72 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Amsterdam, Netherlands

Summary

In this engaging video, Camden David shares 72 invaluable tips for exploring Amsterdam, especially for those visiting for the first time. From dealing with the city's unique bike culture to finding budget-friendly accommodations and avoiding tourist traps, Camden provides insights that promise to enrich your Amsterdam experience. He delves into cultural nuances, suggests day trips to nearby towns, and highlights local food and market experiences. Throughout the video, he emphasizes safety and respect for local norms, ensuring tourists have a memorable and respectful experience in one of Europe's most captivating cities.

Highlights

• Explore the cultural distinction of Amsterdam, where bikes take precedence over cars. 🚲
• Rent a bike using the local term 'fiets winkel' for an authentic experience. 🛒
• Prefer taking the train over taxis from the airport for cost efficiency. 🚉
• Discover the advantage of using your phone or credit card for public transit. 📱
• Engage with Amsterdam's ferry system to see the city from the water for free. 🚢
• Avoid the central tourist traps for a more genuine Amsterdam experience. 🕵️‍♀️
• Respect the direct communication style of Dutch service. 🔊
• Experience art in Amsterdam through its various galleries and venues. 🎨

Key Takeaways

• Prioritize safety when biking or walking in Amsterdam. 🚴‍♂️
• Use trains for economical travel from the airport to the city. 🚈
• Venture beyond tourist hotspots to experience the real Amsterdam. 🌆
• Explore Amsterdam's unique museums and book tickets in advance! 🖼️
• Sample local food delicacies—don't skip the Stroopwafels and bitterballen! 🍪
• Discover Amsterdam's parks for a peaceful retreat away from the hustle and bustle. 🌳
• Consider nearby towns for cheaper accommodations and authentic experiences. 🏡
• Pack appropriately for Amsterdam's unpredictable weather—include layers and rain gear! 🌧️

Overview

Camden David begins by sharing his initial dislike and subsequent love for Amsterdam, emphasizing the importance of learning from past mistakes. He outlines practical tips for understanding the city's transportation systems, which prioritize biking and walking, while cautioning newcomers about common pitfalls. His advice underscores the importance of cultural respect, particularly in navigating the bike-friendly roads and understanding Dutch directness.

Venturing beyond Amsterdam's central tourist areas reveals more authentic charm, with picturesque canals and brown cafes offering a genuine local experience. Camden highlights the diverse culinary landscape, from delicious sweets like Stroopwafels to bar staples like bitterballen. He advises on accommodation, urging viewers to consider staying in nearby towns for a budget-friendly and immersive cultural experience.

Camden wraps up with suggestions for day trips to explore the Dutch countryside and nearby cities, ensuring a well-rounded Amsterdam visit. He expresses a deep appreciation for Amsterdam's artistic and educational atmosphere, urging travelers to indulge in museum visits and local markets. His narrative is filled with affection for the city, leaving viewers enthusiastic to explore Amsterdam with newfound insights.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction & Cultural Tips The speaker initially disliked Amsterdam but now considers it their favorite city in the world. They attribute their change of heart to mistakes made during the first trip. In this video, they aim to prevent others from making the same mistakes by sharing valuable insights. The chapter covers cultural tips, money-saving strategies, avoiding tourist traps, recommended areas to visit, overrated and underrated attractions, best day trips, and suggestions for where to stay.
• 00:30 - 04:00: Transportation Tips The chapter 'Transportation Tips' emphasizes the unique cultural aspect of a highly walkable city where bicycles take precedence over pedestrians and cars. This cultural norm can be intimidating for tourists but offers a deep understanding of the city from a perspective that most visitors do not experience.
• 04:00 - 10:00: Tourist Areas & Local Experiences This chapter discusses the importance of being aware of local customs and rules when exploring tourist areas, especially when renting a bike. It emphasizes understanding and respecting the way locals use bicycles for daily transportation, as opposed to treating it like a casual, recreational activity. The chapter advises paying close attention to road rules and instructions provided by rental services to avoid potential harm or accidents, as local traffic moves quickly and requires attentiveness.
