Travel Recap: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities in the world. Amsterdam was already on the top of my travel list because I wanted to visit the Anne Frank House and see the famous tulips. Unfortunately, the tulips only bloom for approximately 8 weeks in the spring, and I missed them the first time I visited by a few weeks, but I made it back the following year in time!

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tips and advice:

  • If you want to see the tulips, be sure to time your trip well, as you don't want to go too early or too late. I was a few weeks too late the first time I visited Amsterdam in mid/late May. And if you're there during tulip season, be aware that it'll be busy with other tourists.
  • Because the Anne Frank House is small, with limited capacity, getting tickets is a little tricky, and you have to buy them online in advance -- you cannot buy them at the door. 80% of tickets can be purchased up to two months in advance, and the remaining 20% of tickets are released the day of. We didn't realize this system until we arrived in Amsterdam, and I was heartbroken when I realized we may not get to visit the Anne Frank House. Fortunately, we ended up checking the website every 15 minutes that day and never straying too far, and we were able to get tickets that afternoon! The tour itself is self-guided with audio, so you move at your own pace, and it was extremely emotional (I brought sunglasses and wore them inside because I was crying so much).
    • Update as of 9/19/2023: The Anne Frank House used to save 20% of tickets to be released in batches the day of — but it appears as of 2023 it no longer offers that option and ALL tickets become available 6 weeks in advance. We set a reminder on our phone when we went in August 2023 so we wouldn't forget when they become available or miss the window!
  • King's/Queen's Day (or Koningsdag/Koninginnedag, respectively) is the annual celebration of the Dutch monarch, and it's basically a national party where everyone wears orange and parties in the street all day and night. In 2019, it was April 27, so we scheduled our flights around it so we could go!
  • We took a bus to Keukenhof, the largest flower garden in the world, and after wandering around the garden, we rented bikes from outside the Keukenhof entrance and followed a marked bike trail to see tulip fields on our own.
  • Relatedly: Beware of bikes! Amsterdam is the bike capital of the world, so always look both ways as you walk and be listening for any bike bells so you can move out of the way.
  • We didn't experience any language difficulties, as nearly everyone we encountered spoke English in addition to the official language of Dutch.
  • Amsterdam weather is unpredictable. For my trips in late April and late May, it was relatively warm, but I did bring and wear light jackets.

I was under the impression that the fields on our marked bike trail were open to tourists, but I'm not sure that was actually the case. The tulip fields are designed in rows with space in between each row, but be careful not to damage any of them. I saw this article after our visit.

itinerary:

Trip #1 (May 2018)

  • Hotel: Zoku. We actually booked a fraudulent reservation through a legitimate third-party site (somehow), but the hotel worked with us to get us a different reservation. I think this hotel is designed to be more of a home/office hybrid, but the rooms (actually lofts) were really interesting, and I loved the rooftop and the lobby.
  • Day 1
    • Walked around the city, wandered in and out of shops and cafes.
    • Visited the Van Gogh Museum.
    • Dinner cruise in the canals. We found ours on Viator (affiliate link) and it was really fun, but I can't remember which one we did, so I'd ask your hotel if they have one they recommend. It was a great way to see the city from a different perspective while having a unique dinner experience.
  • Day 2
    • Anne Frank House. Ever since I read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (thanks to a school required reading list), I have wanted to visit the Anne Frank House. Like my time visiting Normandy, this was a powerful experience, and I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to pay my respects and help ensure Anne Frank isn't forgotten. 

Trip #2 (April 2019)

  • Hotel: Amadi Park Hotel
  • Day 1 
    • Dinner at Ron Gastrobar.
    • Walked along the canals and got ice cream.
  • Day 2
    • We wanted to be at Keukenhof when it opened at 8am, so we took an early bus in order to avoid as much of the crowd as possible. We left the official garden around 1pm and hit up the bike stand in the Keukenhof parking lot, where we rented bikes for a few hours and followed a bike trail with tulip fields along the path!
    • When we got back to Amsterdam, we got pizza from La Perla and apple pie and champagne from Winkel 43. 
    • Watched the city set up for the next day's King's Day festivities.
  • Day 3
    • King's Day! We spent the day wandering around the city, buying orange clothing, listening to music, and watching the celebrations.

photo diary:

At Keukenhof! It was chilly in the morning so I was glad I had my peacoat.
Sunglasses: Illesteva Leonard in tortoise/pink (affiliate link) | Peacoat: J. Crew | Jeans: Express





I think the iPhone Portrait mode was relatively new at this time, so my husband got really into taking Portrait mode photos of the flowers and I had to amuse myself with selfies. :-P

After we left Keukenhof and started our bike ride! You can see the sign at the bottom pointing us in the direction of Trails 2 and 3.

Mid-bike ride action shot.





My husband caught me taking selfies.


Sunglasses: Illesteva Leonard in tortoise/pink (affiliate link) | T-shirt: Lulu's (affiliate link) | Jeans: Express


Pizza from La Perla!

And champagne and apple pie from Winkel 43.

King's Day celebrations!



Prosecco and gelato!



Anne Frank House

At the top of the SkyLounge.

I'm sad this photo is blurry, but I also don't know why I look like I just got off of work, so it's a wash.
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban Mirrored Clubmaster sunglasses in green mirror (affiliate link) | Jacket: Express | Dress: Lulu's (affiliate link) | Necklace: Kendra Scott in gold (affiliate link) | Purse: Kate Spade | Shoes: Sam Edelman in leopard (or at Amazon) (affiliate link)


Dress: Lulu's (affiliate link) | Necklace: Kendra Scott in gold (affiliate link)

Dress: Zara | Shoes: Sam Edelman in leopard (or at Amazon) (affiliate link)


On the canal dinner cruise.

View from the canal dinner cruise.

where to eat and drink:

what to do:

  • A canal dinner cruise
  • Vondelpark (public park)
  • Keukenhof Gardens (and bike rental)
  • Visit Albert Cuyp Market (a street market)
  • House of Bols (a cocktail tour)
  • Rent a bike
  • Visit one of Amsterdam's many museums, including the Van Gogh Museum and the Resistance Museum.
  • I feel like I'd be remiss not to mention the Red Light District, but in my opinion, there is plenty to do in Amsterdam and visiting the Red Light District wasn't necessary. If you do go, however, my understanding is that taking photographs is not allowed and it is not just expected but required that you treat the women with respect.
  • Food tour
  • Day trips! Amsterdam is a small country, so you can easily take day trips elsewhere.
  • Visit the 9 Streets neighborhood, a particularly picturesque neighborhood.
  • Visit the Westertoren and climb to the top of the tower.
  • SkyLounge rooftop on top of the Double Tree
  • Gondola ride.
  • A'DAM Lookout -- not for the weak of heart!

links I used or recommend:

Amsterdam is one of the more romantic and picturesque cities I've ever visited, with plenty of history (from the Anne Frank House to the Resistance Museum) and all the flowers. Just make sure you plan your trip for the right time -- next time I go, I'm hoping to go in the winter for Christmas markets and hopefully snow!

love from



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