What to Expect in Amsterdam :: 5 Tips for Travelers

For those of you curious about going to Amsterdam, I have made a list of useful things you should expect when visiting (and when traveling in general):

1.  Expect to be bombarded by bikes 24/7! Amsterdam is home to the largest amount of bikers in the world. There are approximately 16,600,000 people inhabiting the Netherlands and about 16,500,000 bikes in the area. With that fact, tourists need to respect the bikers space and remain alert at all times. I'm not gonna lie, I was close to getting rammed many times during my trip. Tip: Don't jaywalk and look both ways before crossing,,, multiple times. 
2. Get your tickets for the Anne Frank House three months prior to your trip. The Anne Frank House is a hot commodity. It is a definitely must to go see. You do not want to be waiting outside for three hours to get inside. To avoid the lines in total, get your tickets at least three months in advance!
3. Bring a jacket! Yes, even if you go during the summer months, When I went in June to Amsterdam, I was expecting it to be pretty bearable (somewhere in the 70's). Well, I was wrong. The days were pretty chilly and sometimes windy. I would recommend to bring a jacket and an umbrella.
4. Use Yelp to find good restaurants. Both locals and tourists use Yelp to give their honest review on restaurants in town. The last thing you want to do is get stuck in a tourist trap and have to pay a lot of money for one meal (trust me, it's happened to me before. No joke, I paid 300 euros for a fish in Italy). Ever since my crazy experience in Italy, I have used Yelp. It has not let me down! 
5. Lastly, make sure you have an itinerary set with reservations and all. In Amsterdam, I wasn't as on my game and decided to go with the flow. Well, I lost out on many opportunities (one was getting the chance to ride bikes near the windmills. Bummer). Make sure you research ahead of time and make reservations. Oh, and please ride bikes near the windmills for me. *Sigh*

Thank you so much for reading!

Stay beautiful,

Sofia