Sister’s Trip-Part 2 AMSTERDAM
I honestly didn’t know if I would like Amsterdam or not before we landed. I did research of course and figured out the must see’s, suggested tours, must eat spots but wasn’t quite sure if it was going to be a place that would really wow me. Let me tell you, Amsterdam is such a gorgeous place that I cannot wait to hopefully go back to one day. Although it was a fast trip (48 hours) I crammed a ton in from tours to yummy food spots. Here’s a list of my favorites.
A little about Amsterdam
Amsterdam is built on top of swamp land. Back when the area was developed they used wooden beams on the swamp to build upon which is why tons of the buildings now lean — yep cue the Dancing Houses. The city is slowly replacing the wooden beams with today’s more solid building materials like concrete and a system to keep the buildings from leaning more. But if you ask me, the lean is part of the old world charm.
Amsterdam is know for their series of canals and their water traffic. Our bike tour guide (more on that experience below) showed us a photo of the current water traffic all around Amsterdam (and the connecting areas) and you would be blown away to see how many ships of all sizes frequent the area daily.
Where to Eat
Even though it was a super quick trip, we mixed in some incredible eats! Our first lunch in town was enough to make me want to go back to Amsterdam right now! The Truffle Boutique is highly rated on TripAdvisor and is how we ended up at this little corner restaurant with old world charm mixed with a modern menu surrounded around a love of truffles. My sister and I decided to share our plates so we could taste a little bit more than just a meal. The truffle 4 cheese grilled cheese sandwich on freshly crisped up sourdough bread was beyond fantastic!! Every bite literally left me say “wow”! I snagged the Artichoke Salad that was full of veggies, feta and truffle. I basically licked my plate clean! We also had an incredible wine – my favorite on this whole trip, so much so that I walked an additional 1.5 miles the next day to grab another glass – called White Scandal from Domino Imperfetto.
Where to Eat cont.
My favorite dinner spot of our trip was the 2021 Michele Star restaurant Ron Gastrobar. The beautiful decor with hanging flowers is enough to wow just about anyone BUT the food is still the show stopper here! It was a true delicious culinary experience and the presentation of each dish was top notch. We decided to do more of a tapas style dinner full of small sharing plates but they do have some incredible cuts of meat if you are looking for a traditional meal. We loved the ribs, broccoli and the herbed fries! Plus my lobster raviolis were incredible!
For a nice casual lunch with a fabulous view of the dancing houses I highly suggest sitting on the terrace of . I grabbed a quick burger with fries plus a glass of wine here before my walking tour of the Jewish quarter. It was such a lovely time unwinding while watching the boats stroll by. The food was yummy (not in a knock your socks off of a way BUT a good solid meal). I would definitely go back here just for the view. Note–before noon you have to order your meal at the bar and then grab it before snagging a seat outside as service on the terrace doesn’t start until after 12pm.
What To Do
As you know if you have read any of my other travel posts I am a huge fan of biking tours to see the city. You usually get a well informed tour guide who can at least give you some of the basics of the city’s history and help you to get acquainted to how to get around by foot. This time around I opted to book a private bike tour for my sister and I as we needed specific time slots since she had to go to her work conference in the afternoon. Mike’s Bike Tour private 2 hour tour was perfect for this! We learned so much history and since Amsterdam wants to be a city just of bikes it was the perfect way to explore. We went by all the different areas of the city, learned the history and our tour guide gave us tons of post tour recommendations. Click HERE to learn more about the tours Mike’s Bike Tour’s offers.
The absolute favorite experience we booked though was a private boat tour on a charming old restored vessel that was perfect for the 3 of us (my sister, her boss, her boss’s hubby and I). The Boat Boys boat was seriously so so cute and I love how we started the tour with a champagne toast at the front of the boat! Besides the boat being super charming to look at it also is enclosed in the front and open in the back which helps in case it rains or is super cold. It is a small boat so you must be mindful moving around. Our guide Jost was so so knowledgable about the history of not only the canals but also the city in general. I highly recommend booking this! Click HERE to read more about the private boat tour.
What to Do cont.
The last tour I did was a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter to learn more about Amsterdam’s history during WWII. If you read the Anne Frank Diaries as a child like I did then this tour would be event more interesting to you as you go by the home where they lived in the hidden annex for the 2 years and see the beautiful memorial that has plagues up for her and all those killed during WWII by the Nazis. It was such an emotional tour but full of history which I firmly believe we need to know history so we can make sure we don’t repeat it! My guide who I booked off of Get Your Guide was so very sweet, knowledgeable and had a plan on how we were going to maximize our time together despite the fact that the weather turned and it became incredibly cold. (side note–this can happen a ton in Amsterdam so always wear layers!) Click HERE for more information on the private tour I booked.
*the photo on the right is a nursery/school where Jewish children would be dropped off on the way to their parents reporting to the Nazis after getting getting a letter (the letter meant they were going to be sent to a concentration / execution camp). The woman who ran this school realized that when the trains to pick up the Jewish adults arrived they blocked the entrance of the school from the Nazi soldiers and she came up with a plan to rescue around 600 children.
Where to Stay
So we didn’t stay in the city since we were in town for my sister’s conference and the company booked their hotel were they had the needed event space so I have no first hand in city experience when it comes to lodging. But we did go by a few of gorgeous places I would definitely stay at during all our tours so I’ll share those below with you with a bit of info on each.
If you are looking to stay at an elite 5 star hotel in the area that known celebrities also stay at then I would suggest the Waldorf Astoria or the Conservatorium Hotel. The Waldorf Astoria is nestled in the heart of the city with a beautiful canal across the street. Like all WA’s the service will be incredible, the rooms gorgeous and the location is always top notch.
The Conservatorium Hotel sits right on one of the canals is grand by all means. This hotel has hosted tons of celebrities and national figures for decades. Our guide said that this hotel has the highest level of service in the hotel industry. Not to mention it is stunning sitting on the waterside! (photo below)
If you are looking for a super unique, once in a lifetime type of place to lay your head I was blown away by these tiny rooms sitting in the middle of the canals (one is only accessible by boat!). Can you imagine waking up on the water like this every morning!?! Dreamy! (photo below)
The area also has tons of house boats you can rent, hotels and hostels depending on the type of traveler you are!
