• Home
  • About Me
  • Categories
    • Travel
      • Budget Travel
        • Hostels
      • Food and Drink
    • Travel Mishaps
    • Travel Tips
      • Flying
      • Packing Tips
    • Destinations
      • Travel Guides
      • Bucket List
    • Blogging Tips
  • Contact Me
    • Work With Me
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy

Travel

A Weekend in Amsterdam: Travel Diary

May 26, 2017

weekend in amsterdam

For the first time ever I thought I would be a productive grown up on a flight, so this post is being written as I am on my way home from my most recent trip – Amsterdam.

I’ve always dreamt of strolling around the stunning canals and pretty streets, so as part of my recent vow to travel as often as I physically can, I jumped in on a short trip to Amsterdam with three blogging babes – Ashton Jade, Tamzin and Laura. ️✈️

?? Amsterdam, Day 1

The trip technically started Friday night for me, as I had to get the last train into Birmingham Airport to be able to make my early flight. It wasn’t ideal, but to save on the coast of a hotel for the sake of five or six hours I decided to do an all nighter at the airport instead.

Of course, this didn’t go exactly to plan, and I ended up pushing two seats together in a closed cafe so I could get a few hours kip. It was so uncomfortable, but it passed time before Frankies and Bennies opened. By around 5 am I was feeling a little more alert as the excitement finally hit me – I WAS GOING TO AMSTERDAM!

I was the last person to land so I met the girls in the Arrivals area at Schiphol, which was absolutely huge. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an airport as big as that, so I’m looking forward to seeing if it can be topped. I guess I’m just going to how to travel more to find out, aren’t I? 😉

Anyway, after dropping out bags off at our AMAZING quirky hotel (Hotel Teleport FYI) we booked an Uber into the city.

Just took a quick break for a snack on the plane and I felt that it was important to add how amazing ham and cheese croissants are on a plane. My fave.

Anyway, we spent half an hour walking around taking photos before getting some lunch near Dam Square.

amsterdam

After a quick walk up Kalverstraat towards Damrak, our Amsterdam Tour Guide (read: Tamzin) showed us one of the most popular areas to grab some Dutch delicacies (aka frites, hot dogs, waffles and bitterballen). We’d just scoffed a massive pizza and chips so didn’t try anything, but don’t fret – we went back the next day 😉

The back streets eventually took us to the Red Light District, which was surprisingly quiet.

It was a surreal experience and to be honest it was nothing like what I had been expecting. Before visiting I didn’t realise that girls stand in lit up windows with a small room behind. When someone goes in, the curtains are drawn. When we walked around the second night it was a lot busier and most of the windows were full or curtains were drawn.

After a quick stroll around the Red Light District, we spent a good few hours walking around all the canals taking photographs, which was so fun to do in the gorgeous weather. Eventually, we got tired and stopped at an Irish bar for a few cocktails and some food.

canal in amsterdam

amsterdam canal

As it had been a looooooong day we decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel room to relax.

??Amsterdam, Day 2

I’m not going to lie, we had quite a late start. By the time we’d all got ready and had breakfast it was much later than we had planned to leave but I didn’t care because we were having such a good time in each others company.

Damrak

Rather than getting an Uber we decided to get the train in as it was only a six-minute journey from Sloterdijk to Central station. We had a list of places we wanted to go, one of which was the Sex Museum which we stumbled upon by complete chance on Damrak.

I’m thinking of doing a whole (NSFW) post on the Museum as I took a lot of pictures so all I’m gonna say now is it was absolutely amazing and I would 100% recommend going if you’re visiting Amsterdam.

amsterdam sex museum

After the museum, we went back to Warmoesstraat and tracked down some Dutch Frites with hot cheese sauce, tried out the Bulldog Coffeeshop and then walked around the canals again until we found Ice Bakery where I had Nutella and Kinder ice cream.

There was a little bit of a foodie theme to the second day, can you tell?

ice bakery amsterdam

damrak amsterdam

We decided to grab all the souvenirs we wanted from the gift shops on Damrak then made our way back to the hotel to get ready for a night out.

We ended up having the best time and drank tonnes of cocktails, did A LOT of shots and didn’t make it home until 5.30am. One thing I did notice is that there was absolutely nowhere to grab some drunken food at 5 am in the morning, incredibly disappointing for a city when you’re starving and drunk ?

