In Amsterdam, do it for the gram. It's so freaking instagrammable!!
I stayed an super well located Airbnb that was really well priced, and right next to all the museums. A lovely lady named Dina-Perla is the owner and I really recommend it! If you want to stay on a house boat, that’s a fun experience as well— you can check out this one, this one, or this one.
Unless you have a bike, go for the unlimited tram/metro/bike card. Even though the distances don’t seem that far, after a whole day of walking, taking the tram is not going to feel lazy. If you buy a ticket on actual vehicle, they only accept credit cards, but then there are some machines in the stations that only accept coins. I wish they were more consistent.
It’s super easy and cheap (about 3 euros one way) to take a train from Amsterdam Central to Zaans Schans. There are trains every 10-15 min and the ride takes 15 min. The walk from the train station to the old part of town is about 15 min. Try to go early in the morning because it gets seriously filled up with big tour buses. This is the closest place to see some pretty authentic windmills, check out some vintage shops, and eat some fresh stroopwafels. You can probably do everything in this tiny town in 1-2 hours.
If windmills aren’t your thing, you can go see the tulips in Keukenhof Gardens instead. The process to go there is just as easy, but it’s a bit farther. The best time to go see the tulips is April and May.
For all the museums— Rijksmuseum, Moco, Van Gogh, buy your tickets online to avoid the lines. In fact, for the House of Anne Frank you can ONLY buy your tickets online, and you need to reserve them basically 2 months in advance. I was most impressed by the Van Gogh museum, as it portrays such a comprehensive view of the artist, and so many angles I didn’t know before.
Mokumboot is the easiest boat rental in Amsterdam, but make sure to book in advance, because during nice days, and especially during the summer, it fills up so quickly. They have a number of locations to pick wherever is closest to you since you have to drop it off in the same place.
One of the museums in The Hague is about MC Escher! The Mauritshuis museum is in a pretty unbelievably beautiful building and has the Girl with the Pearl Earring Vermeer painting. The Hague is also much less crowded than Amsterdam. Rijks in Amsterdam is pretty impressive as a building but I was a bit underwhelmed by the art given the size (Rembrandt is the most prominent) and it’s very crowded.
Best Food Places
Pulitzer is a collection of 25 canal houses they've connected into one big hotel. It's so beautiful and has great Hemmingway inspired drinks. The food is pricey, but excellent.
The Cold Pressed Juicery - 4 locations good smoothies and juices.
Marqt is the Whole Foods spot.
De Kas
Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3, 1097 DE Amsterdam
020 462 4562
https://goo.gl/maps/Bk6nN1Baaik
top 3 meals. Beautiful venue in a garden/greenhouse. Grow their own everything. Very tasty. ❤️ (I would vote lunch also, you sit outside)
Coffee & Coconuts
Ceintuurbaan 282-284, 1072 GK Amsterdam
020 354 1104
https://goo.gl/maps/2sFbJnhEWjm
hip spot for healthy breakfast or brunch. Awesome design aesthetic.
Daalder
Lindengracht 90, 1015 KK Amsterdam
020 668 0188
https://goo.gl/maps/9neaoxMdC9F2
best meal of the trip. Go for lunch. Get 5 courses. Love life.
Guts & Glory
Utrechtsestraat 6, 1017 VN Amsterdam
020 362 0030
https://goo.gl/maps/fKCEzG3gjYL2
Thai inspired tasting menu. Lovely for dinner.
Best Shopping
Cottoncake: Great curation of clothes, yummy snacks. I'm obsessed with their logo'ed sweater.
The Otherist: gorgeous butterflies and interesting gifts
We Are Labels: very dutch brands haha
Episode: if you have the patience and love vintage this is the jackpot
