I’ve done a bunch of North American travel on my own and have been itching to do more international solo travel. All along I figured my first European solo trip would be to the UK and France, but I want to coordinate that trip to attend Wimbledon or the French Open and this year it just didn’t work out. I don’t really know how Amsterdam popped into my head as the next choice. I guess it’s always been in the back of my mind because of how affordable flights can be – I had looked into it once before when I was still in college. Somehow that’s what I landed on for this year’s big trip, paired with a stay in Brussels, and I actually don’t think I could have picked a better destination.
Amsterdam was so easy to do as a solo traveler just starting to dabble in international travel. I never once felt unsafe walking around, even at night. The heart of Amsterdam is predominantly a tourist area and very well-kept, and there are a good deal of U.S. expats living and working there. And as much as I tried to not be that U.S. tourist who goes to another country and expects everyone to speak English, I was very relieved to find that most of the Dutch also spoke English and most restaurants had English versions of their menus available. I did learn some Dutch before I went and highly recommend at least knowing some of the basics and trying to use Dutch when you can.
Stay
I stayed at the Max Brown Hotel Canal District and it was absolutely perfect for my needs. I had one of their “tiny” rooms, which was indeed tiny: it had just enough space for a twin size bed and a nightstand, and right at the foot of the bed was a sink and shower stall. The toilet was private but in a separate key-access stall across the hallway. They tout their beds as the “most comfortable around” and I must say it was a very comfortable bed. The room and the hotel itself were super trendy, and the location was perfect: walkable to everything and under a 10 minute walk from Centraal Station, but tucked away on a more quiet street. One thing to note is that they don’t have elevators, just steep staircases typical of an Amsterdam canal house, and when they say “third floor,” it’s actually the equivalent of a U.S. fourth floor, because they count the ground floor as zero. I learned that the hard way since my room was on the third floor – I was a little winded after carrying my suitcase up there!
Getting Around
Central Amsterdam is extremely walkable and you’ll want to spend a lot of time on foot to take in the gorgeous canal views, but getting around Amsterdam was extremely easy with various trams, buses, and metro lines throughout the city and a user-friendly tapcard system. Centraal Station is the main transportation hub, with trains to and from the airport, other cities in the Netherlands, and trains to other countries. As someone coming from the U.S., you hear all the time about how easy it is to travel through Europe on public transit, and I was certainly in awe of Amsterdam’s connectivity and transit technology.
Public transit aside, bicycles outnumber vehicles in Amsterdam and there are plenty of bike rental options for tourists. If you’re not biking and choose to go it on foot like I did, you need to always look both ways before crossing any street and always be aware of if you are walking on a bike path or not. Because if you aren’t aware of your surroundings you will get run over by a cyclist. I had a few close encounters.
What to See
Centraal Station and the Basilica of Saint Nicholas
If you come into Amsterdam via train, either from the airport or another city, you’ll likely end up coming out of Centraal Station. Be sure to take a moment to turn around and take in the building itself, because it is a truly gorgeous train station. Also in view from this area will be the Basilica of Saint Nicholas.
Damrak Canal View
A few steps further once you come out of the train station is the Damrak viewpoint. Amsterdam has tons of pretty canal views, but this is one of the most iconic and recognizable ones. It is stunning, especially at night.
Anne Frank House
My top priority attraction in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank House, being the history buff that I am and having read Anne Frank’s diary as a teenager. Tickets book up fast and you have to book in advance – they become available on their website the first Tuesday of the month for the subsequent month, so I had to book mine at the beginning of October for a November visit. It was very eye-opening seeing the cramped quarters that Anne and her family shared with four others, and moving to think about the impact that Anne’s diary has had worldwide.
