Hey!
Bringing you another travel post about my recent trip to (so far) my favourite city, Amsterdam.
I love this place so much, from a creative perspective it is really inspirational with the beautiful buildings, shops, interiors, style etc. I always come home feeling super motivated and inspired.
If you are yet to visit this wonderful city then you are missing out! I want to share with you my trip along with some of my (our) favourite spots.
This year we flew with KLM, my boyfriend Chris isn't the best at flying and hates the propeller planes so we avoided Flybe. But to be honest the KLM flights were actually cheaper, they are a Dutch airline and fly to many airports around the world including Asia. We had a smooth flight and even got a free drink along with a traditional Dutch pear cake which was a delicious surprise!
Once you arrive in Amsterdam you will need to take a short train ride to Amsterdam Central train station, purchase your tickets from the airport and off you pop. We went Tuesday to Friday, the city is a lot busier at weekends so keep that in mind.
We stayed at the Yays Oostenburgergracht - Concierged Boutique Apartments.
The apartment was about a 20-25 minute walk from Amsterdam Central, you can take public transport but we just walked the whole trip. We walked about 10 miles a day!
The main form of transport is by bike, you can hire bikes while you are there but we just preffered to walk. Although I think part of me was just too scared to get on a bike, learning the road markings and traffic lights for cyclists would be like learning to drive again.
Anyway the staff were all very friendly and helpful and our apartment was great, it had a real industrial theme about it and I loved the wooden beams in our room. Because it was an apartment we got a little mini kitchen if we wanted to make food, but we didn't really use it as we ate out the majority of the trip.
You have to make sure you try Looza and Chocomel - the best Dutch drinks!
The first night we ate at one of the top rated Italian restaurant's called da portare VIA.
The pizza's here are unreal. They are baked in a stone oven and are handmade to order.
I went for the Crudo which was prosciutto crudo, ricotta, parmesan and rocket.
One thing I love about Amsterdam is the food is always so fresh and there are so many great options of places to eat.
Moving on to our favourite breakfast spot, Bakers and Roasters.
They have two locations, one in Kadijksplein and the other in Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat.
We went to the Kadijksplein restaurant as it was about a 12 minute walk from our apartment and we went 3 days in a row so we could try something new from the menu each day. It is a New Zealand style cafe with Brazilian influences.
Everyday the staff made us feel so welcome and had a lovely chat with us, it started to feel like home! It is a very instagrammable spot.
The first day I had eggs royale with added avocado, the eggs were cooked to perfection, the bread was crispy and soft, the avocado was perfectly ripe. (Can you tell I enjoyed it?)
Second day was blueberry pancakes with organice canadian syrup and banana - also delicious. Those pancakes were the fluffiest things I've ever eaten.
And the final day was the Kiwi Breakfast with again, added avo.
Ps. The fresh orange juice is also amazing.
Check out the menu HERE
A few of our favourite Coffee Shops are Hill Street Blues, Hunters and Barney's Lounge.
Another great restaurant to try out is Burger Bar.
One of the best burgers I have ever had, we went here last year too and had to go back.
Again, the burgers are made fresh to order, right down to the patty.
We love this place and its a perfect pit stop for lunchtime and even dinner, it is also reasonably priced as a lot of places in the centre are expensive. Amsterdam is generally quite an expensive place to be honest, as is any city.
I think a canal ride is a must, it is a very touristy thing to do but you get to see parts of the city that you might not pass when walking. Plus it's nice and relaxing along the canal.
Prices are around 11 euros for adults and I think about 5 euros for children.
A final food recommendation - The Dirty Chicken Club.
This was the best half a chicken I have ever had! It is a mix of Mexican, American, Dutch, European and Asian. There are some great things on the menu including Korean Bao Buns, Chicken Burger and a Whole Chicken served on a beer can.
We managed to get a table about 7pm without a reservation but it did start to get busier so the later you are planning to go, I would book. I had the half a chicken which had this really amazing sticky marinade on it and Chris had the chicken burger which beer battered. It looked like a piece of battered fish but was actually chicken, he ate it all so I am guessing it was a yes from him!
Check out the menu HERE
The weather was pretty good, we had rain the day we got there but then the last couple of days we had lovely sunshine. Amsterdam looks prettier when the sun is shining on the canals.
Overall we enjoyed some amazing food, had lots of chill time, mooched around some of the streetwear shops and had lots of fun. Also be sure to take a walk around the Red Light District at night, it is something everyone needs to see because its just so fascinating - well it fascinates me anyway!
Where are your favourite spots in Amsterdam?
Lauren x
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