I planned a surprise trip to Amsterdam for my husband in the middle of our trip to Paris. We only stayed 2 nights but here is everything we learned in 48 hours.

First we hopped on a Thalys train. This is a high-speed train that got us from Paris Nord Station to Amsterdaam Central in about 3 hours.

Now 3 hours may seem like a long ride but these trains come with the ability to purchase comfier seats, snacks, and have electrical outlets and wifi. Plus, when would I be 3 hours away from Amsterdam again?

By purchasing our tickets well in advance I was able to get the upgraded seats for 120€ / $135 pp round trip.

When we got to Amsterdam Centraal we decided to use the restroom before catching an uber to the hotel. Yep, Uber works exactly the same as it does here using your pre-existing account.

The restrooms however were more of a shocker. Amsterdaam Central’s restrooms are pay to enter. The cost wasn’t much but apparently paid entry for Dutch restrooms is pretty common.

Let’s Chat

I picked our hotel primarily based on location. Since we weren’t staying long I needed somewhere that was central to most things we wanted to see/do and had a good walking distance to explore the city. This landed me in Jordaan.

Jordaan is a district in the city center of Amsterdam. It is lined with bridges and canals, beautiful architecture, original shops and street markets.

The location of the Melrose Hotel allowed us to walk to most places we wanted to go and when we couldn’t walk, Uber could get us there for around $10 a ride.

We were able to walk to multiple markets, fresh gelato shops, The 9 Streets, The Anne Frank House, and up and down dozens of canals right from our hotels front door.

The first day we got to Amsterdam it was raining. Pouring. That put a huge damper on walking around and exploring the city so we decided to order in for dinner. We already knew Uber worked, so Uber eats should too right? It did. And it arrived on a bike! The runner had the food in a heat box on the back of his bike, and peddled up in the rain holding an umbrella. Hands down, the most Dutch thing I saw on the whole trip.

There were familiar food chains in the options, so if you aren’t feeling adventurous Uber Eats still has you covered. With a foodie for a wife- we decided to try a few things from a place we couldn’t order in the states.

Even though Uber Eats is available and has a plethora of options, most of those options are still in Dutch. We picked from pictures and stayed on the safer side with pizza.

Side note- When I went to find this picture I saw this one had the bike in it and had to use it.

All the things we tried from SUGO:

•  Kip & Jalapeno Pizza – which was chicken and jalapeno with bbq sauce
•  Salami Pizza- basically pepperoni pizza, but with Italian salami and their house marinara sauce
•  Plain Flatbread – I would most closely relate it to a Dutch Focaccia bread
•  Themed Flatbread- I went back to look at exactly what was on the other flatbread we got but its not on the menu anymore. From the looks of it, there was arugula though.
•  Cheesecake in a Jar

We tried a little bit of everything and it was all phenomenal.

  • A Canal Tour that allowed us to explore the city by water and learn all about Amsterdam’s history.
  • Visit The Anne Frank House
  • Walk The 9 Streets
  • Explore the canals by foot. Stopping in small shops and markets for local flavors and treats.
  • Visit the Red Light District
  • Eat a fresh stroopwafel from a street vendor

Our canal tour was hosted by Flagship Amsterdam and I booked it through Viator. The tour guides were entertaining and informative and there was a cash bar on board.

They also had complimentary pillows and blankets to help keep comfy and warm during the ride. This tour was perfect since we were only in the city for a short period of time and wanted to maximize our ability to see all the sights.

The meeting point for this tour is at the Anne Frank House so if you plan to go there I would schedule these outings back to back.

The 9 Streets, or De 9 Straatjes in Dutch, are a collection of streets and alleys that house rows and rows of shops and eateries. If you understand the Dallas reference – think Bishop Arts District on a larger Dutch scale.

I knew what to expect going into the The Red Light District but being there in person, right in the middle of it? Surpassed any expectation I could have set.

The girls in the glass windows? They’re there. And the’ye about their BUSINESS. The wildest things you’ve ever seen x3. Also coffeeshops are not Coffee Shops.

Architecturally Amsterdam is beautiful. It also has natural beauty in the land that makes every street look like a post card.

When I was planning this trip I debated between London and Amsterdam. I ultimately decided that for us, the bike culture and friendly lax attitude was more in line with the mid-wedding trip we would be on.

I was also drawn to Dutch food over British Food. I discovered my favorite way to make tea. A lady steeped mint leaves in plain hot water with a lemon slice for me and it makes complete sense but I had never thought to do it that way. It was a game changer.

The only thing I would do differently, would be to stay longer. I cannot wait to go back and have an extended stay. While I was able to get a good feel for the city I was left wanting more. 2 days was just long enough to fall in love and wonder what all I missed.