Netherlands | 4D4N IN AMSTERDAM

We have decided to take a 4D3N trip to Amsterdam to check out the popular windmill farms, tulips gardens and famous red light district for ourselves. Took KLM economy flight from Stockholm Arlanda Airport and it costs around 240 SGD per pax. Tip: always check out SAS Scandinavian Airlines first because of student discounts 

First things first, we always make sure we get our logistics settled before exploring the city so that means we need to buy metro transport tickets (GVB 17 EUR for 72 hrs unlimited tram rides) and check into our Airbnb accommodation. The place was as good as it looked on Airbnb and host was lovely. She gave us water and snack and also gave us a copy of the city map and ways to get around places of interest. We left our stuff quick and headed over to Dam Square

De Wallen is the city center where its easily recognised by the canal structure and at night, the neon lights surrounding its red light district. It stretches thru a couple of alleys which are essentially blocks of one-room cabin rented by the prostitutes

Note: when visit the red light district at night, remember not to take pictures as it is rude to do so. 

The garden only opens from March to May. You can expect to spend half a day as there's a lot to explore. Recommend you to pack your own lunch for mid day break!

Note: Always check on the website before planning your visit. I strongly recommend to purchase tickets online in advance.

After the day tour in Keukenhof, we headed back to the city center to look for a place to settle our dinner and saw 'The seafood bar' near the museum.

The reviews at this place was pretty good. While waiting for our seats, the waiter actually offered us a complimentary fresh oyster. Fish and chips was just okay but the prawns were really really good.

Location: Van Baerlestraat 5, 1071 AL Amsterdam, Netherlands
Closes @ 11pm

While researching places for a good breakfast, we stumbled upon The Pancake Bakery which is known for crepes. We arrived a little early then opening hours and saw that people were already lining up outside the shop. It took us a little longer than 3o mins to finally get a place to sit.

We ordered a simple toast with scrambled eggs and bacon and a stroopwaffles crepe with cinnamon ice cream (known as Dutch Pancake).  There's a tub of maple syrup at each table and you can help yourself with the common wooden ladle to go with your crepe. The portion was quite huge. The toast costs 8.85 EUR and the pancake costs 16.25 EUR. I would visit there again for breakfast anytime

Address: Prinsengracht 191, 1015 DS, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Menu

One of the things we enjoy while travelling is to visit their local flea markets and thrift shops. It almost feels like you're on a treasure hunt, trying to find something unique and fresh at low prices. Sometimes you get souvenirs, sometimes you get ideas.

Address: Westerstraat, 1015 LZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Opens every monday morning from 9am - 1pm

Zaanse Schans is a neighbourhood in the town of Zaandam. You will need to hop on a train at the Amsterdam Centraal. The journey is about 50 mins and from there its a short walk from the station. You can already spot iconic windmills from afar.

The place has no lack of windmills. You can also expect to see shop selling food and drinks. One of the popular shops that tourist goes is the Henri Willig's Cheese store where they also provide samples for guests to try. I didn't bought them back as I'm worried they might turn bad due to improper storage. Instead I bought some stroopwaffles back and I should've bought more. I spend around half a day there before making the trip back for dinner.

We came across CACAO LAB which is a shop that requires you to make your own hot chocolate. Pretty self explanatory, I guess it was more of an experience than anything else since the chocolate wasn't really that great.

There's actually quite a number of windmills in within the area, you can even take the stairs to go up and view from above if you pay a small fee.

The klomp or clog factory in Zaanse Schans is quite interesting. They sell quite a number of design that was made from the factory including souvenir sizes lie key chains. As you can see, they aren't that cheap. It is said that the dutch wore clogs since medieval times and the choice for using wood as the material absorbs sweat and makes the feet 'breathable'. I'm not sure if anyone still wears it together but this could definitely pull off at parties

This cafe was introduced by a friend of mine for their awesome apple pie and if you're someone who likes it too, you need to make a trip here. (You can see we ordered 2) At first, I thought I was at the wrong place because there's no apple pie in their menu! I had to speak to the waitress and asked if this is the right place. We paired the dessert as usual with hot chocolate. The apple sizeable apple chunks were really juicy and texture of the pie is very consistent.

We headed to the grocery store near our Airbnb to get some ingredients for a simple dinner.