What to Pack For Visiting Amsterdam in the Summer

In “Pack With Me,” influencers and editors give us a rundown of their travel must haves and a few travel hacks to go along with them. For this installment, PS senior content director Lena Felton shares her essentials for traveling from California to Europe for a summer weekend in Amsterdam.

For a long time, Amsterdam triggered specific images in my mind: smoke-filled “coffee” houses, a bustling red light district. Its reputation as a raucous, free-wheeling place precedes itself — but that’s something its mayor has actually been trying to change in recent years, and when I recently hopped on a plane to experience the city for the first time, I was much more excited about other images I conjured of the Dutch capital city: folks biking leisurely along picturesque canals, locals lounging in green parks, tourists admiring its cool culture and design.

And that is certainly the Amsterdam I got to experience on the last weekend in August, an unofficial adieu to summer. I was graciously hosted by Yotel Amsterdam, a modern, streamlined hotel located in Amsterdam Noord, a hip neighborhood north of the city center. Although I had to take a (very short) ferry ride to get from the hotel to the main streets of Amsterdam, staying in Noord ended up being a huge plus — I really got a feel for how locals live. (And I made it a habit to end my nights at Yotel’s Deck, a bar and restaurant with tables looking out over a peaceful canal.)

I only had three full days to spend in the city, but that ended up being enough time to hit all the major sights and get a feel for the city’s simultaneously laidback and pragmatic culture. I quickly got the sense that I was doing Amsterdam differently than the hordes of young people bouncing from bar to bar, and I’m grateful I got to see the city in the way I did — but don’t get me wrong, their version looked fun, too.

On my first day in the city, I figured I should do what was recommended to me by everyone I talked to: go on a cruise through the canals. The 75-minute boat ride was the perfect amount of time to learn a bit of history, see some of the city’s landmarks, and admire the colorful houseboats. Afterwards, I climbed the A’Dam Lookout to get a full view of the city, enjoying the contrast of just having seen it all from the water. I spent the rest of the evening walking around Noord and checking out the top-rated Euro Pizza for dinner.

The following day, I knew I wanted to organize my day around biking to experience the city like a local. I was floored by the amount of bikes I saw, literally everywhere. The city’s infrastructure makes biking virtually anywhere extremely easy, and besides a couple of touch-and-go moments, I found it to be the most practical — and honestly, fun — way to get around the city. Gliding along the canals, the wind in my hair, a goofy smile came over my face more than once. I made a few stops on my bike route, first in the Nine Streets, where I ducked into several independent and vintage clothing stores. Then I hopped back on my bike, swerved through the city center’s crowded lanes, and headed south to Vondelpark — the city’s version of New York’s Central Park, filled with people lounging on the grass just like I’d imagined just a couple days before.

That night, it was back to Noord for dinner at the very trendy restaurant Cornerstore, with a college friend who lives in the neighborhood. It was one of those nights that fills you up with warmth, getting to see an old friend while languorously enjoying an excellent, but affordable, vegetarian tasting menu.

My final day was reserved for the arts. I had tickets to Rijksmuseum — known for its collections of works by Dutch greats like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh — in the morning and the Van Gogh Museum in the afternoon. Doing these museums (and even more, like Stedelijk) in a day is extremely doable, given that they’re located in Museumplein, just a couple minutes’ walk from each other. On my way back to Noord, I stopped in De Pijp, a trendy neighborhood home to Albert Cuyp Market, a street lined with stalls where locals barter for everything from fresh eggs to film cameras.

And that night (despite my friend imploring me to check out the clubbing scene, which he said is some of the best anywhere in the world), I took it easy and grabbed a drink at an outdoor bar in NDSM, a district in Noord known for its graffiti art. Lounging outside along the water — admiring the view of central Amsterdam, where I knew the night was only beginning — I was glad I’d done 72 hours in Amsterdam just like this.

Best Travel Tips For a Weekend Trip to Amsterdam

I’d never gone on a short trip to Europe from California before, and I was worried about jet lag. Leaving in the afternoon Pacific time and arriving in Amsterdam in the morning turned out to be a great decision. Though I certainly didn’t sleep the whole way through my 9.5-hour flight, even getting a few hours under my belt meant that I could stay awake for the entire following day. Yotel had also partnered with Fount to let me try its FlyKitt Rescue, a tailor-made regimen of supplements aimed at helping the body beat inflammation and recover from jet lag. Amazingly, I didn’t really feel jet-lagged at any point in the trip, but supplements may not be right for everyone, and you should consult with your doctor before taking them.

The other thing I’ll note is that three full days really did feel like enough. Unlike other major cities like Paris or London, Amsterdam is relatively compact, which means visitors can cover a lot of it in a short amount of time. I had the 72-hour I Am Amsterdam City Card, which gives you access to public transportation and dozens of attractions (my canal cruise, for example, was included with the card), and I’d highly recommend it for any visitor.

Best Packing Tips For a Weekend Trip to Amsterdam

It was a perfect weather weekend (in the mid-70s, with a mix of sun and clouds) when I visited — people kept remarking on how lucky I was that I didn’t experience any rain, which made me realize how common it is. No matter when in the year you’re visiting, I’d recommend bringing a lightweight raincoat just in case.

In terms of getting around mostly on bikes, I was glad that I stuck to a uniform of mainly pants and sneakers. People’s style was relatively laid back, so I also didn’t feel like I needed anything super fancy, even for nice meals out. The nights got chilly, so I made sure to bring a sweater or leather jacket whenever I headed out for dinner.

If you want specifics, here’s my packing list for doing Amsterdam like a local, biking around the city included.