Smiles from Miles Away

I get a lot of questions from family/friends and well as friends of friends planning to visit Amsterdam so I wanted to share my must-know tips. Some of these might be basic if you have been here before, but very helpful for a first-time visitor. Feel free to add anything that I missed in the comments!

1. The Netherlands is not the same thing as Holland. A lot of people use them interchangeable, but it is good to know the difference. In the Netherlands, there are 12 provinces which you can kind of think of like US states. There is a North Holland and a South Holland which combined make up the region of Holland which does include major cities like Amsterdam. For comparison in the US, this would be like saying that you are visiting Carolina when you are in fact visiting multiple states. Now you know the difference and won’t make a rookie mistake by referring to the entire county as Holland.
2. You don’t get coffee from a “coffee shop”. For most of my friends and family visiting, you will be wanting to visit a “café” and not a coffee shop ;). “Coffee shops” here are weed dispensaries. They sell coffee, but considering this isn’t where they get most customers I don’t think it would be very good coffee. You can get much better coffee from the hundreds of cafes, restaurants, and bars around Amsterdam.
3. WATCH FOR BIKES! When visiting Amsterdam as a visitor I want to scare you into checking the street 3 times before crossing the street in city center Amsterdam or you will get hit. Here, the right-of-way order is always bikes first, then pedestrians, and lastly, cars. Even if there is a green cross walk sign you need to check for bikes. Additionally, any time there is a red path it is a bike lane and not for pedestrians. If you’re in doubt, you’re probably walking in the bike lane. Also, I wouldn’t recommend renting bikes in the city unless you are a very confident/experienced biker because, while it is fun to bike around Amsterdam, it can be quite busy and difficult to understand how it all works.
4. There is more to Amsterdam than the red light district. Most people have a lot of pre-connotations about Amsterdam before visiting with a lot of the reputation around weed and prostitution. While yes, you can do that in Amsterdam, there is so much more to the city than that!
5. The main language is Dutch, but English is everywhere! If you are visiting Amsterdam you should have no issues communicating as nearly everyone here speaks English. It is always nice to learn a few polite phrases, but you will not have issues with a language barrier.
6. Don’t forget your debit card! In the Netherlands, credit cards are not popular and many Dutchies don’t own one. Credit cards don’t work at grocery stores and some restaurants only take debit cards. Most tourist locations will accept credit cards, but it is good to have a backup. Some places accept cash, but the Netherlands is increasingly cashless. Debit is by far the most common way to pay in the Netherlands. Personally, I never carry cash unless I’m going to a street market. I would also try to get a contactless debit card or use Apple Pay because it is faster than inserting the chip. Finally, double check your foreign transaction fees before visiting and get a debit card that doesn’t have fees. My personal recommendation is the Charles Schwab card.
7. Amsterdam is quite small. Although Amsterdam is a well-known city in the US, it is actually quite small and easily walkable; you can see a lot of the city in a single weekend. Also, if you don’t mind walking, you can walk almost everywhere within about 30 minutes or less. For context, Amsterdam’s population is about 850,000 and London’s is 8 million.
8. Amsterdam gets quite the reputation for rainy weather. I think the part of the reputation that is missing is that it is always unpredictable. In a single day it can rain, sleet, snow, and be sunny multiple times. It is also hard to plan for the weekends as the weather changes last minute and you can’t totally plan in advance. I always suggest bringing your sunglass and rain jacket when out and about during the day just in case!
9. Small boats > big canal boats! The best way to see Amsterdam is from the water. You can find these large canal boats such as “lovers cruise”, “blue boat,” etc., but I would run the other way from these as they are covered boats jam-packed with other tourists. My friends and I actually joke that we have never seen anyone on those tours smiling. Instead, try a small boat company such as Those Damn Boat Guys or something similar to get a more local feel. Plus, with these smaller boats you often can bring your own food and drinks which makes it even more fun!
10. April-October is the best time to visit. I get a lot of questions like “when are the crowds the worst in Amsterdam”, “when are the tulips in bloom”, “is it warm enough in October” etc. My suggestion is April and May are great times to visit to see all of the flowers in bloom. Check out my other blog posts on how to see the tulips in the fields. June is nice to avoid the true summer holiday rush. July and August are beautiful weather, but quite crowded. September and early/mid October also are nice weather with less tourists. I mostly suggest avoiding November-March as it can be quite cold and rainy. There are always exceptions here and there, but are overall much riskier!

There you have it, 10 must-know tips on your first time to Amsterdam. I hope you enjoyed the read and I am excited to have more family and friends visit in 2022.

❤ Melanie