When In Amsterdam

Last weekend myself and the other half decided to jump overseas for a quick trip to Amsterdam. With just a 30 minute flight there’s really no excuse not to visit the famous dutch city, and with it being the most popular city destination of the year, I wanted to know exactly what all the fuss was about. Of course I did as much research as possible. Scouring lots of blogs for the best places to eat and visit. Like any good blogger does, I had a full itinerary of everything that we would be doing on each day.

But once I’d explored the city for myself, I found there were a few things the blogs and the catalogues certainly can’t prepare you for.

To walk or to bike…

When I’d planned our getaway I was keen to ensure that we would use bikes for our mini adventure. After all, there are supposedly more bikes than people in Amsterdam so it seemed like the thing to do.

BUT!

On arrival I was overwhelmed at just how fast people zoom down the bicycle lanes. They were more of a worry than the cars. And I can admit I felt like my bike riding experience so far in life would in no way help me on what was going to be a definite expert bike level that these roads needed. Hence I walked around the city for 4 days in my Zara booties collecting the most amount of blisters my feet have ever seen. If like me, you’re not so confident in the saddle, I’d at least take along some very comfortable shoes that can withstand all the walking that you’ll most definitely be doing!

Got milk?

On our first outing for breakfast in the city we visited a bagel shop. Hot fresh bagels with slatherings of anything you fancy. I was drooling before I ordered. But once my carbolicious breakfast arrived, I noticed my tea had no milk. Like a typical Brit this was instantly bizarre to me. Yep, that’s because the dutch don’t do milk in tea. So before you sit there like I did for 10 minutes waiting for the milk to arrive, just ask for milk if that’s how you have your english tea. I looked like a total tourist, but I think the locals found it endearing.

Book tickets

Waiting in line at Anne Frank House

This has to be the one trip in a long time that I hadn’t been as organised as I usually was for holidays. I blame it on the quick decision to do it, and the utter confusion about what you even need for a city break, seen as this was my first! One thing I really should have done was book tickets for some of the more popular museums and venues to avoid disappointment. The queues for these destinations go on for miles, and yes I really do mean miles.

Take more luggage

Trust me, you don’t need to take a lot with you, but you’ll want to bring a lot home! From the vintage fashion markets to the totally amazing interior design shops, Amsterdam has some of the coolest collections of treasures I’ve ever seen, and I wanted it all. Shame I only took hand luggage. I feel a purely shopping based trip may be on the cards next time.

There is so much more to this city than I could ever possibly sum up in one blog post, but to me these points mattered and nobody prepared me for them. The scenery was stunning and the people are friendly, so if you’re planning a weekend away I’d certainly put your pin on the map here.