Amsterdam Alone: Solo Travel That Feeds The Soul And Spirit
I chose to travel by myself to this famous destination to not only create my own unique experience but experience my own companionship.
For all of my solo travel experience in the U.S. (typically business trips), I’d never taken on the adventure of international solo travel. Foreign travel seems like such a special experience that I’d always wanted to share it with a partner, family, or friends.
But after taking several trips last year with big, fun groups of friends, I felt ready to do something bold and exciting: take a trip to Europe alone. But it was hard for almost everyone I know to understand the attraction of a solo trip abroad.
“Why are you going by yourself?” I answered this question several dozen times as I told people I was taking my solo adventure to Amsterdam, a city that has been on my travel wish list for a long time.
My answer was honest: I just want to be free to do whatever it was I wanted to do while visiting this place I had heard so much about. Sometimes when traveling with others, I bend and acquiesce to what others want to do. And that’s ok- compromise is what traveling as a group or a couple is all about.
Planning a trip for yourself, though, you get to pick everything customized to what you want to do. If you would spend hours in museums but your partner or friends don’t want to, maybe you compromise and later feel a bit cheated out of that experience. This won’t happen when you are in total control over how you spend your time.
Travel is an experience that usually leaves a lasting impact on us, regardless of whether we are alone or not. But traveling alone is uniquely special because you become your own companion in marveling at your exploration and learning.
I also felt a bit “19th-century writer looking for inspiration” taking over my soul while making my plans and picturing myself sitting at outdoor cafes and biking along Amsterdam’s famed canals.
Amsterdam Is So Much More Than Red Lights
Amsterdam is not a huge city like London or Paris, and it's well known for its ease of getting about via walking, biking, and public transport. I knew I could easily jump into the humming rhythm of the city.
Amsterdam is also well-known for being a place of legal hedonism, with its coffee shops selling legal cannabis and its Red-Light District selling legal prostitution (complete with window displays).
The Red-Light District is a small section in one area of the central city. It’s easily avoidable and does not spill over onto the feeling of safety throughout the rest of Amsterdam. After sunset, it does become raucous just like it does on Broadway in Nashville or The Strip in Las Vegas. But it by no means defines this city and all it has to offer.
If you are inspired to take a solo trip to Amsterdam, book it before you let other people make you fearful of traveling alone (and they will) or someone tries to crash in and come along on what you want to be your exclusive-to-you experience.
I was so engrossed in gazing at the amazing skinny buildings, learning from local guides about the history of Amsterdam, watching the locals bike while holding an umbrella in one hand, and trying to find my next source of Dutch pancakes and poffertjes, I had no time to go in search of the one section in town that people wrongly identify as what Amsterdam is all about.
I like to immerse myself in a neighborhood within a big city that allows me to feel part of that community. I often choose to book with Airbnb or a similar booking site and stay in a flat. On this trip, I chose The Jordaan area which is where the Anne Frank Museum is located and is also picturesque, not-too-busy, and home to so many great restaurants and cafes (many coffee shops actually serve coffee). It’s within short walking distance of the Royal Palace and Dam Square, as well as many tram lines that crisscross its streets.
I also fell in love with the area south of Vondel Park and the major museums like the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. If spending time immersed in the huge trove of art and history in the museums is high on your list, check out staying in this area. It’s serene yet bustling with energy, a close walk to tons of restaurants, and the all-important tram lines.
If booking a room in an established American hotel chain location makes you feel safest, by all means, choose that type of lodging. Just avoid the area near the Red Light District and consider staying within the many “rings of canals” that surround the various neighborhoods. Don’t let anyone talk you out of the choice that brings you the most peace of mind on your solo trip. Your feeling of safety is your most important travel accessory.
Like so many other centuries-old cities, Amsterdam is a complex labyrinth of tiny streets and walkways. And, several Dutch street names that intersect each other sound very similar: Westerkade-Westerstraat; Bloemstraat-Bloemgracht. However, the rings of canals are in a pattern around the central city and can serve as a helpful guide to successfully navigating your way around when exploring on your own.
