This post in partnership with The Gay Passport

Amsterdam will always hold a special place in my heart. I first visited after college in my early twenties. I was doing a little backpacking trip on my own, and I honestly didn’t know what I was doing or where I was going. I arrived in Amsterdam and immediately fell in love. The city is so uniquely beautiful, with its canals, bikes, and beautiful flowers. I was immediately struck by the beautiful people and their open-mindedness. The city played a huge role in my eventual coming out, and therefore it will always be dear to me. I was super excited to take Harper for his first time, as I knew he would fall in love as well. Hopefully you all visit and love it all the same. Here are some of my suggestions from our latest trip!

What to Do

Walk Around the Canals

Amsterdam is one of those cities where you can just walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. It’s super easy to get lost around the canals, but you also don’t mind because they are so beautiful. We spent hours exploring the different canals, finding a café, having a drink, while watching the boats and bikes go by. It’s so perfect and relaxed. I also recommend exploring by bike!

Take a Boat Ride

One of the best ways to experience the city is by boat in the canals. Harper surprised me with a private boat ride with E Boats Amsterdam for my Birthday. It was so romantic and perfect. It was this beautifully restored wooden motor boat, and the captain provided a charcuterie board and a bottle of rose. Does it get more perfect than that? Our captain took us around the canals, answered our questions, and explained some of its interesting history.

Where to Stay

The Albus Amsterdam City Centre

This trip The Gay Passport set us up with an amazing stay at The Albus Amsterdam City Centre. We loved it for a lot of reasons. First, the room had this incredible bathtub! Perfect size for us. It was a bit rainy when we first arrived, so this tub was the perfect way for us to get all warm and cozy again!

We also loved that our room came stocked with its very own Heineken keg. That’s right, our room had our very own Heineken beer on tap. For those who don’t know, Heineken was founded in Amsterdam, and still plays a big role in the city. We also couldn’t believe how comfortable the bed was. Maybe it was also the jetlag, but we slept in so late the next day we completely missed breakfast. Oh well, that’s what vacation is all about :) We also loved how central the hotel was to the rest of the city. Located right at the intersection of multiple canals, it is in the perfect location. It was also right across the street from the main gay street in Amsterdam. The hotel staff was very friendly and eager to help us when we had questions. Couldn’t recommend this hotel more for your next trip!

Where to Eat and Drink

Amsterdam has a ton of great café and restaurant/ bar locations. Here were some of our favorites.

Buffet van Odette

This was the cutest little brunch spot that was recommended to us right off one of the canals. We ordered some omlettes and they were very delicious. I heard their dinner is very good as well.

Glou Glou

A wine bar that serves only natural wines. We didn’t know about natural wines before, but they are essentially wines that are all organic and have no additives…and all very delicious. We stayed at this spot for a couple hours, sipping wines, and people watching the locals.

Foodhallen

We LOVE a good food hall! Foodhallen was in what looked to be in an old warehouse, and it was full of delicious options. Plus there was a super tasty G&T bar located inside as well. Harper and I both love our G&T’s, and surprisingly so do the Dutch. I’ve never seen so many G&T specific bars in any other city.

Coffee & Coconuts

We met a friend at this coffee shop/cafe for one of our breakfasts. It’s HUGE. Like 3-4 floors, I lost track. The food was really tasty and the interior is beautiful with a fun beachy vibe.

Rooftop of The W Hotel

This was one of our favorite spots. Located right across from the Royal Palace, The W Rooftop had incredible views of the city and a super fun vibe. There is a beautiful bar at the top, and surprisingly it wasn’t too crowded. We stayed up there for hours enjoying the views and watching the sunset.

Scandinavian Embassy

Some of the best coffee we had in Amsterdam. We went twice because it was so good. Cute Scandinavian vibe with white walls and looks of wood. You’ll love their lattes.

Blue Amsterdam

Very cute café located at the top of a busy shopping mall. It has some pretty killer views of the city. We grabbed a quick breakfast here before out train ride back to Paris.

Summary

Well there you go. These were some of our favorite spots from our most recent trip to Amsterdam! Can’t wait to go back and explore more! If you’re on the lookout for more Gay friendly travel tips, I highly recommend checking out the articles on The Gay Passport, like these guides to Gay Amsterdam, Bacelona and Bali. Hope you all get a chance to visit as well. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you for reading! Leave us a comment below :)

This post is sponsored by The Gay Passport, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

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