• 10:00 - 15:00: Local Culture & Etiquette This chapter discusses the importance of being mindful while riding bikes, especially for tourists who may not be confident riders. It suggests renting a bike and visiting open parks for safer biking experiences and provides a tip for finding bike rental shops in Dutch.
• 15:00 - 20:00: Accommodation Tips The chapter stresses the importance of being cautious when walking in a new city, especially as a tourist. It highlights the risk of accidentally stepping into the road while being distracted by the scenery, citing a personal anecdote where the author's mom was hit by a vehicle. The key advice is to be mindful and safe while enjoying the city to avoid such incidents.
• 20:00 - 25:00: Must-Visit Places & Museums The chapter titled 'Must-Visit Places & Museums' discusses important travel tips for tourists, specifically focusing on transportation from the airport to downtown. It advises against taking taxis or Uber due to their high costs and instead recommends using the train, which is both swift and economical. Purchasing train tickets at the airport is easy and affordable, costing around $5 to $6. The chapter aims to help tourists save money while visiting popular sites.
• 25:00 - 30:00: Parks & Outdoor Activities The chapter provides practical travel advice for visitors in Amsterdam. It highlights the importance of keeping your train ticket after scanning it at the station, as it will be required again to exit through the gates at Central Station. The narrative caters to rainy day scenarios in Amsterdam, advising travelers on utilizing public transport options like the Metro and trolley to avoid weather inconveniences while managing luggage.
• 30:00 - 36:00: Food Recommendations The chapter discusses the ease of accessing public transit without the need for pre-purchased tickets as you can use phones or credit cards for payment. Emphasis is placed on the ferry service, which is free and provides a local experience. It mentions that the ferry is a great option, especially if staying in more affordable accommodation areas, and locals often take advantage of it with their bikes. The chapter does not mention specific food recommendations despite the title.
• 36:00 - 40:30: Markets & Shopping The chapter discusses the unique experience of exploring the city's canals and offers money-saving tips. It recommends trying canal tours as a special way to see the city, but suggests caution with major tour operators due to the potential crowdedness and cost. Alternate methods are hinted for those looking to save money.
• 40:30 - 47:00: Day Trips from Amsterdam This chapter discusses options for day trips from Amsterdam, focusing on a company named Moch Booat that offers boat rentals. The service allows individuals without a boating license to rent easy-to-control electric boats. Renting such a boat enables groups to explore Amsterdam's canals independently and cost-effectively compared to larger tour groups. The speaker mentions a personal experience of renting a boat for two hours at the cost of $100, highlighting the savings and freedom it provided.
• 47:00 - 48:00: Conclusion & Final Tips The conclusion provides final tips for navigating tourist traps in Amsterdam, particularly around Central Station. The area is often frequented by tourists due to its accessibility and proximity to popular attractions like the shopping zones and the Red Light District. However, it advises that this area is not usually visited by locals unless necessary, implying higher tourist prices and possible pitfalls.

