Amsterdam Diaries: Getting Started

Living in a city gives you a different perspective of the place, but we often take it for granted.

My husband and I spent an exciting 5 months in Amsterdam and knowing we had limited time there made us work hard to learn and experience the city to the fullest.

The city, culture, museums, food, people, meetups and the neighboring towns.. there was so much to take in. I will delve into each of these in a series of posts, talking about some tourist attractions, but also some hidden treasures. I will also share some practical aspects of navigating the city.

Where do you start?

Amsterdam is a beautiful city filled with colorful buildings that have ancient facades and modern interiors. The city center is a great place to start exploring the city.

Dam Square, the churches, the Royal Palace, the museums, pretty boutiques and food and cheese markets are a few things to explore in the city center. I will talk about the museums in a separate blog post because there are many of them and each one has so much to offer. I highly recommend the walking tour here from Guru Walks. It is a very nice mix of history, stories and practical tips about the city. Kudos to the guide who actually conducts a quiz on the tour to keep the group engaged.

Westerpark is a great place to visit and bike around. It is part of Amsterdam West and is a lively area with an expansive park that houses markets, art and concerts during summer.

The maze of canals lends a distinct character to the city and makes it a joy to walk along the waterways. The canals are on the World Heritage List and you can take canal tours like this to explore the city through the canals.

The cafes are a treat if you love coffee and croissants. A word of caution here coffeeshops in Amsterdam do not serve coffee :)

Off the beaten path

These are some of the things we explored and loved.

If you are a book lover, La Flaneur is a very interesting book store which has a unique collection in a bunch of different languages.

Noordermarkt is a great place to shop for organic food and several varieties of cheese.

The art street at Art Plein displaying diverse art forms is a fun place to browse.

De Hallen is a less crowded place to hang out. You can watch movies at FilmHallen, sample a bunch of different cuisines at FoodHallen and explore some cute stores where you can find uncommon games and gifts.

Meetups are a great way to meet people in Amsterdam. I discovered a rather vibrant startup community and highly recommend the Startup School Meetup

How do you get around?

Let's talk about transport for two reasons. One is the practical aspect of getting from one place to another, but in Amsterdam I think this is also a very critical part of the tourist experience. Bicycles are everywhere and the Netherlands is the best place in the world for cyclists with its dedicated bike lanes and easy access to the rental bicycles.

If you plan to stay a month or longer, Swapfiets is a great option. For shorter trips, renting by the hour will make sense and DonkeyRepublic is one good option.

The public transport system with the trams and trains is also brilliantly efficient. The best part is that you can use Tap to Pay with your credit card or phone to pay for the tickets and most of the trams have very friendly directions.

The essence

We explored the city by foot both during the day and during the night. You can see the city through a different lens absorbing the pretty sights and lively atmosphere as you walk past the canals and the bridges. The architecture of Amsterdam is unique because a lot of the historical facades are preserved. This lends a cinematic appeal to the cityscape.

Though Dutch is the national language, most people speak English and are welcoming.

The canals, the tulips, the narrow alleyways, the museums, the stroopwafels , the cyclists and the friendly people are the essence of Amsterdam.