It may be too soon to say this definitively, but Amsterdam has been my favorite city in Europe so far. Picturesque canals, whimsical tilting houses, a laid back vibe, and plenty of good cheese to eat—Amsterdam has it all. And it was great exploring the city with our friends Lauren and Cody!

Here were some of my favorite things about our too-brief time in Amsterdam.

All the Small, Cozy Cafés

One of the best things about Amsterdam was how easy it was to find a nice place to grab a drink and relax. In the DC area, it seems that there are a handful of popular spots that are always packed and hard to find a table, but in Amsterdam there is a surplus of nice cafés, so it’s easy to find a place to pop into for a quick break or to grab a few beers. (In general, a lot of the bars in Amsterdam were also called cafés.)

Our “go-to place” (well, for two nights at least) was Café de Eland, in the heart of the Jordaan neighborhood and right off a canal. Like most of the bars we saw, it was small—probably couldn’t seat more than 25 people—but always had a space for us. An extensive beer menu, candles on every table, and a cozy atmosphere with good friends—what more could you ask for?

We also stumbled upon Café Gollem while exploring the De Pijp neighborhood. Here we found another long beer list, a slightly rowdier crowd—and board games! Board games at bars is one of my favorite things and needs to be in more places.

Other great cafés we found:

• Café Brecht: Located just a few blocks from the Rijksmuseum (see more below), it’s the perfect place for a drink—and perhaps a cheese plate as well—after exploring the massive museum. Tons of big and comfy chairs here!

• Vinnie’s: More of a true café and breakfast spot as opposed to a bar. I had a remarkably delicious cappuccino here. It’s close to the central train station, so a good spot either upon arrival or departure.

• Pilsvogel: Another bar in De Pijp. After getting carried away playing a long game of Settlers of Catan at Café Gollem, we realized that all the restaurants were closed, so we desperately stumbled upon Pilsvogel in search for dinner. While most people at the bar were done with dinner and starting their night out, we grabbed a table and quickly ordered a ton of tapas, from meatballs to camembert with dates. It was a surprisingly scumptious meal, especially given that we were surrounded by rowdy people and had a sparkling discoball hanging above us.

The Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam has lots of museums to pick from, but in our limited time we only went to one—the Rijksmuseum. It’s probably the city’s most famous and popular museum, and a good choice if you’re short on time in Amsterdam (three days is not enough!).

The museum is huge and has tons of exhibits, primarily featuring works by Dutch artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer. (There are a couple of Van Gogh paintings, but most of them would be at the nearby museum entirely dedicated to Van Gogh.)

The museum is huge, and I felt overwhelmed when we first got there—we only had about two and a half hours until closing, and there was so much to see! But I decided to just pick a few main exhibits and really try to appreciate those, instead of rushing through more pieces.

And the Rijksmuseum is really good about unpacking the artwork—the “blurbs” for each piece weren’t too long, but they concisely explained a key feature of the painting or an interesting tidbit about it. For example, in Rembrandt’s famous “Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild” painting, the blurb explained that the viewer is supposed to feel that you just walked in on these guys at work, and they’re all staring at you wondering what you’re doing there.

For someone who knows very little about art, I really appreciated all this helpful insight!

Countryside Bicycle Tour

My favorite thing we did in Amsterdam was a bike tour through the city into the Dutch countryside. As most people probably know, people in Amsterdam are very serious about their biking—it’s probably the most bike-friendly city in the world, and locals treat the bike lanes with just as much respect as car lanes.

So while I’m sure I looked far from being a local as I bumbled my way across the intersections, biking around the city was a fun way to get a taste of everyday life in Amsterdam. And the focus of the bike tour anyway was in the nearby countryside, where at least we didn’t have to worry about cars, trams, and pedestrians!

We stopped briefly at an old windmill, built in the 16th century and now a family’s private home. It was like a scene out of a fairy tale!

Then we spent most of our time at a cheese farm, where a local farmer makes cheese right there on his farm with fresh milk from his 49 cows. In his free time, he also makes traditional Dutch clogs—he’s actually one of the only three remaining handmade clog producers in the country!

Travel Notes:

• The Jordaan and De Pijp neighborhoods are two great areas to just walk around, explore the canals and alleyways, and find cafés and restaurants to pop in to.
• One tram ride costs 2.90 euro. A 24-hour pass costs 7.50 euro, and a 48-hour pass costs 12.50 euro, so those are both good options if you’ll be riding the trams enough. The trams ran frequently and provide good coverage across the city and into outlying neighborhoods.
• The Rijksmuseum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. It costs 17.50 euro per person, and e-tickets are recommended during high season to avoid waiting in lines.
• We did our bike tour with Mike’s Bike Tours. They were really good at preparing us for how to bike in Amsterdam, specifically regarding rules and proper bike etiquette. The tour cost 28 euro per person and lasted about 3-4 hours.
• When crossing roads, watch out for the bikes—just as you would watch out for cars! The bike lanes can also look like regular sidewalks, so take care with where you’re walking.