SURPRISE ME!

48 Hours in Amsterdam

Namrata Dhingra

Last updated: Apr 3, 2017

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Do

Go up the Westertoren for fabulous panorama views of Amsterdam
Visit the famous Bloemenmarkt flower market along the Singel
Catch a free lunchtime performance at the Concertegebouw on a Wednesday

Eat

Kaasplank or cheese plate and suddervlees or stewed beef at the city’s Dutch restaurants. Try Café de Klos, Vyne, or Café Bern

Click

Beautiful shots of the city’s canals in the day and at night
Get clicked inside a brewing vessel at the Heieneken Experience

Filmy

Bollywood films ‘Hum Tum’ and ‘Queen’ have been shot in Amsterdam

Greetings

Hello: Hallo
Good Morning: Goedemorgen
Thank You: Dank je
Where is this?: Waar is dit?

Want To Go ? 
   

Beautiful, unconventional, and uniquely diverse, one can never have enough time to soak in the best of Amsterdam. This Dutch capital is full of surprises for the young and the old, the peace loving and the party buffs, the nature-lovers and the art enthusiasts.

But despite a long must-do list and paucity of time, I, along with a bunch of other enthusiastic folks, decided to plunge into the history, culture, beauty, and madness of Amsterdam, and make the most of it.

Here’s a sneak peak of our 48 hours in Amsterdam:

Day 1

11:00 a.m.: Picturesque canals, crisscrossing bridges, charming buildings, and prettiness all around. Visiting Amsterdam was like stepping into that long preserved postcard from some exotically beautiful country. We took no time to leave our luggage at the hotel and dash outside.

amsterdam-canals


Places to Stay: From quirky hostels and canal-side stays, to charming bed & breakfasts and luxurious hotels, Amsterdam is packed with accommodation options for all kinds of travellers. Hostel Croydon, Hotel Allure, Bilderberg Hotel Jan Luyken, and Radisson Blu Hotel Amsterdam are a few recommendations.

12:00 p.m.: Oohs and aahs, and a lot of clicking sounds as we cruised over Amsterdam’s gorgeous canals and discovered its many highlights. This hour long canal cruise, touring Amsterdam from the waters, was one of the most gratifying experiences in the city.

There couldn’t have been a better start to our trip!

Canal cruise Guide: A quintessential part of Amsterdam, its canals have been granted UNESCO’s world heritage status, and are the best way to see the city.

Choose from a large selection of guided boat tours, hop-on-hop-off cruises, candle-lit dinner cruises, and child friendly tours, with various points of departure throughout the city every 30 or 60 minutes.

2:00 p.m.: Time for the mandatory “I Amsterdam” picture.
Reached the iconic sign only to find it super crowded. Made a mental note to come back later.

2:30 p.m.: Museum hopping at the grand Museumplein Square where we lost track of time.

A captivating tour of the Dutch impressionist Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings. A close experience of the greatest works of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and other famous artists at the impressive Rjiksmuseum, and a taste of contemporary artwork at the Stedelijk museum of modern art.

amsterdam-van-gogh-museum


Truly an art lover’s paradise!

What not to Miss: Shops inside these world famous museums, where masterpieces are reproduced as exclusive gifts and souvenirs for you to take home.

I Amsterdam City Card: A more affordable and convenient way of exploring Amsterdam, purchase this card online or from one of the many tourist offices, shops, and museums throughout the city. This all-inclusive pass offers great discounts, special deals and free entry to many of the city’s museums, attractions, and public transport.

5:00 p.m.: A moving experience of Prisengracht house where the diarist Anne Frank and her family hid from the Germans during WWII. Original photographs, documents, and memorabilia of the lives of the Jews in hiding and the atrocities committed against them have been preserved in the house and will send chills down your spine.

Book in advance, as this must-see attraction is usually sold out!

6:30 p.m.: Hunger pangs, and the whiff of something delicious cooking lured us towards a row of street food vendors.

