If you’re going to spend 24 hours somewhere, whether it’s Amsterdam, Paris, or wherever, know this: you’re not going to be able to do *everything*.
You’ll WANT to do everything, of course. You’ll want to experience all there is to experience in as little time as possible. But, with just one day to play with, you kind of have to prioritise.
I say ‘kind of’ but, yeah, you really do.
Because maybe you’ve got a super long layover and still want to see somewhere new, or you’re passing through a city on the way to another destination, or you’re making the most of an extra day in February because HELLO LEAP YEAR.
Oh wait, no, that last one was just me. Probably.
Because, when icelolly.com (they’re the holiday price comparison folks who ran Blog at the Beach last year) asked me if I wanted to make the most of February’s extra day by spending 24 hours in Amsterdam on 29th in their #LeapIntoAmsterdam campaign, I couldn’t say no.
24 hours in Amsterdam
The last time I was in Amsterdam, I only did a few ‘touristy’ things: a food tour in the Jordaan, a bike tour through the Dutch countryside, and a visit to Anne Frank House. I was still finding my solo travel feet; still a bit wary of being in a brand new place on my own.
This time around I walked around Amsterdam like I knew it as well as the back of my hand and it felt so. damned. good.
I still wanted to see a few sights, but I also wanted to give myself time to just wander along the canals. Amsterdam is, first and foremost, a city that cries out to be walked around. I could walk around the city for hours getting lost on purpose if I had all the time in the world but, this time, I only had one day.
I had to make a plan.
I had a super early flight out of Stansted, so I’d have to catch the coach from Shoreditch High Street station (conveniently at the end of my road) at 3:50am and my flight out of Amsterdam was at 9:30 the next morning, meaning I’d need to leave my hotel in the city at around 7:00am.
So, yeah, I tried to make a plan. In fact, there’s even a note in my Evernote called ‘Itinerary’. But that kind of went out the window when I arrived at Amsterdam Central Station about half an hour after my flight landed, and realised that my first ‘activity’ was basically staring me in the face.
A canal tour.
I’d bought an I Amsterdam city card before my trip and picked it up at the tourist office opposite the station, which not only gave me access to the trams but also included trips to museums and attractions and, yep, a canal tour.
There were 3 or 4 tour operators dotted alongside the water directly opposite the station and the sun was out and the sky was blue and I realised going for brunch at a cafe one of my friends recommended would be a mistake in the gorgeous weather.
Let this be the one time in my life I say no to brunch and then we can forget it ever happened ok? OK.
Anyway, the boat THE BEST idea. The food tour I went to on my previous trip to Amsterdam included a canal trip, so I’d kind of done it before, but did I mention that that food tour also included beer (because Amsterdam) and bubbly (because it was my birthday)?
Well, it did, and so the details are all a bit, shall we say, hazy.
Seeing a city from the water, though, is a great way to get a feel for where you are in relation to everything. How the city fits together. You get to explore without worrying about where you’re going because someone else is navigating. And so you sit at the back of the boat, outside, and the sun warms your face and little and you find yourself having a little ‘oh my god I’m in Amsterdam’ moment, because what could be nicer than that?
After my hour long cruise around Amsterdam, I decided I needed to ditch my backpack before doing any more exploring, so I got on the tram at Central Station and headed to Rembrandt Square to check into my hotel.
Because it was such a short trip I hadn’t brought much with me, in fact, if you can pack super light you probably don’t even need to waste time going to your hotel, but I decided to because I wanted to head in that direction anyway.
Then it was time for a wander.
As I said, Amsterdam is the perfect city for walking around but you’ll need flat, sturdy shoes if you’re going to wander further than the nearest coffeeshop (and you totally should; there’s so much more to this city than sitting in a dingy cafe smoking). Amsterdam’s cobbly in places, and there’s tram lines all over the paths and roads. This is a not a city for heels, let’s put it that way.
I walked along the canals for about an hour with my camera in my hand, and stopped off for a quick sandwich before continuing. I knew the general direction I was heading in, but I wasn’t against straying off the route I’d planned if it meant I might stumble across something pretty.
Well, everything is pretty in Amsterdam. Something EXTRA pretty, then.
Because I had limited time, I decided to head for three of the city’s museums that are all kind of clustered around the famous ‘i amsterdam’ sign: Rijksmuseum, home to Dutch art and history; The Van Gogh museum, home to SHOCKER, lots of Van Gogh paintings; and the Stedelijk, home to modern art, contemporary art, and design.
If I hadn’t been meeting a friend, I’d have continued walking, afterwards, to De Pijp, a neighboured just south of Amsterdam city centre, but instead I hopped back on the tram for a quick stop at my hotel before getting on another tram to central station.
I said before that one of the most ways to see a city is from the water, the other way, though, is from above.
The first attraction I went to when I moved to Sydney was its tower, for a bird’s eye view of the city. I spent my first morning in Porto at the top of Clerigos Tower, watched the mist clear over the river and marvelling at the sea of terracotta roofs laid out in front of me.
And, OK, I didn’t immediately head to the Sky Tower as soon as I arrived in Amsterdam but, then, this is one place that’s even better when the sun’s going down.
I’d said to my friend Joanne, who lives in Amsterdam, the day before that I’d be in town for the day, and she’d said “Oh, I know this awesome rooftop bar we could go to” and so we went, ordering a cocktail pitcher and catching up and getting out of our seats every time the sun dipped a little lower in the sky. Every time the sky got a little darker, a little more pink and pretty.
It soon got cold, though, sat on the roof of a hotel, even with the blankets hung on the back of every chair draped over our legs. So we headed for Chinatown, and a restaurant we’d been to together 2 years beforehand when I was in Amsterdam celebrating my birthday.
The Little Thai Prince is small, and the inside of the restaurant’s nothing to write home about, but if you’ve splashed out on cocktails and need to reign in the spending a bit, a place like this is perfect. Oh, and the portions are huge.
Sidenote: we might have also ordered a bottle of wine.
I walked back to the hotel after that, even though I could have walked back to central station with Jo and hopped on the tram. This time I felt completely comfortable walking by myself. It was a Monday evening, there wasn’t huge crowds out drinking, and the canals looked so beautiful lit up by the houseboats and street lights and the lamps strung along some of the bridges.
I probably could have ticked off a few more ‘must-sees’ during my 24 hours in Amsterdam if I’d have rushed about a bit more, but what’s a city break without aimlessly wandering? Without taking a moment to just watch, to enjoy a drink or two and the view from a rooftop bar, to get lost with your camera in your hand and a map stashed somewhere at the bottom of your bag?
What I did prove, is that taking a quick break away from London and spending 24 hours in another city, is totally doable. Sure, you have to get up early 2 days in a row but I promise you it’s worth it. You don’t need all the time in the world to SEE the world. Just a day, and a little bit of wanderlust, and maybe a few coffees.
Beverley x
BIG thank you to icelolly.com for sending me to Amsterdam for the day so I could make the most of Leap Day. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.