Amsterdam is one of the coolest and most interesting destinations I’ve ever been. It was a unique blend of youthful irreverence and classic antiquity, and visiting there really made me feel as if I’d been transported to another time and place.

Upon arrival, we checked in to our hotel, The Hoxton, which was a really cool spot. It was definitely a hipster hangout. Our room offered a great view of the Herengracht Canal, one of the three original canals of Amsterdam, all of which have been classified a Unesco World Heritage Site.

It featured dark hardwood floors laid in a herringbone pattern, with Mid-Century Modern furniture and a really pretty bathroom. The lobby area featured a restaurant and bar, with lots of common seating areas to relax.

Our central location was perfect, making it easy for us to walk to every destination we hoped to visit during our stay. Everywhere we turned, we were charmed by centuries-old buildings from Amsterdam’s Golden Age.

After taking a stroll around our neighborhood, we got ready for dinner at The French Connection. We followed that with drinks at The Pulitzer Bar, which was located at what quickly became my favorite spot, The Pulitzer Hotel. It was very sophisticated and elegant, with an excellent bar, a really nice restaurant and beautiful common areas.

We started the next morning with a visit Rijksmuseum, where we had breakfast and viewed lots of Rembrandt, Vermeer and other Dutch masters. We walked to the adjacent Van Gogh Museum, featuring the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh’s art, plus a special exhibit of the French Belle Epoque, which included amazing posters advertising cafes, burlesques and more. I loved it!

After, we toured the gorgeous Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s most famous park. It was incredibly beautiful, and featured several acres of cultivated green spaces. It was also a great place for people-watching, with locals picnicking, bike riding and strolling.

We spent the afternoon touring two more museums. The first was the Museum Van Loon, a house museum previously owned by the family that started the Dutch East India Company. The interior has been perfectly preserved, and provides you with a unique view into the city’s past.

Next, we made our way to the nearby Hermitage Amsterdam, an outpost of Russia’s Hermitage Museum, where we viewed more Dutch masterworks, as well as a special exhibit about the fall of the Tsar of Russia.

In the afternoon, we did a little shopping in the Nine Streets area, which was filled with cute little hipster boutiques full of clothing, original art and adorable cafes. We then stopped for fresh juice and matcha tea bread at Pluk, which was a real treat.

That evening, we walked around the city, including a stop in the Red Light District, which was busy and much tamer than I expected. Instead of dinner in a restaurant, we stopped by one of the city’s many cheese shops and purchased excellent aged Gouda, along with crackers, ginger jam and mini strop waffles, which were so good.

The next morning, we had tea and lemon poppyseed cake at Ree7, a cute Nine Streets cafe.

After, we had a canal-side picnic featuring amazing Lebanese wraps from The Lebanese Sajeria, which the chef prepared in front of us. Mine featured delicious spicy ground beef, hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes and mint. It was truly one of our best meals.

After lunch, we walked through the flower market, then took a canal cruise, which was too hot, crowded and touristy for our taste. I feel certain we would have enjoyed it much more if we had arranged for a private boat tour. We followed with dinner at Jansz, the beautiful restaurant inside The Pulitzer Hotel.

On our final morning, we sat outside our hotel and watched the canal as we ate stroop waffles and drank tea. We toured the neighborhood one final time before heading to the airport to come home.

I ended up falling in love with Amsterdam, and it is now one of my husband’s favorite places. We can’t wait to return.

Have you been to Amsterdam? What were some of your favorite sites? I’d love to hear your recommendations.

Until next time!

Stephanie