A couple of juicy hotdogs, thick Dutch fries, croquettes, and delectable stroopwafels (a waffle made with two thin layers of baked dough, filled with caramel) later, we were all charged up for more sightseeing, exploring, and discovering.

amsterdam-cheese-pizza


For those up for something exotic, the raw herring (a raw fish with a strong taste) is a must try Dutch specialty available at herring carts all over the city, especially between May and July.

8:00 p.m.: Curious, intrigued and a tee bit nervous walk through the notorious red light district, the several cheesy sex shops, and the drug idyll coffee shops. And a stroll was enough to get a taste of the wild side of Amsterdam, ever so popular for stag parties and hen nights.

Looking for more details? You have to go check it out for yourself!

Unlike most countries, Amsterdam wholly supports prostitution and soft drugs and takes pride in its liberal attitude.

10:00 p.m.: Pub crawl amidst a group of other party enthusiasts, exploring the much talked about and ever vibrant nightlife of Amsterdam.

11:00 p.m.: A third round of drinks, followed by selfies with random strangers.

11.30 p.m.: A round of shots and a whole lot of crazy dancing.

Amsterdam nightlife: The best way to discover Amsterdam’s many bars and nightclubs are the popular pub crawls, offering handpicked venues, free drinks and dancing till the early hours of dawn. Choose from a whole lot options and revel in the eclectic atmosphere. In addition to the standard crawls, there are self-guided crawl routes, pub crawls with board games, romantic crawls for couples and more.

Day 2

11.30 a.m.: Fresh attempts to click that perfect picture with the “I Amsterdam” sign.

12:00 p.m.: After a lot of waiting, photo bombing, and climbing to the top of the vacant letters, we finally managed our own frame-worthy Amsterdam souvenir.

i-amsterdam-sign


1:00 p.m.: Bike ride to join the locals in this extremely cycle-friendly city. Invigorating and adventurous, this experience of the Amsterdam way of life made us fall in love with the city all over again.

Bike Culture- Biking is to Amsterdam as walking is to Florence. With a perfect network of bike paths and plenty of bike rentals across the city, cycling is the ideal way of getting around. Mac Bike, Rent-A-Bike, and A-Bike Rental have rental shops at several locations, and some such as Yellow Bike offer guided city tours on bikes as well. So locate the one closest to you and hop on a bike!

2.30 p.m.: A “cheesy” afternoon at the Amsterdam Cheese Museum, where we were introduced to the history, production, and extraordinary variety of Dutch cheese.

For cheese lovers like me, sampling the different assortments of Dutch specialty cheeses was the best part of this experience!

World of Dutch Cheese: Cheese has been a passion in Netherlands for over 600 years now and different varieties of cheese are often named after its different cities. Craving some more? There are also a number of cheese shops, markets, and tasting rooms throughout Amsterdam such as Amsterdam Cheese Company, Henri Willig Cheese & More, Reypenaer Tasting Room, Tromp etc. Do take home your favourite.

4:00 p.m.: Stepped into the world of Heineken beer at its home in Amsterdam.

6:00 p.m.: Happy and a bit tipsy, after an hour long behind-the-scenes Heineken brewery tour, followed by an hour of fun simulation games, interactive photo and video booths, a 5D show, and a whole lot of beer tasting.

Beer lover or not, the Heineken Experience is totally worth a visit!

amsterdam-heineken-experience


6:30 p.m.: A breather at the bustling Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s largest and most popular park. This vast area of playgrounds, cafes, lakes, and an open-air theatre makes for the perfect picnic spot.

Parklife: Along with canals, Amsterdam is blessed with dozens of great parks, and picnics on these sprawling green spaces are considered to be the ideal way of spending holidays and sunny days.

7:30 p.m.: Retail therapy at the charming stores, vintage shops and designer boutiques of De Negen Straatjes or The Nine Streets.

10:00 p.m.: A walk by the lit up canals for the dreamy night-time views of this ever charming city.

12:00 p.m.: All set to crash after a much overwhelming and fulfilling time in Amsterdam.

2:00  a.m.: Fantasizing another visit to Amsterdam. Another time. Another holiday

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