Amsterdam Highlights - how is winter in Amsterdam like?
View of Amsterdam City from the top of ADAM Lookout
A mix of nature and arts, on a couple’s therapeutic (?) journey through Amsterdam’s main attractions.
Intercontinental Amstel Amsterdam - 1 King Premium River View
Amsterdam Highlights
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Aspire Lounge AMS (Schengen) and Austrian Economy Class
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FRA-CDG-AUH Etihad First Class
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AUH-KUL Etihad Business Class
KUL-SIN Singapore Airlines Regional Business Class
After a restful (but chilly) night’s sleep at Kimpton De Witt, it was time to explore Amsterdam! The next morning, following a fantastic breakfast, we headed to the Amsterdam Canal to begin our adventure.
What did we used?
We bought the 2-days Amsterdam City Card from Klook, which cost about $100 EUR. We also got further cashback from Shopback. You can use my referral code 94FOGP to earn $5 cashback after accumulating $10 of confirmed cashback or have $300 of fully paid PayLater orders.
Arguably the longer 7 day version is more value for money, as analysed in the below article.
From Kimpton De Witt, we took a short walk to Amsterdam Centraal Train Station to claim the card
With our “weapons” in hand, we began our exploration of Amsterdam!
P.S. For some attractions, it's necessary to pre-book a timeslot before your visit here.
Amsterdam Canal Tour
One of the perks of the Amsterdam Card was a free canal tour near the iconic Amsterdam train station. Among the many cruise operators, we opted for Amsterdam Boat Cruises.
The 1 hour canal boat trip was very nice! Firstly the canal boat provided a warm indoor setting, which was especially welcomed given the cold weather. While there was no physical guide, the earphone guide was informative, explaining the architectural features and their significance to Amsterdam's canal culture. Of course, we were also introduced to the main attractions from a boat, which was really enjoyable! Saves quite some time for us too.
A’DAM Lookout (Top of Amsterdam)
After the boat tour, we walked back to the train station and crossed to the other side of the river to visit the A'DAM Lookout, also included with the Amsterdam Card. Our primary goal was to enjoy the unparalled 360-degree view of Amsterdam and the surrounding architecture, which was truly breathtaking!
There was also Europe’s highest swing, Over The Edge, on the observatory deck but let’s just say the adrenaline rush was a bit too intense for both of us 😆
Christmas Carnival
We were fortunate to experience the Christmas Carnival in Amsterdam, arriving just before it ended the following week! The carnival was situated near the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, which we visited the next day.
We went on Christmas Eve evening, and wow the festive atmosphere was fully in motion! It was our first time seeing a real Christmas tree.
There was numerous Christmas stalls selling festive food and an ice skating rink was right in the middle where families skated with their kids.
We also tried the Raclette the next day, and it was really divine—perfectly comforting in the cold winter!
Van Gogh Museum
In our opinion, this was one of the main highlights of our Amsterdam exploration! We purchased tickets online well in advance before the trip (not included in the Amsterdam Card 😢), as visiting this museum was one of the primary goals of our vacation.
The museum showcases the works of the iconic artist, Van Gogh, and provides a glimpse into his life from his early years to his later ones. We found his story quite sad, which deepened our appreciation for his contributions to the art world. Visiting this museum is a must when exploring Amsterdam!
Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum is located just beside Van Gogh Museum, and we visited it immediately after.
While this visit was less appealing to us, as it focuses more on European history and Renaissance art (not our preference), I personally appreciated the architecture and particularly enjoyed the top level, which houses the historic Cuypers Library, that has significant history. It remains the largest art historical library in the Netherlands till today, with a collection of approximately 450,000 objects!
And it is a really enormous museum! You could easily spend an entire day there, but we couldn't manage that after spending half a day at the Van Gogh Museum 🥲. You can find more information on what might interest you on their website.
Zaandam Schaans
This visit turned out to be unexpectedly delightful! Situated along the River Zaan, we caught an early morning bus from the Train Station on our last day at Amsterdam, which took about 15-20 minutes. Undoubtedly, the highlight was the picturesque windmills, which were operational during the 18th and 19th centuries. Along with the scenic views (and adorable animals 😆), it made for an enjoyable walk for us!
Another highlight was the cheese factory, where we sampled and purchased some of the best cheese we've ever tasted in Europe.
Conclusion
Despite the unfavorable weather, our two-day exploration of Amsterdam was truly enjoyable, and we hope that this blog post would be useful!
Next stop: The Hague!
