It's no secret that Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities and when I say "favourite" you better believe I mean it. I first visited in July 2015 for a short break with Karl and I loved it so much that I've been back four times in the 15 months since my first trip. Every time I've been to Amsterdam, I've done something different to the last time and although I've always been for longer than 24 hours, I know a lot of people don't get to spend as long there so here are my top ways to spend one day in Amsterdam.
EAT PANCAKES FOR BREAKFAST
Every time I go to Amsterdam, I have pancakes for my breakfast (and lunch and possibly dinner too). The food is amazing, especially if you have a sweet tooth like me but both the Dutch pancakes and the American pancakes are just spectacular whether you're a sweet or savoury lover. I have two personal favourites when it comes to food in Amsterdam and one is Pancakes! Yup, that's the name of the restaurant! Three out of the four times I've been to the city I've ate here and it never gets old. Their menu is entirely pancakes, pancakes and pancakes all made with flour from a local windmill (so cute!) with everything from classics to quirkier flavours. Another favourite of mine is Dolce and Gelato which is more of a dessert stop with waffles and pancakes on the side. They do amazing Nutella crepes and are also home to the famous Nutella chairs - yup, I go there every time too just for the Instagrams.
ADMIRE THE ART
Amsterdam is absolutely packed with beautiful artworks. Every time I've been there's been something different to admire, whether it's the street art or the more famous museums. Winter is host to the Amsterdam Light Festival which I was lucky enough to see at the beginning of this year (I would definitely recommend it!) and the last time I visited there was a really cool Banksy exhibition on with recreations of his art all over the city. There are super famous museums such as the Van Gogh Museum (where I got to see my favourite ever painting, Almond Blossom) and the Rijksmuseum with the Iamsterdam letters (also host to a fabulous ice rink in the winter!) but what makes the art in Amsterdam really special are the smaller galleries. The streets are packed with them and packed with beautiful paintings and creations from smaller and up-coming artists which are always really great to see.
TAKE A CANAL BOAT TOUR
Yes, this is a very touristy thing to do but in all honesty, it is worth doing. It's a cheap and quick way to see the city when you don't have a lot of time and of course, Amsterdam is famous for it's canals so a boat ride is a must! You'll see and hear about buildings you may not have otherwise come across and also find out about places you may want to visit later in the day. After all, you can't really visit a city with such beautiful canals and not take a ride on them can you?!
VISIT THE FLOATING FLOWER MARKET
Bloemenmarkt is a floating flower market in Amsterdam which I would definitely recommend visiting. It's just so beautiful, full of so many different kinds of plants, flowers, seeds and bulbs with clogs lining the walls, little Dutch souvenirs to take home and wooden tulips too. It's a perfect photo location and I could spend ages wandering around it just looking at all of the flowers. It's such a wonderful place.
So that's how I'd spend 24 hours in Amsterdam! p.s. AccorHotels are running a really cool competition where you could win the best trip ever for writing a blog post about spending 24 hours in your fav city (details here) - mine is undoubtedly Amsterdam as I could just keep going back and back and never get bored of the place. Can I PR request a house there?
What's your favourite city?
Amy x
