Amsterdam has been on my travel bucket list for as long as I can remember, so when Ashton (who took the awesome photos in this post), Tamz and Laura invited me along on their weekend trip I really couldn’t say no, could I?
As we were all struggling for holiday days (hello travel addicts) we only booked two and a half days in the city, but regardless of time constraints, it was great to finally get away to a place I’d been dreaming of for years.
Despite being pressed for time I do have some highlights from the trip I couldn’t wait to share with you ?? ?
If you want to read the full post about what we got up to over our weekend, you can find that here.
?️Dam Square
Dam Square is at the very heart of Amsterdam and home to the Town Hall and Madame Tussauds. When we walked through it was incredibly busy and the shops were absolutely heaving, but I did manage to get that all important picture in the giant clog outside of the I Amsterdam gift shop. When in Holland, right?
We also came back through here at night time and everything looked so pretty lit up, unfortunately, we were heading out so I didn’t have my camera with me otherwise it would have made for some amazing photographs.
?️Damrak
A short walk from Dam Square, Damrak is where the iconic pretty rows of buildings that can be seen in pretty much every single Amsterdam photo ever, is located. On the walk up from Dam Square (Kalverstraat), there is a row of shops and restaurants, including a six-storey Primark and the cutest souvenir shops, all leading up to Central station. Opposite them is where you’ll find Damrak, one of the
? The Sex Museum
The Sex Museum (the Temple of Venus) was definitely and interesting experience and one of my absolute favourite highlights from the whole weekend. It was fascinating to walk around and I loved that some bits were absolutely hilarious (sitting on a giant cock) and others were incredibly interesting to see. It was well worth the €5 we paid to get in and would 10/10 recommend to anyone interested in the subject.
? The Jordaan
Jordaan is one of the prettiest places I have ever seen, with so many little canals and bridges to get lost walking through. We didn’t realise we’d been here until my friend pointed it out in one of my Instagram pictures, but I am so glad we got to stumble on this beautiful area.
?? The I Amsterdam Sign
A classic tourist spot, the I Amsterdam sign was pretty high on our list of places to go. We managed to squeeze it in on the last day before our flight home, so I was definitely feeling a little rough from a night of drinking and no sleep (maybe also a little drunk still).
It was PACKED and everyone was doing boomerangs of themselves jumping off the edge of the wall, so I decided to do something a little different and I think the image at the top of this post is now my favourite picture of me ever*.
*ft white Primark leggings to help stop chub rub
? Warmoesstraat
Not gonna lie, I had to ask Tamz for the street name for this one as she knows the area quite well. It was basically the street behind the Red Light District and it had every kind of food you can think of, sex shops and bars.
There were immense hot dogs, the most delicious waffles (I wish I bought some back now), gigantic slices of pizza, dutch pancakes, frites, bitterballen and it was absolute food heaven.
? Red Light District
The Red Light District was nothing at all like I had imagined.
I really don’t know what I was expecting but it was safe, incredibly regulated and so interesting to see in person. I’ve explained more about what it was like wandering around in my first Amsterdam post, but I honestly found this area to be one of the best bits of the trip.
We also stayed in this area for the nightlife as there were a couple of good bars nearby, but more about that below.
? Night Life
Knowing we were going to be there two nights we planned a night of cocktails and shots well in advance. After a busy day walking around on Sunday we eventually made it out around 10 pm, but that definitely did not hinder our spirits. LOL alcohol pun.
What happens in Amsterdam stays in Amsterdam, but let’s just say there were some VERY sore heads in the morning.
Considering we didn’t get to see as much as I’d like to I think I have some pretty incredible highlights. Now I can’t wait to go back for a proper explore.
Kirsty Leanne
xoxo