72 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Amsterdam, Netherlands Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 full transparency I hated Amsterdam after my first trip but now it's my favorite city in the entire world and I realized that I just made so many mistakes during my first visit I'm going to share everything that I wish I would have known that way you can love Amsterdam as much as I can we're going to cover a lot in this video going to talk about some cultural things you want to know money saving tips how to avoid those tourist traps which areas of town to hang out things that are a little bit overrated and underrated best day trips where you might want to base yourself like this video is just packed I promise
• 00:30 - 01:00 that it's going to give you a really good opportunity to just understand the city in the way that most people don't ever have the opportunity to do first thing that I want to touch on are some cultural things that are really important to note this is an incredibly walkable City but the experience fundamentally changes once you hop on a bike bikes rule this city it's almost like bikes get first priority then Walkers then cars it really is such a special part of the culture but it can be really intimidating for tourists and
• 01:00 - 01:30 there's a couple things that you're going to want to know first is that yes you can absolutely rent a bike and I'll give you some tips on that in a minute but if you do recognize that locals are using this as a main form of transportation so this isn't Disneyland where you're just saying hey everything is magical and wonderful and I can just be oblivious to things no make sure that you understand the rules of the road wherever you rent your bike from listen to them when they give the instructions because you can do a lot of damage if you're not paying attention things move quickly and the locals are not going to
• 01:30 - 02:00 slow down and I've seen quite a few accidents with tourists on bikes and I just don't want that to be used so just be mindful and if you are that not so confident Rider maybe rent the bike and go to a park where things are a little bit more open and I'll show you where some of those are in a minute but if you do want to rent a bike the best way that you can do that is just Google feeds spinkle it's the way that you search bicycle shop in Dutch and they're going to be all over the city you can rent them for a day a little bit longer but that's going to be the term that you're going to want to search for online to find those best spots even if you're not
• 02:00 - 02:30 on the bike it's really important to just be careful when you're walking because when you're a tourist and you don't realize just how quickly things move and everything around you is so beautiful and just picturesque and you're looking at everything it's really easy to accidentally step into the road and get hit by a biker my mom made that mistake stepped into the road and she actually got hit by a car so please do not be my mom and she was totally okay but please please please be safe out there and enjoy the city when you do get in at the airport you're probably
• 02:30 - 03:00 wondering hey what's the best way to get downtown from the airport a lot of tourists make the mistake of doing a taxi or Uber and you're going to pay a hefty premium for doing that the train is a breeze it is like 15 20 minutes into the city Max and it's super easy to just buy the tickets right when you get into the airport this is me buying the tickets you can see it's just a couple clicks of a button they make it super simple and it's like $5 or $6 so I highly recommend using that to get to and from the airport if you're looking to save money but another mistake that that a lot of tourists make is they buy
• 03:00 - 03:30 that train ticket they scan in but then they throw that ticket away make sure that you hang on to it because when you get to Central Station you do need that same ticket to scan out otherwise you're not going to be able to get the gates to open so just keep that in mind now let's say that you just took that train from the airport to Central Station and it's a rainy day in Amsterdam cuz those happen and you decide hey I want to take public transit to not get rained on with all my stuff you have lots of options the Metro here are great and the trolley super easy but the most important thing
• 03:30 - 04:00 to note here is that you can just tap in with your phone or your credit card you don't actually need to buy any tickets in advance I know that was a lot of information on public transit but I say The Best For Last which is the ferry if you are in one of those areas that is a little bit more affordable for accomodation which we'll get to in a bit there are fairies and they're completely free you just hop right on Hop off you'll be amongst the locals you can bring your bikes and you'll see a lot of locals doing that now if you're wondering hey because the fairies are free does that mean I shouldn't pay for
• 04:00 - 04:30 a canal experience actually the canals are completely separate from where the fairies are going to operate and I would recommend getting out on the water on the canals it really is just a very unique and special way of seeing the city but I do have some money-saving tips here you can't always just take one of those main like tour operators they're all over the city and you are going to pay a certain price per person and there's nothing wrong with those experiences do note that you're going to be packed with a lot of people totally fine if that's what you're looking for but if you are wanting another way to save a little a little bit of money
