travel blog, minus the bull$hit

My boyfriend and I have just returned from a quick little 2 week trip to Europe and absolutely adored every moment we spent in the Netherlands. The 5 days we spent based in the city was a perfect balance between exploration and rest (especially since we got sick in Barcelona and somehow just stayed mildly sick throughout our Amsterdam stay! Read more about our 3 days in Barcelona here). Here is how we planned our trip, along with a cost breakdown. This also excludes the high number of siestas we needed.

• Accommodation: Kimpton De Witt – ~$2K total
  • Booked through my favorite Fora travel agent (my sister): Kaithlyn Rojas who was able to score us complimentary breakfast and a $100 credit to use at the hotel bar and restaurant. We don’t drink much but thankfully the bar made amazing cocktails that we enjoyed every night!
  • Pros: a 7 minute walk to/from Centraal Station, incredibly central in the city, conveniently located near other tram stops and tourist areas. 10/10 for convenience, service, vibes, and free bike rentals (I can’t ride a bike).
  • Cons: expensive but realistically you can likely find cheaper hotels in decently convenient locations as well.
• Transportation: ~$60 each
  • We bought a 3-day then a 2-day pass, but honestly we barely used it since most places we visited were walking distance or the ETA of public transportation vs walking were very similar
• Excursions: ~$300 each, including cash tips for tour guides
  • GoCity pass: ~$207 each, we opted for the all-inclusive pass to see as much as possible. I highly recommend doing your research and planning your activities ahead of purchasing this to make sure you get the value out of it!
  • Canal cruise with cheese and wine – $37 each
  • Here are alternative booking options with Viator along with some other tour options I had considered exploring: my Viator partner shop

IMPORTANT NOTE: COFFEE SHOPS ARE NOT REGULAR CAFES THAT SERVE COFFEE as I had discovered when I was getting really stressed out planning and complaining why these damn coffee shops were not open at 6-7AM. I was annoyed in advance because I like my morning coffee, until I realized coffee shops are “coffee shops.” They sell weed. My boyfriend knew and didn’t realize I did not know this– he thought I wanted to smoke that early in the morning.

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Day 1

We kept this day light in case our flight from Barcelona got delayed (it was) and in case we were exhausted (we were). Here’s how our day looked:

• Landed at Schipol airport late afternoon and purchased our transportation cards at one of the kiosks in the baggage claim area and made our way to Centraal station
• Checked into Kimpton De Witt and got settled (napped)
• Dinner at Moeders for traditional Dutch food
  • Cost: around $60-70 total
  • Tip: make reservations in advance since it is a very popular restaurant and fills up very quickly. Maybe bring a picture of your mom to put up too since the place is named the Dutch word for mothers– the restaurant decor is full of pictures of moms!
  • Food recommendation: We ordered the rice dish which has the combination of Dutch specialities. It’s a pretty big serving IMO. note: there is no actual rice included in this dish. It’s potatoes in 3 different ways

• Explored Negen Straatjes/the Nine Streets which is a quaint neighborhood full of shopping boutiques
• Continuation of our digestion walk back to the hotel to rest. Well…one of us rested…the other had a midterm to take (it was me)
• Explore the red light district

Day 2

• Walking tour booked with Go City pass. I always love going on walking tours whenever I am in a new European city! My usual tour company is Sandeman’s free (tip-based) walking tour, but since this one was included in the Go City pass we opted for this.
  • Cost: included in the all-inclusive Go City pass, but we tipped our guide extra

• De Pierewaiier bar in Jordaan (walking distance from Westerkerk which was the ending point of the walking tour) for some bitterballen and 2 drinks!
  • Cost: included in the all-inclusive Go City pass
• The Anne Frank museum would have been a wonderful addition to the itinerary but tickets were unfortunately sold out the whole time we were in Amsterdam. So tip is to get tickets well in advance!
• Amsterdam Tulip Museum because we wanted to learn more about what caused the world’s first economic bubble (you will hear this mentioned MULTIPLE times on various tours)
  • Cost: included in the all-inclusive Go City pass,, but would be €7 without the pass
• Canal tour with local Gouda cheese, wine, and Dutch wine (Heineken)
  • Cost: $37 each BUT there is one included in the Go City pass, however it does not include the cheese and wine

• Green place coffee shop because our canal tour guide recommended we get “strunken” – which is a combination of stoned + drunk 😂
• Quick FEBO run because our rest ended up with us waking up at 2AM
  • FEBO is an automated/serve yourself type of fast food chain

Day 3

• Giethoorn “Venice of the North” day trip
  • HIGHLY recommend visiting this little town! It is an entirely car free town where you are toured around the canals in a boat with a tour guide. There is also an option to rent private smaller boats after the 1 hour tour is over to drive yourself around. There are museums, gift shops, and restaurants you can check out.
  • Duration: about 8 hours including transportation to/from Amsterdam
  • Cost: included in the all-inclusive Go City pass, but there are tours options available on Viator starting at $75 per person

• Dinner at Warung Spang Makandra for some authentic Surinamese/Indonesian fusion dishes
  • Cost: $15-30 per person
  • Tip: make reservations since this place is pretty popular

Day 4

• Heinekin experience
  • We are not big beer drinkers, but the experience was pretty enjoyable! They teach you about the history of the company, how the beer is brewed, and there is a presentation where it’s kinda “POV you are the bottle” type of thing that was pretty cool. The tour ends at the bar where you claim your free pints and a gift shop.
  • Cost: included in the all-inclusive Go City pass, but you can get tickets on their website starting at $29 which also includes drinks! An alternate booking option is the Heinekin Experience + canal cruise on Viator

• Bali Brunch 82 for brunch, a couple blocks down from Heinekin experience
  • Cost: $15-30 per person– I loved the Tong Seng (lamb curry)!

• Rijksmuseum
  • Cost: included in the all-inclusive Go City pass, but you can also get tickets for €25/~$30 per person or through Viator’s small group guided tour as another option
• Moulin Rouge
  • If you’re feeling adventurous! In true Amsterdam Red Light District fashion, the Moulin Rouge is an erotic club that presents a live sex show.
  • Tip: check the Google reviews beforehand because we felt like we were experiencing exactly the Google reviews. Take that as you may
  • Cost: €50/ ~$60 per person

Day 5

• Volendam & Zaanse Schans Windmills bus excursion
  • Got to tour around the famous Dutch Windmills, clog making factory, and most importantly: CHEESE!
  • Duration: about 6 hours
  • Cost: included in the all-inclusive Go City pass, but there are also tours options available on Viator starting at $40

• De Hallen / Food Hall
  • This is located close to the Heinekin experience, so it’s also a good option to pair this with the Heinekin experience.
  • Cost: it’s literally a food hall so it depends on how much you eat 😂

We left midday on day 6! I would HIGHLY recommend visiting The Netherlands if you get the chance. We’re already planning to come back during tulip season to see my favorite flowers. The Dutch history is both richer and darker than I had realized. Much like my own country’s colonizers, I respect the locals for acknowledging their role in colonization.

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