes Amsterdam so intriguing. Speaking of quirky, we stayed at the Sir Adam Hotel which was a quick ferry ride across from the Amsterdam Centraal train station. The hotel and staff were excellent and to my amusement, the elevators were literal karaoke machines! Each elevator carried a particular music genre, and I found myself grabbing the mic each ride and letting ‘er rip! So fun!!
As I mentioned, it was a quick (and free) ferry ride to travel from the train station side of the city to where we stayed. As one ferry left shore another arrived, so the waiting time was minimal. Lots of people, bikes and some small cars piled on for the trips back and forth. The ride took less than 5 minutes.
Here are some of the other sights we took in:
You can’t visit Amsterdam without taking a tour of the canals by boat. Even though the city is lovely by foot, taking in the view while on water gives a unique perspective. It’s very peaceful floating by the narrow buildings. Later I learned that their narrow design was actually a tax dodge; residents were historically taxed on the width of their canal frontage!
After our canal cruise we walked over to The Anne Frank House which is really a museum built around the actual house. Unfortunately, entrance tickets were sold out, and we couldn’t enter (lesson learned – make reservations on the museum website before your trip). We got into a conversation with a street vendor across the street and he filled us in on some of the views inside. The museum is located in the Jordaan District of the city which has picture post card views of the city.
Just a short walk from our hotel was the Eye Filmmuseum. The building itself looks like a futuristic spaceship or a folding piece of paper. Beyond just watching films, the museum explores the science of light and motion, offering a sharp, avant-garde contrast to the historic brickwork of the city center.
Being a foodie, one of the most important stops during our visit was to stop at a shop to try out the local frites (french fries). We stopped in at Fabel Friet Nieuwendijk and tried the fries with the mayo sauce and of course, ketchup. Delicious! So glad we did all that walking to counteract those calories!
Amsterdam – I’d go back again in a heartbeat. The people, the scenery, the vibe – all magnificent!