• 04:30 - 05:00 there's a company called moch booat and I'm in no way shape or form affiliated with this group but they allow you to just rent boats on your own and you don't have to have a boating license the boats are super easy to control it's all like electric and you can take a group out there I think we rented for like 2 hours and it was $100 so that ended up saving our group a lot of money compared to taking one of those big tour groups where we would have paid per head and it meant that we had the freedom to explore the canals at our own rate probably recommend checking them out but let's let's talk about some of the tourist
• 05:00 - 05:30 traps and really just an area of town where tourists just make a lot of mistakes because they just don't know any better and I fell for these mistakes myself so if you look at a map of Amsterdam I like to start by seeing this is where Central Station is and the reason that most tourists fall for this trap is you'll notice Central Station leads you straight into this area it's where a lot of the shopping is going to be it's where the red light District's going to be basically think of it as the area where not many locals are ever going to be going down there unless they have to which means things are going to
• 05:30 - 06:00 be really overpriced there's going to be people looking to take advantage of tourists and it's not going to give you that local authentic Charming Amsterdam experience that so many people want now I'm not saying that you shouldn't spend any time in that area there are quite a few tourist attractions in places that you will likely want to see in there and I don't want to discourage you from doing that just have the context that that is the area where you are most likely to be taken advantage of as a tourist think of these four Canal Rings being 1 2 3 and four
• 06:00 - 06:30 the further out you get meaning the higher the number of the canal the more authentic and local of an experience you're going to have in Amsterdam so do yourself a favor and yeah see what you need to see in that Center area but then break out to explore the real Amsterdam now let's talk about a couple things that catch tourists off guard a little bit in Amsterdam the first is that Dutch service is really direct it is not rude a lot of people mistaken be like oo are people being rude to be no that's just the way that the Dutch people are is they're very direct Communicator so
• 06:30 - 07:00 don't feel offended when you experience that direct communication another thing that can definitely catch people off guard is they'll look up coffee shops and they'll follow their maps to a coffee shop which in Amsterdam is not exclusively selling coffee in fact they're selling something else primarily which is that green substance that is only legal actually it's not legal it is tolerated here in Amsterdam so just keep that in mind another thing that's just really important to note about Amsterdam is that this is a stroll City it's best admired not jumping from place to place
• 07:00 - 07:30 but just saying hey I'm going to wander and walk the streets but a mistake that a lot of tourists make is they say hey I'm going to walk around in the daytime and they poop themselves out by night that's a huge mistake because this is one of those cities that is just has a special type of charm that can only be experienced at night and in like what I call like that blue hour especially in the summer the sun goes down so late here it's just so quiet and peaceful so definitely make sure that you you save
• 07:30 - 08:00 some energy and schedule some time to just wander the streets at night it's a very safe place to be especially again when you push further out of those canals and one of the really unique things here in Amsterdam are the brown cafes and think of that basically as a pub they're just magical they have like this special type of feel and even if you're not a drinker you don't have to ever step foot into one of these they almost like spill over into the streets it's it's something that's really interesting to see two other really important things to know when you're
• 08:00 - 08:30 walking around at night is one if you are a tourist please keep the voice down and I'm specifically talking to my own people which are the Americans and the UK folks because we typically have the biggest problem with it but it really is that peaceful environment I know that the neighborhoods and just the beautiful charm is so fun and addictive to walk through but just be mindful of the people who are actually living there another piece of the culture that is just so special is if you're fortunate enough to visit in the summer take note
• 08:30 - 09:00 of sometimes you'll see backpacks hanging out on flag poles or just outside the windows what that means is that that household has somebody who just graduated likely High School this is a culture that really values education and it's their way of celebrating the young people who are just taking that next step in their education Journey so I just appreciate that it's kind of cool something that you won't see anywhere else in the world that I found thus far but this one really is important for Taurus and even if you are visiting in the summer pack some warm clothes people don't realize
