Exploring Amsterdam - Centrum

I can't believe it's a over a month since we got back from Amsterdam, making it about time to write the last of my mini guides to the city. 

One major tip I'd give to anyone planning on visiting this amazing city is to make sure you pre-book your tickets to any of the museums you'd like to visit while you're there. We didn't know this and were met with a 1.5 hour-long queue to get into Anne Frank's House. It is a completely surreal and humbling place to visit and was worth every minute spent queuing, however if you're only spending a few days in Amsterdam you won't want to waste a few hours of it in a queue. In peak season it is recommended to book at least a few weeks in advance. 

The same goes for the Van Gogh Museum. We arrived in the museum district one morning to overhear that the queue to get in was over 2 hours long. Yikes. Instead, either pre book online or head to the kiosk next to the I Amsterdam monument and book a timed ticket for the following day, taking the time you would've spent queuing to enjoy the rest of central Amsterdam. 

We wandered down Staalstraat and stumbled upon Het Hanze Huis, a foodie's heaven. This little gem had shelves bursting with specialist food and drink items from around the world. I wanted to buy it all, but restrained myself and left with a package of Dutch waffles wrapped in red and white paper and stripy string, and a tin of appelstroop, a kind of Dutch apple syrup that is usually enjoyed on toast or pancakes, but I can't wait to try it with cheese. 

Across the way was the Droog, a relatively new addition to the area with it's hotel having only opened it's doors just over a year and a half ago in September 2012. We came out by Cafe de Jaren, a beautiful canal-side restaurant where you could easily while away an entire afternoon people-watching and soaking up the rays. It also has a lovely airy indoor area so is still worth a visit even on cloudy days, and much like everywhere else we visited in the city, the food was delicious. 

Amsterdam was a place I could've happily spent weeks and weeks more exploring, and hopefully I'll be back there sooner rather than later. 

Exploring Amsterdam - Jordaan and Haarlemmerbuurt

Firstly, let me talk about the boat. 

The Tasmania was our home for five days, and it was so much more than just a place to rest our weary heads at the end of a long day. I found it by chance while trawling Airbnb and what a find it was. 

Much to our delight, on arrival, we found that our lovely host Sonja had left out not only an array of drinks and snacks for us (hello champers and dutch caramel waffles!) but also a map of the area, a guide to where to catch the nearest buses and trams, and a selection of well-thumbed guide books, ensuring we got the most out of our visit. 

It was a magical experience waking up each day to the reflection of the sun on the water rippling across the ceiling, along with the sound of the odd duck or two quacking good morning to us!

If you've ever fancied yourself as a bit of a sailor, I highly recommend it. Find it here.

So, onto the local area. Even though the boat wasn't quite in the Haarlemmerbuurt / Jordaan area officially, it was no more than a ten minute walk away, and so this was where we spent a lot of time. 

If you're like me, and your better half appreciates the finer things in life, head straight down Haarlemmerdijk, home to the best selection of independent 'man shops' I have ever seen. Notable stops along the way include Six & Sons and Concrete Matter, both purveyors of beautiful things such as copper bicycles, Opinel knives, Kaweko pens and a smattering of artfully chosen vintage thrown in for good measure. 

Further down the road is Dille & Kamille, which has branches across Belgium and the Netherlands, and offers an incredible selection of cookware, all loosely displayed according to colour, a detail I will never fail to appreciate! I couldn't leave without buying a beautiful glazed terracotta fondue set, something I never knew I needed until we had the best fondue I've ever eaten at Cafe de Prins the night before.

The thing about the food in Amsterdam is that it is just so deliciously simple, and apparently, cheese is one of the main food groups. Which is always a winner in my book. More about the culinary delights of the city in my next post. 

Jordaan and Haarlemmerbuurt address book

Shopping

Six & Sons - Haarlemmerdijk 31

Concrete Matter - Haarlemmerdijk 127

HutSpot - Rozengracht 204 - 210 

Dille & Kamille  - Nieuwendijk 16-18

Typique - Haarlemmerdijk 123

Eating

Cafe de Prins  - Prinsengracht 124

Cafe P96 - Prinsengracht 96

Drinking

Cafe 't Smalle - Egelantiersgracht 12

De Twee Zwaantjes - Prinsengracht 114

Exploring Amsterdam - De Pijp

You'll find De Pijp (pronounced der - pipe) nestled just below the centre of Amsterdam, about a 10 minute stroll from the museum district, just beyond the Heineken Brewery.

Here you'll find not only a great market, but also some wonderful little independent shops, restaurants and bars. We met my brother and his girlfriend Laura for dinner at The Butcher one evening (I went for the Babaganoush - a juicy beef burger topped with minced aubergine) moving onto Kingfisher Cafe and Het Paardje for post dinner drinks, returning the next day to browse the market.

If you're looking to get away from the bustle of central Amsterdam for a quiet bite to eat and a spot of people watching, this is the place for it. The shops also offer sweet souvenirs that bring a welcome change from the gaudy trinkets in the more touristy areas. Some favourite stops along the way were Anna + Nina - a beautifully curated treasure trove full of everything from embroidered espadrilles to stamped brass necklaces and the kind of notebooks you love to hoard but are too special to write in, and The Collector, a lofty open space that sells the perfect stripy socks and lust worthy stationery, as well as a pop-up mani bar if you're in need of a bit of TLC.

De Pijp Address Book

The Butcher - Albert Cuypstraat 129, 1072 CS Amsterdam

Kingfisher Cafe - Ferdinand Bolstraat 24, 1072 LK Amsterdam
Het Paardje - Gerard Douplein 1, 1073 XE Amsterdam
Anna + Nina - Gerard Doustraat 94, 1072 VX Amsterdam
The Collector - Eerst van der Helstraat 1D, 1073 AA Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Last week we spent five glorious days exploring the beautiful city of Amsterdam.

We were lucky enough to stay on a houseboat a mere 10 minute walk from the eclectic Jordaan district and 15 minutes from the centre. Every day we walked our little feet off, getting lost (literally) amongst the many canals and side streets, stopping off at as many waterside drinking holes as possible and eating our body weight in cheese.

Taking only an hours' flight from London airports and with only an hour time difference, Amsterdam is one of those places that you could easily visit in a weekend, but with so much to see and do you'll want to stay longer.

Luckily, before we left, several friends had recommended some must-visit places which led us in the right direction of how we might want to spend our week and over the next few posts I'll be sharing a mini guide to each area we visited along with some key addresses.

We had the most amazing time and are already planning our return!