Europe

8 Hours in Amsterdam

After spending a few days in both Paris and Brussels, we took a spontaneous trip to Amsterdam. You all really don’t understand how much of a lifesaver Flixbus is!!! Regardless of how far or how little in advance you decide to purchase your bus ticket, the price will always be around $30. After a two-hour, scenic ride, we had finally arrived. Now what? My homegirl and I take pride in the fact that we always master the public transit systems everywhere we go. However, I must admit, Amsterdam’s public transportation map is not as easily decoded and was probably the most difficult we’ve encountered. Nonetheless,  we figured it out and were on our way.

As soon as we stepped foot in the city, I was amazed by the number of cyclists on the streets. EVERYONE was riding a bicycle.  Some cyclists had shopping bags, others had grocery bags. Bikes were everywhere!! After conducting research, I found that there are almost 900,000 bikes in Amsterdam! I now see why Amsterdam was crowned the Bike Capital of the World.

  1. First stop, coffee shops!!! If you’re into 420 activities, search for coffee shops that have a green and white sticker in the window. The sticker is about 5″ x 8″ and reads “COFFEE SHOP” in a bold, black font. When we entered, we were handed menus by the bartender.  The menu included an assortment of pre-rolled joints and edibles. For non-smokers, I encourage you to only eat half of the brownie. I made the mistake of eating the entire brownie and the rest was history. It definitely took about an hour for me to start feeling the side effects, but when I did…boy, oh boy.
  2. We wanted to visit the Anne Frank Museum, but we did not have time. The line was wrapped around the building. It seems that purchasing your tickets in advance and visiting during non-peak hours will reduce the wait time.
  3. I’m sure just about everyone is familiar with the famous Red Light District, but for those of you that aren’t,  it’s an area in Amsterdam that boasts of everything sex. As expected, this area comes alive at night. What most people don’t know is that there are actually three (3) Red Light Districts in Amsterdam – De Wallen, Singelgebied, and Ruysdealkade. De Wallen is the largest area.
  4. To preserve time, we purchased a bike tour that chauffeured us to Dam Square. The Royal Palace and the National Monument were two of many monuments located in this area. As a result of the edibles, I vaguely remember anything else that occurred after this. I definitely need a do-over of Amsterdam.

What would you recommend to someone visiting Amsterdam?

Amsterdam

24 Comments

  • Amy Gimblet

    Flixbus is the real MVP! The ability to charge, access to limited wifi..itdefinitely helped those hours fly by! Amsterdam went by in a blur, I would definitely love to go back and spend a few days there!

  • Susanna Kelly

    Sounds like you made really great use of your 8 hours in Amsterdam. I agree the supplies there can definitely kick your butt haha. I enjoyed just walking around, snapping photos, but we did a bike tour as well that we loved. It’s a bummer you have to pre-book so many things, It sucks for last second travelers.

    • Miss A&P

      Lol. I’d say I made great use of 4 hours. The other 4 were a blur! Lol. When I return, I plan to rent a bike and ride with the locals vs taking a tour.

  • Esse D

    Your honesty about the edible is priceless! You definitely need a do over. Lol. I actually didn’t know about the red light district so that’s something new and interesting. This is yet another location on my bucket list and you gave good insight on it!

  • photojeepers

    I too was amazed at everyone on a bicycle and the number at the bike ‘parking lots’ at the train stations. The boat canal rides are wonderful if you ever have a chance.

  • Inês

    Awesome post! I’m actually headed to Amsterdam next week for a couple of days so your post definitely gave me some pointers! I’ve booked my Anne Frank tickets already and we’re definitely interested in checking out the Red Light District so we’ll head to De Wallen – is that the one you would recommend?

    Thanks!

    • Miss A&P

      I hope you enjoyed your trip. Which RLD did you visit? I only visited one so I’m not sure how the others fare in comparison.

  • Kyla

    Wow, that’s a quick trip!! I need to look into Flixbus, sounds super flexible for a great price. We also didn’t make it to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, I guess it’s a good reason to go back!! (Although I don’t think I’ll be visiting the Coffee Shops next time as I’ll likely be with my kids!! ha ha!!)

    • Miss A&P

      Flixbus comes highly recommended! Comfortable, convenient, and affordable. Make sure you’re on time because we got lost and missed our bus to Brussels! The first bus we took to Paris was like 30 minutes late, but the bus to Brussels was on time.

    • Miss A&P

      One thing I love about Europe is that a lot of countries can be accessed in a matter of hours. Day trips can be planned with ease.

  • Shannalyn West

    Loved your article. I’ve never been to Amsterdam, but would love to. Flixbus sounds like a wonderful way to travel for a very low cost. I’m all about power tours of cities, so this is right up my alley. 🙂

  • Carola

    Oh man! Sounds like a wild ride. Maybe it’s better that you didn’t get to goinside the Anne Frank Museum (though it’s a shame you missed it)…

    Happy continued travels!
    C

  • Diana Chen

    I was really surprised by some of the things I saw in the Red Light District – I don’t mean just the typical sex stuff you would expect to see, but I toured this old brothel, and the whole story behind it was so interesting. Apparently all the women who worked there were thoroughly vetted, had to be not only pretty but smart as well and be able to carry on a conversation about current events or intellectual things, etc. Totally not the perception of women who work in brothels that most people have! You definitely need to pre-book a ticket for the Anne Frank museum. I ended up waiting in line for 2 hours because I wanted to see it that badly, but the wait was not a pleasant experience!

  • Aarti Kamath

    This could be a great way to spend a long layover or something… Efficiently managed 8 hours, I would say :)…. I am however, not a museum person :)…But the bike tour does sound fun!… Nice tips..

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