by Tim Larison, CLIA Certified Master Cruise Counselor
with comments by Anne Larison, Family Travel Gurus Travel Consultant
and by Josh Larison, our 29 year old son
What to do between cruises?! We previously have reported on our Avalon River Cruise ending in Amsterdam and our Holland America Norwegian Fjords Cruise. In order to sail on both cruises, we had four days to fill in Amsterdam. Surprisingly our time in Amsterdam turned out to be one of the most enjoyable parts of our trip! In this report we’ll talk about our Amsterdam stay in words and pictures.
Hotel
We stayed four nights at the Social Hub Amsterdam on the outskirts of the city. This is a popular hotel with young people, but old folks like us can stay here too! The Social Hub had a good restaurant, other restaurants were within easy walking distance, and most importantly it was close to Amsterdam’s Public transportation (more on that below)
Anne says:
This is more of a working on the road type of property. All the public desks, couches, tables and other areas for congregating were in constant use by the guests. I also saw large groups staying here while on a tour. It checked off many of our priority ‘boxes’. I wanted a place that was affordable, in a safe neighborhood with laundry facilities on site. The washers and dryers were no-charge and the washing cycle included detergent! There was a game room with billiards and ping pong. A workout room and bike rentals were also available.
Josh and his partner Oren, on the other hand, stayed in the heart of the city at the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht. Josh writes:
The Andaz was really nice, the room was spacious, and we had a view of the canal from our window. It was within walking distance of everywhere that we wanted to visit. When we first got there our room wasn’t ready yet, but the staff was very friendly and took our bags and encouraged us to use the spa to freshen up before we explored the city.
Transportation
We found Amsterdam’s public transportation easy to navigate during our four-day stay. The train station pictured above was a 5-minute walk from our hotel.
We bought a 3-day public transportation pass at a very reasonable price. This was a much cheaper option than taking taxis or uber to get around the city.
Anne says:
Amsterdam has a large Central Station which is a hub for the Metro, trams and buses. We got very familiar with the Central Station, especially knowing that if we did get lost we could make our way there and then find our way to our hotel. The city is fairly easy to navigate once you’ve got the basics of the system and soon, we were travelling all over the city. We even took the Metro to Central Station with our suitcases the morning of embarking on our ocean cruise.
Josh says:
The public transit was great compared to any I have seen in the US, it’s very easy to get from the airport to anywhere in Amsterdam. And then once we were in Amsterdam Oren and I didn’t use it much because everything was within walking distance. Although just a warning that most of the streets are cobblestone and narrow and walking long distances with a suitcase can be a challenge.
Bikes Everywhere!
We discovered the people of Amsterdam love their bikes! With narrow streets and canals the best way for many citizens to get around is by bike. Watch out when you are crossing the streets here as the bike riders often do not slow down for pedestrians!
Museums
Anne Frank House
One evening we visited the Anne Frank House. This excellent museum tells a thorough story of Anne Frank and family’s hideout in WWII. To actually see the hiding place and how small it was gave us a better sense of Frank family’s living conditions. Before the trip we had watched the Disney+ miniseries “A Small Light” which told the stories of the Franks and the couple who helped them. This made actually seeing the Anne Frank home more meaningful to us. If you want to visit the Anne Frank House reservations open up six weeks in advance and they sell out quickly. We couldn’t take pictures inside the museum. The picture above shows the crowd waiting for their designated time to enter the museum at 6 pm one evening.
Anne says:
Prepare to take your time and have patience with this tour. The spaces are small and with the number of people going through the museum it is a slow-moving experience. You really cannot move at your own pace because of the confined space. The long line of visitors can only go as fast as the pace of the folks at the front of the line. Also, it is not an accessible experience for those who cannot climb or cannot spend time in cramped rooms.
On another day we visited one of the top museums in Europe with Josh and Oren – the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Here we saw the works of classic Dutch artists (Rembrandt and others) My 3 semesters of art history in the 70s came back to me as I recognized some of the paintings! I was especially impressed with the landscapes.
Anne says:
You must book your tickets and start time for the museum in advance. Also, you can purchase the Audio Guide for € 5.00. Our group did purchase the Audio Guide which added to the enjoyment of the experience of learning about the exhibits and paintings. Here’s a tip- All tours are also available for free in the Rijksmuseum App. Download the app before your visit and bring your own headphones.
Josh says:
The Rijksmuseum was definitely a must-see in Amsterdam. I liked the experience better than the Met art museum in New York. The museum features work from many prominent Dutch artists, and there are some incredible portraits, landscapes, and still life paintings. The architecture of the building is a work of art by itself as well!
Dutch Resistance Museum
This museum features a multimedia walk about what Netherlands citizens experienced in WWII. My Dad was in the US Army stationed in the Netherlands towards the end of the war, so this museum was of special interest to me. Through photographs, documents, and stories the museum really gave me a sense of the challenges the Dutch faced during the war.
Anne says:
It is relatively small compared to other museums but contains moving and powerful exhibits.
De Kattenkabinet – The Cat Cabinet Amsterdam
This small museum is one Josh and Oren visited. Josh writes:
I wouldn’t recommend it if people weren’t super into cats because it’s pretty small and there is an entry fee but it had a cool little collection of art and a couple cats who lived there.
Dining – The Pancake Club
We had many good meals during our time in Amsterdam. The highlight was our delicious breakfast at the Pancake Club on the morning of our visit to the Rijksmuseum.
Anne says:
The others went with sweet and I had a savory pancake, ham and cheese. It was fabulous. We enjoyed dining outdoors in this beautiful park setting. While we were waiting for our table I walked a block down to find another area park in which people were riding bikes, walking dogs and enjoying the day.
Josh says:
The Pancake house was amazing, it is in a really nice location right on the canal. Expect a bit of a wait but the food is worth it. The ‘pancakes’ are crepes with different toppings, I got a sweet one with Nutella and strawberries, the strawberries were extremely fresh. They also have savory options which were also delicious from the piece I tried.
Summary
Amsterdam is one of the best European cities we have been to. If you are cruising out of Amsterdam, we highly recommend adding a few nights before or after your cruise to explore this wonderful city.
Anne says:
With all our activities, tours, dining, traveling on public transport and even shopping at a local grocery store near our hotel, we found everyone had some comfort level with speaking English. We found most locals helpful and friendly. We would definitely return to Amsterdam in the future.
If you want to stay in Amsterdam for a few nights, before/after a cruise or for another reason, we can help! Contact us for a no obligation consultation.