• 09:00 - 09:30 just how far north Amsterdam is and the climate can be pretty chilly even in the summer so even on a nice day just make sure that you're always have a long sleeve or pullover to just warm yourself up because once that sun goes down it really can get chilly and also be prepared for rain it can rain kind of at any time I've been cten a lot of rainstorms so if there is a place to bring a rain jacket or just an umbrella this is probably a good spot to do that so just be prepared for that rain but one other piece that is just again really special with the culture that is
• 09:30 - 10:00 important to recognize when you're wandering is this culture really revolves around art and education and just expression you'll find that there are very few things that are uniform in Amsterdam whether that's movie theaters which I know is a tourist should probably not going to step foot into a movie theater but there are all kinds of just interesting and unique venues whether it be an actual movie theater a regular theater art galleries Community spaces and we'll touch on some of these in a minute but take some time to appreciate those things when you're
• 10:00 - 10:30 walking through but let's talk about where you might want to stay in town and some really important tips around this so first and most important thing is stay where you can afford um accommodation is almost always going to be your biggest expense in Amsterdam it's just outrageously expensive so be prepared for that now in terms of the areas that I'd avoid um the biggest one is just that Central Area everything that's highlighted right here again you're in that touristy trap area you're going to have high prices I just really wouldn't recommend it for anybody the
• 10:30 - 11:00 areas that you might find some cheaper options are one where the fairies are going to give you access to just north of town right here there are some good deals to be had and also if you push out past that fourth canal and even past like I want to call this a fifth Canal but it's not truly a part of the Ring anything in these highlighted areas you also might find some better deals now if you're really that budget traveler and you're saying man I just cannot afford these Amsterdam prices I to totally feel that um my best recommendation is don't
• 11:00 - 11:30 be afraid to stay in another town outside of Amsterdam there are a few that we'll touch on like xand Dam and you know Harlem these places that are a little bit more Dutch you're not going to have nearly as many tourists but they're incredibly well connected and you can get into the city center in about 15 to 30 minutes depending which town you look at and accommodations is going to be far cheaper in those now another thing is that I find that hotels tend to be a little bit more expensive than airbnbs and I do find that the
• 11:30 - 12:00 airbnbs in Amsterdam provide some of those unique experiences especially if you can be on a house boat but I do want to talk about a couple things that a lot of tourists fall for a couple mistakes when booking airbnbs the first is that you definitely want to ask hey what's the stair situation a lot of these Old Dutch buildings they have really narrow really steep staircases and they almost never have an elevator so a lot of tourists are going to have to carry bags of really narrow tight you know stairwells that can be a disaster
• 12:00 - 12:30 especially if somebody's a little bit older and doesn't have full Mobility so just be sure to ask that before booking accommodation and also if you're going in the summer and you realize hey there's a heat wave coming through Amsterdam note that most of the buildings do not have air conditioning so if you are going during one of those heat waves so just be sure to ask about that and keep that in mind now I'll touch on some of those just can't miss places and some tips in just a second but I realize one pain point for travelers or at least for me has been coming from America when you come over
• 12:30 - 13:00 to Amsterdam you don't have regular cell data which means it's really hard to navigate the streets well luckily I found a fix and it's something called an eim and I use this company called AO and what makes AO so great is it's just an app on your phone so you can download it buy Data before your trip if you run out you can add more so you don't need to overspend and even if you're going to other countries not just the Netherlands they have like European packages so the same eim will work across all of Europe I I know it always feels weird promoting
• 13:00 - 13:30 affiliate links but I really do believe in these guys' products that's why I asked them to partner up with me and get you guys those discounts so feel free to check that out if you feel like that's going to be useful on your trip but let's talk about some of those just Camp Miss places the spots that are just the best and a lot of these you'll know about uh one is the reich's museum and a lot of people wonder like hey is the reiches museum worth visiting I'd say yes if if there's one Museum in Amsterdam that I'd say this is the one you got to go to it's the reice museum it really is special and I'd allocate at
• 13:30 - 14:00 least a couple of hours in the museum but also note that there's a beautiful park outside you have Gardens like it's just a wonderful experience and it's well worth your time now another one that people ask quite a bit about is the van go Museum and it is a great museum you really do have to be a van go lover cuz it's pretty much exclusively him hopefully you could tell that by the name but one really important thing with both the van go and reich's museum is that if you're going in the Summers it is really really important to book your tickets in advance both both of those museums sell out quickly so do yourself
