explore – @darrens

With a country so close to the UK you’d think more people would have been to Holland.. but the general discussion is that many people haven’t got there yet.. Let’s see if I can spend a few minutes convincing you..

I picked up flights into Schipol Airport for £70 return, and an Air BnB for £80.. So a real cheap city break can be had here..

Amsterdam

I landed into Schipol just after lunch time, and headed straight into the City. Walk out of the arrivals area and straight into the Train Station.. Yes it is that simple and well sign posted. The Sprinter Train runs quite frequently and costs €4.30 for a Single. It runs through two stops and rolls into Centraal Station. Centraal Station has connections to most of the other major cities including Rotterdam, if you’re looking to explore further afield after AMS.

Rijksmuseam and the I Amsterdam Sign (Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam, Netherlands)

This is the tourist trap.. the only way you’ll be getting touristless selfies or shots.. Get here at 5am!

The Rijksmuseam has a vast Art collection, but I was here to admire the architecture and grab some shots. The lake infront of the IAmsterdam sign provided a nice reflection too!

The Canals

You can walk the Canals of Amsterdam for hours. Bridge upon Bridge, genuinely beautiful. Stop, take in the views across the canals. There are so many cafes and restaurants to sit and enjoy them from.

The scenes are a different level at night. The still canals give off the perfect reflections, and the Red Lights of the District really set off the views..

The Johan Cruyff ArenA (ArenA Boulevard 1, 1101 AX Amsterdam)

The Johan Cruyff ArenA is epic. The scale appears huge. While it may only be a 53,346 seater.. it looks much much bigger! Home to Ajax, and quite far out of the city. You’ll need to grab the M54 metro out to Strandvilet, it’s a 2 minute walk from the station. Another Stadium off of my quest to visit all the too tier stadiums in the world!

The Red Light District (Amsterdam Central)

No intro, discussion or explanation required. This place should be experienced on whatever level you choose.. Whatever your taste…

Lisse / Keukenhof (Stationsweg 166A, 2161 AM Lisse)

Stretching 30km between Haarlem and Leiden are the tulip fields of North Amsterdam. This is a must see, it’s a short train ride to Haarlem, for there you can hire a Cycle (Which is between €8-12 for a day!) I used a small shop in Haarlem called ‘Bike Rent Haarlem’. Now I ride a decent standard road bike in the UK, don’t expect that on a hire! It was a bum numbing 35 mile cycle but the views of the fields are worth it..

I took a few detours here and there in search of tulip fields. Hillegom and Heemstede are beautiful, peaceful towns. Some of the houses are LIFE GOALS! I’d arrived a week after the cuttings of most fields which was a shame, but I managed to capture a few which were left!

Beautiful. I’ll 100% return during the blooming of the tulips next year.

Zaanse Schans (Kalverringdijk 5, 1509 BT Zaandam)

Zaanse Schans is a throwback to the 18th century. The iconic windmills were moved here to recreate that feel. It’s a day out from the mayhem of Amsterdam, and a very unique part of Holland, which many who visit Amsterdam will over look. This is another place which is a short trip on the train from Amsterdam Centraal. Be sure to head out to the Bakery Museum.. the fresh Cookies are excellent!

Amsterdam is beautiful in the day, and a complete flip side in the night, but still beautiful depending on where you go.. Much like Prague, it has a reputation for the sex but unless you go looking for that, it really isn’t as bad as you’d think.