Amsterdam is definitely one of my favourite cities. The first time I visited this beautiful city is when I went inter-railing with Stephen. We only had time to spend 2 days in Amsterdam unfortunately so we tried to jam much  it to those 2 days as possible.

The ‘Musts’ :

1. Venture into at least one coffee shop. Even if you wouldn’t normally do drugs, go into one and soak in the atmosphere. When in Rome… The best coffee shops are Amnesia, Grey Area and the Bulldog. The one we usually go to is the Greenhouse, but to be honest, if you’re not an expert, any coffee shop will do!
2. Visit the red light district at night. I’ll be honest, the red light district scared me a little bit. The woman (and men) are definitely not afraid to come out of their rooms, lets just say. And even think about taking pictures! I saw a man on his phone and one of the women thought he was taking a picture (which i don’t think he was) and she poured her piss all over him. Poor guy. You will also find strip clubs and sex shows in this area too but I haven’t ventured into one so I can’t share my experience with you.
3. Visit a museum. Amsterdam has a great selection of different types of museums. For example, you can find famous museums that display masterpieces like Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum, museums and that display actual body parts like  Body Works museum and other museums that are completely random like the Museum of Bags and Purses and the Sex museum. There is literally a museum for everyone!
4. Eat lunch in Vondelpark. Buy a sandwich, some chips with mayo or even a space cake and bring it to Vondelpark.  There’s a few lakes, restaurants and weird sculptures all over the place. It’s a great place to sit down and relax after a long day of sightseeing.
5. Get a picture in front of the ‘Iamsterdam’ sign. This is such a cliche when you go to Amsterdam, but it’s a must! You will find the huge sign in between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum.

The  ‘if you have time’

1. Go on a Canal bike/tour. If you have time, rent a canal bike or go on a canal tour around the city. It is a brilliant way to see the city since nearly every street has a canal!
2. Visit the Anne Frank museum. If your one desire is to go see the Anne Frank museum in the high season (summer), buy a ticket online so you won’t be disappointed! By buying a ticket online, you will save you not only money but a LOT of time! The queue for it is unbelievable. You could easily spend you whole day waiting in line. So be smart, buy a ticket online and jump the queue! I personally don’t think it’s worth waiting around 4 hours in a queue, so I am really glad that I only had to wait a minute or two to be let in!
3. Shop at Episode. If you love thrifty shops as much as I do, this is a shop for you! It is jam packed with old vintage clothes at a great price! I still dream about it!
4. Tour the Heineken Factory. Coming from someone who hates beer, this tour is actually really good! It tells you about the history of Heineken, how to pour a good beer and at the end of the tour, you can get two free drinks! Stephen was definitely a bit tipsy after drinking his own two beers and then drinking mine; no point wasting free beers! Top tip: If you are going in the summer, buy your ticket online. When we went, there was a massive queue due to a tour bus dropping of around 100 people. So save yourself time and jump the queue with an online ticket!
5. Explore Waterloo Flea market. This flea market sells everything from clothes to pipes to old chocolate tins! Anything your thrifty heart desires, you will find here!
6. Take bus/train to Zaanse Schans.  This is a village that exhibits the old ways of dutch life. You can buy handmade chocolate, silver necklaces, toys etc. etc.. There is also cheese shop and a clog museum. All very dutch! It’s filled with windmills and, of course, canals. It’s very picturesque! I would highly recommend it, if you have time!

The ‘Don’ts’

1. Don’t piss off a prostitute. As I mentioned before. Just don’t. Unless you like being covered with piss.
2. Don’t whitey. Whitey is when you smoke too much pot at once and you pass out. I know it’s all very exciting but pace yourself and enjoy it!

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Thanks for reading!

Peace out my wanderers!

Lisa