Amsterdam in the spring is something that I think everyone needs to add to their list. No seriously, go add it right now, I’ll wait.
Done? Okay, good we can continue.
Why am I so obsessed with Amsterdam in the spring? Well to be fair, anywhere in the spring is great. I had been previously, but this trip was different for many reasons, but mostly because of the time of year. The atmosphere is so lively, the sun is shining, and you can tell that everyone is just excited.
But spring in Amsterdam is just on a new level. People are biking everywhere (which they do all the time, but ya know), the tulips are in full bloom, and sitting on a patio among the canals is practically a religious experience.
As a point of clarification, this trip was Pre-COVID so clearly the precautions weren’t taken.
Well, without making you sit through more of an introduction, here is a little snippet of my too short trip to the canal city, Amsterdam!
Day 1
We just happened to arrive in Amsterdam on Easter, so the very first place we went was church for Easter service. We went to Hillsong Amsterdam and well if you’ve never been, you just HAVE to go.
Amsterdam was the first stop in the return of a longer trip (see HERE) and so it had been MONTHS since I’d gone to church in person. Which is ironic now because of COVID, but then it was foreign to me.
Needless to say, I had tears in my eyes the entire worship set, the presence of God was just so apparent!
After church, we found the best little cafe and enjoyed the afternoon sun. Seriously, the spring is just incredible! The air is so crisp, but the warmth from the sun just makes everything better.
We checked into our hotel, which was so funky and fun by the way, then headed out to walk around. There is just so much to see, even if you don’t have a plan.
We found a fantastic little Mexican restaurant and celebrated the end of our previous trip and the beginning of a new one. What better way to celebrate?
It was sort of a long day so it was an earlyish night, meaning we just hung out until we couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer.
Day 2
Bright and early we headed out towards Keukenhof, the tulip festival, which is actually just outside of Amsterdam, the whole day was filled with exploring the fields, walking the gardens, and spotting windmill after windmill.
I don’t know what to tell you besides you have to go, so instead I’ll show you all the pictures. Seriously, you can spend the entire day at Keukenhof and not get bored, there are SO many different things to DO and SEE.
See look, we even got the obligatory coffee and stroopwafel. Is there anything more Dutch than this picture (she says in sarcasm)?
Eventually we found our way back for dinner on the canals, I mean does it get any better? Wine, cheese, pasta, puffy pancakes, I mean come on.
We walked through the different parks, before heading back to the hotel for some hot tubbing and relaxing.
I’m going to be honest, sometimes there are trips that every single second you’re on the move unless you are sleeping or eating. And truly, that is great, I love those trips. But there are also trips that you sort of meander around, spending longer at meals, strolling instead of rushing, and focusing on one thing at a time rather than racing to the next thing.
This trip to Amsterdam was the latter. It was incredibly nice to just leisurely spend our time there. Yes, there were big things we wanted to see (ie. Anne Frank house), but time and availability restrictions stopped those plans. So, we improvised and really enjoyed the slower trip.
Day 3
The next day, we primarily spent walking the city, exploring the different parks, neighborhoods, and shops. I find it so easy to just fall into a casual routine while I’m in Europe and this is the perfect example.
We grabbed food here and there, eventually stopping for a big dinner.
But the real fun was finding the A’Dam tower. We were in a taxi when mid-sentence I yelled SWING and pointed to a massive swing hanging over a building across the city. We had to go. So, we did.
We found ourselves at the A’Dam tower swinging, getting drinks, enjoying the views, and goofing off. All things we do well.
I mean is there a better way to see the city than atop a horse on a building?
I love cities that are just as pretty at night too, like look at this?
And you know what is even better? The ship was parked right outside our hotel or at least where we could see it!
Day 4
On our last day, we managed to shop some more and sort of get our lives together before heading home after a long, long journey. Again, HERE is where you can find more on that.
But the show stopper before our flight was the pizza restaurant we found. I mean COME ON. INCREDIBLE.
And just like that, we hopped on a plane home.
Keep your eyes peeled for an actual Amsterdam guide that goes into more details on what to do and see (with tips I learned on this trip and my last!). It’ll be good, trust me.
Until I can do that, have you been to Amsterdam? If so, favorite part? Is there something I missed that you absolutely love?
Start planning, it’s worth it,
Katelyn
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