14 Tips for an AWESOME Trip to Amsterdam

 

[Music] Amsterdam city of canals city of contradictions famous for being the drug and sex capital of Europe its many waterways offers so much more than that wild and energetic yet peaceful and historical a tourist hotspot without losing that local feel as beautiful as Venice but cooler somehow I brought my best friend Chris along with me to get weird party explore the many sites and figure out why this little city is so damn wonderful so grab a joint or don't and let me show you one of my favorite cities in the world [Music] [Music] Amsterdam here we come [Music] let's start with an easy one tip number one getting through the city from the airport is incredibly simple just take the train from the airport to Amsterdam Central Station in the northern part of the city center and you're there the city is so small if you're staying in central Amsterdam you can pretty much just walk from the station to your hotel or hostel unless you're staying outside the city center or you're schlepping a ton of luggage huh yeah I love that those are now working right now in which case you can take the metro or a tram and feeding upon so want me to say right off the bat this city is expensive so if you're on a budget a hostel might be your only option however don't fret Amsterdam has great hospitals my favorite is Coco mama super relaxed friendly helpful staff the great community without that douchey party hospital feel and they also have nightly group activities this is easily one of my favourite hostels in Europe tip number two prepare for inclement weather Amsterdam is the San Francisco of Europe no matter what time of year you look at the weather and you think oh it's going to be great but somehow it will surprise

you it will rain or be windy

you it will rain or be windy at least one of the days you were there so just plan on that man the weather doctor Heather is frightful we jokes at Amsterdam's new slogan should be Amsterdam the city where umbrellas go to die tip number three aside from walking

best way to get around

the best way to get around Amsterdam is to ride a bike [Music] seeing this city from a bike is wonderful it's also an incredibly bike friendly City their designated bike lanes everywhere and even bike specific traffic lengths my favorite bike rental place is called donkey republics they have shops all over Europe and their system is super simple and very convenient just download the app find a bike rent it and then you can unlock it and lock it right from your phone it's incredibly intuitive and the company is great cannot recommend them enough if you're traveling with a friend and want to have some fun make sure to grab a tandem bike because you make sure you bring your bike back looking like this and not like this especially if that friend has no idea what he or she is doing because it is well if everyone just looks plain adorable on a tandem bike come on look at how cute we are tip number four

red-light

explore the red-light district all right let's just get this one out of the way

red-light

yes the red-light district is home to the many prostitutes in Amsterdam and if you're into that kind of thing there is no shortage of sexy time opportunities

red-light

that being said the red-light district is one of the oldest and most historic little sections of Amsterdam wander around and take in all it has to offer helpful tips do not try and film the prostitutes in their windows they do not appreciate it I've heard they actually have cups of pee on hand to throw at tourists to try and take pictures of them seriously look it up that was my favorite shirt tip number five if you've watched any of my other videos you know that I travel on my stomach my obsession for food knows no bounds that being said and I'm a catch my Dutch friends for saying this Amsterdam isn't exactly the culinary apex of Europe however there are some gems to be found not the least of which is one of these single greatest pieces of anything I have ever shoveled into my mouth the Dutch pancake if you eat nowhere else in Amsterdam you must I repeat must at the pancake bakery

Pancakes

and the you are done the pancakes here are a revelation thin perfectly textured my favorite is the Apple bacon butter all great try savory one like mushroom and cheese if you're not in the streets

Pancakes

to top off the pancakes you have a magical concoction that I can only assume is made from molasses and unicorn tears stroke this will change your world also bastion the owner of the place is one of the nicest people I've met in my travels

Pancakes

you've ruined the other pancakes for me from now on I'm only going to be able to come to character sorry because thank you for that I'm pretty safe to say so evidence that your favorite hey next up on my list are two of my favorite cafes in the city the pantry is a charming little restaurant serving up delicious and simple traditional Dutch fare make sure to try to get spots golden cool and zircons done but as my pronunciation it's basically sausage or a meatball served with three different kinds of flavored mashed potatoes from sauerkraut - Calum bacon stew beef with carrots all of which are unique and stupid delicious Cafe de Col has some ribs but are damn tasty and finally Amsterdam is home to some of the best Indonesian food I've had outside of Indonesia the reason for this is because Indonesia was actually colonized by the Dutch my favourite Indonesian place is sampoorna they offer affordable tasting menus to share with friends everything I've had here has been nothing short of sensational also raw herring may not sound all that appealing but it's a staple of the region there are stands everywhere and it is surprisingly delicious [Music]

Coffee Shop

tip number six visit a coffee shop Amsterdam is euphemism for weed cafe and partake in one of the city's most famous recreational activities cannabis now I have to admit I don't personally per take in the flower but I'd be remiss not to at least recommend some places so I asked the local friends and they told me of a - terrific little shop katsu coffee shop and my personal favorite Galleria

