Holiday in Amsterdam

celiclu
Nov 7, 2019
4 min read

As a native New Yorker, I love my home, but sometimes you really do need a break from the chaotic hustle and bustle. Also living in NYC makes it hard to save money. Luckily I managed a decent size budget to go away for a few days and I made it work in Amsterdam. I will be honest, I went over a bit for indulgence but you can totally make it work.

Skyscanner is my go to app for finding airline tickets. Every trip I booked I found the cheapest option on that app. It's easy to use and you can compare different times and airlines. I snagged one from JFK to AMS round trip, non-stop for exactly 410 USD. I suggest to search minimum two months before, and if you pack light and prefer not to eat on the aircraft, go with Norwegian Airlines.

Amsterdam is a bit pricey for hotel stays and even a lot of the AirBnBs but that could have been just my luck. I stood at the Arcade Hotel in De Pjip for about 100 USD per night. It's a three star hotel but book it! In the lobby they have an awesome game room but your own room can come equipped with a Super Nintendo 64 like mine and you can borrow games. The concept of the hotel is fun but it's also a convenient location close to the Metro and across a beautiful park, Sarphatipark. The staff at the hotel are wonderful, too! I highly recommend.

De Pjip is a great neighborhood to check out with a lot of cafes, restaurants, shops and the famous Albert Cuypmarkt. You can buy fresh produce, turquoise rings, vintage cashmere, cheese, and the famous stroopwafel.

If you're looking to get out of the city, I booked a tour with Get Your Guide at a great price for 31 USD (they often give sales). It's a 6.5 hour tour that takes you to Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam, and Marken, This tour will totally give you a great Dutch feel with windmills, herring, and gouda cheese. You can also find some really authentic clogs for back home.

Zaanse Schans is a great start to the day with giant windmills, sheep, and you'll smell something sweet baking. Edam is one of the wealthiest towns in the Netherlands and it's absolutely beautiful with great architecture, canals, and little shops. Volendam is a must if you love seafood. I had one of the best fish and chips. Marken was traditionally a town for fisherman so the architecture is different than Edam in where most houses are made of wood instead of stone, but still offers a unique charm with its quiet docks.

Amsterdam is not that big so if you want to check out the neighboring cities it's convenient with the train and you don't necessarily need to rent a car. From Central Station to Haarlem with the Intercity line it only took twenty minutes and about 11 euros roundtrip. The fun part about Haarlem is that it's not far at all to Zandvoort Beach where there is surfing if the North Sea allows. I didn't get lucky on that day but it's still a beautiful beach to visit and I can only imagine how cool it is in the summer.

The food was one of my favorite parts about my trip. A few of the traditional items like herring, stroopwafel, and poffertjes were my favorites. I stopped eating meat for about over three months, but I do hear bitterballen, like meatballs, is another amazing thing to taste. I absolutely loved that when you order mint tea it'll be served with fresh mint leaves and hot water. It's simple but effective and it definitely helped me digest all the food I kept eating.

I will remember this yummy dish of poffertjes on a late afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate. It is a match made in heaven at sunset.

If you like beer do not forget to visit the Heineken brewery and it's also by the canal cruise boat tours. You can definitely shop around or order online for the best deal but I didn't pay more than 20 euros for my cruise.

Back to the food! Amsterdam has everything like any major city but what was different is that Indonesian food is more popular than anywhere I've visited. It's delicious! My first night there I went to Warung Spang Makandra, an Indonesian-Surinamese restaurant with a great staff and cozy chilled vibe. The satay is tasty, fish, and noodles and veggies and now I'm getting a big smile on my face. They didn't take Visa but the staff trusted me to go get cash without holding a card. I like when people trust me and I hope they know I'll definitely be back. This restaurant is a must try because I ordered a lot and again didn't even break over 20 euros.

Another popular spot I saw was Vegan Junk Food Bar. Yes, comfort food that is usually unhealthy for you but all vegan. It's so cool how chefs today can take an old classic and make it taste the same (sometimes better) and it's all plant based. If you're not a vegan, I still suggest to try it, because again it did not cost a lot. On average I spent about 10-20 euros a meal and it was all good quality. In the States even McDonald's and most fast food restaurants are starting to get a bit pricey. You can go to the $$$$ restaurants if you wish and I'm sure it'll be worth it but for what I paid, I ate really well.

To get around the city you can totally rent a bike (unfortunately I'm not good at riding so I can't tell you the price) or you can get a metro pass for the amount of days you need. A good thing to know is that you can't buy a ticket or card on the bus with cash. Bring a card!

I spent a little over 500 USD and this is because I shopped a lot. You can have a very fun day for less than 100 USD including eating out, museums, movies, and other events.

Is Amsterdam worth it? Yes! Even if you're sober like me and they're known for their parties, I still had a lot of fun!

In the MuseumsQuartier after visiting Moco Museum (Banksy and more) the sky cleared up and I enjoyed a beautiful sunset on my last day.