First of all, yes, we already had this trip booked before Harry Styles announced his tour. The timing was a lucky coincidence, so good we ended up seeing it twice.

We spent five days in Amsterdam and really liked it. It’s one of those cities where you can pack a lot into a day but still end up spending just as much time wandering around canals, cafés, markets, and side streets. There’s always something happening, but it never felt like you had to rush.

A quick tip if you’re planning a trip is to stay near the canals if you can. Our location was incredible and made it easy to walk pretty much everywhere. It also made early mornings our favourite part of the trip. The city is so quiet before everything opens up, and grabbing a coffee and croissant with barely anyone around was easily one of the best moments of the day.

One thing to know before you go though: Amsterdam was busy. Maybe this was partly because of the Harry Styles concerts happening that week, but the city felt very crowded. Be prepared to wait in lines for a lot of the major tourist spots.

Besides the concert, here’s what we got up to.

Book a Free Walking Tour

This is always my number one recommendation when travelling somewhere new.

A free walking tour is the fastest way to learn the city, hear random history facts, and figure out where you actually want to go back and spend more time. Ours took us through the canals, different neighbourhoods, and main landmarks while explaining parts of Amsterdam’s history we definitely wouldn’t have known otherwise.

It also helps a lot with orientation so you’re not constantly checking maps later on.

Take the Train to Zaanse Schans

We also took a quick train ride to Zaanse Schans which is the little village with all the windmills.

It’s only about 20 minutes from Amsterdam and felt like a nice break from the city. We walked around for a few hours, looked in little shops, and took way too many photos of the windmills.

Some corners honestly looked fake. Like the kind of place that looks like it was built for a movie set or inside a theme park. Everything was so neat and perfectly kept it almost didn’t feel real.

The Van Gogh Museum Was So Well Done

Van Gogh Museum ended up being one of my favourite things we did.

The museum was really easy to follow and explained Vincent van Gogh’s life and work in a way that actually kept your attention. Sometimes museums can feel like you’re just moving room to room without really engaging with anything, but this one held up the entire way through.

Definitely worth booking ahead for.

Rijksmuseum Was Huge

Then we visited Rijksmuseum which was equally impressive but definitely more overwhelming just because of the size.

There’s so much to see that you could easily spend an entire day there. Our favourite part ended up being the staircase with the moving floral light installation. We ended up sitting there for a while just because it was a nice break in the middle of everything.

The Anne Frank House

We also visited Anne Frank House which was a very different experience from the rest of the trip.

It’s one of those places where the tone changes as soon as you walk in. The space is quiet, the rooms are small and simple, and you move through it pretty slowly with everyone else around you.

There isn’t much “to see” in the traditional museum sense, and it doesn’t feel like a typical stop on a sightseeing list. It’s more about being in the space itself and understanding the history connected to it. As our walking tour guide mentioned, it’s just a house and she’s not there.

We Missed Tulip Season

Unfortunately, we missed peak tulip season which I’m still a little upset about.

So instead, we went to the Amsterdam Tulip Museum and bought flower bulbs. As Canadians, we could only bring back certain certified ones, but I did manage to pick up some dahlias that I’m now fully committed to keeping alive.

Amsterdam Has Great Souvenir Shops

This feels random to mention, but Amsterdam had some of the best souvenir shopping I’ve seen while travelling.

We went into so many souvenir shops and somehow every single one had something cute. Prints, ceramics, tote bags, mini canal houses, postcards, snacks — it was very hard to leave empty handed.

Usually souvenir stores start to blend together after a while, but Amsterdam’s were genuinely fun to browse.

Coffee & Matcha Scene

One thing I wasn’t expecting to be that good was the coffee and matcha scene in Amsterdam.

Coming from Montreal, where I already think the café culture is one of the best, I was genuinely impressed. Every café we stopped at felt really intentional — good espresso, great matcha options, and lots of places that were clearly designed for people to sit, stay, and actually enjoy it rather than just grab something quickly.

It also made our early mornings even better. Grabbing a coffee and a croissant and walking along the canals before the city got busy ended up being one of my favourite parts of the trip.

Small note: don’t confuse a café with a “coffee shop” in Amsterdam unless you’re prepared for a very different kind of menu than matcha and oat milk lattes.

Albert Cuyp Market Is Worth Visiting

We also spent time at Albert Cuyp Market and this place was massive.

As someone from Montreal, my comparison was immediately Jean-Talon Market but Albert Cuyp felt much bigger. There were food vendors, vintage shops, clothing stands, fresh snacks, and pretty much anything else you could think of.

And if you go: get a stroopwafel.

Seriously. Grab one from any stand. You really can’t go wrong.

Amsterdam was one of those trips where we somehow did a lot without feeling rushed the whole time.

We walked everywhere, spent hours in museums, bought too many souvenirs, ate an unreasonable number of stroopwafels, and got very good at checking for bikes before crossing the street.

More than anything, I’m grateful I got to experience a new city with a friend, especially somewhere neither of us had been before. There’s something really nice about figuring out a place together for the first time and just taking it as it comes.

It’s also a city that feels a bit slower paced compared to other European destinations, which is something we really enjoyed. You can pack your days, but there’s still space to slow down, sit by the canals, and not feel like you’re constantly rushing from one thing to the next.

Hopefully this inspires someone else to add it to their list — it’s definitely worth the trip.

Love, Laura