Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Why Everyone Should Visit Amsterdam at Christmas


You guys.

Forget Bruges. Forget Vienna. Forget Cologne. Forget - dare I say it - Paris. (Okay, maybe not Paris, but, still.)

Amsterdam is the place to be for Christmas (or, more generally, in December). Or any time of the year, for that matter, but it's especially wonderful at Christmas.

Here's why:

1. Christmas trees in every window, pretty shop fronts, and canals lit up like crazy.


2. It's chilled, laid-back, and easy to navigate (save for close calls with bikes whizzing by).


We stayed at the beautiful and very trendy Hoxton Hotel on Herengracht, which is a terrific, central location - right on the canal. Everything (restaurants, boutiques, galleries) was a short 5 - 10 minute walk away and Museumplein could be easily reached on a quick tram ride. Since we were travelling with my parents, it quickly became easy to split up and do our own thing: John wandering off to explore the art galleries, my dad sketching on a bridge, while my mom and I browsed all the shops.

3. There's wonderful food and perfect opportunities for plenty of hot chocolate and pancakes. 



We filled up on poffertjes, mini Dutch pancakes (and huge Dutch pancakes) and stocked up on stroopwafels but also enjoyed nourishing, healthy salads at Salad & The City.

We had a fabulous dinner on our first night at Blauw Aan De Wal (nestled in the Red Light District, which I booked just to shock my mother), where we sampled the chef's tasting menu du jour with fresh oysters to start. On our last evening in Amsterdam, we gorged on an Indonesian feast (seriously, the plates seemed neverending!) at Sampurna, which I'd highly recommend.

4. The Light Festival makes for a fabulous canal-side walk or night-time canal cruise.



This year's Amsterdam Light Festival featured over 35 works of art by international artists, designers, and architects. Many of them, like the lace installation in the first photo above, were breathtaking. We took an evening "watercolor cruise" to see all the lights from the comfort of a warm canal boat, but I loved stumbling upon them by chance on our evening walks as well.

5. It's full of fantastic museums and plenty of opportunities for culture vultures.

Highlights included a visit to the Rijksmuseum (which I hadn't been to before, despite previous visits to Amsterdam) and the Rembrandt House Museum. John and I were a bit zombie-fied after all the museum visits, so dropped my parents off at the Van Gogh Museum while we went shopping in the Jordaan.


A few days before we left London for Amsterdam, John's dad mentioned that he was attending a concert at the Concertgebouw. Of course, the concert was actually a piano recital by Evgeny Kissin - one of the world's most renowned concert pianists, and a childhood hero of mine (back when I spent hours practising for piano competitions). I was able to grab last-minute tickets for my family and John - for seats on the stage. It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and my mom (although a bit of a bore for my dad and John, who both fell asleep!) I'd previously seen him perform at the Barbican, when he looked like a tiny speck on stage from where I sat in the nosebleed section.


After we rushed back home to prepare for Christmas, I found myself on autopilot for the rest of the holidays - making sure that everyone was fed and having a good time. But after my parents left and I had time to actually process and reflect on their trip over to Europe, I found myself replaying the moments in Amsterdam in my mind: the warm and cozy atmosphere, the incredible hospitality (everyone was so nice, I was beginning to get a little suspicious!), and the beautiful sights and good food the city had to offer.

I loved it so much, I'm considering making a December trip to Amsterdam an annual event!

Have you ever been to Amsterdam? What did you think? We didn't get off to a great start (which I wrote about here), but I've fallen in love with it more with every visit. 
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34 comments

  1. Oh it looks SO pretty! The lace lights are incredible <3

    I was meant to be going to Amsterdam in December and just couldn't fit it into my schedule :( Definitely adding it to the Christmas plans for this year!!! xx

    Little Miss Katy

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    1. Definitely go this Christmas, Katy! I can't believe I just wrote that ... THIS Christmas! xx

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  2. Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities in the world! I love it so much, and I can't wait to go back in May! :)

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    1. Excited to follow along with your trip in May, Beverley! I hated it the first time I went, and then I had a magical visit over Easter one year and completely fell head-over-heels in love. Christmas was so unexpectedly lovely!

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  3. Better than Bruges, Cologne AND Vienna at Christmas?!? I was already planning to try and finally go this year but now I think I will HAVE to but I was planning a summer trip but you've totally got me rethinking that! The lights look so pretty and even the name watercolour cruise sounds pretty! Can totally picture Pumpkin falling asleep in the recital too! I've stopped taking him even to West End musicals now as his clearly visible sarcastic expression was getting a little embarrassing! ��

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    1. I think you would LOVE it in winter, Shikha. But you should definitely go in the summer too - I love how everyone sits in their windows eating, chatting, reading books! It's so pretty and has such a relaxed vibe throughout the year. I laughed so hard at your description of your husband's "visible sarcastic expression" - John would be EXACTLY the same!

