Jordaan

Book tickets six weeks ahead. Seriously. My friend showed up without tickets and could not get in. It is one of the most powerful museum experiences you will ever have.

The world's first museum of fluorescent art, run by one guy in his basement. My neighbor brought his parents here and his dad talked about it for three days straight. It is tiny, weird, and totally unforgettable.

Nine tiny streets connecting the canals, packed with boutique shops, vintage stores, and cute cafes. My coworker Lotte does all her birthday present shopping here and always finds something you would never see anywhere else.

My coworker Thomas has been going here every Friday for three years straight. The spare ribs are stupid good and the portions are honestly aggressive.

My friend Emma dragged me here on a Sunday morning for what she called the best apple pie in Amsterdam. She was not exaggerating. Get a slice with whipped cream and sit by the canal.

My friend Marco is Italian and this is the only pizza place in Amsterdam he respects. Thin crust, wood-fired, no nonsense. The margherita is perfect and the line moves fast.

The walls are covered in photos of moms. Literally hundreds of them. My friend Jake from Texas said the stamppot here tasted like a Dutch grandma adopted him. Bring your group and your appetite.

The oldest brown cafe in Amsterdam. My coworker Thomas drinks his Friday beer here and the apple pie is famous for a reason. Pure gezellig.

My coworker Thomas says this is where Amsterdam invented coziness. A brown cafe from 1786 with a canal-side terrace so pretty it hurts. Grab a beer, sit outside, and watch the boats go by.

Friends of mine stayed here last spring and literally tried to extend their trip by a week. Right in the Jordaan, canal view, and weirdly affordable for what you get.

Spread across 25 canal houses in the Jordaan. My friend Sara calls it the most Amsterdam hotel in Amsterdam. She is not wrong.