Just a hop, skip and a jump from London is Amsterdam.
It’s a perfect weekend (or longer) getaway from London. The flight is a snip at 85 minutes to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport (where a train will whisk you to Amsterdam Centraal Station), while the Eurostar train takes a relaxing four hours door to door. Upon arrival at Centraal Station you are right in the centre of town where it’s bustling with loads of things to do.
But first of course you’d want to get settled into your hotel. Can we recommend the Volks Hotel in the Weesperzijde part of Amsterdam?
It’s just a few metro stops from Amsterdam Central. And while it’s close to town you’ll feel like you’re in a location that has the best of both worlds. More on the Volks Hotel way below.
In good weather, Amsterdam can be glorious and beautiful. In bad weather – cold, rain – it might not be as glorious but it’s all the more fun to wait out the rain in the many cool bars and restaurants (literally thousands) scattered throughout this lovely town.
My favorite thing to do in Amsterdam is to go to the outdoor markets, and there are loads:
-Albert Cuyp Market
This one is my favourite of all the markets in Amsterdam. Whatever you are looking for this market has it, and it is one of the largest and most famous outdoor markets in Amsterdam. I bought a pastry and a slushy but I could’ve bought, and ate, so so much more (Albert Cuypstraat, De Pijp)
-Ten Katemarkt
I also love this market because it’s a local one that has flowers, meats, fish etc. and is in a local neighborhood that is not touristy at all. (Amsterdam Oud-West -10 Katestraat)
-Nieumarkt Market
This one is a cute and small market selling mostly food including cheese, breads, wine and is very central with lovely cafes dotted around (Nieuwmarkt 4)
-Waterlooplein Market
Another very central market is this one. It a flea market that offers vintage clothes, military gear, old books and records and more stuff. One man’s junk can be one man’s treasure.
-Bloemenmarkt (Flower Market):
Perhaps the most famous market in Amsterdam is also very central and is the most photographed as vendors sell tulips in all shapes, sizes and colours. It’s very colourful as you can imagine. (Singel 630).
-Dappermarkt – Dapperstraat
A lively, multicultural open-air market in Amsterdam East offering cheap produce, household goods, and global foods. Open Monday to Saturday. Budget friendly.
-IJ-Hallen
On the other side of the train station across the water, and held once a month at the NDSM Wharf in Amsterdam Noord, this is the largest flea market in Europe.
-Museum Market
Located in Museumplein, it’s a small market that caters to the tourists who are in the area visiting the museums.
And right next to Museumplein are Amsterdam’s most popular, and most busiest, museums: Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum (the national museum of the Netherlands), the Stedelijk Museum (modern and contemporary art and design), as well as the Moco Museum (currently displaying work by Banksy, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Robbie Williams – yes, the singer Robbie Williams). There is also a Moco Museum in London so if you liked it you will enjoy the one in Amsterdam.
https://www.mocomuseum.com/amsterdam/
There are loads of museums in the city center, all within minutes walking distance from each other, that are must visits. I was completely overwhelmed by Our Lord in the Attic Museum (Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder). A three-story building near the end of Oudezijds Voorburgwal canal, it’s one of the most fascinating buildings I have ever been in.
It was owned by a Catholic man in the 1600’s when at that time it was forbidden to practice Catholicism, so he built a church inside of his home that was not visible to the street, and to this day it looks almost just like it did back then. Taking a tour of this building takes you firstly through the house and then ends up, via many staircases, to the breathtaking room that is the church, with pews, an altar, a balcony, and will leave you breathless. Highly recommended.
https://opsolder.nl/en/museum-our-lord-in-the-attic/
Several museums are still in Worldpride mode where Amsterdam hosted the very successful event which welcomed millions to the city the first weekend in August. At De Nieuwe Kerk it was all about Queer Amsterdam – an exhibition about the gay history of Amsterdam and it being the first country to legalise gay marriage. Also at the same venue was the World Press Photo Exhibition recognizing the finest in the field of photojournalism and documentary photography. This exhibition presented the 42 winning photos cover stories you’ll recognize. Conflict and crisis, but also resistance, resilience, hidden traditions – and even a bustle of ballet dancers.
