What do you do when you have a 21-hour layover in Amsterdam?
Good question!
I lucked out in my booking the return flight from Ireland to San Francisco with the cheapest flight having a layout in Amsterdam long enough for me to leave the terminal. Having only ever had a 3-hour layover there before, I was ecstatic at my fortune!
It was a great experience, though one that I could have done better at with my planning. Regardless, here's how it went down!
Asking for Advice
This being a country I'd never officially been to before, I reached out to some of my Facebook groups for some pointers. Unfortunately, I didn't receive many, though I was given one bit of advice that was supported by other members: be at the airport at least 6 hours before your flight what with all the delays and understaffing issues. With my flight to San Francisco leaving at 1:30pm, I would have to be there at 7:30am at the earliest, so I made the financial and time decision of returning late at night and sleeping in the terminal.
But, dear friends, sometimes advice isn't always so effective. Let's move on...
Flight to Amsterdam
My flight from Dublin was short, but once we boarded the plane, there was a delay. It was about 40 minutes before the plane took off, which was slightly detrimental to my schedule, because I was supposed to be landing at 4:00pm. Out in Holland, or the Netherlands as it's better known, many venues such as their museums, galleries and bike rental shops closed around 5pm, and I wanted to do as much as possible with what little time I had. This was now out of the question.
I landed around 4:45pm, and the first thing I did was put my baggage into storage and proceed directly to the train terminal, located right in the lobby of the airport terminal. How convenient! I purchased my ticket for the city center and boarded the next train heading that direction.
The A'DAM Tower
I stepped off the train and breathed in the air, but decided to walk along the river first to take in the sights. After several minutes of this I pulled out my phone and looked up the A'DAM Lookout Tower, only to find that it was directly across the river from where I had disembarked the train. There was a free ferry so I took that and walked the short distance to the Tower.
Prior to my trip, I had booked a river cruise that was, according to Google Maps, about 2.5 miles from the Tower. With my time management skills, I surmised that I could leave about 45 minutes early and be at the dock on time to make my cruise. This, unfortunately, was before my flight delay.
I made it to the Tower and purchased the package that included access to the Tower, dinner and drinks at the café. The A'DAM Tower was definitely worth the trip! The elevator trip was the first part, and it included a light show as the car traveled upward. At the top, there were the absolute best uninhibited views of the city that anyone could see. Having been to the Gravity Bar in Dublin and The Shard in London, I can tell you that going to such heights to look over any city will almost always been a good decision.
I made sure to get a picture at the A'DAM photo spot and watched some of the other tourists try out the swing that swung over the side of the Tower. It had looked like fun, but I was running out of time. I went down the the café to grab my drink and dinner, but the dinner took longer than expected. I checked the time I was rapidly losing it. I had to leave quickly to catch an Uber or taxi at this point because walking was no longer an option.
I scarfed down the burger I ordered, which was actually quite good, but still had fries leftover that I hadn't touched. Luckily, there was a family with a bunch of kids next to me, and I offered them my fries, which they were surprised I offered. I just didn't want them to go to waste since I couldn't bring them with me.
Disappointment
I called for an Uber, but the thing to keep in mind about Amsterdam is that it is ALL canals. There's a reason why bikes are the primary transport: the city was built for them. Bikes are the best and most dominant form of transportation and renting one is an absolute must around here. I was able to book an Uber, but it wasn't going to get me to the correct dock in time. I reached out to the company, but the €25 ticket was non-refundable at this point. It wasn't too much of a loss, but I had been looking forward to that cruise.
While I waited for my Uber, I took some time to regroup myself, then picked one area to go to. When traveling, my default go-to stop will always be the local Hard Rock Café if there is indeed one in the city. I have been collecting Hard Rock Café shot glasses for nearly 10 years and now was the opportunity to swing by. I figured that once I made it here, I would be able to plan my next move.
