Travel Thursday – Amsterdam

We are heading back to Europe for this week’s Travel Thursday blog to visit… Amsterdam. There really is nothing quite like this city. It’s another one of those cities like NYC or Las Vegas, that everyone should really visit at least one.

There are so many amazing museums, churches, and sites to visit in Amsterdam. Not to mention all the gorgeous architecture and canals!

Things to Do in Amsterdam

Museums Galore!

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit this lovely city twice. Each time one of my favorite things to do here is visit the museums.

Remember in my Bruges I mentioned one of my favorite two painters? Well, my second is Vincent Van Gogh. Amsterdam is home to the Van Gogh Museum. If you are a fellow Van Gogh fan, just a side note his Starry Night painting is not found here, but actually in NYC at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art).

The Anne Frank House is an absolute must visit. If you haven’t already, or it’s been a very long time, be sure to read The Diary of Anne Frank. One of the most memorable components of visiting this place is just the surreal experience being inside there where she once was. If you time it right, you will even hear the nearby church bells that she also heard and wrote about.

Rijksmuseum is another great visit. It showcases all the well-known Dutch artists, a.k.a. Dutch masters. There are paintings on display from Rembrant, Vermeer, Van Gogh and many others.

Canals & Architecture

While it seems simple, another favorite thing to do here for me was walking over the many canals or taking a boat ride on the canals. The boat rides allow you to cover a lot of areas and see the many amazing sites throughout Amsterdam. Whereas, walking the city and over the canals allows you to see all the gorgeous architecture from the houses to the churches. Even if you haven’t visited Amsterdam, you more than likely have seen photos of the narrow houses on the canals. This famous architecture style is called Dutch Baroque. It is among one of my favorite styles!

Four Amsterdam Tips from an Experienced Travel Agent at Astonishing Travel

I’m excited to bring back some more travel tips from experienced travel agent, Heidi Bocianowski, of Astonishing Travel, in this week’s Travel Thursday blog. She shares some great suggestions on how to save time when visiting Amsterdam and some best times to visit!

1. Get tickets in advance. The lines for some of the top attractions, such as, the Anne Frank House or art museums get very long. However, you can reserve timed tickets in advance, and I highly recommend it.

2. Take a tour of the canals by boat. It is the perfect way to see Amsterdam. Keep your eye out for the skinniest house in the world!

3. Just outside the city are some beautiful villages, I highly recommend visiting so you can experience a completely different side of the Netherlands. You can see windmills up close and see chocolate being made.

4. Visit during tulip season in the Spring. There is truly nothing like it with tulips as far as you can see. You can visit the factories that process the tulips to see how they ship them all over the world. It is amazing to watch how fast they organize them and ship them off. In 2022, there will be a special event that draws people to the area every 10 years called Floriade. It is a flower festival like no other.