A Staff Guest Post – A Holiday in Amsterdam.

As some of the other staff members here at Economy Car Hire have very kindly written a post about their recent travel experience, I thought I would join in and write an account of my holiday to Amsterdam!

“Where to go for a short break in April, surely an easy decision to make? Well, it actually ended up being a pretty tough decision, but after stumbling across a great deal it was decided. We were headed to the city that never sleeps; Amsterdam!

Despite popular misconceptions, there is more to Amsterdam than stag and hen dos, coffee shops and the red light district. Whilst these elements of the city are definitely ambiguous, they do add some personality but can be completely avoided if it’s not your cup of tea.

Getting to the centre of Amsterdam

Having caught a late flight, by the time we had checked into our hotel, the Westcord Fashion Hotel, it was gone 10pm and we were hungry! Although the hotel was very nice, it was located opposite the World Fashion Centre in the south west of the city. Subsequently, it’s quite a distance from the city centre. In retrospect this explained the great price for a 4*! Still, the tram stop was just a few minutes’ walk away and hotel staff advised us that we could reach the city centre within 15 minutes. We jumped on the tram and headed off into the big bright lights.

Explore the bustling city

Stepping off into Leidseplein, the main square, you are overcome by the throngs of people and glowing lights. They beckon from the many bars, eateries and of course coffee shops which surround you. And bicycles – so many bicycles! Having grabbed some food at a local pizzeria, we spent the majority of the night just walking around, soaking up the atmosphere and admiring the pretty canals lit up. And trying not to get hit by the aforementioned bicycles! Despite the hub of activity, it wasn’t overwhelming as you tend to find in other tourist trap cities. Everyone is friendly, out to have a good time and it’s really just very entertaining. Having had our fill, we headed back to the hotel at around 2am to get ready for the next few days activities.

Navigating the city

The good thing about Amsterdam is that it’s a flat, compact city. It’s easy to navigate and all of the sights can be easily reached by foot. Plenty of other tourists decide to hire bicycles to get around and you can do so fairly cheaply from a number of places. We stuck to the former and pushed it to the extreme; my boyfriend loves to walk and boy did we do a lot! We got to see so many interesting parts of the city that we wouldn’t have seen if we had only used the tram.

We spied some fabulous architecture and forgotten antique shops full of intriguing trinkets dotted along the quiet canal-side streets. As big foodies, we also discovered some authentic restaurants that serve delicious food. They were happy for us to linger over our meal and truly enjoy it, rather than being chucked out for maximum turnover like some of the eateries in the Leidseplein area.

We also spent some time in several of the parks that Amsterdam has on offer. The Botanic Gardens were definitely our favourite and we spent a good few hours wandering around in the spring sunshine admiring the pretty plant life.

Don’t forget the tourist spots

We also visited some of the most popular tourist spots too. Or at least we tried to. Even though we weren’t visiting in high season, the queue for Anne Frank’s house was so long that we decided not to bother. Mainly because we didn’t want to waste any of the short time we had in the city. We were advised once we had returned home that the only time to attempt a visit to Anne Frank’s house is either very first thing in the morning or last thing at night when the queues will have substantially subsided.

Visiting the Van Gogh Museum

We also made our way to the Van Gogh museum on Museumplein which, I hate to say was a disappointing experience. The art was naturally impressive, but the crowds of people ruined it. Although it was set over multiple floors, the layout did little to ease the sheep herding process. You had little more than a minute to admire each painting before the throngs of people forced you to move onto the next.

As mentioned, we did loads of walking which took up a lot of time but we managed to pack in plenty more. We spent some time at the Casino and of course hit up the Hard Rock Café, took some staple pictures at the ”I Amsterdam” sign and browsed the flea markets and the popular Flower Market. Some of our other favourite visits included the Torture Museum and the Dungeons!

All in all, we had an excellent time in Amsterdam and it is one of the few cities I wouldn’t hesitate to return to. There is more than enough on offer to pack into a short stay and the vibe is second to none. No matter what your age, Amsterdam could well become one of your favourites, just be sure to tailor your itinerary accordingly!”

Have you ever been to Amsterdam? What was your opinion? Or are you planning a trip there? Share your thoughts!