Fortunate Outcomes
Once my Uber arrived, I took the time to admire the city as I was driven through the popular areas. As we came closer to my destination, I started making mental notes of what there was to do around here. We passed the museum district, but they were all closed and therefore not an option. As we came closer to the Hard Rock, I noted other docks that had canal cruises, and The Gray Line promoting evening cruises was a few blocks away. I couldn't believe my luck!
As soon as I reached the Hard Rock, I had to laugh. I had just flown in from Dublin after having spent a week in Ireland, and wouldn't you know it: right next door was an Irish pub! That laugh was exactly what I needed to boost my spirits. I booked it to the canal cruise first and booked the next available trip, which began in only 20 minutes. Talk about a close call!
I boarded the boat with wine and gouda cheese crisps (SO YUMMY!) and was able to fully relax while a pre-recorded guide went over the historical and cultural significance of the places we were passing.
I wound up sitting next to an American gentleman who had married an Italian woman, and they had brought her Italian family with her. We chatted during the pauses in the guide and discussed the city.
The cruise continued on during sundown, which gave the city and aura of intrigue, especially with the museums and hotels we passed.
It almost seemed to me that the canal cruises gave both tourists and travelers a brief preview of what the city has to offer, and that made me want to stay longer to find out more.
With the city's emphasis on the importance of the arts through their museums, performance venues, galleries, and even in the architecture, I could tell that there was far more to the city than had expected, and I was beginning to regret not having more time to delve deeper.
After the cruise, I returned directly to the Hard Rock and bought my obligatory shot glass. And as soon as that was done, I zipped right next door to the Aran Irish Pub and bought a drink.
Here's where the irony comes in: I had spent the last week in Ireland and not one Irishman had hit on me, which wasn't something I was disappointed about. But here in Amsterdam, I sat right down at an Irish pub and I meet an Irishman who instantly begins flirting with me. How about that?
Nighttime Walks
It was dark by this time, but I still wanted to explore. So, I picked a direction and just started walking.
One of the most interesting observations I had about Amsterdam was that despite the time of night it was, I didn't feel uneasy. In fact, I felt much safer walking around this new city than I was in Dublin.
I wound up in the restaurant district and found that most of these places were still open. Not only that, the types of restaurants were more diverse than anything I'd ever seen before. I saw German, Italian, Brazilian, Thai, Indian, and even American eateries to name a few, though very few boasted local Dutch food. It almost seemed like the city wanted to cater to every traveler that came through.
As I walked on, I started noticing that there also dessert shops everywhere. There were pastry shops, ice cream parlors, pancake parlors, and especially waffle shops displaying their insanely delicious-looking confections. It didn't take long to see pot shops nearby (which I avoided because I'd like to keep my cruise ship job!). For my money, these sweet shop owners are some smart people to set up where they had. I was in the mood for a good dessert, but picking just one was a challenge!
When I was a kid, I spent a year in a public school where one month was focusing on a foreign country of the teacher's choice. My teacher was of Dutch ancestry, so we focused on Holland. I remember my teacher showing the class slides of her trips to Amsterdam, particularly of these giant ice cream cones that I'd never forgotten. 30 years later, I sought them out, but honestly, I couldn't look past all of those waffle shops.
I picked a random shop and devoured a fancy Nutella-frosted waffle. I considered getting ice cream too, but it was too late into the night at this point and I didn't want to have another bout of air sickness when I flew back to the States. This just means I'll have to go back again, I suppose!
Once I finished my waffle I continued on my way. The streets were still busy despite the late hour to the point that even most side streets and alleys had at least 3 to 4 people walking through them.
I was still on my guard, but my gut instinct was telling me that I would be okay. I slowed my walk down and took more time to look at the city as I traveled.
And then...I wound up here.
Oh my!
My walk suddenly became more congested with pedestrian traffic. I took a look around and saw a red tint to the street lighting, and suddenly, I knew where I was.
The Red Light District.
