Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam
introAs the capital and largest city in the Netherlands, Amsterdam has everything you could ever want in a European city: beautiful architecture, vibrant nightlife, great food and ample green space. But what really makes Amsterdam so unique is its size: at one-tenth the size of London, locals often say it feels more like a village. The city generally doesn’t get moving until 9am, and there’s a huge appreciation for a slower approach to life, similar to Parisian café culture. Travel blogger Sarah Kim – New Yorker by birth, Amsterdammer by choice – takes us on a tour of her ideal day in the Venice of the North.
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
pancakes8am, Pancake Breakfast – We start our day in the city centre at Westermarkt, by the beautiful and historic Jordaan district – if you’ve seen a postcard of Amsterdam, you were likely looking at Jordaan. Haven’t eaten yet? PANCAKES Amsterdam is one of the city’s best restaurants for trying Dutch pancakes, a sort of mix between French crêpes and American pancakes, which are eaten with either sweet or savoury toppings; I prefer them savoury with ham, spinach, onions and goat cheese. The Westermarkt location also has poffertjes, which are a must-try. A traditional Dutch treat, poffertjes are mini pancakes smothered in butter and sugar – this place serves the best ones I’ve had in Amsterdam so far.
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Anne Frank9am, A Storied House – The Anne Frank House is one of the most popular tourist sites in Amsterdam; it’s where Anne Frank herself lived during WWII, hiding from Nazi persecution in the home’s Secret Annex. The house is a must-visit, but it’s absolutely necessary to buy tickets on their website at least two months in advance. (You may luck out and find last-minute tickets the day of, however I wouldn’t leave this up to chance.) It’s a sobering but important experience, detailing the tragic story of Anne Frank as well as the persecution of Jews during the war and discrimination in general. [Photo © Anne Frank House / Photographer: Cris Toala Olivares]
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Boat10am, All Aboard! – The famous canals of Amsterdam are a UNESCO World Heritage site: explore these quintessential pieces of the city’s history with a boat tour by Those Dam Boat Guys – who are not only informative, but quite funny, too!
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
pie11:45am, Easy As Pie – Winkel 43’s Dutch apple pie (or just “apple pie” here) is considered the best apple pie in Amsterdam – and for good reason. The apples are juicy and caramelised on the inside, while the thick crust on the outside has a nice, balancing crunch with every bite. Don’t even get me started on the whip cream; its thick and creamy texture is something you can’t miss out on!
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Van Gogh12:45pm, Van Gogh For it – Hop on tram #3 or #5 to the Van Baerlestraat stop for the Van Gogh Museum. Amsterdam has a handful of important museums to visit, but if you only have 24 hours in the city, I recommend this one – it gives you a concentrated and thorough history on Van Gogh’s life and works, and can be done in a relatively short time. What I love most about this museum, though, is that it also contextually shows you other artists’ work during his lifetime, providing a broader view of artistic movements in that time period. [Photo: Jan Kees Steenman, Courtesy Van Gogh Museum]
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Bakers2:15pm, A Trendy Lunch – Bakers and Roasters, a New Zealand brunch and health food spot, is in my opinion one of the best restaurants in Amsterdam. Its well-deserved popularity, however, means there’s generally a long, one-hour wait for a table, but the egg-cellent dishes and decadent pastries are worth it. You’ll want to walk to Bakers and Roasters from the Van Gogh Museum and put your name and number down; they’ll text you about 5-10 minutes before your is table ready. While you wait, head to Amsterdam’s largest outdoor market, Albert Cuyp Market. It’s open daily Monday to Saturday, rain or shine, with vendors selling everything from flowers to fish.
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Park5pm, A Walk In The Park – Vondelpark is Amsterdam’s most popular public park, frequented by both locals and visitors. Enjoy a casual stroll through the park to walk off the food coma you may or may not have gotten from Bakers and Roasters. Tip: If you’re using Google Maps – which you can use offline without data or WiFi – then put in Vondelkerk as a point to walk towards. This will be helpful when exiting the park to your next destination… [Photo: Swimmerguy269/Wikimedia Commons]
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Foodhallen5:30pm, Sip Some Suds – The Foodhallen is a modern, street-food-style court set in a renovated warehouse previously used to repair the city’s trams. You’ll find all different types of international food here, but you’ll want to come specifically for the craft beer stand, which sells beer from several local breweries. I personally enjoy the Oedipus Brewery Thai Thai beer, a unique tripel with Thai flavours, or the Two Chefs Brewing Funky Falcon beer, a pale ale with citrus and caramel flavours. If you’re not interested in beer, or if the temptation of the food is too much, then you can have a coffee or tea at the independent theatre next to the Foodhallen, or check out the local artisans’ shop, which is kind of like an in-person Etsy by Dutch artists. [Photo: Franklin Heijnen/Flickr]
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Moeders7pm, Dinner, Dutch-Style – For a quintessential Dutch dinner, you’ll want to try stamppot, a truly Dutch meal made from potatoes, vegetables and meat. The best place to do this – aside from in an actual local’s home – is at Moeders (“mothers” in Dutch). If you want, you can even bring a framed photo of your own mom to hang up in the restaurant!
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Canals9pm, Canals At Night – The Amsterdam Red Light District is one of those places that you need to see once and never again, but it’s a truly interesting part of this city’s laissez-faire culture, and therefore worth the 5- to 10-minute walk-through. Plus, on the way to the Red Light District, you’ll be strolling through the UNESCO World Heritage canals of Jordaan again, which look entirely different at night. With all the daytime tourists gone, it’s quite peaceful, and the lights around the canals make the waterways look so magical! Tip: Walk around the streets of Oude Kerk or Bulldog Hotel for the Red Light District.
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
ADAM10pm, Views From The Top – At 20 stories high, the A’DAM Tower is the tallest building in Amsterdam – and of course the best place to get a bird’s-eye view of the Dutch capital. There’s usually an entrance fee if you visit during the day, but at nighttime, there’s a bar that opens to the public. This high up, you’ll be able to see the glimmering lights of the entire city as well as the beautiful colours of the sunset in the summer, when sundown is at 10pm! [Photo: Martijn Kort]
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Shelter11pm, Late Night Tunes – If you don’t want to call it a night yet, don’t: experience the city’s underground music scene at Shelter Amsterdam. Ditch your high heels and opt for sneakers instead, because it’s all about the music here in Amsterdam, not how you look. [Photo: Knelis]
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
ReadRead Before You Go – Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl is probably the most famous book to read about in Amsterdam during WWII. On the other hand, to get a deeper understanding of how Amsterdam came to be, Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto is a great read.
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Travel
24 Hours In… Amsterdam.
Sarah KimSarah Kim is a New Yorker who moved to Amsterdam in 2015 to experience a more relaxed European culture and focus on her travel and lifestyle blog, Lust ‘Till Dawn, where you’ll find authentic and practical travel information geared towards millennials. Check out her Instagram for stunning images with honest, motivational captions inspired by her life growing up as an orphan on welfare.
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