• 14:00 - 14:30 a favor and go on their's websites I'll put the links in the description another one that people ask about all the time is the Anne Frank house and this is another one you need your tickets in advance they release their tickets 6 weeks in advance on Tuesday Mornings do not think that you're going to show up like the day of or even week of and get tickets to the N Frank house you really do need to be on top of your game if you want that experience one Museum that you don't need to book in advance at all and I I think is actually kind of underrated
• 14:30 - 15:00 is the houseboat Museum it's really really tiny uh it's just a houseboat and it's kind of staged to show you what it would have been like for people living on it back in the day um it takes all like 5 or 10 minutes to walk through and is a pretty worthwhile one especially if you've never been on a house boat so I would recommend that now if you're short on time and you don't really want to do the reich's museum in Van go where you couldn't get tickets I'd still recommend going to the reich's museum for the tunnel the tunnel that cuts through and connects it to the park is just it's a magical spot one the architecture
• 15:00 - 15:30 is beautiful but two they're musicians just street performers who are performing there at pretty much all hours of the day and they are fantastic it can just be a really magical moment but a tip around this is keep in mind my tip from before of be careful do not block the bike Lanes there's nothing that ruins the performance more than so just keep that in mind another pretty underrated spot in Amsterdam which took me months to get over there
• 15:30 - 16:00 is the zoo and I didn't ever think I'd be recommending the zoo but they really managed to do this Zoo pretty well and if you have little ones it's a great experience it doesn't feel like a theme park it more feels like you're truly entering the habitat uh and it's just a special place you can save $3 by booking your ticket online rather than at the actual ticket office but let's talk about a couple of my favorite areas and just favorite ways to enjoy Amsterdam and that is the parks uh you've probably heard of park that is the big famous One
• 16:00 - 16:30 think of it as like the Central Park of Amsterdam it it really is a special place take a bike ride through there walk just enjoy lay in the grass it's a spectacular place to be and I'd highly recommend it it's probably the first priority in terms of parks but one that often gets overlooked by tourists is wester Park it's away from where most of the tourists end up hanging out so it's a little bit more local and equally as beautiful Park uh and I really love h hanging out there but they have one of
• 16:30 - 17:00 the coolest things attached or built within it which is a garden allotment it's basically this neighborhood where people are on weight list and basically live in these little tiny homes with the sole intent and purpose of growing things they live there for like a very small rate I think I think it's like government sponsored and I mean just wonderful Gardens it's picturesque it's like a fairy tale it is truly just incredible it is well well worth seeing especially in the summer and speaking of
• 17:00 - 17:30 Gardens and parks there is a spot kind of in that actual Central area where all the tourists hang out called banoff and it's this hidden little Courtyard that has some really interesting historical context I I won't spoil it for you so go there if you're in that area of town it's a quick walk through and there will be a lot of tourists but it is a pretty special place to explore in Amsterdam but let's talk about my personal favorite which is the food and oh boy do I have some food recommendations for you what makes Amsterdam so special from a
• 17:30 - 18:00 food standpoint is one it really is an international cuisine like uh you know the Indonesian influence is fascinating to learn about but they really just seem to nail comfort food everything seems to be in that category like the bitter bone which is a bar food or the Stroop waffle which you've probably heard of apple pie seems to be popular pastries are so good here like everything is really comforting minus the Herring sandwiches those not so comforting but I've tried over a 100 places in Amsterdam I'm going to give you a few of the highlights real quick but I do have all my top
• 18:00 - 18:30 recommendations in a downloadable guide it's completely free and it has basically all the other information from this video so feel free to grab that if you want and I I hope it's useful for you all but the first category that I want to talk about are like cafes and coffee the top one is LOF LOF is just those are my people I love that place LOF is just everything that I'm looking for it's really trendy it's comfortable it's subtle but done just really well I love the staff the staff members are
• 18:30 - 19:00 awesome if you do make it over say hello to Lydia or Q for me uh they're two of my personal favorites it's just special and I'm so glad to see that they're doing well they just open two new locations so definitely make sure you get over to LOF if you're looking for more specialty coffee um I always really enjoyed Back to Black it's kind of this coffee shop that is like a house it's a really cozy atmosphere very different than something like LOF but is also well worth your time they have a cafe cat and who doesn't love those you know not going to go wrong there and if you're
