[NETHERLANDS] Amsterdam Travel Recommendation (5D4N itinerary)

13:33 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Amsterdam, capital of Netherlands, is famous for its 17th century canals, museums, architecture, red-lights districts and its marijuana-dispensing coffee shops (haha). No matter what you came here for, Amsterdam has something to offer to everyone.


Getting in:

Schiphol Airport is the main international airport of the Netherlands. The easiest way to get from Shciphol Airport to Amsterdam is to take a NS (Dutch Railways) train to Amsterdam Centraal station (single way is 4.5euros). If you want to connect onto the metro, you can take the train to Amsterdam Zuid station. No bus from the airport will reach Amsterdam Central station, so it's rather inconvenient if you stay near the Central station.



Alternatively, you can arrive in Amsterdam by train from other European cities like I did. Most train arrive and depart from Amsterdam Centraal Station.


About Amsterdam Centraal Station:

The exterior of Amsterdam Centraal Station.







There is a piano for public use in the station. Anyone interested can share their talent here.



This is the passage connecting the northern and southern part of the station. City ferry to the north of Amsterdam or bus to other cities are located at the northern part of the station.  All city busses, trams and metro to all areas of Amsterdam are located at the southern part of the station.



There is also another tunnel connecting the northern and southern part of the station.



There is a clinic and pharmacy conveniently located on the northern part of the Amsterdam Central Station. It opens 7 days a week. I sprained my ankle on my 2nd day in Amsterdam and I found this clinic and pharmacy. Website: https://www.amsterdamcentralpharmacy.nl/



This is the ticket booth where you can buy NS or ICE train ticket and EBS bus ticket.



Take the escalator up and you'll find EBS bus platform. I bought EBS day ticket to visit the Amsterdam Waterland. The EBS day ticket is 9 euros if you buy it online which is 10% cheaper than buying at the ticket office.


Getting around:

Ticket booth inside Amsterdam Centraal Station. You can buy the OV-chipkaart here which you can load credit onto the card. It costs €7.50 (non-refundable) to purchase an 'empty' card with no credit in it. Take note that public transport (buses, metro or trams) requires a minimum check-in deposit of €4. Credit under €30 can be refunded with a €1 service fee at a transport company service desk.

It is also possible to buy a 24 hour-ticket. This day ticket works like an OV-chipkaart and is valid for the entire public transport network in Amsterdam.



This ticket machine allows you to buy disposable ticket (one-time use ticket) which carries a €1 surcharge over the standard fare. If you want to save money on NS train, remember that all e-ticket is 1 euro cheaper than a ticket from a ticket machine!

Regardless of what kind of ticket you're using, remember that you must always check-in and check-out of every journey using card readers. If you make mistakes by not checking-in or out properly, you'll lose the deposit on your OV-chipkaart or risk a fine.

From Amsterdam central, you can easily get to most tourist destinations on foot or by bike. Tram is another convenient way to get around the city especially if you need to get to Museumplein. 


Where to stay:

Accommodation which is located in the heart of Amsterdam is rather expensive. Any accommodation which isn't a hostel will cost you above EUR 100. The hotel I chose to stay is Avenue Hotel. A single room cost me on average EUR 125 per night (continental breakfast included). The price is quite reasonable as compared to other hotels in the area, considering its location.

The hotel location is strategic, just 5-minute walk away from Amsterdam Centraal Station. From the hotel, one can easily walk to Dam Square, featuring the Royal Palace and Madame Tussauds, about 5-minute walk away. It is near to the Red Light District, yet away from the hustle and bustle.



Reception area of the hotel.



You can take free brochures and coupon books near the reception area. There are also vending machines.



My single bedroom.



The basin is located outside the bathroom, which I found a bit unusual. Kettle, tea bag and instant coffee are provided in the room. Overall, I had a really comfortable stay in this hotel. Check the hotel price at Agoda, Booking.com, Hotels.com and Expedia.

I sprained my ankle on my 2nd day arriving in Amsterdam. The hotel receptionist was extra helpful in providing me ice pack and showing the location of nearest pharmacy from the hotel. Thanks to that, my swollen ankle was much better in the next morning and I was able to continue exploring the city.


Amsterdam canal cruise:

One shouldn't miss a canal cruise while in Amsterdam. It is a lovely way to explore the city. The cruise company that I chose was Lovers Canal Cruise. A day canal cruise ticket is typically 16 euros.


The Lovers Canal Cruises day canal cruise departs every 20 to 30 minutes between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. Its boats leave from three locations: the jetty on the west side of the Central Station, Leidseplein, and the Prins Hendrikkade.

Website: https://www.lovers.nl/





The cruise takes about 1 hour and takes visitors to some of the highlights of Amsterdam.


Attractions in Amsterdam:

The Central Branch of Amsterdam Public Library (Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam - OBA) makes a unique stop. Refer to my previous post here.


Go to OBA's 7th floor and you can see the view over the city. The NEMO Science Museum as seen from OBA.



While you're there, don't forget to head to the children book section where you can see the Mouse Mansion.



Amsterdam Chinatown area is where you will find Chinese restaurants, shops, salons, apothecaries, markets, and the Fo Guang Shan temple.



The Red Light District of Amsterdam is world famous and it usually come to live at night when the curtains of the windows are drawn open and the red neon lights are turned on. From brothels to sex shops to museums, Red Light District of Amsterdam has it all. It is strictly forbidden to take pictures or film women behind their windows.



De Oude Kerk is a church nearby the Red Light District. It is Amsterdam's oldest building and oldest parish church. Visiting the interior of the church is possible with an entrance fee of 10 euros per adult. Rembrandt was a frequent visitor of this church and his children were all christened here.



