You can read my itinerary of what to do in Amsterdam HERE, but this post is going to focus on the hotel we stayed in – The Dylan. When visiting a large city, I always try and stay at smaller hotels just because I prefer the intimacy and more personal touches, and The Dylan really didn’t disappoint. It is a luxury option, but it’s so worth it for a wonderful stay.
The Dylan is located in the 9 streets area of Amsterdam. This area is a slightly less busy area of town filled with coffee shops, little restaurants, boutique shops and LOTS of canals. It’s the most beautiful area of Amsterdam visually, and because it’s quiet at night with no major roads or clubs, it’s also a good night’s sleep. It also means there are loads of great eating places within walking distance, from tasty breakfast spots to special dinners.
The 9 streets area is in close walking distance to all the main sites in Amsterdam, including Anne Frank’s house, canal boat tours, The Rijksmuseum, Dam Square, The Red Light District and many more. It means it’s the perfect place to stay when visiting the city….as long as you’re not here for the bars and the clubs, in which case something in the city centre may be more appropriate.
The accommodation at The Dylan is nothing short of incredible. We stayed in a duplex suite room, which had the bedroom downstairs and the bathroom upstairs. The bed was huge and comfortable, with daily room service. Also in the room is an ipad which has all hotel information and local activities/restaurants etc recommended. There is also a coffee machine, well stocked mini bar and daily evening gift (chocolates etc).
The hotel has a bar and restaurant called Occo Brasserie. There is an a la carte menu, and also a bar snacks menu. Also on offer is afternoon tea, as well as a varying cocktail menu which can be sampled in the bar or garden terrace. The Dylan also offer ‘High Wine’ which is a selection of wines and small bites, if you really want to treat yourself. Breakfast is also served daily in the restaurant, or in the room if you’d prefer. All the food and drink we had was delicious and we’d definitely recommend eating in the hotel.
The Dylan goes out of its way to make stays special for guests. On arrival, we were presented with a delicious warm apple cider drink and Dutch cheese biscuits. Every day staff were friendly and polite, checking we had everything we needed. Bar staff were chatty and professional and the finishing touches like chocolates in the room each day made a difference. As we were staying after my operation, the hotel also gave us champagne on arrival and some delicious Prosecco sweets.
The hotel also offer some wonderful experiences. I’ve already mentioned afternoon tea and High wine (the best invention ever), but they also offer private dining if you want to make it a special occasion. Also on offer are private canal boat tours, and bike tours organised by the hotel.
The hotel doesn’t have any spa facilities, however it does offer in-room massages via an external company. I was too excited about the prospect and immediately booked an hour long Swedish massage, which was incredible and the perfect way to fill a rainy evening.
So what do you think of The Dylan? Would you like to stay here? We really enjoyed our 4 night stay and would recommend it to anyone looking for a little bit of boutique luxury in the heart of Amsterdam. Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!
]]>We visited on an overcast winter’s day, but in typically European weather style, by mid afternoon it was bright sunshine requiring sunglasses, early evening it was raining and by the end of the day I needed a hat and scarf to keep warm. Because of it, my photos look like they are from all the seasons (but really just one day!)
Without doubt the key attraction in Muiden is its incredible castle. Dating back to 1280, the castle was built by Floris V to enforce tolls on the traders using the river between Utrecht and Amsterdam. Floris was later kidnapped and murdered and by 1300 the original castle was destroyed. In 1400 the castle was rebuilt, used as a defence, a private home, and a prison before becoming a museum in the late 1800s.
Visiting the castle today is a fun experience – it’s set in a beautiful moat with some lovely gardens. You can take two tours around the castle using an audioguide, one in to the towers and one inside the castle itself. There is also a nice little gift shop and cafe on site, as well as an outdoor theatre which is used for productions in the summer. Overall, it’s worth spending a couple of hours at Muiderslot.
Muiden is full of quaint houses, more canals (of course) and cosy cafes to eat, drink and watch the world go by in. We enjoyed strolling along the waterfront, watching the bridges open for the boats, taking in the harbour and architecture and then sitting down to a delicious traditional Dutch lunch (meatballs).
After the castle and a late lunch, we boarded a ferry to the Pampus Fort. The Fort was commissioned in 1895 as a defence and had space for 200 men. It only achieved this during WW1, and in WW2 the Nazis occupied the site. Once the Nazis had left, the Fort was used to detonate unexploded grenades and other military items.
