I get asked questions about my time in Amsterdam all the time, often from people who aren’t even planning on study abroad. But today, a girl in one of my classes mentioned that she was going to Amsterdam next semester, and I practically pounced on the poor girl and demanded if she needed any tips.
Which made me realize; instead of throwing out random pieces of advice, I wanted to compile all of my tips on Amsterdam into one master post.
And this is it. I present to you, your one-stop-shop for all things Amsterdam.
Pre-Departure:
- Talk to your study abroad office, and make sure you have everything that you need. Are all of your documents in order? Is your passport going to expire anytime soon? Is the school going to take care of any of your paperwork for you, or is it all on you? The Netherlands does not require a visa (thank goodness) but it does require a residence permit.
- Figure out your class schedule. What classes do you need? Will you be taking all electives, or classes for your major/minor (which is what I did)? Most importantly, if you can, GET EVERYTHING APPROVED BEFORE YOU LEAVE. You don’t want to end up switching a class once you are abroad, taking it for a whole semester, and having it not count. Always have a backup (or two, or three).
- Figure out a packing scheme. I definitely took things I didn’t really need and I could have cut down on the amount of stuff I brought. Be super, super picky about what you are bringing. Are you going to wear this on a regular basis? Fine. But your heels need to stay home.
When You Arrive
- BUY A BIKE. If you do nothing else in Amsterdam, buy a bike. I bought mine at Waterlooplein market. They have a pretty decent selection and you can find something inexpensive. See my more complete list of tips for buying a bike here. Public transportation in Amsterdam isn’t cheap, and it is much more convenient to have a bike to take you anywhere.
- Buy a Museumkaart (aka a museum card). It gives you *FREE* access to every. single. museum. in. the. Netherlands. It costs around 60 euros, which seems pricey until you realize that Van Gogh and the Rijksmuseum are close to 20 euros for one visit. Basically, visit at least 3 or 4 museums and you break even (or be like me and visit….a lot).
- Start planning trips. Find a travel buddy or two and make a list of places you want to visit over the semester. Factor in costs of travel, what you want to do there, etc. For example, I didn’t travel to Italy while I was abroad because I had already been to Rome and didn’t see a need to go again when I had seen everything I wanted to. I didn’t choose to go to Switzerland because my friend wanted to go paragliding (nope nope nope) and it would have been super expensive. My biggest tip: do your research (or just look out for my post on how to plan trips while abroad).
- Learn at least A LITTLE Dutch. I was told by Dutchies that I didn’t need to learn the language. And, in theory, they were right. Even if you speak Dutch, people are super nice and will want to speak English with you. But at least learn to say basic, polite things like “Hello,” “Good morning,” “How much is this?” or “I don’t speak Dutch, I’m sorry.”
- If you want cheap anything (things for your apartment, bike parts, random things, etc.) go to IJ Hallen. Its the largest flea market in Europe and has everything you could possibly want.
- Be prepared to trek all over the city for class. I was used to my small campus and being able to walk 15 minutes to the other side of campus. In Amsterdam, however, the university is spread out all across the city. Some days I biked 3 minutes, some days I biked 15 minutes. My dance class was held in Science Park, and it took nearly 30 minutes to bike there. The University of Amsterdam doesn’t have one central campus, so be prepared.
- Speaking of school- European schools are SO DIFFERENT from American. Keep an eye out for a post on adjusting to schools abroad, but be aware that this isn’t your typical American university. Your professors have a different style and there are different expectations. Try to adapt, though, because the first half of study abroad is study. You really do have to keep on top of your work!
- Write everything down. I didn’t blog very much about what I was doing in Amsterdam, I only chronicled my weekend trips.
- Take as many pictures as possible. Photograph random things- your building, your grocery store (aka your local Albert Heijn), your classrooms, every time you walk around the city with your friends. Trust me, you are going to want to remember all of this.
- Find random events to go to. Museums and sights are great, but try to do things that you can’t do every single time you visit a city. We spent a weekend at a food festival in Westerpark, attended a Liberation Day celebration, and partied on a boat on King’s Day.
When You Get Home
- Make a list of all the things that you saw. I still haven’t fully accounted for what I saw, did, etc., in Amsterdam. Most of my weekend trips are documented here on the blog, but I need to actually count how many museums I visited and all the random things I saw and did while I was there.
- Make a scrapbook. This is my plan for Thanksgiving break and after I graduate- to finally print out pictures and organize the 12937985230 post cards and ticket stubs and maps that I collected over 4 months.
- Stay in touch with the friends you made. Even just wishing them a happy birthday or commenting on one of their photos makes it easier to keep up with what everyone is doing in their home countries.
As much as I would love to give out every single piece of wisdom and advice, it is nearly impossible to explain exactly how to do Amsterdam.
You have to immerse yourself in it- get on your new bike and ride around the city. Explore, eat at random cafes, drink Dutch beer (Brouwerij t’ij all the way, guys), talk to locals, join a club if you can, make friends with Dutch students, eat Dutch food, find the real Amsterdam.
Don’t expect it to be all weed and red lights, because it absolutely is not. Dutch people don’t care about that kind of stuff, it is mostly for the tourists. Find the real Amsterdam, not the touristy side.
If you have any questions about Amsterdam, or studying abroad in general, feel free to ask!
