4 Days in Amsterdam – Where to stay, What to do and Where to eat

Amsterdam- Canals. Flowers. Windmills. …NAILED IT✌

Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its art, elaborate canals and incredible architecture, narrow houses with gabled facades, legacies of the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. Amsterdam is world-famous for the bicycles and they are everywhere. I would say Smoky Amsterdam, Yes really it was. The smell of weed is in the air of Amsterdam. 
I visited this beautiful city during easter time with my partner. Luckily weather was quite friendly in those four days. Only the night we reached in Amsterdam, was terrible; it was raining and so chilly. But we were lucky as the rest of the days were quite sunny.

Nearest airport is Schipol Airport which is not quite far from main city. You can look for hotels around airport and travel to city by train but personally I love to stay in city center on first visit. Trains from Schipol airport run to Amsterdam Central Station very frequently and cost just 5 euro one way and the journey take less than 20 minutes. Tickets for this journey can be bought from the ticket office or ticket machines inside the airport itself or you can buy online in advance.

It’s easy to walk around in Amsterdam and there is a good and less expensive bus and tram system. The trams have a number of tickets available that are valid for different time length. You can buy a one hour ticket for €2.90 on the tram; a 24 hour card for €7.50. Alternatively you can hire a bike and explore the city using the cycle paths. Amsterdam is the most bicycle friendly city in the world. I heard on one of the tour that Dutch people invented bicycles along with so many other things. 

Where to stay in Amsterdam-

There are plenty of hotel options available in and near Amsterdam but I noticed that prices are bit higher compared to other cities in Europe. may be its due to big number of tourists visiting Amsterdam across whole year for various reasons.

We stayed at Hotel Luxer, located in the heart of Amsterdam. The main railway station is also just a ten-minute walk away with frequent trains to and from Schiphol Airport. Hotel Luxer is close to main attractions in the city centre like Museums, Dam Square, Amsterdam Royal Palace, Canals, Pretty canal-side cafes and Red Light district. Room was not very big but who cares about room size when you have a city to explore; only mattress must be good after a long walk. I really liked the intimate décor and purple theme.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone, if already full and booked try to find a hotel near city center only.

What To do in Amsterdam:

This section can be never ending but all of us have different tastes so I will go through in details for only things which I covered. Order is as per our itinerary but you can plan as per your preference.

Day 1:
We checked in to our hotel around 4 pm and didn’t rest for a single moment to start exploring this city ;-)

Canal Cruise:

Canal Cruise was the first thing which I did. While visiting a new city I always prefer to join a walking tour or river cruise. In Amsterdam you can’t avoid canal cruise. This helps you a lot to know about the city and shows the majestic view of the city’s architecture. This one hour cruise takes you through gorgeous canals, boat houses, iconic bridges, beautiful churches and many more attractions. You should definitely experience the Canals Cruise– don’t skip them. Amsterdam has plenty of companies who offer canal tours throughout the day and evenings – with dinner or without! We took The Lovers Canal Cruise. Cost of ticket is €16 per adult but you can get €5 discount voucher from your hotel lobby. I am not sure but hopefully all cruise follow similar routes to cover most part of the city. You should ask for a map and route planner before buying tickets.

City Walk-

We love exploring a new city at ground level. So we didn’t hire any bike. It brings the opportunity for adventure and spontaneity, getting lost and finding hidden facets of a place that you may not added into your itinerary. While wandering discover the gorgeous city canals which are enough to entertain and delight. They’re actually quite picturesque and belong to the city’s history. The most picturesque canals are in the Jordaan district where you can see the beautiful historic buildings and their reflections on the canal waters.  Stop for a drink or a coffee at the café by the Torensluis, Amsterdam's oldest bridge and watch the boats float by.

Beautiful Amsterdam at night-

At night we headed back into Center to explore the crazy nightlife of the city. Believe me… Amsterdam becomes more beautiful at night. 

Red Light District-De Wallen, also well known as Red-Light District. This is a designated area for legalized prostitution. This is a famous attraction for tourists. You can watch live shows and personal dance as per your choice. You can visit museum of prostitution and learn long history of the oldest profession in the world. You will find lots of small illuminated rooms where you can see strippers through glass doors. We didn’t knock on any door but you can always go as per your preference. Just don’t try to take pictures of anyone and be aware of pick pocketing.

De Waag- While roaming around this vicinity we came across a beautiful building, Restaurant De Waag in Nieuwmarkt. The weigh house was originally built in 1488 as one of Amsterdam’s city gates, St Anthony’s Port. If you don’t pay attention or if you are not aware already then you can't guess that this is a restaurant. Didn’t try food there but picture was awesome.

FO GUANG SHAN HE HUA- Behind red light district main street you can find this beautiful Buddhist temple. A good point to take pictures.

Oude Kerk - Oude Kerk (Old Church) is the the oldest building in Amsterdam, situated at the heart of de Wallen, consecrated in 1306. This is also located next to red light district and can be admired in day and night both.

