Ever since I transited Schiphol airport when I traveled to the USA for the first time in 2003, I’ve always wanted to visit Amsterdam and the Netherlands. During this trip, I managed to get connecting flights back from Zurich to Amsterdam on Swiss and then Munich to Mumbai on Lufthansa with a 23 hours 45 minutes layover in Amsterdam, which was technically still a connection and not a break journey. My flight from Zurich arrived around 9:10 AM, and I exited the airport and took the shuttle bus to Hampton by Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
I was able to check-in early, and got to my room. The weather outside was cold and wet and I didn’t really feel like going out. But I only had a day in Amsterdam, with my flight to Munich (and onward to Mumbai) the next day at 8:55 AM. So I decide to give it a go and headed out with my rain jacket and umbrella. I bought the 1 day Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket at the hotel front desk, it was around €21,00 I think. There was no way I was going to really use this ticket to its full potential. I was only going to get from Hoofddorp to Amsterdam Central and back.
After reaching Amsterdam Centraal I walked to The Oude Church where I joined the Free Walking tour of Amsterdam at 11:00 AM. After a couple of hours, the tour ended at Dam Square and I decided to hang around there for some time. I then took a tram to have a quick look at the Rijksmuseum. The city was decorated for the upcoming holiday season, so it was nice to see the streets and bridges all lit up.
I decided to quickly get some dinner before I headed back to the hotel, so I stopped at Wok to Walk on Damstraat and the food was surprisingly nice for such a small place. I guess eating hot, flavourful, asian food in cold, wet weather made it even better.
I then walked back from Dam Square to Amsterdam Centraal and took the train back to Hoofddorp and reached the hotel. It was nice to be back indoors, warm and dry. I definitely want to visit Amsterdam again in better weather.
🚆 Hoofddorp to Amsterdam Centraal
🛏️ Hampton by Hilton Schiphol Airport\
🍽️ Wok to Walk Damstraat