3 days in Amsterdam – Part I
Amsterdam is a fun, full of personality city. From its famous canals, everyone riding bikes, lots of culture and the “Coffeeshops”, you’ll never run out of things to do here.
Back in April of 2018, Paul and I took a European trip to visit 4 countries in 12 days and our first stop was Amsterdam.
AROUND THE CITY
Our home base was the Kimpton DeWitt Amsterdam. It’s in the heart of the City Centre. The Centraal Train Station is a short walk away which was perfect as we were jumping from place to place. This made getting to and from the airport a breeze.
This is a perfect location! Getting around Amsterdam can be interesting as there are a lot of little alleyways that lead you from one adventure to the next. You never know what you will find and it will give even the best Google Maps expert a run for their money!
THE FOOD
Plenty of good eats everywhere and all kinds of cuisine. Three favorites (we actually went to these places twice!)
- De Koffieschenkeri – We stumbled upon De Koffieschenkerij on one of those back alley walks I was talking about. It’s the perfect setting (a former church compound with a beautiful garden terrace) for a midday snack. In our case cappuccino and chocolate chip bundt cake with whipped cream!
- CAU Steakhouse serves the perfect Argentine steak. The Chimichurri they put on the steak is amazing and the sides of grilled corn and baked sweet potato were perfection.
- La Zoccola del Pacioccone takes pizza to another level. Very small, quaint spot that feels like everyone is eating at a community table even thought the tables are separate.
AMSTERDAM CANALS
The city canals are everywhere! There are more than 160 canals with more than 1,700 bridges in Amsterdam. This is what makes the city what it is in our humble opinion. Just stunning.
The pictures capture it well, but in person it’s even more breathtaking. The canals coupled with the unique architecture makes you wish your head was on a swivel to take it all in as you stroll around the city.
Amsterdam Canals are more beautiful in person!
HEINEKEN TOUR
The Heineken experience is fun whether you’re a beer lover or not. The tour is energetic and full of history! Plus at the end you get to enjoy a delicious cold beer in their underground bar.
Yes, there’s a bar at the end of tour with loud, thumping music to keep the energy going. We highly recommend stopping at the “make you own video” station that puts you on bicycles and creates a video of you riding around Amsterdam. We made ours extra fun. It’s a crack up!
That’s it for now! Stand by for Part II of 3 days in Amsterdam.