• 19:00 - 19:30 looking for something a little bit more unique there's a place called aaria which is Greek style coffee but what's really impressive here is these guys are pumping out banana bread toasted banana bread that has no business being as good as it is like comfort food oh my God it is fantastic let's talk about some of the best sweets cuz again that comfort food they know what they're doing top option which you probably have heard of is Van staple uh these are cookies they literally have a single product it is a chocolate cookie and it is unbelievable
• 19:30 - 20:00 it's the best cookie I've had anywhere and I eat a lot of cookies you guys don't even know how lucky you are for those who have visited Amsterdam in the past you've probably had to wait in the lines hours long at times they just upgraded to like a big new shop where the lines fly through and it is now in that Central kind of touristy part not as Charming as it used to be but you do got to get over there and try that cookie uh if you're looking for a great gelato place can't go wrong with mimo uh it is further out kind of in a local area of town always a line great gelato
• 20:00 - 20:30 great atmosphere it's just everything you could want in a gelato spot and of course you're going to have to try a Stroop waffle a lot of people online will tell you that Rudy's over in the Albert chup Market is the best I kind of disagree with that I actually think there's a spot called Hans egg storf that feels kind of more touristy but I actually think the sh waffles just taste a little bit better they are a little bit more expensive but it's a Charming experience it's a unique experience and it's well worth your time you can't go wrong there but let's talk about a couple of the actual restaurants that I
• 20:30 - 21:00 would recommend um my Top Choice in all of Amsterdam is a spot called Cafe decla this place kind of has that Brown Cafe Bar atmosphere run exclusively by Dutch people who are very direct but the ribs here are insane dry rub which I know isn't everybody's style but they are worth trying they are exceptional they also do not take reservations there will always be a line the later it gets so I'd recommend getting there early cuz it is well well worth it if you're looking
• 21:00 - 21:30 for kind of a healthier option there's a spot called uncommon which basically is like the restaurant version of LOF in a sense because it's that trendy young people Vibe really unique dishes all really healthy and just well done and well executed great spot for a brunch or lunch if you're looking for something with a little bit more flavor because I know some people say some Dutch foods are a little bit Bland there's a spot called rud alir and I might be Bing that pronunciation but this is Algerian food
• 21:30 - 22:00 and they do both sit in and take away awesome staff fresh ingredients wonderful flavors like it is a great spot and it's just wonderful food I can't go wrong and if you're looking for something that's a little bit lighter and over in that Museum District there's a place called rainbows and I have spent so much money at this place if you're into smoothie bows and net bowls this place doesn't really well in a really artistic way again awesome staff you can't really go wrong there now we're going to talk about some of the best d trips in just a second but I want to
• 22:00 - 22:30 touch on a few of the markets that you should be aware of and a few that I think are maybe a little bit overrated that a lot of people get told to go to so the first one is the most famous and it's the Albert kitee Market um it is historic it is really old and have the context that not everything there is for locals and it's not a completely authentic local experience it's still something to see but it's not my favorite in town another one is food Holland in De Holland which is an old converted like train station and they've got like a movie theater in there they
• 22:30 - 23:00 do like the market they've got like this food Hall area some of the food in there is decent it's not going to be your top tier options those sorts of spots rarely are but it is a cool thing to see one that I feel like is completely overrated uh in all honesty is the flower market and most Guides Online will be like yeah you got to go check out the flower market it's in that central part of Amsterdam it's basically just tourist a lot of the flowers aren't even real like there's a lot of just fak stuff I don't want to discourage you from seeing it
• 23:00 - 23:30 but don't have those Skyhigh expectations I feel like a lot of tourists go there and just don't end up totally loving the experience now you're probably asking yourself well hey what the heck do you put at the top of your list I'd probably say n Market is one of the best markets in town um you're going to have things from like Antiques and flea market style to also just really good quality organic uh food options so it happens on Mondays and Saturdays and I don't know I just feel like it's a pretty small Market that's manageable it's in an area of town that's pretty accessible for most tourists and I've
• 23:30 - 24:00 always really enjoyed it another one that's really close by is lynen Mark uh and this is just on one of those really long streets in that popular neighborhood called Jordan um it's really decent I mean there are good food options again you have kind of a picturesque feel you definitely have some locals um there will be plenty of tourists as well but I don't think it feels as touristy as some of the others and one that is only happens once a month and is on that north side where you're going to have to take the fairy to is the JJ Holland flea market now
