The Verdict Up Front

Let’s just get straight to it. After Brussels and Bruges, I was disappointed with Amsterdam. Aside from the quirky row houses and seeing Anne Frank’s house, it wasn’t anything special. So this one’s going to be short and sweet.

Amsterdam is overpriced, busy, and not green (not in early October anyway). We, the Miller’s, don’t love these things. So, I can see where this would be a GREAT city if you were 20 years old looking to party and meet other 20 year olds. But there are 13 other cities in Europe I’d rather visit than Amsterdam.

With all that said, it IS worth going to if you’re doing a Western European vacation.

Also worth noting that the tour-hating tourists even took a canal boat tour. The history was lacking, and we had better views while just meandering on our own. Safe to say the canal tour didn’t turn us from our dislike of tours.

I am aware I sound harsh. But my goal is to be real with you. From a tourist standpoint, it didn’t have much to offer. And remember who is writing this. We love an architecturally appealing city and great cafes. Amsterdam has this. We also love a smaller town feel, greenery, and natural beauty. Amsterdam is seriously lacking in these departments.

So I’ll share with you our highlights from our two days in Amsterdam.

The one-window-wide row house. Yes, that’s the owner at the front door.

The fact that the row houses tilt forward because it made it easier to move large items into the homes as they can’t get things up the stairs.

Seeing Anne Frank’s house.

The red light district. No photos due to the high likelihood that I’d be posting an object resembling a male’s genitalia on the internet. Not really my vibe. But definitely worth seeing if you’re in Amsterdam.

Oh, and the public transportation is ON POINT. That was a nice plus.

Yep, that’s about it!

Accommodations

As previously mentioned, Amsterdam is expensive. Accommodations are no exception to this. We wanted to be in the city center within walking distance to most things. So we used our Chase Sapphire Reserve points and booked with the Inntel Hotel. Nothing special, but it was a GREAT location and the staff was super helpful.

Alright fam! Sorry to be a Debbie Downer about this iconic city. But that is my honest review. You might love it. Who knows!

That wraps up our time in mainland Europe for now. Next up, we head to Ireland and Scotland before shacking up in Budapest for one month. Stay tuned!