Yes, yes! You didn't misread the title of the post. As someone who has been to Venice, I declare Amsterdam my city of canals. Sorry to Italy lovers, but to me Amsterdam is a marvellous city. It doesn't stand out only for its canals; it stands out for its nature, its love of cycling, its people, its freedom and its wonderful towns. Here is the Amsterdam Travel Guide...
Setting aside the visitors of the Red Light District and the freedom to use drugs, the people of the Netherlands really stand out for their tolerance. The tourism income the city earns from this area is well known; 20 million people visit the city a year, but you'll see very few Dutch people around there, and in fact, according to one study, 80% of local people have never used drugs.
Besides that, they've built a wonderful city on the ocean, and so they've trained water engineers admired all over the world. The houses and buildings on piles have started to lean. 🙈 This has created a field of development too: measures are taken so the city doesn't end up under water.
Besides the perfect planning, the importance given to art and artists can't be denied. 🙏🏼 It's felt everywhere, from the streets to museums to shop windows. We especially loved the Negen Straatjes street, with its design shops!
Now that we've praised it so much, in this post let's get to know the city, and in the other post I'll share details about the places to visit with you.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AMSTERDAM
According to one legend, the city was discovered by two Frisian fishermen, and it has come down to us as Amstelredamme, the water barrier, that is the 'dam', built on the Amstel River, became Amsterdam over time.With the region's good geopolitical location, the city began to grow quickly from the 14th century. But don't think the growth we mean is things like urbanisation and house building.
In the first century, the people rose up against the Spanish Empire and started the 80 Years' War. At the end of this war, the foundations of the Dutch Republic were laid in the region, which broke away completely from Spain. The religious tolerance and freedom that began back then still continue.
By the middle of the second century, the Netherlands continued its rapid development. A train station, museums and a concert hall were built in the city. Along with industrialisation, with the building of water canals connecting it to the Rhine and the North Sea, the city opened up to the whole world.
During the Second World War, Germany captured the Netherlands within 5 days and carried out a great massacre. Of the 105 thousand Jews in the region, only 5 thousand survived.
PLACES TO VISIT IN AMSTERDAM
A city far beyond the usual crazy fun, good highs and lively nightlife! Let's say it now: beyond what I said above, it has extraordinary places to visit and see.
Since we turned the city upside down in 2 days, that is a full 48 hours, we split the information about all the important places you should see into two.
Places to Visit in Amsterdam and Amsterdam's Fairy-Tale Towns: you can reach them from these pages.
WHERE IS AMSTERDAM?
Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is west of Germany, north of Belgium and south of the North Sea.WHEN TO GO TO AMSTERDAM?
Of course, when it comes to Amsterdam, I can say you can go in any season. Here you first need to ask yourself. Are you a summer person? Or a winter person? Because when I was in Amsterdam in September 6 years ago, I still couldn't walk around in shorts and a T-shirt. So seeing it in whichever season you want to see it will answer the question above.
If you ask us, the city is extremely crowded in summer anyway. Since we also wanted to see its winter beauty, our choice was a winter trip. Let me also say that there's a serious difference between 5 degrees here and 5 degrees in Turkey!
Note: I can say it's almost impossible to get around in December-February without thermals. Gloves/a beanie are a must too! 🧦🧤 Of course, whatever season you go in, having a raincoat/umbrella with you is very useful. Because at moments you least expect it, heavy rain can soak you seriously 😬💦☔We lived it and experienced it for you! Those going in June-September should definitely take a thin cardigan and long trousers too.
HOW TO GET TO AMSTERDAM?
If you're going to Amsterdam from Turkey, you don't have to rely only on Istanbul flights. There are direct flights from Ankara and İzmir. You can fly directly to Amsterdam with THY, Pegasus, Atlas Global and KLM, and the flight takes around 3 hours 30 minutes.
Since we'd been in Brussels before, we came to Amsterdam using the FlixBus bus company. Unfortunately, unless you have an Interrail ticket or buy a discounted train ticket in advance, the bus is much cheaper. On our 2016 winter trip we'd also finished our tour with FlixBus.
WHERE TO STAY IN AMSTERDAM?
Whenever you go to Amsterdam, hostels and hotels are always expensive compared with other cities. When you go in winter, prices are a bit lower, but since tourists come to Amsterdam in every season, prices are always above average.
