On the second leg of our mini European adventure, we traveled to Amsterdam via Thalys high speed train. We booked the 11:16 am trip from Paris-Nord and arrived at Amsterdam Centraal at about 2:45 pm.
Day 4
We stayed at the Radisson Blu in the city center. Check out the view from our street corner!
Amsterdam’s canals are a UNESCO World Heritage Site
We took a 45-minute Uber ride out of the city to the Keukenhof tulip gardens. The gardens are only open about eight weeks a year in the late spring.
Endless fields of tulips
Back to Amsterdam for a late dinner at Michelin-starred Bolenius.
Sorbet and Amsterdam-inspired mini desserts at Bolenius
Day 5
Off to Zaanse Schans for wooden shoes and windmills! The village is about a 25-minute Uber ride from Amsterdam. Touristy, yes, but worth it.
Shops and windmills
Shoemaking
Zaanse Schans features several working windmills, one of which is De Kat, which produces paints. We ducked in for a quick tour for €5.
De Kat windmill and its cozy interiors
Headed back to Amsterdam and squeezed in a visit to the the Rijksmuseum.
Art and street music at the Rijksmusem.
We took the 7:15 pm Thalys train to Paris for our flight home the next day.
Travel Notes
- We missed out on a canal tour and on visiting the Anne Frank House, technically doable in our 2 days if we had (a) took an earlier train to Amsterdam on day 4 or (b) gotten up earlier on day 5.
- The city is beautiful but crowded. Be mindful of the pedestrian and bicycle lanes!