I did not encounter anyone working in restaurants, shops, and attractions who didn’t speak English. But, if you’re afraid of getting lost in a strange place without speaking the local language, here’s an idea. Take pictures of the landmarks you need to recall when it’s time to make an important left or right turn to get back to your lodging. Since I don’t speak Dutch, I found using landmarks as guides was often easier than remembering (or pronouncing) the street names. I still got turned around and went the wrong way a few times, but this allowed me to discover new neighborhoods I didn’t have on my to-do list.
I did learn the simple, “Dank U Wel” to offer a thank you when a kind Dutch person gave me some help.
Launching The Trip With A Guided Tour
In many cities, this might be a “hop on-hop off” bus tour but in Amsterdam, it really must be the canal boat tour. On the day I arrived, while battling jet lag, I was able to learn so much about the city where I would spend the next four days and also just sit back and let my boat captain do the navigation.
You can choose your boat tour from the many offered based on the start/end point. My cruise had a pickup and drop off right in front of the Anne Frank Museum, which I knew was within walking distance of my lodging and also would leave me near the museum I planned to visit that same day.
On day two of my trip, with a bit more energy, I took a two-hour bike tour through Amsterdam, which gave me a look at some places I may not explore in-depth and a feel for others I would return to with more time later in my visit.
I’m a huge fan of booking tours and special experiences whether I’m traveling alone or with others. My go-to booking company is Viator; they are a one-stop place to browse dozens (maybe hundreds) of guided tours and special events that put you in the hands of very knowledgeable and helpful local guides.
When you are traveling alone, this is a way to also connect not only with the local guides and people running the tours but with other travelers who might also be a source of recommendations or interesting stories. Tours can also serve as the “anchor” of your day, around which you might then plug in your times for shopping and dining.
Here’s another reason to plan your tours and tickets to museums and shows well before you leave: travel is what everyone is doing this year. Don’t think because you just need one ticket you can walk up to the box office of an attraction and buy your admission. It’s crucial to book tickets, especially for the Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and other major attractions. For Anne Frank, try to grab your desired time a month out from your visit when the tickets first become available.
The Single Advantage
It’s possible, however, that busy restaurants may still accommodate a single diner even when they’re booked. I was able to charm my way to a table at some very popular, booked-out restaurants. Amsterdam restaurants are very small because they are housed in these centuries-old small buildings. There may be 10 or even fewer tables in some of the hottest spots. So as a single, you may have the advantage of creeping into a spot at a bar or, as I did with the popular authentic Dutch fare restaurant Moeder’s (Dutch for Mothers, hundreds of whom are pictured on the walls).
I popped in when they opened at 4 pm and inquired about any “wiggle room” for a single. I caught the eye of proprietor Micki, and she asked me to come by at 7 pm and she would see what she could do. She not only had a nice table for me, she personally waited on me, we chatted and had a shot of Schnapps together!
“I like to travel alone, too,” Micki explained. “So when I saw you alone, I want you to feel welcome.”
A great advantage solo travelers have is to notice so much more of the place exploring alone. When I allow myself to take my time and really soak up what’s going on around me, I noticed more of the buildings built 400 years ago that are still standing majestically, though maybe leaning a bit. I notice what my boat guide Andre shared about the history and different types of canal boat homes that line the many waterways. I notice the thousands of gold plaques along the streets in front of houses, placed in remembrance of the many Jewish residents of Amsterdam who once lived there but were killed during the Holocaust.
Travel Planning Tip
Once I made the decision to travel alone to Amsterdam and had my flight and lodging chosen, I start plugging my ideas of things to do into the Urbaniser app to map out the locations and figure out how to accomplish the must-do things on my list.
If you haven’t used the Urbaniser app, definitely download it and experiment with it as a way to gather together everything on your list to do. You can save your ideas of things to do that you read somewhere, or someone recommends, including restaurants, shopping, and just walk-by sightseeing. You can view everything together on a color map that gives you a great view of proximity between things on your to-do list (hands down a big improvement over the Excel spreadsheet).
Which things can I do in one day because they are located near each other? Where are restaurants for lunch and dinner near the places I plan to visit each day?
Urbaniser also helps to create a daily itinerary that’s realistic and allows for a “pivot”- often our dreams are bigger than our time and energy allow on the actual trip.