Before my trip, about half of what I heard about the city was around the red light district and the coffee shops. To each, their own, but those two things put me off the city for a while because it seemed everyone I spoke to about their trip could only talk about those two things. Having now visited for myself, I can tell you there is more to the city. Without trying, I managed not to get to the red light district during my trip, so it is possible to visit without being inundated by that - however, if you stumble on it or go in search of it - make sure not to take pictures - it is forbidden. That is a warning that several people shared. The second one was around the coffeeshops - nine out of ten times you see a coffee shop in the city - it is essentially an indication you can get high at the establishment. If you genuinely want coffee and non-laced baked goods, then look for cafes and not coffeeshops. When in doubt, do a google search to confirm. Ok, now that we have cleared that up - here is my the city with more bikes than cars; elaborate canal and incredibly beautiful home facades.

I was anxious when I started drafting the outline for this post because I was there for just two nights and was ill a good bit of my first day in the city. However, due to an excellent tram system that was on time and frequent, I covered more ground than if I would have walked everywhere - which is my usual mode of transportation. Pack for varying weathers, it rains (randomly) almost as much as it does in London, so the general recommended umbrella; jumper; jacket; a scarf is recommended depending on what time of year you visit.

Visa Requirement. Netherland is a Schengen member country, which means you can gain access with a valid Schengen visa. Pro tip - when applying for a Schengen visa, make sure to request multiple entries - not two entries. Certain Schengen countries have the option for “two entries” on the application, so make sure you select “multiple entries” on your application form. Also, make sure to apply in the country you will be spending the most time - I cannot stress that point enough.

How many days do you need. I spent a little over 48 hours in the city, and there were a handful of things I did not get to see. Unless you want to schedule a day trip, you can see a lot in 48 hours. I left London on the first flight on Saturday morning and left the city on Monday evening. I worked on Monday from Amsterdam, so other than a lunch break to get a pie from Wrinkle 43, and I did not do any sightseeing on Monday.

Getting Here and Getting Around. I found a direct flight on British Airways from Heathrow for a great steal via lastminute.com. Eurostar now offers a service to Amsterdam from London as well, so that might be an option. From the airport, there is a direct train to Amsterdam central station, and from here you can join the tram; bus; metro line to get to other parts of the city or take the trains to other parts of the Netherland and Europe. Rotterdam and The Hague are just under an hour from Amsterdam and spots I would have loved to visit if I had more time. Getting around the city, I purchased a 48-hour tram pass for 12.50 euros - it was the best decision of the trip, and it made getting around that much easier.

Where to Stay. For so many reasons, I recommend the Pulitzer hotel, excellent location, great service, and while I could stay here on this visit, I will be staying here on my next visit. Due to a work commitment, I had to travel to Brussels Monday afternoon, and I wanted to avoid hauling my luggage and sick self to the train station. Instead, I stayed at the NH Barbizone Palace, which is a short five minutes walk to the central train station and excellent for getting on the trams and buses. I enjoyed my stay here; I was worried about street noise given my first-floor room, but that ended not being much of a problem - that might be because I was sick and was struggling to stay awake.

Where to eat. For brunch - I recommend the Pancake bakery - they make pancakes the size of your face and with every possible flavor combination covering savory to sweet. Pause at the Pulitzer is another excellent brunch spot; the menu is not extensive, but the pancakes and pastries are so so good. Little Collins in De Pijp is also a terrific brunch spot - I highly recommend the Korean kedgeree. Coffee and Coconuts and Pancakes Amsterdam come highly recommended, but I did not make it to either. For Lunch - I recommend Foodhallen in the Oud-West neighborhood - there are over twenty food stalls serving everything from tacos to the dutch delicacy - Bitteballen from DeBallenBar. If you want a sit-down option - Little Collins and Latei also have a great lunch option.

Make sure to try Indonesian food while in Amsterdam - I did not know this before my visit. Still, Indonesia was a former Dutch colony. As such, there is a lot of Indonesian influence in Amsterdam. Sampurna was one of the highly recommended spots for authentic Indonesian food, and I was not disappointed. It is located in the flower market and very easy to find. It is an excellent option for lunch and dinner. A quaint Thai restaurant I found on my first evening - Ocha restaurant is an excellent option for dinner. They make an excellent Tom Ka Gai. I also had an incredible fish dish. The couple next to me had a beef dish and could not stop talking about great the food tasted.

If you take no other recommendations in this post - these two are a must. Amsterdam is known for having some fantastic pies, especially apple pies - I tried the apple pie from Latei and Winkel 43 in the Jordan neighborhood. While both were excellent, the serving from Winkel 43 is one of the reasons I am sure I will be returning to Amsterdam. Another sweet treat options are cookies from Van Staple - full disclosure, there might be a queue to get in (while I was there, the store had hired a bouncer to keep patrons in line and control the crowds). You are only allowed an order of seven per person per day - just buy the seven because they are that good.

For beer lovers, you can stop by the Heineken experience or the Brouwerij’T IJ brewery; the later is a local brewery located in a former bathhouse and next to a windmill and while I am not a beer person - the ale (first thing on the menu) and the chocobok was quite good.

Where to explore. Amsterdam is a beautiful city. If you can, carve out time to wander around - the De Pijp; Jordaan; Oud-West neighborhoods are great for a wander around. There is quite a bit to do in Amsterdam, and before I get into the details - I recommend you get tickets online ahead of time.

Tickets to the Anne Frank house are only available online, and I recommend booking days or even weeks ahead of your trip. Getting to visit the Anne Frank house was poignant and one of the best travel experiences. I think it is one we should all visit. I got fortunate to get same-day tickets, but I think that was just because I was traveling solo. Unless you plan to wake up early, the ticket line for the Rijksmuseum can be very long. The MOCO has some great exhibitions as well - the work of Banksy was on display while I was visiting, and it is one I will see again and recommend. There are so many other museums in Amsterdam - I did not get to them all, but the Van Gogh museum, museum of bags and purses, Rembrandt house, and Stedelijk museums are ones I will love to visit soon.

Don’t miss the “I am Amsterdam” sign outside the Rijksmuseum, it gets very crowded here and if you want a photo devoid of all the tourist - get there early, I arrived about 8:30, and for about 15 minutes, there were only about 15 people there. (Update: In summer of 2019, the sign has been removed). I spent a lot of time at the Rijksmuseum museum; it is one of my favorite museums in Europe. I recommend getting tickets online or getting the ticket queue before it opens at 9 a.m. - the crowd starts to build up closer to 9 a.m.

The floating flower market is a great spot to visit and have a stroll around. My obsession with flowers was reenforced with my time here; it is an excellent glimpse of daily living as locales pick up the floral choices while tourists try for their Instagram shot. The arrangement was so beautiful, I debated picking one up, and I might have if I was returning to London.

Because I could not fit a day trip into this excursion, I wanted to do something away from the tourist path. I found De Hortus botanical garden, and my time at the gardens was just what I needed. Lovely space with a greenhouse and butterfly house. The gardens are just a few tram stops from the garden to the Brouwerij’T IJ brewery; you can schedule both trips on the same day.

In the end, there were two places I wanted to visit but could not fit into my itinerary if you did not get around to A’dam’s lookout and Vondelpark.