How To Spend 24 Hours in Amsterdam

The sun is out, the days are longer, people generally seem happier… yes, Spring has sprung in London and we’re almost half way through my absolute favourite month of the year  – and pardon me for relying on this tiresome phrase but where did the time go?!

Another great thing about April? Easter, chocolate and holidays! Sadly for me I’m not anywhere fancy this bank holiday (I can’t complain though, two days ago I went on a day trip to Brighton with the bf), but as I’m always in wanderlust mode I thought I’d talk about one of the mini trips I did earlier this year.

At the end of January my boyfriend and I went on a little adventure to Amsterdam, which was so exciting for me as I’d shockingly never been. We went for just one night, which was tiring but oh so worth it as you can see a lot of this beautiful city in the space of 24 hours. And no, I’m not pretending to have become an expert on Amsterdam, but I did a few fun things that anyone can enjoy…

• Go on a boat tour: I heard that Amsterdam has more canals than Venice, and even though it didn’t quite feel like that when being there, canals definitely make Amsterdam all the more charming. I’ve never really had a thing for boat tours or any touristy mode of transport as such, but my boyfriend and I decided to give “Those Dam Boat Guys” a go. It was really fun, and such an insightful look into the city’s history, architecture and ways of life. Also, the fact that the boat tour was created by a pair of Aussie guys does not give it any less credibility.

• Go museum hopping: Amsterdam is a haven for people like me – museum nerds! A lot of the museums are super close to each other, which makes life easier We weren’t able to go to Anne Frank’s Museum as the queue was crazy long, but had to no more than 15 minutes waited for Van Gogh museum. As Vincent Van Gogh is one of my favourite painters this was a must, and it did not disappoint. We also decided to go to Moco Museum as there was a combined Salvador Dalí and Banksy exhibition – such an unexpected yet interesting combination. Next time I’ll definitely be going to the Rijksmuseum and Rembrandt House Museum.

My hero Vincent!

Salvador Dalí’s famous Mae West Lips Sofa.

Banksy’s Balloon Girl

• Go to cute Dutch cafes: We did Airbnb and our hosts recommended Cafe Cook for breakfast – and boy was it was delicious! We went there quite early in the morning and it was fairly quiet and peaceful, but also effortlessly cool and so reminiscent of something you would find in some up and coming neighbourhood in London. I really did not get a touristy vibe at all from this place and it felt like a cafe that only locals would know about – and when I say locals I mean people who literally live a few minutes away from it, as it’s ever so slightly hidden. A little more touristy but just as charming was Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs, a super small and super cute cafe that makes both sweet and savoury pancakes. As the name suggests it is located on the first floor of a narrow building in which you’ll find yourself practically climbing the even narrower stairs with both your legs and arms, but those few seconds of slight discomfort are totally worth it! We didn’t have a reservation but the friendly lady told us to come back in half an hour, which of course was not a problem for us. The pancakes were delicious and the place itself is so delightful that it’s 100% worth the visit if you’re a lover of kitsch and pancakes.

Our beautiful breakfast feast at Cafe Cook

Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs’ adorable ceiling

Unashamedly overdosing on pancakes at Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs

And as for the super important topic of what I wore, as it was January keeping warm was my main priority. I relied on blue, navy, my old Bershka ear beanie, a few layers of tights and my good old Cubic faux shearling jacket. I didn’t manage to get many detailed pictures of my two outfits, but I’ll be sharing what I wore on day 1 in a separate post, and as for day 2 I wore a chunky white jumper by Pull & Bear and a navy pleated skirt by Primark (seen two pictures below).

So there you have it folks – obviously there are millions of other amazing things to do in Amsterdam, and I cannot wait to go back for a longer period of time to explore it even more. But the 24 hours we spent in the capital of Holland served as a great taster – I hope I get to do a few more short trips this year so that I can not only satisfy my wanderlust but also gain a few travel pearls of wisdom that I can pass on…

Pictures taken between January 28th and 29th 2017.

xxx