Sony – @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.

Questions about my trip?

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My gear;

GoPro Hero 6

Sony Alpha A6000

DJI Mavic Air

Where do I start.. Logically I should start at the beginning… but f*ck logic.. I got myself a new camera a few days before this trip, so say hello to lots of Sony Alpha shots with plenty of swirly swirly cream cheese like bokeh! New trip, new kit..

Ok back to the travel; I set off for Stansted at 3am. Croatia has some excellently cheap flights from Luton and Stansted, you just have to pay in loss of sleep.. but for £100 return you cannot argue with that.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

I landed in Dubrovnik to that famous Adriatic Sunshine. Dubrovnik gets almost 130 days of sunshine each year..

I’d hired a car before my arrival. Now it’s notoriously cheap to hire cars here, and when you read reviews you’ll see a great deal of NEGATIVE comments regarding companies policies, claw backs of money, claims of damage etc. I cannot confirm this, my experience was excellent. I used Rentalcars.com who I purchased full insurance with, so if there’s any damage.. you pay and you’re refunded, regardless of how the damage occurred. FYI I used Goldcar (via Rentalcars.com). Anyway, in the famous last words of the Goldcar employee.. “Please drive on the right and don’t crash, bye bye“. I did have a good laugh as I drove away!

The drive from the airport to Dubrovnik is beautiful. There are a few stop off points for photos etc, well worth getting out and taking in the views over the coastline.

As usual for my trips I used Air BnB, I opted for a place outside of the Old Town, mainly due to having a car. I paid around £35 per night, and my accommodation was excellent. Arguably one of the best Air BnBs I’ve ever used. Really nice views from the terrace over the Port..

Never used Air BnB? Well here is a link for £25 off your first stay.. You are welcome! CLICK HERE

Old Town Dubrovnik (Poljana Paska Miličevića, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia)

The Old Town of DBV is amazing. One of the most cool and beautiful places I’ve been to. It has the charm of an Old Town, yet the Vibe of thriving city. Everywhere you turn are restaurants and stunning buildings. But I wasn’t there for the restaurants.. I was there for the Old City Walls..

The Old Walls entrance can be found directly to the right as you enter the Old Town..

A surprisingly quiet tour of the Walls..

Views to the South show off the Island of Lokrum

There are some really cool hidden spots along the way round..

Plan your days accordingly in Dubrovnik. It is worth checking the Port Authorities Arrivals, click here. I arrived on a Thursday, notably quiter than Friday, funnily enough a massive cruise ship had docked over night… Dubrovnik’s Old Town went from the relatively quiet town looking like this…

To this on a Friday..

Double check the Arrivals. It can really change your experience of Dubrovnik..

The Old Town has plenty of highlights and places to visit, here’s some of my favourites;

Any, and every side street is a visual gem. I love how the lanterns pepper the streets

The detailing at Rector’s Palace is beautiful..

Buza Bar (Aim for the signs which say ‘best drinks and views in Old Town)

There is several ‘Budza’ Bars to the west coastline of the Old Town.. all are worth a beer and view of the coastline

Now if Drones are your thing then you’ll like these shots. If you’re planning on using your drone in Croatia you will need to contact the CAA, sending off a form to the authority by post to Croatia. You need to ensure it arrives 8 days before you plan to fly.. Use this link for more info. Once confirmed you’ll receive an email to say you are now an authorised UAS operator.

I found a few good spots to take off from, one just by Hotel Excelsior and the other to the North of Lovrijenac, head to towards this address and walk the coastline until you find a good spot.. Rudimira Rotera, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

This is the place I used for the droning.. follow the address to get here

I use the DJI Mavic Air for all my drone shots. It’s light, compact and is perfect for the backpack traveller.

Check out my edit for this trip on YouTube.

Mount Srd (Cable Car: Ulica kralja Petra Krešimira IV, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia)

I’d prepped up my visit to Mount Srd for the evening, to capture the sunset and the night lit view of the Old Town.. and it really didn’t disappoint. When you get off the Cable Car you’ve taken to a viewing platform, it also has a restaurant. If you walk out of the building and round to the right you can climb down some rock face and set up your camera on the edge of the mountain..