When we last visited Amsterdam, we arrived the night before from Dublin. Thanks to the great train connection between Schiphol airport and the city center (about 30 minutes by metro), we started exploring the city very shortly after landing.

We started this trip with a one and a half hour night boat tour on the Singelgracht canal that we booked with Blue Boat. The tour is a great activity when arriving in Amsterdam to admire the city by night and from the canal, while spotting the places to visit over the next few days.

Our itinerary started the next day at the Amsterdam Central station, easily accessible by metro or walking if you stay in the city center.

From the station, you can already check St Nicolas church and Damrak up close.

Damrak is a popular spot to capture great photos of Amsterdam. It is a succession of pontoons from which boat tours depart. Located between Dam Square and the Central Station, this place gets very busy during the day. Make sure you go early in the morning if you want to make the most of it. We were there around 8:30 am in the middle of August and were able to take beautiful photos. If the light is favorable, you will be able to see the buildings’ reflection in the water in the most perfect symmetry.

After Damrak, continue towards Haarlemmerstraat for a nice breakfast in one of the many cafés on this lively street. We stopped at Bake my day, a lovely bakery where we tasted the famous Dutch pancakes. Another option for a breakfast with a nice view, weather permitting, is Café 't Smalle which is only a little further down. Café 't Smalle is such a nice café with a terrace by the water, at the intersection of Egelantiersgracht and Prinsengracht. The Dutch Cheese Museum is right next door if you ever want to stock up on local cheese.

Next, not far from Haarlemmerstraat, check Schöner platz. This is my favorite place in Amsterdam! A crossing of bridges and canals, with a flowery lock,  where bikes and boats are passing by. It is also a good starting point to go down one of the four main canals of the city.

Stroll along the Keizersgracht canal toward the Negen Straatjes, the nine little streets. This small district is crossed by the 4 canals. Walk down this shopping street to reach Spui Square from where you can take a break in one of the many cafés and restaurants that surround the square.

If from this square, you see a long line of people queuing (the line sometimes goes all the way to the Heibrug bridge), it is most certainly for the cookies from Van Stapele's Cookie factory. This shop only sells one type of cookie (dark chocolate with a white chocolate melting heart), and closes every day when the last cookie is sold, which is most of the time before 3 pm. We, of course, had to test them! We got lucky and waited only 15 minutes to order. Waiting time is usually 40 minutes. Was it worth it? Well, we have mixed feelings about this one. The cookies are indeed very tasty. Not too thick, and nicely crispy. Are they worth wasting precious minutes visiting Amsterdam on a weekend trip? Probably not…

From Spui, continue towards the Red Lights district in De Wallen. This district known for its coffee shops that does not sell coffee and sex shops, is also the oldest district of the city. This medieval district with narrow, cobbled streets, is home to the famous red lanterns, retro bars and to the old church called Oude Kerk.

Walk up the canal to reach Sint Olofssteeg street. Stop at Café De Regent van Amsterdam and admire the parade of boats of all kinds. This view will make you understand why Amsterdam is called the Venice of the North.

Not far from there, take a look at the pub Café in the Monkey. A quite original name for one of the oldest pubs in Amsterdam and one of the last two wooden pubs in the city. Café in the Monkey is super cozy and has an internal wooden staircase that leads to… nowhere.

From De Wallen, we went down towards the south of the city passing by the Royal Palace, Torensluis which is the oldest bridge in Amsterdam and the Flower Market to reach the Magere Bridge, a drawbridge located on the Amstel. You might be disappointed by the Flower Market. There are only very few flowers there. It is mainly souvenirs and seeds that are sold in this market. It is nevertheless worth visiting during a stay in Amsterdam.

After several hours of walking through the city, what about sitting on a boat and being guided around the city’s canals? Take one of the many boat tours starting near  Magere bridge. There are many options for discovering the city by boat (coffee shop boat, boat tour with Pancakes, etc.). We did a tour with Boat Amsterdam and were very happy with the experience. The boat enters the Herengracht canal and goes up till reaching the central station, then it goes down the Nieuwe Herengracht canal along the Nemo Museum and the Maritime Museum. It returns to its starting point towards the Hermitage museum along the botanical garden. We were in Amsterdam on the Pride weekend, so this tour was adapted to go through the canals still open to barges. Due to the parade, which takes place on the canals, several places were not accessible.

Once the boat tour is over, our itinerary continues to Groenburgwal, a bridge from which you will have a great view of the Zuiderkerk church.

For dinner, why not try some specialties from other continents?

The colonial past of the Netherlands made Amsterdam home to many restaurants where you can discover Indonesian and Surinamese cuisine among others.

For Indonesian food, a good address is Indrapura. I go there every time I visit Amsterdam. Try one of the rijsttafels, a combination of dishes served in small portions ranging from 13 to 16 different dishes, served together with rice.

There are a couple of Coffee shops on the Rembrandtplein square, where the Indrapura restaurant is located, if you are not yet willing to be done for the day. If, like me, you are not a smoker, or if you don't know much about the substances sold in Amsterdam's coffee shops, don't be afraid to ask for the menu and ask for advice. It's as simple as that! After all, in Amsterdam this is just a product like any other.

For this second day, discover De Pijp, a bohemian district which is home to the Heineken museum, housed in the former brewery. Start with a brunch at Coffee & Coconut. A lovely café built on three different levels in a former theater. A beautiful place to start the day with a tasty brunch and a delicious smell of roasted coffee beans. Also, their coffee is to die for!

For this second day in Amsterdam, why not explore the city with the locals' favorite transportation? Which is of course...by bike.

You can rent a bike in De Pijp directly by going to Ajax bike.

It costs 9 euros to rent a bike for 4 hours, which is more than enough to go around the city center and along the canals without rushing.

If you decide to try cycling in Amsterdam, here are a few pieces of advice. The city is great for bikes with loads of large cycle paths in excellent condition, however, they are very busy.

When cycling in Amsterdam, make sure to start off quickly, know exactly where you are going (the slightest hesitation could cost you the wrath of a cyclist in a hurry), stay in your lane and keep to your right ready to be overtaken by all kinds of bicycles, and even no-licence cars (that’s right, cars on the cycling lanes).

I cycle regularly in Dublin and I am quite comfortable doing it, and yet I got some adrenaline rush while cycling through Amsterdam.

You figured it out, the bike is probably not the most appropriate means of transport to wander and take photos. However, the bike remains ideal to discover the city in a different way while getting a glimpse of the locals' way of life.

If you choose to cycle in Amsterdam, ride along the canals from south to north, and go for a ride to the east of the city to see the Brouwerij IJ, a brewery with a mill.

Take the opportunity to go around the pretty Vondelpark where you can cycle safely.

While in Amsterdam, you should really try Surinamese food! We have noticed that it is rather offered as take-away food. We can recommend Perry's Eethuis in De Pijp, which is actually not far from the bike rental company. Ideal to get some fuel after cycling around the city.

If you have time for another evening in Amsterdam, use it to take a new boat tour but this time by night, like mentioned at the beginning of this article.