Amsterdam Whistle Stop Tour

When I say whistle stop tour, I mean exactly that. Arriving late on a Friday evening (due to flight delays) and leaving early on a Sunday afternoon, we really did have just over 36 hours in the city…

With such a short time frame, we wanted to pack everything in. Our Airbnb was for convenience more than anything else (meaning I don’t have any pictures of that - luckily, one might say!). This meant that we spent the whole time exploring. We ate good food, we walked a hell of a lot, and we took in the beautiful exteriors that Amsterdam has to offer. Here’s all the ‘curb appeal’, as my sister loves to call it.

On the Saturday morning, we had brunch at the Hoxton Hotel. After my stay in the Holborn branch, I so wish we’d booked in a night here. The interiors are 10/10 and so are the staff - the general manager took us on a tour of the hotel, gave us a list of recommendations of things to do and really went above and beyond! I just loved their ‘Apartment’: a unique space for meetings, private dining and events. If only I worked in Amsterdam.

We also took a trip to the floating flower market, known locally as Bloemenmarkt. Plants, flowers, colours - all up my street.

We even squeezed in a visit to the botanical gardens - again, a bit of me.

Despite the unusually short time frame, we ticked it all off of the list - brunch, dinner, drinks, the red light district (a difficult but necessary visit, in my eyes), museums, interior stores, flea markets, plants. With such a big design scene, I’ll certainly be back. Hopefully with a little more time to meander the streets.