We chose to stay with AirBnb, which we'd first tried in Greece. By the way, for those thinking of using AirBnb, we wrote a post that answers the questions on your mind. We're leaving the link here . 🙂
Here are shots from our wonderful home in Amsterdam, in the Westerkerk area, 2 km' walk from Amsterdam Central:
At the house, 2 people can stay for 200€ a night. The comfort of a home is something else. If you want to try weed or similar things, these are banned in hostels and hotels. Let us remind you now, so prepare accordingly. Americans especially rent houses and do these things as they please. If you'd like to stay at the house, I'm writing the address you can contact for you: iamatamsterdamtr@outlook.com
7. AMSTERDAM AIRPORT/GETTING AROUND THE CITY
In Amsterdam you'll land at Schiphol Airport, one of the busiest airports in Europe. By the way, let me mention that 20 million tourists come to Amsterdam a year. Only 10-12 million tourists a year come to Istanbul. These figures don't suit such a world wonder of a city at all!Amsterdam Airport Express
You can reach the city centre using the Airport Express train. You can use the train for 5€ one way, or 10€ if you buy a return.If you like, you can buy a day ticket and use it both for the train and for public transport within Amsterdam. The ticket lets you use transport for free for 24 hours. My advice is that there's no need to buy this ticket. At first, buy the train ticket to the centre. Then plan the rest according to your route.
Getting around the city
The vehicles you can use for getting around Amsterdam can be listed as train, tram, ferry, metro and bus. The two you'll probably use most are the tram and the bus.
For a site that will be useful for making your trip plan before going to Amsterdam, I'm leaving the link here. In the transport suggestion that comes up, just click "show details" and then "all possible fares". Then you can build your route as you like.
As in most cities, Amsterdam has an "Amsterdam Pass", that is, the Amsterdam City Card! The 24-hour card is 57€, 48-hour 67€ and the 72-hour card 77€. The prices seemed a lot to us too 🙂 You may be thinking like us, and you're quite right. We didn't use this card, but let's write its benefits for those who will:
- You can use buses, metros and trams for free.
- You can enter many important museums without reaching into your pocket.
- You enter the Rijksmuseum by paying a small fee. Apart from that, you can enter almost everything for free.
Without buying this card, you can also buy transport cards to use within Amsterdam. The 1-hour card is 2.90€, 1-day 7.50€, 2-day 12.5€, 3-day 17.50€ and the weekly card 34.50€. During the two days we spent in Amsterdam, on the first day we bought a 1-day card. On the second day, since we bought the Amsterdam Regional&Travel Ticket, we didn't pay anything. What is this 'Regional Travel Ticket'?
With just one card it gives unlimited transport within Amsterdam and in the villages of the region. It definitely works out cheaper than buying single tickets. As for card prices, 1-day is 18.5€, 2-day 26€ and 3-day 33.50€. With the ticket you can board all vehicles of the operators GVB, Connexxion, EBS and NS. We bought our ticket at Amsterdam Central. Since we'd start using the ticket early, we bought it 1 day in advance. If you don't have that option, you can also buy the ticket online. You can look in detail at the areas where you can use the ticket at the link.
Click for getting to Amsterdam's Fairy-Tale Towns and detailed information!
** Since the part after this was deleted while saving, I'm writing it a second time. Unfortunately the telling has become simpler.
8. AMSTERDAM CUISINE
Like other European cities, Amsterdam doesn't really have its own distinct dishes. Amsterdam has become such a cosmopolitan city that the city is made up of 185 different ethnic backgrounds. As a result, everyone has brought a few things from the food culture of where they came from.Dutch Cheeses
The first thing that comes to mind in Amsterdam is of course cheese! At street markets and cheese shops you'll come across all kinds of cheese. Our suggestion is not to buy without tasting. Among so many cheeses, you'll find ones you like as well as cheeses you don't like at all.
The most famous cheese in the Netherlands is Gouda. We'd loved this cheese even in Italy. Its taste here is very good. The fresh, soft cheeses are called "jong", and the aged, hard ones "belegen" or "extra belegen".
Herring
Traditionally called Hollandse Nieuwe, the raw fish is eaten with diced onion and slices of gherkin pickle.This treat, usually found at fish stalls, can also be found at small prefab fish shops. I tried hard to try it but just couldn't bring myself to. 😬
Oliebollen
If, like us, you went at Christmas time, there's no chance you won't see this treat on the streets! 🙂 Europeans serve this treat, which actually looks a lot like our lokma, with apple and cream. They also sprinkle icing sugar, which makes it even tastier. Of this wonderful treat, made with raisins or plain, our suggestion is to get it plain and eat it with icing sugar. 😋
Fries
We, who always compare the Netherlands with Konya, once again congratulate the Netherlands, which ranks first in the world in potato exports. Maybe we too will learn a lesson and focus on things like agriculture and livestock.With the Netherlands this good at potatoes, the taste of fries on the street is something else too. On the street, the potatoes sold in paper cones became our favourite treat. You can add all kinds of sauces on top.
