I just got back from my first Euro trip. A friend and I traveled to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris for a total of 8 days. What an adventure! This was my first experience planning a trip and I learned plenty. I don't think it's possible to do it in a more difficult fashion than I did it. Next time, will be different. Our destinations were Amsterdam and Paris. The Brussels stay for one night was necessary because I could not book that middle night in either of the other two cities. The trip was comprised of one flight and three train trips, not counting all the local trams, trains and undergrounds we would be using while in each city. In Amsterdam and Paris, we stayed in youth hostels. Very different experiences in each of them. Pros and cons at each. In between, in Brussels, we stayed in a very nice, reasonably priced hotel. If you are ever in Brussels, stay in the de Fierlant Hotel. Very nice, and around 30 euro each.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam turned out to be the absolute best part of the trip! I loved everything about it. We stayed in the Zeeburg StayOkay youth hostel. Very nice. Clean, well decorated, cheap and friendly/helpful staff. They have wifi that you can use for a modest fee. They also have a bar, cafeteria (only opened for breakfast or if you are in a group for an evening meal). We mostly ate out after breakfast. Nice laundry facilities, although the dryer was set to very hot.
Amsterdam was very easy to get around by tram. We bought a 48 hour pass, for around 11 euros that allowed us to go anywhere an unlimited number of times for 48 hours. Great deal! We very quickly learned to get to all the major areas we wanted to visit. We also went on a free walking tour. Also a very good experience! Our guide, Ryan, was part tour guide and part stand-up comic. He told great stories about Amsterdam. We had wandered accidentally into the red light district on our first day. There is a red light district walking tour in the evening that we heard was lots of fun too.
Once you get yourselves to Dam Square, pretty much anything you want to see and do is within walking distance. Dam Square by itself is very interesting. There were entertainers of all sorts there in the square, performing for tips. Music, cafes all around, horse-drawn carriage rides, the tram going in all directions and amazing shopping, just to name a few. The pace in Amsterdam is one of the things that makes it such a great place. People gather in the outdoor cafes, chat, meet, drink, eat and linger. English is commonly spoken everywhere, in addition to Dutch, so language is not an issue. The canals are beautiful. Bicycles are everywhere. There are more bicycles than people in Amsterdam. I still haven't figured that one out. Some people have two bikes, I guess. One for everyday and one for holidays, I guess. There are special lanes for bicycle travel and pedestrians better beware!
Our favorite stores there were Sissy Boy and the Birkenstock store. That's where we spend money. Plus, the flea market. Very interesting items there. Vintage items, bags, scarves, clothes, leather goods, cannabis lollipops. You name it. They sell it.
We followed our tour guide to a place called Boom Chicago for some beer and food after the tour. They serve Stampot which is a traditional Dutch meal comprised of mashed potatoes with carrots and onions in it, gravy and a sausage on top. I had the vegetarian version, minus the gravy and fresh green beans instead of sausage on top. Excellent! You can have additional plates of this dish for the one price, which was 7.50 euros, I think. One was plenty for me. Elsewhere, we tried a place that offered "very old cheese" on waldkorn, a dark bread with lots of seeds on top. The cheese was well-aged cheddar-like cheese. Very good! Washed down with a nice Heineken or Amstel beer. Good food.
Who would not like the Van Gogh museum? I had some real pinch-me moments when I saw his paintings. I had to remind myself that they were his actual works, not a print or an image in a book. The museum traces his evolution as an artist, includes his sketches and early works up to the paintings that he is now best known for. Well worth the wait to see the museum. We had tickets prior to arriving, so we didn't have to wait in the line to buy a ticket. That's a good tip to remember. Whenever possible, buy your ticket in advance so that you don't have to wait in the long lines to buy one upon arrival. You can get tickets for many museums in airports, train stations. Also check with your hotel or hostel or even online prior to traveling to purchase tickets.
We took a canal cruise of the Amstel river and the canals. That was a lovely trip. You get some history of the city on that cruise. It's very relaxing. Every now and then it's nice to do something that doesn't involve lots of walking.
To sum up, if you are looking for a first European city to visit, I strongly recommend Amsterdam, for the following reasons: 1.) people are very friendly and helpful
2.) very laid back pace
3.) everyone speaks English as well as Dutch
4.) hundreds of fun places to eat and visit
5.) easy to get around
6.) BEAUTIFUL! Love the canals and the old world buildings
7.) Van Gogh Museum
8.) Anne Frank House
9.) Heineken brewery
10.) very welcoming
11.) free walking tour by day (fun!)
12.) walking tour of the redlight district in the evening (10 euros - we didn't do it this time, but did stumble into the area and explored on our own)
13.) good food - I recommend a sandwich of very old cheese on waldkorn bread and stampot, a mashed mix of potatoes, carrots, onions with gravy and a sausage on top. I had the vegetarian version).
14.) lots of good beer
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