Tis Me Michelle

And just like that my first trip, and likely my only big trip of the year, is done! I cannot even believe it. It always feels like a dream and I am so lucky to be able to go on each trip. This one was no different! I mentioned in one of my videos how we landed on Amsterdam and a bit about our plans. I figured I’d give you a little recap.

Brief intro, if you haven’t watched the video (yet), my friend and I went to Amsterdam for about 5 nights. One of those days we took a day trip to Bruges and then I headed over to London – posts on those locations coming soon! We originally wanted to try and squeeze in 2 cities within this trip (which we kind of did with our day trip). However, with the amount of time my friend had off, we opted to stay in Amsterdam for the full stay. Instead of 2 cities, we split our time between 2 two hotels.

The Hotel(s)

For the first half of the stay, we stayed at The Hendrick’s Hotel, and then for the second half we stayed at Hotel van de Vijsel. They were both on two different sides of the city, which worked out for our planned activities. The Hendrick’s was a bit pricier than Vijsel. Vijsel came out to ~$340 for 3 nights and Hendrick’s was ~$360 for 2 nights. Both were good options for different reasons.

We both really liked the overall vibes of the Hendrick’s Hotel. It was a boutique hotel, rather small, but decorated really cute. We also appreciated all the free coffee and tea, as we didn’t opt for breakfast during our stay. Vijsel was more of a budget hotel, but it had everything we needed. We didn’t have the coffee/tea service, but we did grab breakfast from here a few days and it was not bad. I just find hotel breakfasts a bit boring and too expensive, kind of like airport food.

Both were super conveniently located to the activities we had planned and really close to the train station or tram stops. Hendrick’s was closer to the Redlight District and Vijsel was closer to the museum area. I would recommend either, I think I just appreciated the vibes of Hendrick’s a bit more.

The Activities

In that video, I mentioned we basically had one or two major activities planned for each day, then left the rest of the day or in-between time open. So here’s the breakdown of what I did and how I’d break it down:

Definitely Do:

• Anne Frank House: I highly recommend this tour, which you definitely have to book in advance. It’s a heavy one. I thought it was well done, honoring Anne and her family. In today’s world, I wish we were so far from what Anne had to go through, but sometimes I wonder if we really learned anything. I really hope this museum as well as each life impacted by this war teaches us to be better to each other.
• Van Gogh Museum: I’m an art lover, I do love an art museum. I can spend hours in a good one. This museum was super well done, showcasing so many of Van Gogh’s pieces, but also showcasing those who he learned from and inspired him as well as his peers. I really enjoyed it and it was actually quite a big museum. If you are an art lover or do love art museums, definitely check this one out.
• Red Light Secrets Museum: This one may not be for everyone, but it’s kind of part of the Amsterdam experience. Obviously, Amsterdam is known for the Red Light District. Which if you are not aware is literally a street with brothels, strip clubs + etc, a very ‘adult’ area if you will. This museum is located right on this street and I found it worthwhile. If you aren’t comfortable with this material, do you. There is so much stigma around sex work, and I found that the museum did a good job of giving insight into the women who work on this street.

If You Have Time:

• ARTIS: My friend works at a zoo and studied animal psychology, so this zoo was on our list. We went to the zoo in Lisbon on our Portugal trip too. Can’t deny I enjoyed the zoos in both places. I get it’s not like super unique to the city, but each one has been set up kinda differently and the animals are just great. If you have kids, I feel like it’s a great activity for them too – they’d be much more into it than the other things on this list.
• Tulip Museum: This was a small shop with a little museum in the back. My friend really liked this museum. She is into gardening, if that is up your alley, go for it. Tulips are a big deal in Amsterdam, so it’s interesting to learn about the origin of it in Amsterdam and the flower itself. I have to admit I enjoyed the shop more than the museum. There were some parts I enjoyed, but I wasn’t as interested as my friend was. It was only 5 euros and not too big so if you need a shorter activity, go for it, but I wouldn’t say you’re really missing out if you skip it.
• Rijksmuseum: This is kind of like The Met in Amsterdam. It’s a large museum with a little bit of everything. I do love museums, but I do hit a point of museum exhaustion at some point. Unfortunately, this was the last of our museum tour and we decided we should check it out last minute. I didn’t take in all of the museum or really appreciate it, there was a lot to see. A mixture of art and history. The building itself is gorgeous too. I do think it’s worthwhile, but I suggest you plan for it and know it’s a half-day kind of museum. I did not plan accordingly.

Skip:

• Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum: Aside from the Red Light District and Tulips, Amsterdam is known for their ‘coffeeshops’. Coffeeshops in Amsterdam are where you can buy and use weed legally. This museum was also in the Red Light District, and since we were there we stopped in. However, this museum was much more kitschy. Some may say the Red Light Secrets Museum is too, but I felt like this one was much more of a tourist trap – which we clearly went for. I’d say check out an actual coffeeshop instead of this museum.
• Rembrandt House: I was actually surprised I didn’t love this one. But to be fair, as much as I love art, Rembrandt isn’t really one of my favorites. I’ve obviously heard of him, but I couldn’t even recall any of his pieces. Anyways, this museum is the house he lived in. It is cool that it was the actual place he spent most of his life. However, it was moreso just walking through a house. There really wasn’t any of his own pieces in the house, there was more of his work at the Rijksmuseum. If you are a huge fan of his, check it out – otherwise, go to the Van Gogh Museum.

The Food & Drink

I went with my oldest best friend, we went to the same school growing up, even a year in the same college. She ended up realizing someone we knew from school moved to Amsterdam. We didn’t get a chance to see them, but they shared a list of spots they’d been to and saved. Some of our favorite spots were the ones from their recommendations. I will however say overall I didn’t love the food. The beer was great – I’m not a huge beer drinker but it was pretty solid.

Warning: I will be having a ridiculous amount of reviews coming from this trip – so for in-depth food & drink reviews, stay tuned!

Overall

I’m glad I went somewhere new for this trip. I want to keep trying to go to places I haven’t been. But I can’t deny this is probably at the bottom of my European adventures. I had a great time exploring with my friend, but I found the city a bit underwhelming. It is an easy city to navigate and the people were friendly. I just felt like it missed some of the European charms I’ve experienced in the other cities I’ve visited. So I think this is a one-and-done city for me.

Have you visited Amsterdam?! What were your thoughts on the city?