That’s enough for day one, we were pretty tired now but good thing is that bed is not far from here.
Day 2:

KEUKENHOF- Love Paradise for flower lovers

Luckily weather wise 2nd day morning was not as bad as previous evening. Sun was shinning and Amsterdam was calling us to this beautiful day with flowers. This brings us to our next main attraction - Keukenhof gardens, a truly unique place that will leave you speechless.

Keukenhof is the largest bulb-flower park in the world. For 2018 The Keukenhof theme is ‘Romance in Flowers’ and its open until 13th May 2018. After that this spring garden opens door next year around end of march. The most beautiful spring park in the world with its sea of flowers will put you in a romantic, spring mood.

If you are staying near airport then you can get direct buses to keukenhof but from city center you have to change twice. So we decided to took a tour bus from hoponhopoff tour company which includes fast track entry to garden, return tickets to city and some video presentation about Amsterdam and the garden. They charges 38 euros but you can buy tickets from keuknhof website including journey which costs around 29 euro. hoponhopoff bus tour ticket centre is at the ground floor of a’dam lookout Tower. I don’t need to tell you what to do once you reach there as they say keep your camera batteries full.

Keukehof tour takes around half of the day so after that we were running short of time bt Amsterdam trip cant be complete without visiting museum’s quarter. You can find Van Gough Museum, Rijksmuseum, Vondelpark, Begijnhof all at same place but we didn’t actually visit the museums from inside because we are not a big time museum fan and also time was limited. I liked the outside view of the Rijksmuseum. There is one 'I AMSTERDAM' Sign as well which was overcrowded.
Ann Frank House-

The house where Anne Frank and her family hid from Nazi persecution.this this place got its popularity from book ‘the diary of ann’ The Anne Frank House is one of the most popular tourist 'attractions' in Amsterdam. But for that you will have to wait a couple of hours in the queue if you don't have a ticket already. Tickets are available only on the official website and they sell out months in advance. Gates open after 3.30pm so you'll be wasting most of your day waiting in a long queue. It’s definitely worth booking tickets online in advance. Cost of ticket is €9 per adult.
‘I AMSTERDAM’ SIGN-This ‘I AMSTERDAM’ Sign is outside of the A’DAM Lookout. It is less crowded than the other which is at Rijksmuseum. You can easily take pictures here.

De Rokin Fontein- Mark Manders Rokin Fountain/Sculpture. We found this on our way to Rijksmuseum. This sculpture is just outside of Hudson’s Bay Shopping Store, another tourist attraction.

This brings us to end of second day and time to enjoy some drinks and special café in Amsterdam. That’s up to you to explore but for first timers you can check out Original Dampkring.
Day 3:
Third day of our trip and weather was cloudy with periods of sun. we had breakfast at Omelegg which serves best omelets in town. It was next to our hotel and we can see a queue there all day. After breakfast we went out to look for famous windmill village of netherland.
Zaanse Schans-

Zaanse Schans is a picturesque windmill village with typical green timbered houses. It is famous for its historical atmosphere and authentic warehouses. We didn’t take any tour to Zaanse Schans as public transport option was really comfortable from the hotel.

There are 3 options available to reach Zaanse Schans.

1. Take the bus 391 from the Amsterdam centraal bus stop and it will take 45 minutes to reach your destination. The cost of the day ticket is €11, 50 per person. There is also 891 bus which only takes 20 mins but doesn’t run all time.
2. Take the train to Uitgeest and get off at the fourth stop Koog-Zaandijk. Then it’s a 15 minutes’ walk from Koog-Zaandijk to Zaanse Schans. One way-journey fare is €4.11 per person.
3. Take HopOnHopOff Tour and they cover lots of other points along with windmill village. Cost is 28 euro and tour starts from ‘this is holland’ building.

Once you reach there, you will be mesmerized by natural beauty. If you are interested in windmills working then you can visit the famous windmill De Kat from inside else take a walk, enjoy cheese and shoe factories and relax.

Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm - 

Netherlands is famous for cheese and without going to cheese factory or cheese farms you can’t complete trip. This place is filled with enough cheese to satisfy your cheese craving as you can try different kind of samples there. We bought garlic cheese and apricot & white wine cheese dip from there and it’s delicious.

Before coming back from this village, don’t forget to pay a visit to kooijman woden shoe workshop. They tell you history of wooden shoes and how they make them. You can buy souveniers or real shoes from there. Entry is free.

Now we are back in the city and time to explore few more missing points –

Dam Square- Dam Square is, Ta town square in the city and covers few of the most famous points. You can see National Monument stands across the road which is in the memory of the fallen from WWII.  In front of this monument you can see Royal Palace of Amsterdam. At one corner you will find Madam Tussauds Museum and Ripley's Believe it or not museum.