Rijksmuseum
It rained pretty much every day that I was in Amsterdam so much of my outdoor sightseeing was done in between rain clouds, but on one particularly abysmal day I headed to the Rijksmuseum, and it was the perfect way to spend a rainy day. It’s a huge museum and I spent a good four hours immersed in its galleries – you definitely need at least that much time if you are an art aficionado. The Rijksmuseum is dedicated to Dutch art and culture. You’ll see everything from traditional Delft blue pottery to the works of world-renowned Dutch artists such as Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh. The crown jewel of the museum is the original of Rembrandt’s Night Watch.
Heineken Experience
Even though I tend to be more into microbreweries, as a beer lover I couldn’t just come to Amsterdam and not visit the origin of the biggest beer producer in the Netherlands. And it was definitely worth it. If you’ve ever done a brewery tour at all, some parts of it will be redundant, but it also walks you through the history of Heineken’s founding. And there are some cool interactive elements, like a simulator that makes you feel like you are beer being brewed, bottled, and served. And of course at the end of the tour you get to drink a few Heinekens! It’s touristy but a lot of fun.
Canal Cruise
One evening I decided I needed a little detox from all of the delicious Dutch beers I had been drinking, and decided to do a canal cruise. There are quite a few companies that operate canal cruises throughout the heart of Amsterdam, but I decided to book with Lovers because it was based close to my hotel and had evening times open, and those orange boats just looked cool! It was such a beautiful and relaxing way to see the canals and learn a little about the history and architecture of the city.
Vondelpark
Vondelpark is the largest city park in Amsterdam, and I’m sure it’s even prettier to experience with the sun shining. I went here when I thought I finally had a decent day of weather, but it quickly turned when I got to the park and I ended up walking through with my umbrella. It was peaceful and enjoyable nonetheless!
Begijnhof
If you don’t know to look for Begijnhof, you’ll probably miss it, as the entrance is tucked away down a side street just off a busy pedestrian shopping area. This is a group of residences around an inner courtyard that dates back to medieval times, when it was established to house Catholic women known as Begijnen. There is an old church and a hidden chapel that you can go in, and the courtyard itself is a quiet and calming retreat from the hustle and bustle that surrounds the Begijnhof.
The Stuff I Didn’t Get To
There were a few things that I had wanted to do that didn’t work out. Rembrandt’s house where he lived and worked for twenty years is a museum in Amsterdam that you can visit, but the Rembrandt House happened to be closed for some restorations while I was in town so I didn’t get a chance to visit. I had also considered going to the Van Gogh Museum, but by the time I tried to get a ticket they were sold out for the rest of my stay. I had tried to do this trip very spontaneously and didn’t want to be tied to a schedule, but found that I probably should have put a little more advance thought into getting tickets for things. So don’t make the same mistake as me if you’re planning on visiting Amsterdam!
The Other Stuff
Obviously I haven’t mentioned the elephant in the room. That other stuff that Amsterdam is known for. Yes, I’m talking cannabis and prostitution. Although cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, the law isn’t enforced when it comes to small amounts retailing for recreational use. As such, Amsterdam is saturated with “coffeeshops” where you can partake in the green stuff. If you’re just looking for your cup of joe, you’re gonna want to search for “cafes.”
And then there’s the Red Light District, in the neighborhood known as De Wallen, known for its brothels, sex shops, and strip clubs. Funnily, I had ventured into the De Wallen area on my first night in town for some bars, but didn’t see any of that stuff. I remember thinking that the Red Light District wasn’t like what I had read about. And then on my third day or so in town, I was walking back to my hotel in the afternoon and was cutting through De Wallen from the other side of town. I turned to take a shortcut down a small alleyway and… oh… buttcheeks. There were the girls in the windows soliciting their services. Yup. This was what I had read about. It exists.
Amsterdam is a refined city of arts and culture by day and a party city by night, but it was a lot of fun and very safe to do as a solo traveling woman. The food was pretty great too – more on that to come in its own post!
In the words of one of my favorite bands Nothing But Thieves, “I left my heart in Amsterdam.”
C to Shining C 