Hey Guys.

I hope you are all doing well.

You might have thought that I ran out of cities to review, but I managed to do a lot of travelling when I got time off during my internship in my third year of university.

Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands is easily the most chilled out place I've been to. I don't know if it was the coffee shops, the lovely little alleyways or the cute little bridges, but I seriously felt so relaxed during my visit. I went to Amsterdam for my 22nd birthday and I am secretly hoping that I can go on an equally as lovely trip for my 23rd. Amsterdam is an extremely accessible destination as it is a relatively short plane ride from Dublin or most places across the UK and if you book tickets far enough in advance you should be able to snag some for about 60 euros with Ryanair. 

If you're considering Amsterdam as your next destination of choice, then you might want to read about the highs and lows of this place further down!! 

Positives 

Lots to do - Amsterdam offers heaps and heaps of things to do from the Van Gogh Museum to The Sex museum and more. Read further on to find out what tourist attractions are on offer here! 

Beautiful - Amsterdam is just beautiful, offering unique Dutch styled buildings and cute little bridges by the river. 

Chilled Out Vibe - Amsterdam was definitely one of the most casual and relaxed places I've been to. It really helped me to relax and enjoy myself while there. 

Lots of places nearby - I love a good day trip when I travel and there are lots of nice places close by if you want to taste more dutch culture. The Hague and Delft are two beautiful cities which don't take too long to get to. Rotterdam is also another option which we considered, but in the end we decided not to go. I personally thought that the Hague was a bit too relaxed for my liking, but in my opinion would be very appropriate for a family or an older couple. However, I loved Delft. I thought it was absolutely beautiful and it is a great option if you'd like to spend a day outside of Amsterdam. 

The Chips - I don't know if it because people tend to get the munchies on a getaway to Amsterdam, but there are lots of these chip places around the streets of Amsterdam and they are seriously divine. Basically, you get a cone-shaped bag/container of chips with a delicious sauce of your choosing. They are seriously the best chips I have ever had. I have heard that there are similar chips in Belgium. 

Negatives

Expensive - I personally thought that Amsterdam was quite expensive compared to a lot of places I've been to. We definitely paid our fair share of visits to supermarkets for dutch picnic supplies. When we were looking for a place to stay, we found that a lot of the options which were close to the centre of Amsterdam were super expensive. Instead, we opted to stay in Zandam which was about a 45-minute bus journey away.  The Air BnB we ended up staying at was filthy and horrible and the money we'd spent on transport probably made up the difference between staying there and in Amsterdam. Travel can be expensive and in general, it should be expected. 

What we didn't do 

Visited the windmills -Something I have big regrets about not experiencing was definitely the iconic windmills of Amsterdam. Windmills, originating in the Netherlands is a very fundamental part of Dutch culture and I wish we had an extra day to see authentic windmills in operation. 

Got an IAMSTERDAM Card - If you're all about visiting the attractions, getting an IAMSTERDAM card can save you a lot of money. Unfortunately, we didn't know about these cards until it was too late and it wasn't worth our money. Do a bit of research and try to organise getting one before you visit. 

Anne Frank House - Unless you've been living under a rock your whole life, you'll know who Anne Frank was and that the Anne Frank House is a very popular tourist attraction in Amsterdam. Anne Frank is one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust and is most renowned for writing a series of diaries during that awful period. I would have loved to visit, but unfortunately, queues for this attraction are massive and one must plan months in advance to secure tickets. 

Rijksmuseum - By far, one of Amsterdams most iconic museums, the Rijksmuseum is located in Museum Square in Amsterdam. It is a Dutch national museum dedicated to both Dutch art and history. 

A list of things we did 

- Spent a day in The Hague 

- Spent a day in Delft (and got the best Brunch) 

- Roamed the Streets of Amsterdam 

- Visited a Coffee Shop 

- Explored the Red Light District

- Climbed to the view tower in one of the churches in the Red Light District 

- Hung Out in Vondel Park 

- Visited the Sex Museum 

- Played with cats at the Pussen Boots 

- Visited the A'DAM Lookout 

- Saw Art at the Van Gogh Museum 

- Explored the shopping mall in Amsterdam 

- Rented a paddle boat 

- Purchased a denim jacket at a street market 

- Sat on the Bench from The Fault in Our Stars 

- Hung Out at Museum Square 

- Took a picture of the IAMSTERDAM letters 

Have you been to Amsterdam?
What impression did you have?