If you have time, do visit the Body Worlds in Amsterdam. It is an eye-opening experience. The nearest tram stop is Dam stop near Magna Plaza and Dam Square.



The Happiness Project has more than 200 anatomical specimens from real human bodies, including individual organs and approximately 20 plastinated full bodies.
The entrance fee is 19.50 euros per adult, child 6-18 is 14 euros, children below 5 is free entrance. Visit the official website if you want to buy tickets online: https://www.bodyworlds.nl/
Buying tickets online allow you fast admission and a 2 euros saving.



A short walk from Body Worlds is the Dam Square.



The Royal Palace is located at the Dam Square. The entrance fee to the palace is 10 euros per adult and free entrance for Museumkaart holders. See the opening hours in their website: https://www.paleisamsterdam.nl/en/



You can also find the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and Madame Tussauds wax museum at Dam Square.



Behind the Royal Palace is the Magna Plaza. This former post office is now a high end shopping center.



Even if you are not here for shopping, Magna Plaza is worth a visit just for the neo-Gothic architecture and impressive interior. Magna Plaza is open every day until 7pm or until 9pm on Thursday.



Museumplein (Museum Square) is where you can find the main museums in Amsterdam such as Van Gogh Museum.



A visit to Van Gogh Museum is not to be missed while visiting Amsterdam. During summer (June - Aug), the museum is open from 9 am to 7 pm and 9am to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. For more infor, visit the website: https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/plan-your-visit/opening-hours

Tickets is EUR 19 per adult, free entrance for visitor under age 18 and Museumkaart holders.



Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is a museum for modern art also located at the Museumplein.





The main "I amsterdam" sign was also located here in front of the Rijksmuseum, until 4 December, 2018. It was removed by the City Council.



Rijksmuseum is another important museum in Amsterdam. I played the escape game during my visit to the museum last summer. This summer, the museum has a renewed escape game from 13 July to 1 September 2019. The last one was good, I hope this new one is even better. If you are interested in participating the escape game, visit the website for more information: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en



Rembrandt’s masterpiece, the 'Night Watch’ is the centerpiece in the museum.

Opening hours: 9am to 5pm daily, all days of the year
Adults: € 20.00 (online € 19,00)
Children aged 18 and under: free admission
Museumkaart holders also have free entrance



Anne Frank House is another museum one should not missed. Getting to Anne Frank House: Streetcar 13, 14, or 17 to the Westermarkt stop. The Anne Frank House is often sold out and tickets are only available online (2 months in advance). It is highly recommended to book your ticket well in advance. Adult ticket is 10.5 euros.
https://www.annefrank.org/en/museum/tickets/


The opening hours:
1 April - 1 November: daily from 09:00 to 22:00
30 May - 1 September: daily from 8:30 to 22:00
1 November - 1 April: daily from 09:00 to 19:00, Saturdays from 09:00 to 22:00



Amsterdam also has other museums such as NEMO Science Museum.



National Maritime Museum.



If you want to shop, consider to drop by Albert Cuyp Market which has over 300 stalls.


What to eat in Amsterdam:

Try the burger from a vending machine at Amsterdam Centraal Station. It only cost 2.5 euros. The taste was okay, but don't expect too much.



Manneken Pis is a famous for its fries in Amsterdam. You will often see people queuing up to buy its fries.



To try authentic Dutch food, start with kibbeling (deep fried fish). It costs around 4 euros per portion and it's "lekker" (tasty in Dutch).



Or Lekkerbek (deep fried cod fish).



Poffertjes is small fluffy pancakes topped with various toppings. I tried it at Albert Cuyp Market. Small serving has 10 pieces (from 3 euros) while large serving has 20 pieces (from 5.5 euros).



Bitterballen is deep fried meat balls, a popular bar snack in Netherlands. It cost around 5.5 euros.



There are plenty of restaurants in Amsterdam center but it's usually expensive, especially in touristy area.



If you don't mind take-away food, try "Wok to Walk".



You can choose the ingredients of your fried noodles or rice. The fried noodles with 2 toppings cost me about 7.2 euros.



For splurge, reserve a table at Sea Palace, the first floating restaurant in Europe. You won't miss it for its characteristic Chinese pagoda-style architecture. It is nearby the Amsterdam Centraal Station and OBA library. http://www.seapalace.nl/index_english.html


What to buy:

There are plenty of shops selling marijuana seeds and cannabis seeds in Amsterdam.



They even make it into chocolates and candies. You can buy weed lollipops as a souvenir because they do not contain any THC and don’t have any psychedelic effects. They are just cannabis flavored and don’t make you high. But to be on the safe side, it would be wise to keep a receipt.

Amsterdam also has coffeeshops where smoking marijuana is accepted. If you would like to get high without smoking, just by eating something tasty, you should go for Amsterdam Space Cake. I didn't try it though.



Other more common souvenirs would be the blue and white delftware.





Windmills. A really nice one like picture above cost me 40.5 euros.



Van Gogh inspired souvenirs.



and fridge magnets! These magnets definitely remind me of Amsterdam.


My 5D4N itinerary in Netherlands is as below:

Day 1: Brussels -> Rotterdam -> Kinderdijk -> Amsterdam canal cruise
Day 2: Day trip to Waterlands
Day 3: Day trip to Giethoorn -> Amsterdam Body Worlds
Day 4: Amsterdam Museum tour
VanGogh Museum -> Rijksmuseum -> Albert Cuyp Market -> Anne Frank Huis
Day 5: Zaanse Schans -> Schipol Airport


I really enjoyed my stay in Netherlands. I hope this travel recommendation will help you in planning a perfect trip to Netherlands. Happy travels!