A Week in Amsterdam — Katy Peace

Chad considers Amsterdam to be the most romantic city in the world, so it only made sense that we end up there at some point in our honeymoon. When we started planning the megamoon, our Amsterdam Airbnb was actually the first thing we booked and then we built our trip around those dates. We ended up finding a great deal on a cute flat in Slotermeer, about 20 minutes by transit west of the city center. We saved a lot of money by staying in an outlying neighborhood, and it was always easy to hop on a tram or bus to get anywhere we wanted to go. We were there for eight nights, and this was the only reason we were able to afford to stay in Amsterdam for that long.

The first thing we did in Amsterdam was eat pannenkoeken (would recommend). The second thing we did in Amsterdam was deal with me succumbing to a stomach virus (would not recommend). After spending a full day resting up, we were finally able to see some sights and explore Amsterdam properly.

Amsterdam is known for having great museums and visiting them was our top priority. After doing the math, we decided to buy the Museumkaart. It's a great deal for local residents, who can use it to access over 400 museums free of charge for a full year. It's decidedly less generous to tourists – the temporary card you receive when you buy at a museum is valid for 30 days or 5 museum visits, whichever comes first. Even so, the €59.90 price tag ended up saving us some money when all was said and done.

Contemporary art is my favorite, so we made our first stop at the Stedelijk Museum. The special exhibition featuring work by Studio Drift was incredible, but their collection was also worth seeing. Our second museum day took us to the famed Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum (make sure you get your timed entry in advance!). All three of these museums are conveniently located right next to each other along with several other cultural institutions that we did not visit. We also checked out the Outsider Art Museum (located at the Hermitage) for an artistic change of pace.

Our final museum was a trip to the Anne Frank House. Visiting this historic place a must while in Amsterdam, but be sure to get your timed entry tickets online in advance. There are no day-of tickets at the museum and they always sell out. It was moving to see this place in real life and understand the broader physical context in which it exists. We both shed a few tears, especially during the video montage after walking through the secret annex.

Aside from museums, we spent quite a bit of time walking around the city, enjoying the architecture and the canals. The entire canal ring is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and walking around this 17th-century-designed city is rather like visiting a living museum in and of itself. To get a better vantage point, we decided to do a canal boat tour with Those Dam Boat Guys. Their tours are in English and are decidedly more relaxed than a traditional tourist boat tour. We also hopped on the free ferry over to Noord to see the Eye Filmmuseum, a decidedly more modern architectural site.

Our time in Amsterdam was easy, full of art, dessert, and good weather. A week there went by before we knew it.

RECOMMENDATIONS

FOOD: The poffertjes at Café de Prins were life changing; Café Mankind was the perfect lunch spot near the Rijksmuseum; The apple cake at Winkel 43 lives up to the hype; Stop by Van Stapele Koekmakerij for the best chocolate cookie you will ever eat; I regret not getting lunch at The Lebanese Sajeria; Pick up a falafel at Maoz Vegetarian and frites at MannekenPis or De Belg; Drink some craft beer at Café Gollem

SHOPPING: I put together my top 10 list here!