Even though the city of Amsterdam is exciting and vibrant, the country side is just as amazing and the best part; it’s only minutes away from the city! The first thing you’ll notice when you get to Amsterdam are the tall 4+ story buildings due to Amsterdam building up instead of out so the farm lands can be preserved.

On this tour of the country side we were able to explore Zaanse Schans, a quaint windmill village with a glimpse of the inside of a working windmill along with a short tour of how it works. Edam, a small village with lot of history and beautiful cobblestone streets! Volendam, the home of the famous cheese factory where you will get to see how cheese is made as well as take a visit to the stroopwafel shop with a demonstration of how that is made as well, both having lots of opportunities to sample the tastiness! And last but not least Marken, a short 30 minute boat ride from Volendam where you will get to take a tour of a clog factory which was one of my favourite stops because you actually get to see the woodworker make a clog right in front of you!

If you do decide to do this tour make sure you pay the few extra bucks to get the full package so you’re able to see inside the windmill, cheese factory, stroopwafel shop, and take the boat over to Marken where you get to experience the clog making factory!

The Artis Zoo was a great way to fill up an afternoon! We were there for about 5 hours and loved how open concept this zoo is and were pleasantly surprised by how big it was right in the middle of the city! This zoo also currently has an interesting exhibit called Micropia where you get to get to learn about just that — microbes!

Did you know… Amsterdam is 6.6ft or 2m below sea level and is super flat making biking and walking anywhere a breeze! While you stay in this city you will constantly be finding new and exciting things you want to see and explore. The Anne Frank House is definitely a must, make sure you buy your tickets in advance! If you’re also looking to fill up a day, the Rijks Museum is an enormous art museum with lots of history and is surrounded by smaller art museums such as the Banksy Museum. NEMO is the science centre with plenty of interactive exhibits and access to an outdoor stairway to the rooftop with a beautiful view of the city! From art museums, shopping strips and book stores, theres definitely something for everybody here!

While you’re busy admiring what Amsterdam has to offer, you’ll definitely get hungry; luckily the Netherlands is known for their spice trading so they have a little bit of everything and like to show it off! Whether you’re looking for a fresh bakery, a bar, or a somewhere to get dressed up for, Amsterdam has it all!

Tips & Fun Facts!

Coffeeshops DO NOT serve coffee! Well some of them may, but primarily these are for buying and smoking marijuana products!

Amsterdam has a very strong sterilization program meaning you won’t see any stray dogs or cats in fact you will rarely see any dogs anywhere! Cats are the dominant pet of choice by far for cuddling but also to help keep the mice / rat population down.

25% of Amsterdam is canal so it just makes sense to take a tour of the city via boat! During the boat tour you’ll be able to see the city from a whole different angle and learn some great history along the way. While you’re walking the streets there are boat tours everywhere you look for pretty cheap, but as per a friends recommendation we decided to spend a few extra bucks and book a tour with ‘Those Dam Boat Guys’! Due to it being a slow day we ended up getting a boat all to ourselves and got to explore the canals in whatever fashion we wanted while learning all kinds of things about the city!