Netherlands 25: A day trip to Amsterdam

We’d not been back to Amsterdam, since our 2022 trip to Zaandam and the others in our group had never been there, despite visiting the Netherlands multiple times, so we were definitely due a trip there.

So during our second week of our 2025 trip, we arranged a day out in the city. Though we just needed to work out the best way to get there from Duinrell.

Given the issues the others had with the trains getting to Rotterdam, they were keen not to get the train to Amsterdam. Instead, we decided to drive there and use one of the park and rides outside of the city.

Getting to Amsterdam

We’ve used the park and ride in Amsterdam previously at the Olympic Stadium, back in 2014, when we stayed in Castricum. We were going to return there, but then saw there was also a park and ride at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, with access to the Amsterdam Metro.

Despite staying in and around Amsterdam a fair number of times, we’ve never been on the Metro, so this was an added bonus of parking at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Getting there was straightforward enough, starting on the A44 motorway, then past Schiphol Airport on the A4, and along the A10 and A2 motors, to the south of the city. After parking up, then figuring out how we buy tickets, we made our way to the Bijlmer ArenA station.

There was a short wait for a Metro train to arrive, then it was a fairly quick ride to Amsterdam Centraal, of just over 20 minutes. Arriving at the station, first thing we did was head to the rear of the station, where the ferry terminal is.

Wandering round Amsterdam

After stopping and watching ferries coming and going, we made our way through the underpass, under the station, then stopped briefly at the Stationsplein underwater cycle parking, in front of the station. This looked fantastic, but I didn’t get opportunity to have a look inside.

Our next destination was the Tony’s Chocolonely Superstore. Now easily available in the UK, there was a time when Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate was a rare treat when we were in the Netherlands, just like Chocomel and the kids were really keen to stop there.

Inside Tony's Chocolonely Superstore — Inside Tony’s Chocolonely Superstore

Thankfully, the queue to get in wasn’t too long, which we were pleased about, as there wasn’t a massive amount inside. It was largely filled overpriced merchandise and lots of chocolate (unsurprisingly), plus the opportunity to make a custom bar. Though this was expensive and had a long queue, so we didn’t bother.

Leaving there, we made our way along Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, stopping at some skateboarding shops along the way, as we headed towards De 9 Straatjes (The 9 Streets). This grid of streets, with interesting shops, cafés and more in a picturesque setting is a popular destination for tourists.

We had a lovely time wandering round the 9 Streets and the other streets in the surrounding area, where we stopped at a small café to grab some sandwiches for lunch. We really enjoyed walking around in the sunshine in such a walkable area. While there were plenty of tourists, it didn’t feel too busy.

After splitting with the rest of our group, we continued our wander, making our way along Singel and past the famous flower market. From there, we made our way through some of the quieter streets of the canal belt to the Rijksmuseum.

Passing through the Rijksmuseum on the walking and cycling route through the building, we made our way to Museumplein, which was in the process of being renovated. This work has included renovation of the pond and the construction of a new skate park.

While the work on the pond was in progress, the new skate park was open and in use. The skate was really impressive and significantly larger than the one that was there previously.

It’s great that Amsterdam has installed this fantastic skate park and put it in such a central position in the city. This is very different to what you see in the UK and especially in Manchester. Here, skate parks are banished to out of the way locations, which then leads to low levels of social safety and potentially, antisocial behaviour.

We sat a little while in the sun in Museumplein, overlooking the skatepark and watching the world go by, but then it was time to move on.

On the Metro platform at Bijlmer ArenA station

On the Metro at Waterlooplein station — On the Metro platform at Bijlmer ArenA station

Wandering round De Pijp

After leaving Museumplein, we made our way to the De Pijp district, with a plan to get something to eat. Before that, we started with a wander round the Frans Halsbuurt neighbourhood, which was a very pleasant surprise.

While I was aware of Amsterdam’s plans to remove thousands of parking spaces, I didn’t know before about the plans to remove cars from the Frans Halsbuurt neighbourhood, as part of a redevelopment of the area.

The redevelopment isn’t just about removing cars, it’s about creating a climate-resilient area with space for pedestrians, cyclists, greenery and play areas for children. Looking at old photos of the streets in the area, it’s really impressive how much they’ve been improved.

Restaurant seating on Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat

Where once the streets were filled with parked cars, they’re now filled with greenery and lots of it. Everywhere you look, there’s trees and plants. Lots of those are part of the redevelopment, but they’ve also been added to by residents, with their own planting. I particularly liked the recycled tins used as planters.

While cars are still permitted, they are there very much as guests, so traffic levels are very low and there’s very limited car parking. The design of the streets enforces this, making it difficult to drive at speed, with multiple calming measures.

All of this creates space for people, to walk, cycle and to linger. Around the area, there’s various bars and restaurants spilling out onto the streets, with ample tables and chairs, where once there would have been parking spaces.

Restaurant with outdoor seating on Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat

The combination of the gentle density of the building and the public realm improvements has created a fantastically livable neighbourhood. I have to say I am very jealous of the people living round there!

We continued our wander until we reached Albert Cuypstraat, where we found somewhere to eat. We stopped at Sababa, which specialises in Middle Eastern food and Dutch classics. Sitting outside in the early evening, we enjoyed some kebabs, while taking in the atmosphere.

After eating, we made our way back through Frans Halsbuurt and then back to the Rijksmuseum. It was now time to be heading back to Duinrell, so we set off to the nearest Metro station.

Going back to Duinrell

The closest Metro station at Vijzelgracht was just a short walk from the Rijksmuseum. Opening in 2018, this Metro station is built on the location of the Vijzelgracht canal, which was filled in back in the 1930s.

It wasn’t long before we were back at Bijlmer ArenA station, then in the car park at Johan Cruijff ArenA. We did have a little trouble working out how to pay for parking, but soon we were on our way back to Duinrell, after a fantastic day in Amsterdam.