Queer Amsterdam is on until April 4, 2027, and the World Press Photo exhibition has sadly come to an end.
https://www.nieuwekerk.nl/en/exhibitions/
A visit to Amstedamn would not be complete without a visit to Rembrandt House. This was the home where Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn lived and worked for 19 years creating his most famous pieces, in an area of Amsterdam where you can picture what it looked like while he was alive (17th Century). See where he slept, ate, and painted, and much much more. Well worth a visit.
https://www.rembrandthuis.nl/en/
The Holocaust Museum shows you Jewish life in the Netherlands before, during, and of course after WWII, but especially during WWII and the trauma and suffering the Jewish people of the country endured, and then triumphed. And directly across the street is Hollandsche Schouwburg National Holocaust Museum – a former theatre building that was used by the Germans as a deportation location where all the Jewish people from Amsterdam and the surrounding areas were summoned to report to – some imprisoned there for days and months, and were then deported to concentration camps. A 15-minute video is watched prior to entering the quiet courtyard to contemplate the unimaginable horrors that took place in this building.
https://jck.nl/locatie/nationaal-holocaustmuseum
Also worth a visit is the Jewish Museum in the centre of town. It’s a look at what it means to be jewish but also has some haunting artefacts and experiences of what the Jewish People went through during WWII. It’s a beautiful building with two rooms that are completely different (one room is in fact a former synagogue), and is beautifully laid out. And your ticket also includes a visit to the nearby Portuguese Synagogue. This is all in what they call the Jewish Quarter.
The Museum of the Canals is a fun place to see how the canals came to life alongside the story of Amsterdam. Taking place in a beautiful building right on a canal – at Herengracht 386 – it’s a must visit as Amsterdam is a city of canals!
If you do anything in Amsterdam then you must visit De Hallen (located right next to the previously described De Hallen street market). De Hallen can only be described as ‘everything under one roof!’ It’s all indoors and it’s an art market, clothing shops (in De Passage), library, coffee shops, food arcade – De Foodhallen – where live music is performed on certain nights, studios for private functions, apartments, Hotel De Hallen, and free Wifi in the entire building if you need to surf. It’s a very lively (and dare we say trendy) venue in West Amsterdam that is a mix of everything. Do come and buy some local art and stay for some food, and if you need a break from your children there are childcare services as well. Excellent coffee and sandwiches and snacks can be found at Cafe Belcampo before you catch a film at the movie house – De Filmhallen.
I stumbled upon this place while in Amsterdam and I wish I had known about it before, so now you know and you must check it out!
https://www.dehallen-amsterdam.nl/en
I amsterdam City Card
I’ve never bought one of these before on my previous visits to Amsterdam but next time I will. A 1 to 5 day card that gets you access to over 70 museums and top attractions in Amsterdam, public transport via the trams, metro, canals, and bikes, and discounts to museums, attractions, and more. The best feature about this is the free transport as I found myself jumping on and off the trams to get around Amsterdam. On several occasions I took a wrong tram so I just hopped off and then hopped on to the correct tram. It’s fun and it unlimited transport during your visit! Well worth the purchase!
The minute I walked into Volkshotel I knew I was going to experience something different. In the middle of the lobby there was a woman cutting hair. To the right there were dozens of people on their laptops working – eerie silence on that side. To the left was the bar – very cool and very functional – and the check in desk was straight ahead. It was a smooth check in but once you get to your room you encounter rooms that are not typical hotel rooms.
The room I was booked into was a Studio (for those seeking the convenience and comfort of home). Two levels, it felt and looked like an apartment. Bathroom, kitchen (though no microwave), dining room table, diagonal sofa facing the television on the wall while upstairs was the bed (not really a bedroom) with toilet and shower down the hall. It’s very cool and fun and functional, and I felt, for my three days staying there, that I actually lived in Amsterdam (the price for a night runs from EUR166.00 to EUR395.00 between now and New Years Eve). Other rooms include Cabins (an enclosed sleeping pod with double bed, small changing room, and safe. Bathroom and toilet shared with five other cabins), XS (small room with ensuite), M, L and XL (self explanatory) plus Miva (a wheelchair friendly room). The restaurant – called Canvass – is on the top floor and has panoramic views of Amsterdam with an outdoor area for those warmer months. It’s a stunning place to have your breakfast or lunch or dinner, and at sunset it’s the place to be in Amsterdam as you’ll have a 360 degree view of the city and surrounding areas, with a very cool vibe, music, drinks and perhaps the trendiest place to be in Amsterdam! I had a burger for dinner and I have to say it was one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time, and with impeccable and very friendly service.
Baadplaats, on the 8th floor, is where the sauna and and hot tub are – highly recommended! You can also book a massage if you need kneading!
Volkshotel is in the Weesperzijde part of Amsterdam where the Wibautstraat Metro is just outside and takes you to Centraal Station in just 4 stops, past Waterlooplein and Nieuwmarkt stations where you’ll find the markets, shops, canals, and everything that Amsterdam has to offer.
The Volkshotel website states that it is a place to rest, or not sleep at all. This is very very true!
Walking around Amsterdam is like no other experience in any other city I’ve been to. Canals are at almost every turn, no two buildings are alike, the shops are mostly unique and not high street clutter, and the sidewalks, cafes and bars are packed with people from all over the world. Amsterdam is a true international city, easy to get to, charming, and it’s worth visiting more than once, even for a long weekend but perhaps even longer in order to explore local towns such as Utrecht and Haarlem.
I ❤️ Amsterdam.