Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam in Winter
While it was brisk (and sometimes drizzly) during our Christmas-time visit, Amsterdam still had plenty to keep us occupied, even in winter. The canals somehow made the center of Amsterdam feel intimate, but it is actually a big, world-class city filled with great museums, lots of shopping, dozens of cocktail bars, a large choice of hotels and a vast array of restaurants. Plus bicycles, many many bicycles. We sometimes felt like we were taking our lives in our hands while crossing the street, and even when in a taxi or Uber, it’s clear the bicyclists most definitely own the streets. We made sure to tour the canals of the city by boat, which you should try to do. We went for a small, 8 person boat rather than the big tourist boats. And at Christmas-time it’s the best way to view the annual Holiday Light Show on the canals.
We paid one uneventful visit to a local “coffee shop” to try their “space cakes” even though that is not our normal M.O. (a few popular coffee shops are included in the map below). In our case we were rather disappointed in that it didn’t do anything except make us hungry, which resulted in a pizza delivery to our hotel room (apparently, one can create a European Seamless account while under the effects of a space cake — LOL).
We look forward to visiting Amsterdam in warmer weather, perhaps in the spring when we can also see tulips out in the countryside and wander around more freely outdoors. And maybe even get on a bicycle. If you do go in the winter, Uber is your very reliable friend in Amsterdam.
*This was part of an 8-night trip to Brugge and Amsterdam. To see our complete trip itinerary click here.
The Gimlet Traveler Rundown:
All ratings are based on our experience and are on a 5-star rating system (see Site Info for more details). For mapped locations and links to the places listed here (and more) visit Google Map at bottom of page.
Gimlets: *****
Cocktail culture is big in Amsterdam. We didn’t get to all the cocktail bars I might have if it were warmer weather — and we had been there for more than 5 nights (I’ve tried to include those in my map below). We started our visit at Flying Dutchmen Cocktails, a small, smart cocktail lounge down the street from our hotel (The Hoxton). We were also able to have excellent gimlets at The Pulitzer Bar and at another small lounge across town called Vesper. There are also plenty of gay bars in town, and we ended up at one of them, Taboo, for happy hour one night. Friendly, busy, unfussy, with decently strong mixed drinks and bar snacks to help get you through cocktail hour. None of the other gay bars in the neighborhood get going until much later, by which time we were home in bed!Restaurants: *****
Amsterdam, obviously, is a world-class dining destination and has thousands of restaurants to choose from. That said, we started at a Dutch home-cooking place called Moeder’s (Mother’s). It’s fun, friendly and kitschy (the walls are covered with photos of mothers) with really good and hearty home-cooking. We enjoyed it and it seemed the mix of locals and tourists did, too. We had two special occasion places booked: Wolf Atelier, a cool, modern haute-cuisine restaurant built on a barge out in the harbor; and The Duchess, a grand space in an old bank building that is part of the W Hotel. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to The Duchess on our last night. We were tired and needed to pack, but the space looks grand. Jansz at the Pulitzer Hotel had a nice, warm ambiance and amazing bread and butter (which to my mind is almost as important as the meal), but the food was middling.GT Tip: If you go to Moeder’s, bring a picture of your mom and they may put it up on the wall.
Sights: *****
The Anne Frank House is a must-visit (book your time-slot ahead). The city has several world-class museums (The Rijskmuseum, The Stedelijk Modern Art Museum, The Van Gogh and Rembrandt Museums). Given the winter weather, we even made it to The Eye Filmmuseum out by the harbor for a 70mm screening of The Sound of Music (don’t laugh! It was sold-out and a hoot!). It’s a cool museum and worth checking out even if the Von Trapps aren’t performing.Shopping: *****
Lots of shopping to be done. The “Nine Streets” neighborhood was very near our hotel and comprises nine narrow streets of interesting, upscale and eclectic boutiques and eateries. There are plenty of cool concept shops and home decor places located throughout the city (we enjoyed Hutspot, which sells home items and mens and women’s clothes). Ask your hotel for the best shopping neighborhoods. The big, fancy department store is called De Bijenkorf.
Review of The Hoxton, Amsterdam Rating: ****
The Hoxton in Amsterdam is centrally located, stylishly designed and provides all the food and drink amenities you might want. Our room (roomy canal view) — while requiring a couple of flights of stairs up and down from the elevator — was comfortable, spacious, clean and modern, and had a great canal view (truth in advertising!). The hotel was always busy (and noisy) with a crowd in the lobby and at the (usually full) bar. The hotel seemed to be staffed with friendly albeit inexperienced staff, who, while eager, were not always at the level of service of a top-notch hotel. That said, it was a pleasant stay and we appreciated the design, amenities and location of the hotel overall.
Date of Stay: December 2018
Other Hotel Choices:
•The Pulitzer or The Soho House, both just across the canal from the Hoxton. But the Hoxton, which is almost new, beats most others in this location for price.
Below is a map of hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping and sights found during our research. We didn’t have time to visit all of them during our trip, but all were of interest. Click on the icon at top left of the map to view the legend. Or you can click on the full-screen icon at top right to expand, which will also bring up the legend.
