I call this place the
land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, Heineken beer, cheese and pancakes!
September is a good time to visit Amsterdam. The temperature is between 10 to 20°C. Do dress in layers as the weather can switch to and forth between sunny and showers.
Our itinerary6 Sep (Friday)
- Explored the shopping belt near our hotel. Had our lunch and enjoyed a cuppa.
- Next stop to Tourist Office (located opposite Amsterdam Centraal Train Station).
- We did zero research before we came! We bought a tour package to Volendam, Marken and Windmills for the following day. We also received discount cards and a guide book.
- Explored the Dam Square and visited The Sex Museum.
- Joined the queue to buy the piping hot and thick french fries, served in a paper cone and topped with mayonnaise.
- Met up with A's friend for dinner. Wilson took us to Beulings for dinner. I will describe Beulings as a quaint restaurant but fine dining at its best. In Singapore, most of us are always seen busy with our mobile phones at the tables so I am really impressed at how the locals only engage in conversations with their partner/friends. I did not see any of them fiddling with their phones. The whole dining experience lasted almost 4 hours. Reservation is highly recommended! It was full house but I am not sure if it was because that day was a Friday night. (http://www.beulings.nl)
- Our 5-hour day tour starts at 9AM and we had to be at the meeting point before 8.30AM.
- We visited the Volendam cheese factory. Our next stop was Klompenmakerij Wooden Shoe Factory and finally the windmills at Zaanse Schans. We also past by fishing villages of Volendam and Marken. It was freezing cold!!
- We had late lunch at an Argentina Restaurant but the food was only average.
- I went back to the hotel to nurse a bad cold. A went to meet his other group of friends for dinner and clubbing.
8 Sep (Sunday)
- We bought tickets to the canal cruise!
- A wanted to visit the Museum of Medieval Torture.
- In the late afternoon, we meet Wilson who took us around Amsterdam Centraal. He showed us Amsterdam Museum but we did not enter. We took photos with the smaller version of "I amsterdam". (The bigger icon is nearby Van Gogh Museum).
- Wilson took us to a café called "Pancakes!". They have many varieties. We ordered the chocolate pancake and apple pancake.
- We had dinner at Van Speyk. We like it very much! (http://www.vanspeyk.com/en)
- We ended the night with a stroll at the Red Light District. (Do take note that no photography is allowed).
9 Sep (fourth day)
- We took the train from Zaandam to Amsterdam Centraal station again! Noticed how our day always starts here?
- Our first stop is Anne Frank Huis. Do note that no photography is allowed inside this museum. We queued for about an hour.
- We had fried noodles at one of the cafes. You choose the ingredients, sauce and noodles. Our choice > shrimps, bean sprouts, green vegetables, sweet sauce and yellow noodles, topped off with peanuts and a slice of lemon. This kind of noodles seem quite popular with the locals.
- We also chanced upon a Parade!
- Next, we visited Museum Van Gogh.
- We ended the afternoon with Heineken Experience. Strangely, the beer over there seems to taste much better. Maybe it is in our minds? The entrance ticket includes 2 glasses of beer and a souvenir which you can redeem at the end of the tour. During the tour, we also get to have a glass of cold beer.
- We met Wilson for dinner and he took us to a Cantonese restaurant at Chinatown.
If you only have one day in Amsterdam, I will suggest that you can go for the 5-hour tour, visit Anne Frank Huis and Heineken Experience in the afternoon, followed by dinner at Van Speyk and end the day with a stroll at the Red Light District!
No trip to Netherlands is complete without a visit to the windmills. We purchased the tickets to Volendam, Marken and Windmills Day Tour at the Tourist Office and also received a discount of 20%. There are authorised distributors selling the same tour package but they will not come with the discount.
Anne Frank Hius opens from 9am to 9pm on most days. But there are days when it will close at 10am or 7pm. The last admission is 30 minutes prior to closing time. It is advisable to check the opening hours before you visit.
Heineken Experience opens from 11am to 7.30pm (Monday to Thursday). The last admission is at 5.30pm. It opens from 11am to 8.30pm (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). The last admission is at 6.30pm. Online ticket is available at a cheaper rate.
Van Speyk opens daily from 5pm to midnight. It is a classic Amsterdam style brasserie.
Red Light District is generally safe. Just take the usual precautions and do not take photographs of the ladies.
We had a fantastic stay in Amsterdam. Thank you Wilson for your hospitality!
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