A Weekend in Amsterdam

Janneke van Geuns is one of our blog followers and a native of Amsterdam. She kindly created this post just for our CrazyTravelGirls blog to give you an exclusive look at a great weekend in Amsterdam that is not-so-touristy. Enjoy!

There is so much more to Amsterdam than the red light district, the wooden shoes and the coffee shops. (Why do they call them coffee shops when all you can get there is weed…?) Anyway, Amsterdam is a great city to visit in the spring or summer. Here are some tips for a long weekend break:

Friday night

If you want to mingle with fellow Americans you should go to the Leidseplein or Rembrandtplein. If you would you rather mingle with the cute locals and the hip crowd, go to the Pijp! This neighborhood is known for its trendy bars and quality restaurants. Go for dinner at Café Helden, the Chocolatebar or Bazar and enjoy great affordable food. After dinner you can go to one of the many bars that the Pijp offers such as ‘t Paardje, Café de Pijp or Barca. The bars stay open until 2 a.m. Hopefully you are not tired yet because the night just started! See what is going on in club Paradiso or the Sugar Factory near the Leidseplein and dance till the lights go on.

Saturday

Don’t sleep in too late because the city is waiting. Get on your rented bike and explore the city. Visit one of the many museums such as the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh museum both located on the Museumplein. After so much culture, you are probably hungry. There is a big supermarket, the Albert Heijn, on the Museumplein where you can find loads of delicious food. Walk or bike to the Vondelpark and find a place near the water and enjoy all the activities that are going on: music, sports etc!

Time to move! Find you way back in to the city center: we’re going on a boat tour. Don’t do the things the tourist way so get your private boat. You can rent one via www.latenvaren.nl. See Amsterdam from the water and be amazed by its beautiful architecture. Your captain can tell you all about the city.

Saturday Night

Another trendy neighborhood is the Jordaan. Just like the Pijp you can find many restaurants and bars here. If you want to spot Dutch celebrities go to Cinema Paradiso, a nice Italian restaurant with great desserts. It’s just a five minute walk to the bars that are perfect for spending a Saturday night: Proust, Finch and Tabak. In the mood for dancing? Go to the Jimmy Woo!

Sunday

After shopping on for example the Leidsestraat, you might want to get out of the city and see more of the Netherlands. What many people don’t know is that there are great beaches. On Sunday the best place to go is Bloemendaal aan Zee. It is only a 30 minutes train ride from the central station in Amsterdam. This beach is known for its parties on Sunday in the summer. There are great beach clubs that offer good food and music such as the Republiek or Bloomingdale. Put those flip flops on and dance till the sun goes down.

Monday

If you have time left you might want to take a peek in the red light district so you can tell your friends that you have seen it J. The district is close to the new public library, which offers, besides a broad collection, a great view over Amsterdam. Another tip is to take the free ferry to the north side of Amsterdam: NDSM. It is an upcoming area with –again- great restaurants!

More Tips!

----Try to schedule your visit around the 29^th of April, which is the day the Royal Queen of the Netherlands celebrates her birthday and everybody celebrates with with her! The whole city is orange, everybody is on the street dancing, drinking and partying. Kids are selling their stuff in the parks and there is a boat parade on the canals.

- -You can also see a boat parade during Gay pride, which is often scheduled at the beginning of September. Take a look at the wonderful customized boats and the beautiful outfits people wear.