• 24:00 - 24:30 this Market is massive if you're somebody who really loves thrifting and really wants an experience take a look and see if this is happening when you're in town like I said it's once a month but you even have to pay to get into that market um and it is one where there going to be a lot of locals yes some tourists will go check it out but it is just really different and quite impressive so I don't know I I did enjoy checking that one out as well but let's talk about day trips because I do think there are some that are well worth your time but there are also some that are a
• 24:30 - 25:00 bit overrated and one that I think is quite underrated so the first and probably most popular is zanan and this is only like 15 minutes outside of Amsterdam and it's wonderful it's almost better to think of it as an open air museum it's kind of like they've just preserved this specific neighborhood from way back in time where you get to see how life would have used to look like uh you see all the old buildings and kind of what purposes they served you have the Beautiful Farms you get to interact with a few animals if you want
• 25:00 - 25:30 uh The Windmills of course are spectacular like it's just really beautiful and scenic but a tip around this is if you do get out there which is well worth your time go as early in the morning as you possibly can the reason being this is not a Hidden Gem a lot of tourists know about it and it can be a not so enjoyable experience when you're just fighting the Swarms of people and everybody typically shows up between like noon and 2:00 p.m. so try to be there on the front front end if you can get there early it's really going to
• 25:30 - 26:00 enhance the experience now one spot that a lot of people try to do along with zanon is zand Zam is a little bit overrated in my mind I think a lot of social media influencers like to talk about this place because it is picturesque but really only one building it looks really cool so I think everybody just pounds a pounds on that point but overall I think there are places where you could better spend your time and get a better sense of Dutch culture we're going to touch on
• 26:00 - 26:30 some of those places so go see it if you want but do note that there is a little bit left to be desired in my mind now an alternative that is just as close that I think a lot of tourists just completely skip over is het Amsterdam boss which is basically this little Forest this is not a city this is a very different type of day trip but if you do have a bike you can just bike there it's going to take you 25 30 minutes and it is this gorgeous Forest it just feels like it put you out in the country side you interact with no tourist it's a great
• 26:30 - 27:00 place for a picnic and just to explore uh it really is a special place and again I think more tourists hopefully in the future will recognize that it is well worth your time but if you're looking for some of those larger cities or larger towns to visit there are a few that are definitely popular and I can't cover them all so I'll just go over a few highlights one of the best is Harlem and Harlem is kind of that just picturesque Dutch town it's only about 15 20 minutes away away from Amsterdam and it's actually one of those great
• 27:00 - 27:30 options if you're looking for the cheaper accommodation and staying outside of Amsterdam because of its proximity this is a great spot uh it's super cute very Charming uh but you just won't be fighting the same type of tourist as you will in Amsterdam so Harlem is definitely worth your time now if you're wanting a little bit bigger than that uh you have a few options one the heg uh the heg is a big city and it is spectacular they have some just gorgeous Gardens in for of their own you've got a lot of the um you know
• 27:30 - 28:00 government buildings there it is just a special place and you could honestly spend a couple days exploring the hag but it does make for a wonderful day trip as well now if you're not wanting that big and you are wanting something that is a little bit smaller and more Charming uh utre is a great option utre actually feels the most like Amsterdam because of the way that they have their canals constructed it's also just very Charming there's a lot of young energy there it is a university town and again it's a wonderful spot to spend some time and doesn't take too long it's only
• 28:00 - 28:30 about 40 minutes outside of Amsterdam so another very doable day trip and if you're wanting something that doesn't feel as historical Dutch in is kind of a new Dutch era Rotterdam really is a unique city um what makes it unique is it was actually destroyed back in the world wars and now they've rebuilt and it's completely modern very contemporary just fascinating architecture all over uh just completely different experience uh than anywhere else that you'll find in the Netherlands so it can be be an equally as cool day trip and there's so
• 28:30 - 29:00 many more the key takeaways that there are tons of day trips that you can do from Amsterdam the entire country is just so well connected and really does lend itself well to those who want to take day trips but I hope all this made sense I know we covered a lot and if you want to know just my unfiltered thoughts of all the time that I spent in Amsterdam you can watch this video right here if you have comments or questions feel free to drop them in the comment section thank you for watching all the way here and I hope that you learn to love Amsterdam as much as I have thanks for watching and we'll catch you guys next time