Now you can explore the partly desolate Fort, learn about its history and enjoy beautiful sea views out back towards Muiden. The ferry leaves from the water front (a 3 minute walk from the castle), and the journey over is stunning. We were lucky as the sun came out for our ferry ride, alongside some mist, making the water look incredible.
As a side note, please take cash to pay – Pampus only take Dutch bank cards so we physically couldn’t pay for our trip. They were so nice and let us take the ride and tour the Fort for free (!), but we felt awful. I think they took pity on us because I’d reached my post-operation limit of walking at the castle, so really needed to sit down on the ferry!
You can get to Muiden via car (or Uber) from Amsterdam in about 30 minutes. There is parking at the castle but it’s limited, so I recommend getting there for opening to guarantee a space.
If you don’t have a car, you can also get to Muiden via train although it’s a bit complicated because there’s no train station at Muiden. You will need to get the train to nearby Weesp, and then take bus 110 to Muiden which takes only 5 minutes.
So, what do you think of Muiden? Would you visit if you were in Amsterdam? We really enjoyed our day there (apart from the crazy weather) and found it a great break from the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam centre to take things a bit slower. Let me know what you think – stay safe and happy travelling everyone!
]]>Amsterdam, the most famous city in The Netherlands, really packs a punch. It’s well known for its art museums, canals, free thinking and laid back nature. There’s so much to do in Amsterdam that you can’t see it all in 2 days, but you can get a feel for the city and see most of the major sites.
Start the day in one of the most beautiful areas of Amsterdam, the 9 Streets. This area is where all the best canal views can be taken, and they’re even more pretty in the early morning sunshine. Be sure to take in the view from Prinsengracht which is especially beautiful.
It’s also a great area to grab some breakfast in a lovely corner cafe – Koffeehuis de Hoek served delicious food, freshly squeezed orange juice and a choice of teas and coffees. Pancakes Amsterdam 9 streets serves amazing Dutch Pancakes, or American Pancakes if you prefer those, and Pluk served the most incredible avocado toast and French toast. Drool.
Jordaan is right next door to the 9 Streets. It’s a great area to stroll around, as it’s full of narrow canals, lovely boutique shopping and good places to eat – Fabel Friet is a great place to try the tradition of Dutch Frites which are delicious with cheese and perfect for a lunch time snack. If you’re interested, it’s also home to the Amsteram Cheese Museum and the House Boat museum – did you know house boats in Amsterdam can sell for over 1 million Euros?!
A visit to Anne (pronounced Anna, not Ann like it is said in English) Frank’s house is a really important thing to do on a visit to the city. The house is where Anne, a young teenage Jewish girl, went in to hiding with her family and others during Nazi occupation in WW2. Whilst in hiding she wrote a diary about her hopes, dreams, fears and the reality of being in hiding. Anne and her family were betrayed and sent on the last train from The Netherlands to Auschwitz – where Anne and her sister were both murdered. Her diaries were saved, and later given to her Father Otto (the only member of the family to survive time in the concentration camps), who then published the diary – now the world renowned book.
Touring the house, you can see the rooms behind the bookcase in which they hid, including children’s height markings on the wall, posters Anne had up, and information about those hiding and those helping them. You can’t take photos in the museum, so these are just from the outside.
You can’t come to Amsterdam and not cruise along its canals. You can get The Circle Line cruise from right outside Anne Frank’s House for a 75 minute tour of the water. On the tour you go along all of the narrow and beautiful canals, as well as out towards the Maritime Museum and Nemo Science Museum. Our guide was funny and entertaining and we learnt a little bit about The Netherlands’ incredible need for water management.
We’re not really in to art, but as Amsterdam is famous for its art museums we felt we should at least try the most famous – The Rijksmuseum. We spent about 2 hours walking around it taking in the paintings – there are works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt and many other world famous artists. We also liked the special collections, for example there was a huge gallery of Delft pottery, an armoury of guns and a gallery of model ships.
Within the Rijksmuseum is one of Amsterdam’s most beautiful places, the Cuypers Library. The Cuypers Library is a research library and is the oldest and largest of its kind in the country and it is beautiful. You can enter the library on the museum’s second floor, or just get a view from the gallery on the third floor.
After a busy day of sight seeing, there are endless choices for dinner. We chose to walk back up to Jordaan for dinner and to incredible Argentinian restaurant, Salmuera. The street food sharer for starters was incredible. Alternatively if you want Dutch food, OCCO Brasserie was lovely and the Indian food in The Madras Diaries was also tasty.