For those of you who aren't familiar with this area, the Red Light District is where all the sex shows and prostitutes are found. There were women in windows trying to drum up business unless someone pulled out a phone, in which case they tried to move out of the way or close the curtains. Out here, the prostitutes don't like people taking pictures of them and are very skilled at evading sneaky phone-snapping tactics.
I kept to the main street where the masses were. The side streets were reported to have even more workers on display, but I had seen enough and didn't venture any further, so I continued straight until I made it to the other end of the district.
One of the strangest things I have ever experienced while traveling was how safe the Red Light District felt despite the flagrant sex work. The majority of the people there seemed to be just like me: passing through. I would have expected there to be more creeps around there, and while there were definitely some there, most pedestrians appeared to be there to look around.
I took a few pictures, then continued on my way. By then I'd come full circle and found myself back at the train station. It was well past midnight by then, and while I'd been reasonable safe thus far, I didn't want to push my luck. I bought my ticket and returned to AMS.
Becoming Familiar with the Airport
I made it in after 1:00am and went right to the baggage storage, not really sure what to do since I was planning on staying here in the terminal for the night. The storage representative, however, suggested I leave my bags where they were since passengers wouldn't be able to line up until at least 4 hours before their flight took off. This was a bit frustrating since I could've had time to book a hostel and have breakfast before returning, but I was too tired to stew about that. The rep then suggested that I sleep on this long, cushioned bench on the other side of the room. So, I did! And no, I didn't get a picture.
It wasn't the first time I'd slept in an airport terminal, but that was at JFK with my sister, and we took turns between naps to watch over our bags. I got as comfortable as possible, but since this was a long bench, I kept to one side of it. Sure enough, a couple eventually took the other half shortly afterwards. I drifted in and out of sleep for several hours, then had to get up to take care of business.
By the time I'd gotten back, someone else had usurped my spot. So, I walked around the terminal and found a dozen other people sleeping all over the place! Some of the sleeping spots included benches around planters, which were all cushioned, massage chairs, and even set up on the floor. Despite that last one, AMS appeared to be very accommodating toward sleepy travelers.
I walked several rounds around the outside terminal, making note of the shops and the restaurants. The first shop scheduled to open was, unsurprisingly, a Starbucks, but I skipped that one to look for Dutch food. I found a lovely little coffee shop and picked up a cheesy croissant sandwich and a cappuccino.
After that, I collected my baggage, changed into some clean clothing, but I was still stuck with my denim capris because all my other pants were sweat-soaked. I sought out the clothing shops to find softer pants, but the ones they did have were few and super expensive.
At long last, it was time for me to go through security. Despite my having TSA pre-check, I couldn't find the line, and wound up in the regular line without any means of getting out due to the pedestrian traffic. I pressed on and made it into the main terminal. The last time I'd been there, I had pretty much booked it to the departure gate and stayed there until my flight left, but not before I picked up a few knickknacks. I did have time to look around then, but I was a bit too tired to think clearly. This time, I had over 3 hours to look around. So I did!
I have never been in a more convenient airport in my life! For starters, there were shops and restaurants everywhere as expected, but not very many bars! Sure, there were places to purchase alcohol, but mostly paired with eateries. One place in particular was a champagne and tea shop that was near the center of the terminal, and though it was tempting, I skipped that place.
First things first: AMS has a hotel with showers. The prices are pretty steep, but there are other places to sleep. There are long, cushioned benches of better quality than the outer terminal scattered throughout, and comfier seats than those typical lousy airport seats with all the armrests at the departure gates.
Besides comfort, AMS also helps to alleviate boredom. There was a kid's playground area, and for the adult travelers, there was a library, a mini museum, and a spa!
From here, I grabbed some lunch and did some shopping, then went to my departure gate where I was "randomly" selected for a security check, which is a common thing to happen when traveling by one's self. All in all, even though my day hadn't entirely gone as planned, I had thoroughly enjoyed my adventure in Amsterdam and look forward to going again soon!
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