Less than 24 hours in Amsterdam
On arrival into the city, I chose to walk to the hotel with the help of maps on my phone. It should have been a 24-minute walk, but the sun was shining, so I walked a little slower and took time to look around, stopping to take pictures along the way.
Hotel Eden Amsterdam was where I spent the first night, it is a small boutique hotel on the main Amstel River, it’s surrounded by shops, cafes and only a short walk from Dam Square and the flower market. I have to say, the pictures I saw when I booked it really didn’t do it justice.
After a quick change, it was time to explore the canals and get a late lunch. I knew this was the only time to explore the city, as the next day I was off to the river cruise and that was a full on packed agenda.
Lunch was in café bar popular with locals and tourists alike, the prices were very reasonable, and the staff were great. Next it was time for our 1-hour canal boat tour. There are so many of these to choose from and they start from all over Amsterdam. You can go for the big ones with the glass roofs or the more open topped ones depending on your mood or the weather. Ours was an open one and it even had an option for an open bar. Now, remember if you decide to partake of the open bar, these small boats don’t have toilets.
After more sightseeing and buying some of the famous stroopwafels it was time to head back to the hotel. Hotel Eden has a lovely bar area where you can relax after a long day out and although it doesn’t have an on-site restaurant, it does have a self-service shop and an area where you can buy and cook toasted sandwiches and pizzas. It’s pretty cool actually.
The next morning, I was up and out on the hunt for breakfast at 8.30 am, this turned out not be the best idea. Did you know that most places in Amsterdam don’t open until 10am on a Monday morning? It’s because everywhere is open all weekend, so they give the staff a late start on a Monday. That’s my top tip, don’t go out early on a Monday. I did find a café eventually next to the flower market and I had a great breakfast. On the way back to collect my luggage I popped into Blin Queen the café a few doors from the hotel for a hot chocolate. It had to be done, because from the outside it is so crooked, and we wanted to see if it was the same inside.
Amsterdam is a big city modern city in many ways, but the old-world charm, history and architecture is all around you as you cross the various canals and bridges. I know the first thing that pops into people’s minds when you say you are going to Amsterdam is to ask if you visited the red-light district or eat anything you wouldn’t dream of at home, but the answer is no, I didn’t. Amsterdam is so much more than that, but it’s there if you choose it.