A Perfect Day: Amsterdam in One Day

Sitting at a table on the waterfront at the Espressobar Puccini is the perfect place to start the day with excellent coffee, scrambled eggs with herbs and salmon, or a sandwich. If you like sweet things, you can treat yourself to a homemade apple pie in the morning – the cakes here are delicious! And I find a sweet souvenir right next door at the Puccini Bomboni chocolate store. The chocolates here are called bonbons, and there are great varieties such as vanilla poppy seed, thyme, or tamarind.

For history buffs, a visit to the Anne Frank House is worth a visit. The story of the Jewish girl who fell victim to Nazi persecution is touching and moving – and is particularly poignant in the house where she was hidden and wrote her famous diary. Admission is by online ticket only, which you have to buy in advance. A visit requires some planning, as tickets are sometimes booked up well in advance.

I love the Museum Quarter in Amsterdam. People come from all over the world to see the works of Rubens, Rembrandt, and Vermeer in the Rijksmuseum. Paintings by some of the most important painters in history, all in one place – it’s great! And right nearby, there is an entire museum dedicated to another Dutch artist: Vincent van Gogh.

When I’m in a hurry, I love to eat at the Thaise Snackbar Bird. You would be pressed to find better Thai food in Bangkok. You can also sit down and enjoy tom kha gai, curries, or pad Thai in peace and quiet, as the owners of the snack bar have opened the Bird Thai Restaurant right opposite.

Even though Thai cuisine is light, it doesn’t hurt to stretch your legs a little after lunch. It’s a 15-minute walk to De 9 Straatjes (The 9 Streets) neighborhood. There are lots of small independent stores with selected products. If I’m feeling hungry after strolling around, I treat myself to fries with parmesan and truffle mayonnaise at Fabel Friet – you can also share them, because calories shared are calories halved.

A canal cruise is particularly enjoyable as the evening approaches. The lights gradually come on in the houses, the sky turns pink, and you sail through the canals. It's incredibly romantic, especially as a couple.

For a drink, especially an aperitif, I go to the Taboo Bar. It’s a queer place, but the Dutch are notoriously open-minded. Everyone who is tolerant is welcome here. Sitting here on the street and watching people with a cocktail in your hand – there’s nothing better! And the house cocktail at Taboo, made with vodka, apple liqueur, cranberry juice, and amaretto, tastes particularly good.

My ideal day in Amsterdam begins with Puccini and ends with Italian opera arias – as well as pop songs and rock ballads. At Pasta e Basta, the waiters sing while they serve the food. It’s so great, I get goose bumps just thinking about it. I've already been there three times, once with friends and twice with my husband – and I can’t wait for the fourth time!

Jeroen Mosselman has been working for Lufthansa as a flight attendant since 2010 and has been a purser since 2017. His connection with Amsterdam is not just the occasional layover in the Dutch capital; he even lived there for eight years. As many of his friends still reside there, he visits Amsterdam three to four times a year.