Dam Square is the central hub of the city, and is right in the heart of the city centre. Around the square is the Royal Palace, Madame Tussaud’s, and the New Church, as well as some good shopping and nice places to eat.
Dam Square is also home to the National Monument which commemorates the casualties of WW2. Stop here for some breakfast and enjoy some of the shops, as well as heading to Melly’s Stroopwafels for a Dutch tradition as post breakfast snack. The tasty treats are totally delicious – you could go for original stroopwaffels, or get a flavoured one like white chocolate, marshmallows or hazelnut. Yum!
The Royal Palace was once the Amsterdam Town Hall. However, when the French took the city in the 1800s, Louis Bonaparte (brother to the famous Napoleon) converted it in to the Royal Palace, which it has been ever since. You can now tour the Palace with an audio guide which takes around an hour. It’s really interesting to learn a bit more about the city and The Netherlands as a whole – its wars with the Spanish, French takeover, colonialism and modern day monarchy. Plus the building is beautiful and still used today for state visits.
The Begijnghof is such a special place – founded in medieval times it is a beautiful courtyard full of tall houses which was once home to religious women who did not want to become nuns, but did want to live a religious life as a community. The last such woman died in 1970, but the houses today are still lived in by women only. I couldn’t help but think what a lovely community that must be to be a part of.
The Amsterdam Museum is worth a visit if you want to find out more about the city. The Amsterdam DNA exhibition charts its history from the 1000s all the way up to the present day through a series of exhibits and an audio guide. The country has such an interesting history – The Netherlands was part of the catholic Kingdom of Burgundy (along with present day Belgium and Luxembourg), before it became Protestant and broke off to become the Dutch Republic. Since then, it’s had Napoleon (and thus the French) take over, independence through the House of Orange, prosperous ‘golden years’ largely as a result of exploitation in what was the Dutch East Indies & Caribbean (now Indonesia, Suriname, Curacao etc – which didn’t become independent until 1945), and then more recently, the WW2 Nazi occupation and present day trading boom.
Another great museum option is The Resistance Museum. This museum documents the story of The Netherlands in WW2. It is focused on stories of resistance against the Nazis (and thus like so many other war museums, distances itself from supporting fascism). There is also a really interesting exhibit on the Dutch colonies (mainly Indonesia) during the war and their occupation by Japan. We found it fascinating and spent 3 hours here!
Both museums are well worth a visit though, so if you’re greedy like us and you have a bit of extra time in the city then go to both like we did!
I never really know how I feel about these sorts of places. On the one hand, I don’t really agree with what is in effect commercialising sex, and find areas with lots of drunk people (ashamedly normally English) not a place I want to be. Equally, I can see the argument of making something that is happening in every city all over the world safer – with cameras and lots of people around, and also with making it less taboo.
A great way to experience the red light district in a positive way is on a tour – we did one with the amazing Mark from Amsterdam RLD Tours. He told us about the history of the area, the legalities, what it’s like to live in the red light district, and what it’s like to be married to one of the workers! He brought the area to life in a completely non sleezy, educational and interesting way.
Finish off your trip to the city with a final great meal. You could try delicious Thai at Bird Thai Restaurant which served some of the best Thai food we’ve ever eaten and is just on the outskirts of the RLD.
I hope you liked the itinerary and got a few helpful hints. And if you have longer in the city, then also consider adding on:
Aside from the itinerary, Amsterdam is the first place outside of England and Germany where I’ve returned. I first visited in 2011, over a decade ago. It made me reflect on how things have changed in both the city, and in myself – 10 years ago I had life in front of me, no commitments, just enjoying living in the moment. I figured I’d meet someone, have a family, get a great job. I didn’t really know who I was and the world was my oyster to find out. I realised that slowly over time that feeling has changed. I’m no longer 22, after all.
12 years later and life didn’t pan out as I expected (when does it, for any of us). In the last decade I’ve lost a lot of hope in ‘perfect’…but I’ve gained a huge understanding of what makes me happy, who I am, my resilience, my empathy… and ultimately I’m a better person for it. The me that visited Amsterdam this time wasn’t the same me that visited all that time ago. I think that’s probably the way it should be, but the 2 wonderful women I came with 10 years ago are still my best friends to this day, so the important things remain.
And that’s a wrap on Amsterdam – I hope you enjoyed the tour (and the nostalgia!). Stay safe and happy travelling everyone.