Coffee Shop

coffee shop yo-yo a supervisee place sit down chill get some work done hang out with friends and of course Okkadu be I have to admit Amsterdam's cannabis culture is pretty damn cool tip number seven for some of Amsterdam's most charming neighbors first up is the you're done gorgeous old crooked buildings lying quiet beautiful canals full of charming cafes quiet streets and quaint little alleys ride your bike around or just stroll the streets and take it all in another of my

Neighborhoods

favorite neighborhoods is slightly outside towards the center of the city called the pipe a nice mix of expats and locals this is where I would want to live if I move to hang out and study part get some of the best brunch in the city of little Collins oh and don't miss the Albert type Street Market no one's been the largest open-air market in Europe if flipping news Wow while at the market buy some t-shirts or some craft stand posting delectable bunch sweets like stroopwafels or just marvel at the creepiest collection of severed mannequin heads ever assembled tip number eight explorers are and if the weather is nice have a picnic take a nap in the grass ride your bike dance around

Boat

like an idiot whatever floats your boat there's even an original Picasso sculptor you can check out just hanging out in the park since we maimed the fish if I'm not mistaken I believe he designed the piece to represent the devil eating the Dutch tank but it's a Picasso so it's kind of hard to tell could just be a fish nope remember what I said about the inclement weather tip number nine visit the Anne

Frank House

Frank House now out of respect I didn't film anything inside but suffice it to say this is one of the most fascinating sobering and haunting using and experiences anywhere in the world the only problem is they can get very busy and the lines can be a bit untenable so I recommend booking your spot ahead online for a specific time it takes a little more planning but that way you get to skip the massive line tip number 10 since there's no real good transition from Anne Frank I'm just going to go in the complete opposite direction and say

Space Cake

eat a space cake and visit van Gogh Museum now for the van Gogh Museum the

Space Cake

space cake part of this equation isn't necessary but it won't hurt the most

Space Cake

famous place to get a space cake is probably the bulldog but they have instructions on them put this in your mouth for first-timers if you've never eaten one start with half time the show said whatever you do don't eat the whole thing oh yeah he did save you some of it whoops right let's go see some art [Music] currently in the self portrait section it's just a wall full of self portraits by Vanga days were the first selfie Eva these selfies took what months to make back in the day other things that that was a commitment you committed to that selfie van Gogh said a true peasant painting should smell like bacon smoking potatoes I know that because there was a black next to the painting that said van Gogh said a true peasant painting should smell like bacon smoke wait he can't even handle it tip number 11 if you're looking for nightlife head to Rembrandt's square and hit up some of Amsterdam's most hopping nightclub yes apparently I still use the word hopping you because I'm 34 and completely out of touch with what's cool today for example Chris and I thought it would be cool to walk around in wooden clogs all day turned out we was on it get hurt got to be like a different way to walk there is all painfully people are laughing at I think they're laughing with us no in addition to nightclubs make sure to hit up some of Amsterdam's cool pubs and smaller bars two great options are do evelle famous for being the first hip hop bar in Amsterdam and snapper restaurant by day awesome cocktail bar by knife tip number 12 hop

Boat

on a boat and take a ride in the canals this is one of the best ways to see the city Amsterdam has 165 canals each one more ridiculously delightful than the

Boat

next as far as which boat to take there are many options from hop on hop off

Boat

tours to fancy dinner boats to private

Boat

boats but my favorite is to take a little open vote I had a great experience of Strummer beautiful tour relaxed vibe and I actually learned some stuff bring a beer relax and sit back as you watch the city float by tip number 13 if you have more than a couple of days take a day trip outside the city to see some windmills and a castle there are tour buses that takes you to see some of the Netherlands countryside including some beautiful tulips but I'm not really a fan of organized tours so we just rented a car so we could be on our own time Chris and I went to the beautiful zones to shop and cut yield aha Mabel time eat your heart out this episode of cribs we're taking a look inside Castile get haha just famous for its pokey cat little thing is sick lastly feel free to ignore everything I've said here don't make a plan and just wander the city with all that Amsterdam has to offer my favorite thing to do here will always beat it simply walk around or hop on a bike and take in its beauty every corner of this town offers some unique vistas some piece of history and maybe a prostitute or 50 be your self a favor

Get Lost

and take a moment simply get lost within its beautiful canals I promise you won't regret it also take some time to hang out with the local the Dutch people are laid-back open-minded unloving and just plain awesome and seriously you better eat that red cake thank you so much for watching here's the part of the video where I ask you to subscribe now statistics say that you're twice as likely to subscribe if I personally asked you I'd also love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below what are your favorite things to do in Amsterdam where would you like my next travel tips video to be thanks so much for watching I'll see you soon from somewhere else in the world