A spontaneous decision to visit the energetic city of Amsterdam and the successful fulfillment of the decision are what led to this blog post. Credits must be given to my recent travel companions, #Arjun #Thomas. The trip was planned six days in advance, so it was a tad bit more expensive than usual. A budget trip is always possible if it is planned and booked well in advance.
The round trip was for 2 days and 1 night (15.12.2023–18.12.2023), where the outlying days were used for the overnight travel. We booked a flixbus (https://global.flixbus.com/) since it is the cheapest possible option available, sometimes at short notice. It was around 45 euros per person in one way. An advantage of the bus booked (Stuttgart Airport to Amsterdam Sloterdijk) is that it was a direct bus. Also, the timing was great for travel.
Travel to Amsterdam: 15.12.2023, Friday
Stuttgart Airport Bus Terminal : 11:15 pm (Departure)
Amsterdam Sloterdijk : 8:30 am (Arrival)
Travel to Stuttgart: 17.12.2023, Sunday
Amsterdam Sloterdijk : 8:30 pm (Departure)
Stuttgart Airport Bus Terminal : 05.50 am (Arrival)
Travel in Flixbus :
Pros: If it is a direct bus, there is less deboarding. You can put your luggage in the luggage compartment. Decent Wi-Fi. Hopefully functioning toilet and seats. Peaceful journey.
If you have flixbus voucher's, it additionally helps in reducing the cost of the travel. If you want to reserve seats, you have to pay an additional fee. You can also cancel your ticket and get a refund (https://global.flixbus.com/service/change-cancel-a-booking/cancellation-policy).
We booked a room at the hostel ClinkNoord in Amsterdam. It was a dorm room for 4 people with an attached bathroom and toilet. It cost 47 Euros (which is expensive due to the last-minute booking). The only problem was the check-in time, which is 4 p.m. Most of the hostels have very late check-ins in Amsterdam. We also prioritized the location, as this was 1.5 km from the city center, and hence went with it (https://www.clinkhostels.com/clinknoord/)
Day 1 : 16.12.2023
Since we reached Sloterdijk, we took a train to Amsterdam Central. The railway looks a bit confusing since the trains and metros are all at the same station. Just check the local transport app to find the platform the train comes to. You can grab a bite at Albert Heijn if you have time. One-way tickets cost 3.6 Euros. Sloterdijk is 8 minutes from Amsterdam Central; hence, it is a good location in case it is expensive to travel to Central.
Since we had a late check-in, we decided to dump our bags in the locker and roam around. The locker is inside the train station; hence, try to find it before ditching your train ticket and getting out of the station. It is a bit messy to find the locker. All instructions are provided there, and you can store your baggage there. Since Amsterdam is a touristy location, most of the lockers might not be free. You get a printout after you lock up your things. Don't lose it; you are required to show it afterward to open the locker. If it is lost, there would be some compensation to pay for it. For 24 hours, the locker charge was around 10 euros.
Since it was pretty early in the morning (also Saturday), the shops were all just opening up. The streets were not that crowded, but as the city is famous, a lot of cyclists could be found on the streets.
We had a morning coffee from the Breakfast Club, which was pretty good (https://thebreakfastclub.nl/). Since we could not fixate on breakfast, we decided to go for a brunch at the famous Saravana Bhavan. The day was mostly spent roaming around the streets, canal after canal, visiting coffee shops, and so on.
Since the hostel check-in time was nearing, we went back to the station, took the baggage and left for the hostel. The hostel is on the other side of Amsterdam, and we need to take a ferry to get there. Ferry service is free in Amsterdam and is available every 2–3 minutes. It also runs late night. The hostel was a nice surprise, as it had quite a good ambience, a lot of play areas, and a sophisticated room check-in rather than the usual card. The overnight journey was not so smooth; hence, it was also time to take some rest.
We wanted to visit one of the museums and decided on the NXT Museum, which was near the hostel location. It cost around 17 Euros for a student ticket. You must provide your student ID for verification. (https://nxtmuseum.com/). It discusses different concepts through the use of visual effects. I did not really believe it was worth the money, people may disagree.
The rest of the night was again spent roaming around the streets, visiting shops and having some dinner at "The döner company".
Day 2 : 17.12.2023
We decided to visit the city of Zaanse Schans on the second day. It is approximately 18 kilometers away from Amsterdam Centraal. We checked out of our hostel and kept our luggage in the station locker. We bought a two-way ticket (approximately 6 Euros) from the railway station. Furthermore, we got onto a train (sprinter) and we reached Zaanse Schans 4 stops later. Once you get to the station, there are sign boards for directions. Once you walk around 1 Km, you will be able to see the first signs of the windmills for which the town is famous. Just exploring this village is fun, and it would easily be worth 1-3 hours.
On walking further, one reaches the picturesque landscape of Zaanse Schans. There are little cottages and streams of water flowing around. If you wanted to visit the windmills, there are separate tickets for them. I would suggest trying out hot chocolate with cream, which was of great taste.
Around 3–4 pm, we returned to Amsterdam Centraal. Since we already visited the NXT Museum, we did not want to go to another museum (we would recommend Van Gogh and the Rijks Museums, which need to be booked in advance as the rush is quite high). If you are a student, try to book with the student discount.
We also took a canal ride for the famous Light Festival. The ride cost around 23 Euros. One must always check for the rides as they go as per schedule. Various spots around Amsterdam had light art created by various artists and installed at different locations in the city. The tour offers a description of these installations along the way. The entire journey took around 75 minutes.
After the canal ride, we left for the Sloterdijk to take the FlixBus back to Stuttgart.
The trip overall was fun. The weather could have been better. Suggest traveling in the summer. Also, the trip could be for 3 days, where one could add Rotterdam, Keukenhof (during tulip season), The Hague, etc.
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