Due to above mentioned attractions you will find this place crowded.  Don’t forget to check if there is any special activity going around at dam square as in summers you can find Fun Park and memorial day celebrations there. There are lots of busy cafes, restaurants and bars around the Square. 
Dam Square- 

Royal Palace of Amsterdam- 

Madam Tussauds- 

After dam square we decided to go Heineken experience and on the way covered Flower Market. Flower Market or Bloemenmarkt is the world’s only floating flower market.

Fact time: Netherlands is the largest exporter of flowers in the world. So one should visit and see varieties of flowers in the market.

Heineken Experience-

Save this part for the last evening of your trip. In Amsterdam you can’t miss Heineken boards and ads. This experience is located at old Heineken brewery. When the brewery moved from here to Zoeterwoude, the building was completely renovated and turned into Heineken Experience. In the pumping heart of the old brewery, you can dive into the beer. In a 90 minutes self-guided tour, you will learn about the company’s heritage, brewing process, innovations. You will find out that world-famous beer is made from just 4 natural ingredients. Actually I think most of the beers use same ingredients but they are different in ratio and quality, but who cares.
You can book your ticket in advance via official Heineken Experience Website or you can buy it at the entrance. Entry is allowed till 9pm in weekends and 5pm in weekdays. If you don’t want to wait in queue then I would suggest to buy tickets online or from any ticket agent. But if you don’t have tickets then make sure that you reach there well before in time as they close the ticket counter 2 hours before closing time. Two free drinks are included in this tour at Heineken own bar, so we enjoyed our time there with good music and then took a walk back to city center for café and dinner. I have covered eating places at different section below.

Day 4:

Last day of the trip, but energy was still high and we were fresh as tulips. So we thought let’s take a look of the beautiful city from the highest point, A’dam lookout.
A’DAM Lookout- The Lookout is the crown on the Amsterdam Tower, The iconic building right next to the Eye Film Institute and opposite to the central station. This is perfect place to enjoy panoramic views of Amsterdam. Take the free ferry from behind the station to reach there. Price of standard entrance ticket is €12.50per person which doesn’t include swing tickets. You can buy tickets for swing on rooftop or directly buy them at ticket counter. They have a proper restaurant on top floor where you can enjoy food and wine with city views. Luckily we got complimentary tickets for A’DAM Lookout from hoponhopoff tours J

Amsterdam Sunset-

Catch the free ferry from behind Amsterdam Central to Amsterdam-Noord. Here you will find another I Amsterdam sign, the Eye Film Institute. It’s a perfect place to enjoy Amsterdam sunset over the canals. Take a visit in Pllek for an hour before sunset and enjoy sunset views with a cold Dutch brew!

This brings us to end of our journey and time to say goodbye to Amsterdam until we meet again.
But you can check out all places to enjoy vegetarian food in below section -
Where to eat-

Amsterdam is like a buffet for food lovers including vegetarians, which is not very common in Europe. This city has endless and affordable options for drinks, bar and food. There are plenty of Indian Restaurants as well but we didn’t try any Indian food there this time. In this section I have covered all the places where we enjoyed food during our trip.

Coffee- Amsterdam has a rich heritage of excellent coffee shops. De Koffieschenkerij, Bakers & Roasters make really great coffee. The bulldog is one of the oldest coffee shops in Amsterdam. Don’t get confused between coffee shops and cafes in Amsterdam. In general cafes are famous for herbal products along with coffee. If you are not into that then look for coffee shops only.

‘Sweetella’- Amazing Waffles!

I would say Amsterdam is full of Waffles. These waffles are super crisp on the outside, light as a feather inside and so scrumptious! Topped with tangy fruits and drenched with melted hot chocolate. The perfect street food you can even enjoy while walking. 

‘Da Portare Via’- Best Pizza in town!

Exceptional Pizza! Classic Italian Style thin crust, crispy, crunchy pizza cooked in wood oven fire. They really have the best pizza in town. They have a number of vegetarian options. Their Tiramisu is also very yummy! We like it so much that we had lunch and dinner both there and can go again anytime.

‘Pancakes Amsterdam’- Awesome Pancakes!

Just near Amsterdam Central station, try famous pancakes at Pancakes Amsterdam. We tried their Veggie Pancake, it was absolutely yummy! They have variety of sweet pancakes as well. It closes at 7:00pm!

‘Omelegg’- Just one word- Ultimate!

We stopped there for breakfast or you can say queued up. They have huge variety of omelettes. We tried ‘The Spicy Mariachi’ and ‘Greek Wedding’. Fluffy stuffed omelettes filled with cheese and fresh vegetables, served with fresh brown bread and fresh crunchy salad on the side.  Loved their fresh carrot juice!

‘Burger Bar Warmoesstraat’– Excellent Burgers!

They have two Vegetarian burgers and both are yummy. I forgot to take photo of that as I was very hungry and finished my burger in few minutes.

'Burgerij' – Yummy Veg Burgers!

They have two burgers on the menu. One is made with chickpeas (falafel flavour) and other is made with oyster mushrooms.

Luckily all these restaurants were conveniently located near our hotel so again choosing a good hotel is important for a trip.