Are you planning a trip to Amsterdam? Or are you dreaming of flying shortly to the “Venice of the North”? You couldn’t have a better idea! Amsterdam is a must for any self-respecting traveler! Are you passionate about markets? Today we will take you to discover what you need to know before leaving for Amsterdam!
How much does it cost
Let’s start from the most critical point, the one that touches the wallet. Amsterdam seems like an expensive city: it is true that you can sleep in hostels or taverns or eat in fast food chains, but the fact is that you will need a substantial budget to spend your holidays in this city.
Either way, there are money-saving tricks and we’ve tried a few, like choosing an apartment with a kitchen instead of a hotel room, or going in search of street food … but maybe I’ll talk about that later.
Getting around by public transport
Amsterdam is a city where you can live and explore as much as possible on foot, but if you can’t rely on your bike, relying on public transportation to get around faster is incredibly convenient.
In Amsterdam there are various tram lines that cover the historic center in a capillary way and buses that go where the trams do not go. There are also four subway lines that connect the city center to the more peripheral districts.
The main organization of public transport in the city is GVB (recognize white and blue vehicles), which offers 1 to 7 day passes, very convenient for those who intend to make at least 4 trips by public transport per day.
The airport
Amsterdam Airport is about 15 km from the center and connections are immediate and direct. The easiest and fastest way to reach Central Station is undoubtedly by train: in 20 minutes with a ticket costing € 3.60 one way, you are in the center of Amsterdam.
Eating in Amsterdam
While at lunchtime you can dine in bars that offer sandwiches, bagels, soups, pancakes and other dishes at average prices, in the evening after 5pm or 6pm many of these places close and you have to go to restaurants where prices are around 18:00 -25 € per person.
Some restaurants are open for both lunch and dinner, but have a different offer depending on the time of day.
Bikes
Bike paths are really everywhere, and getting around the city on two wheels is exceptional comfort. For their part, bicycles are the “champions of Amsterdam” which means that they always have priority over anything, be it pedestrians or cars, which should always be taken into consideration, whether you choose to rent for move around the city or that you will still be on foot. Indeed, if here (at least in theory) the pedestrian should have priority and priority, then here is the undisputed realm of bicycles.
Particular weather
This is why Holland is dotted with windmills: because the wind blows like a pleasure!
An integral part of our trip was the freezing weather, even though it was late April. On the other hand, we had fewer rainy days than those indicated in the weather forecast: what I like most about the countries of Northern Europe is this variability that makes the clouds run very fast, giving flashes of sunshine even on the grayest days.
The language
Dutch is a rather complicated language, but I must say that mixing my English with German means few words: even if I can hear it spoken, it remains a mystery when it is written, it becomes more “friendly”.
In any case, don’t worry that everyone – absolutely everyone – speaks English.
