24 November 2020

I travelled to this cultured and carefree city with my mum and step-dad, we were looking for a couple of nights away as a family and Amsterdam definitely ticked all our boxes! We flew from London Gatwick early in the morning the flight was less than a hour and we were out exploring by lunchtime. Schipol Airport must be one of the best in the world it had a lovely airy feel to it and it was so clean. The train journey from the airport to Centraal Station is under 20 minutes and it takes you right into the centre of the city to Centraal Station. The hotel we stayed in was a lovely 4 star hotel called Die Port Van Cleve, the location of the property was ideal as it was close to Dam Square. The hotel is famous for being where the Heineken family started their first brewery! We walked for miles exploring this amazing city though be careful of the bikes, there are thousands of them! One of the highlights of our trip was visiting Anne Frank's House, it was very moving climbing up the ladder experiencing where Anne was hidden for 2 years, you have to book in advance now to visit the museum so don't forget! Dining out you definitely will be spoilt for choice, I was recommended to experience the floating authentic Chinese restaurant called the Sea Palace which is close to Centraal Station and it was definitely worth it, we also ate in an Argentinian Steak Restaurant which was good too, there are plenty of restaurants and cafes you definitely won't go hungry. A canal boat trip is a must and for culture buffs there are at least 53 museums, we just visited the Van Gogh Museum and viewed the many masterpieces housed here of Vincent Van Gogh. Some of you may find it distasteful but we had to go to the infamous "red-light district" which brings a whole new meaning to "window shopping"! Shoppers won't be disappointed there are many fashionable stores down P.C. Hoofstraat plus if you love cigars like my step-dad you would be in your element, Dutch cigars are renowned to be one of the best. The Royal Palace, which is the largest and most prestigious building from the Golden Age, making it one of the Netherlands' most important monuments is the focal point of Dam Square. I definitely would love to go back to Amsterdam it is a city that all generations of families will enjoy, mum and my step-dad enjoyed it there so much they went back at least another four times!