]]>Rotterdam is a port city and was the main location from which many departed Europe for a new life in New York. It was also completely flattened during WW2 and has been rebuilt in a very visitor friendly way with lots of sites close together and an easily walkable centre.
If you’re including Rotterdam in your Netherlands itinerary, or visiting it for a weekend break, you can see all of the main sights in 2 days on the following itinerary.
Markthal is one of the most fun destinations in Rotterdam. It’s an indoor market covered in colourful murals from floor to ceiling. It sells everything from the famous Netherlands cheese wheels to yummy smoothies and fruit pots with yoghurt which are perfect for breakfast.
I didn’t really know what to say when I saw the cube houses – I’m not sure there is a word. I guess they do exactly what they say on the tin – houses in the shape of cubes. They are tilted over at 45 degree angles and were built to mimic the effect of a treetop canopy!
You can also go inside one of the houses by visiting the Show Cube, or if you really want to go all out, you can actually spend the night in one!
Just around the corner from the Cube Houses is the super picturesque Oudehaven, or Old Port. Here you can find some lovely little waterside cafes for a coffee or a juice, as well as numerous bars including Noah which was voted best in The Netherlands. There are also pretty photo opportunities looking over the water to the Witte Huis (White House), which was the first ‘skyscraper’ in Europe.
From Oudehaven, it’s a 10 minute walk to the river front. The river running through Rotterdam is the Nieuwe Maas, which is actually a distributary of the River Rhine as it makes its way to the ocean. Along the river bank are the flags of the world, which are always fun to guess. Also along the front is the De Boeg war memorial to the 3,500 Dutch sailors who lost their lives during WW2.
There are also some nice lunch spots – of course you could have stopped at one of those cafes in Oudehaven, but we chose to eat right on the waterfront at Prachtig Bar – the menu isn’t long but a caesar salad followed by a caramel brownie is not to be scoffed at. If there’s not enough choice for you though, Guliano across the road is also a great choice – an authentic Italian where the meatballs are a must!
As soon as you hit the waterfront, you will have noticed the immense Erasmusbrug. To me it looks like a giant white harp hanging over the water, but it’s actual nickname is ‘The Swan’. Built in 1996, it divides opinion but I really liked it. It’s not quite the Brooklyn Bridge to cross, but it is well worth the walk across to take in the architecture and snap some photos of the riverfront.
Once you’ve crossed the Erasmusbrug, it’s a 10 minute walk to Hotel New York. This is the former head office of the Holland Amerika Line and is the point from which thousands of emigrants left The Netherlands for a new life in New York. There’s a monument here to those people, as well as some nice views out to sea so a great place to stop for a drink in the hotel garden.
Instead of walking back across the Erasmusbrug, we chose the much more fun option of hopping in a water taxi totally by accident. We noticed there is a water taxi stop right next to Hotel New York, which can take you to various points along the river. There was noone else there so we said where we wanted to go and they took us there for only a few Euros each.
You can stay in the central area or go further afield, but we chose to head back to where we’d started and headed to the Leuvehaven Centrum stop which is right back near the Cube Houses. The ride took about 15 minutes and was so much fun!
From here, walk the 10 minutes to either the Maritime Museum or the Museum Rotterdam to learn more about the city’s history. The Maritime Museum was my personal favourite – it includes a collection of ships to explore as well as exhibitions on the history of Rotterdam’s port trading history. It even includes a gallery on the underworld drug trade in Rotterdam’s ports which was very interesting.
Museum Rotterdam focuses on the broader city’s history including an exhibition on WW2, its cultural identity and its art history.
For a drink with a difference before or after dinner, head to Vessel 11. It’s a bright red boat on the water which you can’t miss – they do craft beer tastings for a reasonable price, or if you don’t want the fuss, just a great spot to grab a glass of wine and relax after a busy day.
‘The best pancakes I’ve ever eaten’ was the verdict from Lilith, a quirky breakfast spot which has a gothic feel – decorated mainly in black, with smoothie glasses in the shapes of skulls – it wasn’t style over substance. The food was absolutely delicious and it was a great spot to experience a low-key breakfast whilst people watching.
A 10 minute walk from Lilith is an amazing little Miniworld – great for small and big kids alike. The main exhibition is Rotterdam and The Netherlands in mini models and the detail is amazing. There is also a second exhibition downstairs of Great Britain in miniature. It made me realise how little of my own country I’d seen and inspired me to visit more. A super fun way to spend an hour or so.