SHOPPING IN AMSTERDAM
If you're saying, having come all the way to Amsterdam, let's do a bit of shopping, let us take you straight here. All kinds of shops, combined with the city's lovely structure, inevitably make you want to wander.Albert Heijn
First, let's talk about the reality of 'Albert Heijn', which let us travel very economically. This lovely supermarket, which you'll come across almost everywhere in the city, is a local Dutch brand. Although it's not as cheap as Lidl or Aldi, it was very economical for us. At our supermarket, which appeals to the middle-upper level, you can find whatever you're looking for. In fact, if you didn't buy cheese around Edam-Volendam, you can buy all kinds of cheese here. And if, like us, you catch a discount, you can buy 3-4 kg of cheese. 🤩😋
Note: There are quite big price differences between Albert Heijn and the Albert Heijn Express you'll come across at tourist spots. We've warned you, so don't blame us later! 😬
Magna Plaza
The historic post office building right behind Dam Square is used as the Magna Plaza Shopping Centre. If it were us, there'd be an uprising, wouldn't there!When we say shopping centre, it's not that big. There are 15-20 shops inside. Mostly brands have taken the shops. You can browse with pleasure.
Kalverstraat
Carry on shopping without straying far from Dam Square!On Kalverstraat, right near the square, we're sure there'll be at least 2-3 products you'll like in the lovely shops and colourful boutiques.
What if I told you I still use the card holder I bought on this street during my 2012 Interrail trip? Yes, my Secrid card holder, sold in Turkey in recent years through D&R, I bought here in 2012 for 25€. Back then 1€ was 2.15₺; these days it hovers around 4.50₺.
Negen Straatjes
Isn't it also possible to explore Amsterdam by shopping!On the Negen Straatjes, besides all kinds of shops, there's also a huge delicatessen. Here you can taste cheese and check the flavours. 🙂 We suggest you don't buy cheese from places like this, as prices can be a bit expensive.
AMSTERDAM USEFUL INFORMATION
If you have time, we suggest visiting Amsterdam's Towns for day trips. In the city there are more bikes than people. If you don't really know how to ride a bike, prefer not to ride here either. 🙂 You could suddenly fly off a bridge. The people of Amsterdam ride bikes very wildly.Police: 112 Fire brigade:112 Ambulance: 112
DO YOU NEED A VISA FOR AMSTERDAM?
Yes, you need to get a Schengen visa to go to Amsterdam. Visas don't apply to Green (Special) and Grey (Service) passports. A visa is required for the Burgundy (Ordinary) passport. Schengen Visa application tips: click! You can find the documents required for a Schengen Visa here.** These days almost everyone who applies for a visa from the Netherlands gets a visa of nearly 1 year. For your information...
CYCLING IN AMSTERDAM
The city of bikes! Yes, yes, you heard right. In fact, cycling here is at such an advanced level that there's even a type of bike called the "Amsterdam Bike".Where does this bike term come from? Well, it's a completely flat city; in fact 25% of the city is below sea level. The Amsterdam Bike even has few gears. There aren't many hills and slopes like at home, so naturally gears aren't much needed.
** It's been expected, along with Venice, to be largely under water by now, so I think the scientists were somewhat wrong.
You can see bikes a great deal in transport. Gentlemen in suits and ladies in heels commute to work by bike. Isn't that lovely! We can hardly get on the metrobus! 🙂 As a result, bike paths are separate, and there are traffic lights and parking spaces just for cyclists. Whatever you do, don't step onto the bike path without looking left and right. Next thing you know, an army of bikes is coming at you! 🙂 It's worth being careful so accidents like this don't happen.
Setting aside bikes for transport, touring Amsterdam by bike is a real pleasure too! Especially touring the canals by bike is very colourful. So how will we ride a bike without being from Amsterdam? There's no municipal bike rental system here. There are small bike shops. You can rent from them for between 10-15€ a day. We're writing a few of them below.
That's all from us on Amsterdam! See you in the next post..
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