Voted among the 10 most happiest cities in the world, rated among the top 10 cities with the most good looking men & women, home to extremely tall men with blonde hair and blue eyes.. We can almost hear those bags getting packed! Traveling to any European city can be quite expensive these days so we were determined to find cool & cheap places for all those who want to travel to Amsterdam on a budget.
AMSTERDAM IN MARCH
The tulip season opens from mid March until early May. The festival rush starts from mid April and by then, tickets and hotels in and around the city becomes really expensive. But if you travel by the end of March, you can still see the tulips in bloom without the crowds and avoid the surge in prices. The downside to traveling in March is the chilly weather.
WHERE TO STAY IN AMSTERDAM ON A BUDGET
Hotels can be quite expensive in Europe so booking way in advance or looking at Airbnb/Hostels are the best way to go for budget travelers. Check out the below sites for deals as cheap as $15 a day.
OUR RECOMMENDATION- Ibis Schiphol Amsterdam Airport
The hotel is conveniently located close to the airport with 24 hour free shuttles to and from the airport. This shuttle also connects you to the Schiphol train station that will directly take you to the city centre. Keukenhof is just 30-35 minutes from the hotel.
WHAT TO EAT IN AMSTERDAM ON A BUDGET
You just cannot diet in this city… Not when you are surrounded by sauce smothered fries, pancakes, waffles, cheese and jumbo sized Nutella jars staring at you from every shop window!
We found food to be quite expensive here. So in case you want to stock up on food/necessities, head to supermarkets like Albert Heijn or HEMA. These shops are spread all over the city, so it is hard to miss. We also stumbled upon a few farmers market that were amazing and cheap.
Affordable Restaurants To Try In Amsterdam
Margherita Tutta La Vita for Italian fare – Click here for location
Toastable for legendary toasts/Breakfast/Brunch- Click here for location
Cafe De Wetering for authentic Dutch food/Beer- Click here for location
Sir Hummus for Middle Eastern fare- Click here for location
SIGHTSEEING IN AMSTERDAM ON A BUDGET
The best way to explore this city is on foot/bike. We found ourselves walking for hours until our feet hurt but still not getting enough of the city.
Amsterdam is much more than the cliche city that it is made out to be. Amsterdam has so much more to offer in terms of nature, adventure, arts- you name it and they have it. But this epic experience need not come at a hefty price tag. Here are our top picks while visiting Amsterdam on a budget.
I AMSTERDAM LETTERS
We visited this prominent landmark near Schipol Airport at 7:30 AM and was lucky enough to click a picture without any photo bombers. This place is crawling with tourists all day long and you need to either beat ‘em or join ‘em.
Where can you see the I Amsterdam Letters: It’s most popular location was near the Rijk Museum. But as of 2018, it has been removed. So now the best place to click a photo next to this iconic letters is as soon as you arrive, outside Schipol Airport. The second location is by the Sloterplas lake in the West, though here some letters are known to lie flat while few remain upright.
ELECTRIC LADYLAND MUSEUM
This museum turned up in one of our online researches and we loved the concept. But finding this place was quite challenging with even the locals unaware of its existence.
But all that handwork paid off as this is by far one of the strangest and the most fun museum’s that we have set foot in. The museum takes you through the curator Kumkum Baba’s journey through the Himalayas and other remote locations around the world in search of florescent minerals and stones. The florescent art on display will surely give you a head trip.
Ticket Cost- $5
Location– https://goo.gl/maps/PZvdeqw9GrnqFEWz8
CANALS
When the city has close to 165 canals, its hard not to talk about them. It is truly a pleasure to walk past them every single time. We loved spending afternoons at eateries overlooking the canals, lost in the view for hours. We would strongly recommend a cruise, better yet, a booze cruise.
Book a Booze Cruise with unlimited alcohol– $25
FREE AMSTERDAM WALKING & FOOD TOUR
We became ardent fans of the Dutch lifestyle for all the physical activity they included in their day to day lives. Most times, the pedestrian lanes were more crowded than the road itself. Suit & tie clad men riding cycles to work is a very common sight here.
Click here to join a free 2 hour walking tour. Available twice daily, it starts from the National Monument in Dam Square. Just show up at the meeting point to join the walking tour.
Click here to taste the culture of the city with a free food tour including FREE samples.
EXPERIENCE THE COFFEESHOP CULTURE
You want Coffee, you go to a cafe. You want the “herb of wisdom”, you find a coffeeshop. It is a liberating experience to see people smoking up openly in these coffeeshops. If Amsterdam was a perfume, it would strongly smell of Cannabis. You will get a whiff of its distinct odor, the moment you step out of the airport.
Travel Tip: All those Pulp Fiction fans out there, do visit Betty Boop coffeeshop, where Tarantino wrote most of Pulp Fiction.
HEINEKEN EXPERIENCE
The Heineken Experience involves a tour of the facility and a history lesson on beer making. The tour ends with freshly brewed Heineken and that’s when you realize how different a beer out of can tastes when compared to freshly brewed. It is smoother, less bitter and absolutely fantastic. They also offer awesome Heineken merchandise including personalized beer bottle with your name on it.
Ticket Cost- $20
Personalised bottle- $7
RED LIGHT DISTRICT
You saw this coming, dint you? No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a tour of the red light district. So we lost our way trying to find this place and after much hesitation we ask a passerby and he directs us in the right direction just as cooly as if we had asked the way to the nearest McDonald’s. That’s how touristy this place is nowadays. Be warned, try clicking pictures of the ladies on display here and your camera/phone might end up at the bottom of the canal.
Travel Tip: Visit Oude Kerk, a gothic church bang in the middle of this befitting neighbourhood.
PET DOGS, LOTS OF THEM
If you are a dog lover, you are in for a treat. You will find dogs in all sizes and shapes at the airport, in train stations, inside trains, malls, restaurants….you get the point right? Amsterdam is the first country without stray dogs in the world. Could a city BE more awesome!
OUR LIST OF ABSOLUTE MUST-DO’S IN AMSTERDAM
- City bike tour
- Electric Ladyland Museum- Amsterdam
- Try Stroopwafel
- French Fries at Mannekin Pis, Damrak 41, Amsterdam Centrum
- Try farm fresh fruits at a farmer’s market
- Try the local cheese
- Van Gogh Museum
- Heineken Experience
- Limo beer bike
- Canal booze cruise
We really hope this article has helped in your planning process. Comment down below or click that ‘Contact Us’ button if you have any questions. We would be super happy to help!
Happy Travels!
May I know what was your budget for the whole trip to the Netherlands?
Hey Fousiya,
It will all depend on where you choose to stay and what activities you would like to do while there. You can easily manage on a $75-$100 per day budget. If you stay in a hostel in can go further down.
Happy Travels!