A Day In Amsterdam - Things To Do, Places To See, Amsterdam Travel Guide

The next leg of our Europe Trip took us to Paris as our next base city (from where we would take day trips by train. Read more about our Europe trip planning here). From here we had planned to visit Brussels and Amsterdam. However, it was a week having some holidays etc. so a lot of rush to travel. Hence we were getting tickets on only one weekday for the Thalys (fast train). So while choosing and deciding between the two places we wanted to visit, Amsterdam trumped Brussels for us. Another thing to know is that the same train Thalys takes you both to Brussels and Amsterdam, Amsterdam being around three hours and twenty minutes away and Brussels around one and a half hours away. Anyhow after reaching Paris and tired from so many days of train travel, we just rested that entire evening to wake up fresh and be ready for Amsterdam the next day!

We took the 9:22 AM Thalys from Paris Nord to Amsterdam Centraal. We reached Amsterdam by 12:44 PM. I found the Thalys train to be much more cleaner and comfortable than the TGV of France. We exited the station and decided to hop on the tram right in front of the station. Useful Tip: These trams do not accept cash! You have to tap in with your credit card and tap out when you get off at your stop. And each person must have a separate credit card, the same credit card cannot be used for two people! I am not sure whether debit cards can be used as me and my husband used credit cards so please check it out. Anyway, I had planned the day such that we would start at the farthest place from the railway station that I wanted to visit in this city of concentric canals and then walk towards the attractions closer to the station. This way when it was time to leave we wouldn't have to rush back to the station to catch our train as it would be close by. Also, it was refreshing to see the number of bikes in this city! Amsterdam is a great example of people choosing eco-friendly travel like bikes due to its dedicated bike lanes.

So the first spot we visited was the Albert Cuypmarkt, considered to be one of the most beautiful markets in Amsterdam which is famous for the variety of local foods, fresh produce, handicrafts and more. And then of course the first place we proceeded towards at this market was none other than the world-famous Rudi's Original Stroopwafels. The distinction between this place and the others I had heard was that the Stroopwafels are made fresh per order and served warm and that makes all the difference in the taste. It also turned out that the two men managing this stand were some of the sweetest vendors we had ever met.

They were constantly entertaining everyone standing in the line with their funny dialogues and antics. And I went for the original stroopwafel which turned out to be one of the most delicious delights I have ever tasted. The waffle was warm, thin and crisp and the caramel inside was still syrupy and decadent. We also tried a falafel wrap from another vendor and some coffee from a local brewer at this market and both did not disappoint. Another thing you can try at this market is the poffertje, mini pancakes with all sorts of toppings.

We then walked towards the Museum Square which houses famous museums like the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and more. Along the way to this place we crossed many stunning canals and picturesque houses and gardens, it was a lovely walk. I went to Museum Square as I just wanted to admire the buildings in this area and just have a look at this beautiful square but in retrospect, I would have liked to visit the Van Gogh museum. All one has to do is book the tickets in advance online and plan out the visit on such a day when the rush and lines are less. Although this museum does not have Starry Night (one of his most famous paintings which is currently housed in MOMA New York), still there are a lot of interesting works of his that one can admire here.

After this, I wanted to visit a place that serves the best fries in Amsterdam. Yes, that's right Amsterdam is famous for its fries topped with all sorts of sauces and toppings. Countless videos on Instagram will confirm the hype of these fries. After a lot of research and reading Google reviews, I decided to visit Fabel Friet. According to my research, this place was not as touristy and had extremely high ratings on Google. So we reached this small shop and you won't believe it, they had a bouncer to control the crowds! This place must have huge lines but we were lucky that when we visited the line was short and quick. I ordered their most famous item - french fries topped with truffle mayo and parmesan. I also added tomato ketchup to counter all the richness of the mayo. I've got to say, the hype is real. These fries were crisp on the outside, soft inside and piping hot. The truffle mayo and parmesan were a good combination. Overall this place was worth the visit.

We then walked along Kalverstraat which was lined with a lot of famous shops and we just walked along enjoying window shopping and the general hustle and bustle of this popular shopping street. Walking along this street we reached one of Amsterdam's most famous attractions Dam Square which also has the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. It was a lively square surrounded by famous shopping streets and some of the more touristy places to find fries like Manneken Pis Damrak (with huge lines, if one had done their research they would have found a better place like I did with fewer lines and better fries!)

Then we spent the rest of the time admiring the canals and boats near Amsterdam Centraal before we decided to head back to the station. I had also wanted to visit the famous chocolate store Tony's Chocolonely Superstore which was near the station but it didn't seem to be open on the day I visited.

If I had more stomach space I would have liked to try two more things in Amsterdam. One was the Van Stapele Koekmakerij which is known for its signature chocolate cookies, there were huge lines when I passed by this store on the day I visited Amsterdam. And the second was the signature apple pie at Winkel 43. Anyway, this gives me an excuse to go back to this amazing city which I truly enjoyed exploring. The canals and the houses, the general beauty of Amsterdam is breathtaking and this city is not to be missed on your next Europe trip.

Thank you for reading.❤️