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  4. This post is making me so excited to visit Amsterdam this year! x
    Sophie Cliff

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    1. You'll have a great time! Where are you staying, do you know yet? I'd love to rent a houseboat next time! x

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  5. I visited Amsterdam for the very first time last spring and absolutely loved it. I can imagine the city being stunning at Christmas time, especially if it snowed! Great post :)

    Holly x
    http://bit.ly/1P8atpP

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    1. It would have looked magical if it had snowed, Holly! I love Amsterdam in the spring as well - it's one of those places that looks amazing no matter the season. x

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  6. I love Amsterdam so much but I've never gone at Christmas. I definitely need to remedy this! X

    www.rhymeandribbons.com

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    1. I'd definitely recommend it, Amanda. It wasn't crowded either, which was such a relief. We went to Bruges last year and although it was pretty, it felt a little forced/constructed and I was a little meh about the whole experience. This was totally different - I just loved it. x

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  7. omg so THAT is how you had a photo of the audience... you had seats on the STAGE! that is quite amazing :) makes my mouth water for a holiday trip...

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    1. Haha, yep! My mom was in shock, I think, the whole time ... she kept saying that her heart was beating really fast and she felt like she couldn't breathe, she was too excited haha!

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  8. Gorgeous, gorgeous photos, Jamie. I cannot get over how festive and pretty the shopfronts look. I must confess I always dreamed of going to Amsterdam in spring for the famous tulip blooming season, but looks like Christmas is equally wonderful time to visit! xoxo, nano | www.travelwithnanb.com

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    1. Thank you so much, Nano! I do want to return to the Netherlands for tulip season!

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  9. Well that's definitely on the list to book. I felt that way about Iceland in December. I just love it.

    K.

    www.wonderingthrough.co.uk

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    1. I was just ogling Iceland flights today, Kelsey! It's high on my wishlist of places to go.

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  10. Omg yes I absolutely agree. I was there for Xmas a couple of years ago and it was amazing!

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    1. I think I want to go every year. I'm still daydreaming about wandering along the canals.

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  11. Oh Amsterdam is so lovely at that time of year! Well, I went at the very end of November, but close enough as it was beginning to get festive by then! The pancakes are a definite highlight, I think I ate more batter that weekend than I thought humanly possible...

    Milly
    Mini Adventures

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    1. I think I might have to make an annual trip around the same time, every year - I didn't get to eat enough pancakes this time around, so I definitely have to rectify that on my repeat visit!

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  12. I went December 2015, and November 2014 and I'm currently planning a visit for February. We love getting lost in the streets of Amsterdam especially in winter, can't wait to go again!

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    1. Lucky you - I'd go back in a heartbeat! So many great memories from there now. Enjoy your visit!

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  13. Oooh the pancakes!! It looks so cozy. I still can't believe I haven't been to Amsterdam yet.

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  14. Oh wow Jaime, Amsterdam looks so beautiful in the winter- I had no idea! I've only been in the summer but could be one for a winter break soon! Do you think it would too cold for the kids? I remember Berlin being bitter in Feb and I don't think little ones would deal with it very well. Glad you had a lovely break, and Happy New Year! x

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    1. I think I'd wait until it warms up a little bit, Becky, if you plan on taking your little ones with you. It's not as bitterly cold as Berlin (holy heck, I know what that's like - I booked a "surprise" trip for John in January for his birthday one year and realized why the deals were so amazing once I got there. IT WAS F*CKING FREEZING, LITERALLY), but it is pretty chilly right now ... slightly lower than the UK, I think. x

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  15. I visited Amsterdam in November and it was so cold that I decided it was entirely the wrong season to visit! Looks like I was just off by a month. The Christmas decorations were starting to come out, but it wasn't quite as pretty as your photos. The museums are all amazing though and they were much needed breaks from walking outside in the weather! I think my favorite activity was visiting Zaanse Schanse (a 40min bus ride outside Amsterdam)but it was pouring rain and freezing the day I went. Definitely the wrong season for exploring a historic village!

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    1. Yikes, it must have been really cold then, Elizabeth, considering you're from Alaska! It was quite cold for a few days we were there, but not as nail-bitingly freezing as Berlin in January (don't ask). Rain is no fun, I agree. We had some clear and crisp days, with beautiful sunrises and sunshine, so I think that helped immensely. I think that if it had been pouring rain every day we were there, it wouldn't have been as good, that's for sure!

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  16. I've only ever been to Amsterdam in the summer (at the height last year, and at the tail end five years ago!) I have to say, it didn't leave a huge impression on me on either occasion, but from the look of your beautiful Light Festival photos it looks like it really comes into its own at Christmas. I'll have to go back in the winter, and have some poffertjes on your recommendation! x

    Tamsin | A Certain Adventure

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    1. Oh darn! You know, I first visited a few years ago and had a TERRIBLE experience because I got really ill there and always associated it with that. Then, I went back over Easter in 2014 and had SUCH an amazing time. I'm trying to think of why that was ... I think it was because of the nice weather and the different cafes we ducked into and tried ... I didn't expect to have such a great time this time around, but again, it topped even our last trip! It just felt like there was so much to do and see, but we had no particular agenda either, so wandering was nice. x

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