Ruthi Daugherty

Travels

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

THe last time I had been to Amsterdam was my senior year of college when I went backpacking around Europe with a friend.

Obviously, it had been a long time. And the college, wanderlust version was a very different experience then the 30s and pregnant version.

We decided to do a baby moon trip a couple of months before the arrival of our son and landed on Amsterdam followed by time in Spain. It had been a few years since we had been able to go to a F1 race and it was the first year the Dutch Grand Prix was back so we went with a couple friends and made a trip of it.

I, of course, remember the quaint and cuteness of the city, but I really just fell in love the with whole vibe—good food, good coffee, beautiful architecture, art, design, friendly people, and that perfectly casual European life.

Days were spent attending the race, walking around the city, sipping and snacking in cafes, shopping and concluded with a magical sunset cruise through the canals with new friends.

 
 
 

STAY

  • Airbnb - we loved our AirBnb. While it’s not on the canals, it’s in a great neighborhood close to a beautiful park and a quick bike ride to the city center.

 
 
 
 

FOOD

  • Pikoteo - delicious dinner & cocktails spot.

  • Salmuera - Argentinian restaurant, good cocktails & mezcal.

  • Pluk - cute daytime spot for breakfast, lunch, coffee, juice, etc.

  • Foodhallen - hip food court situation.

  • Van Stapele Koekmakerij - famous cookie spot and they are DELISH.

COFFEE & TEA

  • Lot 61 Roasters - best coffee roaster.

  • Uncommon - my favorite cafe. Beautiful design, good espresso and pastries.

  • Scandinavian Embassy - cute cafe by a park and good coffee/pastries.

  • Monks Coffee Roasters

 
 

DRINKS

*I was pregnant when we traveled here so wasn’t doing much boozing ;)

  • Shiraz Jardin des Vins - cute wine bar on a canal. Make a reservation, get there early or prepare to wait for a seat out front

  • The Flying Dutchman

  • Super Lyan - didn’t make it here but have gone to his other bars in London and they are all incredible.

ACTIVITIES

  • De 9 Straatjes - “The 9 Streets” is a great area to walk around the canals, shops and restaurants.

  • Vondelpark - beautiful park to walk around.

  • Rent bikes - Amsterdam is so bike-friendly. We rented bikes for the time we were there and it was a fun and easy way to get around

  • Van Gogh Museum - beautiful to see his life and work in a chronological layout. Really well done. 

  • Boat ride in the canals - do this however you can! We had a local friend coordinate a boat cruise with a group but I know there are lots of options for boat tours. (I looked into Pure Boats)

 
 

SHOP 

  • Eddy Varekamp - local artist with fun prints and work

  • Wildernis - plant shop filled to the brim with greenery and gardening goods

  • Wijs West - kids store with fun selection of toys

  • De Kleine Parade - kids store with toys and cute kids clothing

  • Verkoophuis Gerard Dou & Buitengewoon - antique furniture store 

  • De Emaillekeizer - they were closed when I was there but it looks like a fun and quirky home goods store

Bold - Highly Recommend

Bold Italics - Haven’t personally experienced but comes highly recommended and looks amazing.

Italics - Haven’t personally experienced but looks promising

Travel, Travel GuidesRuthi Daugherty