??Amsterdam, Day 3

After a very early wake-up call, we got up and very delicately packed our suitcases. Not gonna lie – I think I was still a little drunk as we’d only had 3 and a half hours sleep.

We said goodbye to the hotel and jumped in an Uber to the I Amsterdam sign at the Rijksmuseum. In my hungover state, I tried to say thank you to the taxi driver as he handed me my suitcase, but ended up saying ‘Amsterdam’ instead, so there’s that. 

As it was almost lunchtime the sign was SO busy so it was hard to take any pictures of it, bummer. I did get a pretty cool one of me standing on the wall at the bottom though, which I liked so much it replaced my Disneyland Paris profile picture on pretty much all social media  – cheers Ashton 😉

By that point we were knackered and felt even worse, so I bought a fresh stroopwafel in hopes it would magically cure my hangover. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

stroopwaffle

As I had an earlier flight I went to the airport a little earlier than the others but turns out it was pretty pointless as my flight was delayed and left last. ?

So, there you have it. A weekend of canals, cocktails and A LOT of food. There’s still so much on my Amsterdam bucket list too, so I’ll definitely be back. 

Kirsty Leanne

xoxo

PIN IT FOR LATER

Share
Kirsty Leanne

If you've ever found yourself scrolling through Instagram and all can you see is rows and rows of 'perfect' photos of people travelling well don't worry, because that's definitely not what you're going to find here.I'm a true believer that life is what you make it and although I don't always have the best luck while travelling, it's the thing that fills me with joy. With lots of mistakes, mishaps and chaotic stories behind me, I thought here was the perfect place to share my stories (along with everything I've picked up along the way)

You May Also Like

February 21, 2018

Guide to The Most Instagramable Spots in Wroclaw

April 14, 2018

Plus Size Packing List: Bali, Indonesia

November 12, 2018

Five Reasons to Visit Calvià this Autumn and Winter | Travel

Hi, I’m Kirsty Leanne

If you've ever found yourself scrolling through Instagram and all can you see is rows and rows of 'perfect' photos of people travelling well don't worry, because that's definitely not what you're going to find here.I'm a true believer that life is what you make it and although I don't always have the best luck while travelling, it's the thing that fills me with joy. With lots of mistakes, mishaps and chaotic stories behind me, I thought here was the perfect place to share my stories (along with everything I've picked up along the way)

On Instagram

…
Current Location

Current Location

Shropshire, UK
tirta empul water temple

Pura Tirta Empul Water Temple: A Guide To The Melukat Purification Process

Read More
gates of heaven lempuyang temple

Gates of Heaven Lempuyang Temple: A Guide To Getting The Viral Photo

Read More
packing for a weekend away

Packing Pro: A Practical Guide to Packing For a Weekend Away

Packing for a weekend away can be tricky, but with these top tips, it should be a breeze! Follow them and you'll be able to travel light - without sacrificing comfort or style. Enjoy!
Read More
best temples in Bali

Best Temples In Bali: Where To Visit and What Time

Read More
Singapore itinerary for 2 days

Singapore Itinerary for 2 Days in ‘Lion City’

Read More

Things To See In Budapest

Read More

Travel Anxiety: My Top Tips for a Stress-Free Trip

Read More
Dubrovnik Riviera

Dubrovnik Riviera Guide: Why Dubrovnik Is More Than The Old Town

Read More

Trusted Brands

Booking.com

Skyscanner

Get Your Guide

Viator

World Nomads

SimplyBe

Travel Tips

Destinations

Recent Posts

  • tirta empul water temple

    Pura Tirta Empul Water Temple: A Guide To The Melukat Purification Process

    January 21, 2023
  • gates of heaven lempuyang temple

    Gates of Heaven Lempuyang Temple: A Guide To Getting The Viral Photo

    January 21, 2023
  • packing for a weekend away

    Packing Pro: A Practical Guide to Packing For a Weekend Away

    January 21, 2023

Are you a brand or tourist board?

Like what you see? let’s work together! Get in touch to find out how we can partner together on something magical or view my media kit below.

VIEW MY MEDIA KIT

…

Copyright © 2023 . All Rights Reserved.Site Powered by Pix & Hue.