Travel Planning A Trip To Amsterdam – The Basics

Amsterdam is an amazing city – beautiful, full of life and just a little bit crazy!  Its manageable size and good transport links make it a great choice for a short trip.  I have written other blogs about what to see in Amsterdam, but first, here are some tips on how to travel plan a short trip to Amsterdam.

Practical considerations for your short stay in Amsterdam

Getting to the centre of Amsterdam from Schipol Airport

Getting to the centre of Amsterdam from Schipol Airport could not be easier – just jump on one of the frequent trains to Centraal Station from the terminal for a 20-minute journey into the heart of Amsterdam. We have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes for a train on this route. The Schipol Airport train station is on the Lower Ground flour of the airport terminal, but the ticket machines are on the Ground floor, so buy your tickets there before you head downstairs to the trains.

Where to stay on your short trip to Amsterdam

There are so many different accommodation options for your short trip to Amsterdam depending on your budget – too many to cover in this blog, but here’s where we stayed:

IHG Reward Points

As we collect IHG Reward Points with the InterContinental Hotel Group, we have stayed at the Kimpton de Witt Hotel a couple of times with the family. The Kimpton de Witt Hotel is very close to Centraal Station (only a 5-minute walk), so is in a convenient spot and provides a quiet and comfortable base from which to explore.

For somewhere more upmarket, the InterContinental Amstel Hotel sits in a beautiful position on the Amstel River but is a little further out (35 minutes’ walk from Centraal Station). Hotel Amrath, a former shipping house, is an alternative high-end hotel closer to Centraal Station (8 minutes’ walk) but does not allow you to collect IHG Reward Points as it is not part of the chain.

Finding your way around Amsterdam

The Canal Zone and layout of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is built on a girdle of canals comprising of: the Singel (Single), Herengracht (Gentleman’s Canal), Kizergracht (Emporer’s Canal) and Prinsengracht (Prince’s Canal). There are radial streets linking the canals and creating a web-like design.

The Canal Zone wraps around the city centre in a big arc, like a rainbow. The main street in the city centre is the Damrak which runs from Centraal Station to Dam Square and is a good anchor point for your visit.

To the south of the Canal Zone is the Museumplain for museums and high-end shopping.

It all looks straightforward on the map but can be quite confusing on the ground if you lose track of which canal you are on, although this is part of the fun of exploring (as long as you don’t have to be anywhere at a particular time)!

Whilst GoogleMaps on your phone is probably your best navigation friend these days, picking up a free map from the Amsterdam Visitor Centre (Tourist Office), either at Schipol Airport, or in front of Centraal Station when you arrive, can be useful in case you lose connectivity on your phone.

Use the tram network

There is an excellent tram network in Amsterdam which is easy to use and a helpful way of getting around, particularly if you are short on time. The trams only take cards for payment (no cash) but you can ‘tap on and off’ the trams, or pay the driver/conductor. Most of the trams start or finish at Centraal Station.

Prebook your museum tickets and the Anne Frank House

Amsterdam is a popular tourist destination all year round and so the museums are always busy. If you want to visit a particular museum (art museum or other type) then make sure that you book your tickets on-line before you go. Choose Skip-the-Line tickets to avoid wasting valuable time in queues if you are on a short trip to Amsterdam.

A case in point is the Anne Frank House which is one of the main visitor attractions in Amsterdam and regularly sells out as soon as tickets are released (every Tuesday at 10am for visits six weeks later). Diary date the relevant release date for Anne Frank House tickets to remind you when they will become available and avoid missing the ticket release.

Festivals in Amsterdam

Apparently, Amsterdam hosts over 300 festivals each year and so it is worth checking on-line to see if there are any festivals in Amsterdam whilst you are there, or to plan around any festivals which are of interest to you. With no planning at all, we have somehow managed to land in Amsterdam twice when there has been a celebration in the city:

King’s Day Celebrations (Koningsdag)

One year we coincided with the King’s Day celebrations – an annual Dutch Bank Holiday on 27 April to celebrate the King’s birthday. On King’s Day, the City is a sea of orange (the national colour), every street seemed to have a party on it and every inch of the canals and waterways were covered in boats filled with revellers, music and beer.

We chose to walk through this party to get to our hotel and our eyes were ‘on stalks’ – it was a complete sensory overload. Apparently the celebrations pull in youngsters from all over the Netherlands for the party. At one point we found ourselves in the midst of dancing on the street to a DJ blasting out tunes from a canal house window and we couldn’t escape!

SinterKlaas Parade

The SinterKlaas Parade takes place on the first Saturday after the 11th November each year, when SinterKlaas is welcomed to town ahead of the Feast of St Niklaus on 6th December. We witnessed people on floats parading through the City, dressed up in old fashioned costumes and throwing sweets and gingerbread to the crowds.

NOTE – some of the outfits were not very ‘culturally appropriate’ but the Dutch are, rightly or wrongly, choosing to keep all of their traditions.

The Tulip Festival

For more information about the annual Tulip Festival, please read my related blog.

Pros and cons of visiting Amsterdam at festival time

Pros – You will get to witness Amsterdam in full party spirit, and also experience some Dutch traditions, which will no doubt leave you with some very memorable moments.

Cons – Amsterdam is a busy city under normal circumstances and festivals can make the city significantly busier, which can have a knock-on effect for accommodation and restaurant bookings. We struggled to book a restaurant on the weekend of the Kings Day celebrations, but solved the issue by heading out to the suburbs for dinner instead where it was quieter.

A note on bicycles in Amsterdam

Bicycles are everywhere in Amsterdam, and they seem to take precedence over everyone else, pedestrians and cars alike. Cyclists come hurtling around corners, some ring their bells but many do not. Make sure that you look twice before crossing the road – once for cars/buses/trams, and once for bicycles!

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Enjoy your travels!