TOAST IT
YOGURT BARN
HARD ROCK CAFE
BAKERS AND ROASTERS
METROPOLITAN CAFE
CANAL BOAT RIDE
MOOK
AMSTERDAM CANAL WALKS
HEINEKEN EXPERIENCE
Hey guys!
Hope you're all having a great week so far.
Recently I have received so many messages from you guys about visiting Amsterdam; hotels, restaurants, bars etc, so I'm going to do an updated blog post here for you. I have 2 Amsterdam blog posts from last year which you can check out here and here but I thought it was time for an updated version.
Hotels to stay at that are good quality and good locations:
1. Room Mate Aitana.
3. Art hotel
4. Hotel arena
6. Hoxton hotel
My favourite restaurants/cafes:
1. Bakers and Roasters (best brunch in Amsterdam!)
2. Cafe Metropolitan (lunch spot)
3. Toast It (lunch & great milkshakes)
4. Mook (amazing pancakes)
5. Yogurt Barn
6. Martinot (great lunch spot)
7. Casa Di David is the best Italian restaurant in central Amsterdam.
8. Foodhallen Amsterdam is also a great place to eat. It's a permanent indoor style market with loads of amazing food options including pizza, burgers, sushi and lots of bars serving beer, cocktails, wine and G&T.
9. You have to try out Van Stapele. It's a tiny little cookie shop which always has a queue but it's worth the wait and it moves super fast. They are so famous in Amsterdam and you'll see why! Dark chocolate cookies with a warm gooey centre of a LOT of white chocolate. Drool!
10. Mata Hari is an amazing modern, European style tapas restaurant.
11. Typical restaurants, but always great food, include the Hard Rock Cafe and Vapiano Italian.
(FOOD TIP; While you're in The Netherlands, you have to try bitterballen (savoury) and stroop waffles (sweet)).
Attractions:
Other than strolling through the beautiful canals and dutch streets, there are some touristy things that I would recommend. A boat trip is definitely a must. They're so much fun and a great way to see the city. Just be sure to wrap up warm if you are visiting this time of year. I would recommend 'Those Dam Boat Guys' as the tour guide to book. They take small groups and you can bring your own snacks and drinks with you on board.
The museum district is also beautiful. There are some really cool museums which you can book in advance or arrive at the door. This is also where the ice rink is too. You can also visit the Anne Frank house which I would suggest to book weeks in advance if you know you are definitely visiting as it constantly books up. The Heineken experience is also a really fun way to spend an afternoon/evening. It's a really cool and funky experience and costs just €21. Again I would recommend booking tickets online as you may be waiting up to one hour at the main door if to buy tickets there. The shopping is also amazing in The Netherlands if you have some space in your luggage. All the major stores are here (Zara, H&M, a 6 floor Primark) as well as some beautiful boutiques. I would also suggest the Amsterdam Lookout swing which is super fun and a great way to the see the city with a unique twist.
( Even though transport is great here with trams, metro and UBER, Make sure to wear really comfortable footwear as you will find yourself doing a LOT of walking).
Evening drinks and night time clubs:
1. Volkshotel
2. Paradiso
3. Social club
4. Disco dolly
5. W hotel rooftop bar.
6. Sky Lounge (at the Doubletree Hilton).
Happy travels guys, I hope you picked up a few recommendations and have an amazing trip! There really is no where quite like Amsterdam :)
Lauren. X