Het Park is a beautiful area down by the waterfront which has lots of lovely gardens to stroll around and explore. There are also some good food options – I personally prefer Parqiet which is a really laid back cafe with chairs laid out on the main park so you can sit in the sunshine with your food and watch the world go by.
The Euromast is one of the highlights of a trip to Rotterdam. A great spot for absolutely stunning views out over the city, you can also indulge your inner adrenaline junkie by abseiling off the top if that’s the kind of thing you enjoy. Unsurprisngly, I didn’t choose that option – instead I went to the bar at the top and ordered a Prosecco.
It’s also worth noting there is both a Deli and a Brasserie up at the top of the Euromast, so if you want to choose something a bit more special for lunch (or indeed add another meal to the day with a high tea), then you could eat here instead of in the park.
Park Lane, to the east of the park, is one of the prettiest streets in Rotterdam and the buildings lovely to stroll amongst. Also just north of Park Lane, you can find both the Natural History Museum and the Kunsthal art museum which both make for an interesting stop. The Natural History Museum has exhibitions on everything from extinct animals to plastic in the seas and is a great choice for those with children in tow. The Kunsthal displays art, sculpture and photography from a selection of artists.
There are lots of great choices for food in Rotterdam. I ate at Atithi Indian restaurant which was truly delicious. Yama is also amazing for Japanese food, and Sate is absolutely yummy for steak and barbecue. Finish off your evening with some cocktails or wine and sleep well ahead of your journey home tomorrow.
Thanks so much for reading. Has this post helped you plan a trip to Rotterdam or made you want to visit? Let me know in the comments below. Stay safe and happy travelling.
]]>I’d decided that no trip to the Netherlands is complete without stopping by one the nation’s iconic windmill sites. We decided the best place to visit a windmill was the Kinderdijk site. Home to 19 windmills built during the 18th century, the area is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and can be accessed from main cities such as Amsterdam, Dordrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague. The site really is magical, even more so from the fact there are still people who live in the windmills and preserve their heritage.
Getting to Kinderdijk from most major cities in The Netherlands is east given the wide range of public transport options available accross the country.
You can also book on a tour, but personally I think you get more freedom exploring independently.
Kinderdijk is a really important place. Most of The Netherlands lies below sea level and was largely flooded until the Middle Ages when a complex system of draining, waterways and pumping systems were created – including the windmills of Kinderdijk.
This is particularly close to my heart as I live in the English equivalent, the Fens, and my husband’s 3x great grandfather played a pivotal role in draining our local area here in England following training over in The Netherlands!
Today, most of the windmills at the site are actually still lived in, serving as people’s homes! That’s really special, and something amazing to experience.
The Kinderdijk windmill site is huge, at over 800 acres. On arrival, you can either choose to walk round, or hire a bike from the shop at the entrance. Given the size of the site would mean roughly 3 hours of walking, so we chose the bike option.
I also managed a clog photo at the entrance… when in Rome and all that!
Unsurprisingly the entrance to the site is pretty busy, and the main row of windmills isn’t far from there, so you could just walk and enjoy those if you’re in a rush. There is also a nice little café right inside the entrance.
We decided to cycle the entire site, and given I hadn’t ridden a bike for a while, I was a little nervous but slowly built my confidence up by avoiding the children running in my path, dogs yapping and other cyclists everywhere. We stopped to snap a few lovely photos of the windmills, and even got off to tour inside a windmill which was really cool to see.
Then we left the crowds behind us, cycling past row upon row of amazing windmills. I was picking up pace and enjoying the wind in my hair as we hit some lovely some clear trails.
Unfortunately for me, it all went wrong. I saw a sharp turn ahead and slowed down, only to encounter a small slope round the bend. I wasn’t going fast enough and started to wobble. My other half (who is much much bigger than me) didn’t slow down and sent me flying as he ran in to the back of me.
I went down hard on the concrete, the bike fell on top of me and I fractured my elbow. Needless to say I cried. We were miles from the entrance though, so I had to get back on my bike, and back to the entrance and then head to hospital, meaning I didn’t get to see all of the site that I had wanted to. The injuries didn’t look bad, but I still have pain in that elbow to this day. And it ripped a hole in my favourite pair of jeans!
I handed the bike back covered in my blood and vowed never to cycle again. On the bright side, at least I managed to still see the windmills!
Thanks for reading! Have you been to Kinderdijk or are you planning to go now on an upcoming trip? Let me know in the comments below. Stay safe and happy travelling!
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