I’d long imagined Amsterdam as a picturesque city of canals, tulips, and windmills.
However, visiting for the first time with my husband and 11-year-old twins quickly showed me a few surprising realities that coexist alongside those postcard-worthy views.
From its frenetic bike culture to its unexpected culinary influences, the city challenged some of my assumptions even as it reinforced others.
Here’s what surprised me most about my first time in Amsterdam.
The bikes are absolutely everywhere … and they’re not stopping for you
I was already aware of Amsterdam’s reputation as a cycling city — thanks to its flat, compact geography.
But until you’re standing at a crosswalk with hundreds of bikes whizzing by in every direction, it’s hard to really internalize just how central cycling is to daily life.
There are more bikes than residents here, and riders of all ages commute with precision and speed.
I spotted the littlest kids perching on handlebars (or even riding their own bikes in the street), people texting while biking, and lots of cyclists running red lights … all while tourists like us scrambled to get out of the way.
Locals aren’t aggressive so much as efficient per se; bikes are treated like vehicles, with their own rules and right-of-way. We learned quickly to look both ways — twice — before stepping into a lane.
It didn’t take me long to realize that my idea of renting bikes for a leisurely family ride through town was not going to be the casual thing I’d thought we might be up for.
Public transit makes cars feel not just unnecessary but actually a bit like a liability
To get around, we mostly relied on Amsterdam’s trams and buses. They ran on time, were comfortable, and took us pretty much everywhere we wanted to go.
But we had a major issue on our way out of town: Since our family of four had lots of luggage for a two-week jaunt through multiple European cities, we called an Uber to get us to the train station when it was time to leave.
This turned out to be a disaster. We left with what we thought should have been plenty of time, but we got stuck in gridlock traffic for far longer than anticipated.
Finally, we ended up jumping out of the unmoving car mid-ride and into a bus (with all our luggage), which we hoped would get us to the train station faster, since they have dedicated lanes.
But by then, it was too late; we ultimately missed our train. At least now I understand why so many locals skip cars entirely.
Indonesian food is one of Amsterdam’s signature dining experiences
At our hotel, I asked the concierge for local recommendations for a celebratory dinner on the evening of my twins’ birthday.
She explained that many traditional Dutch foods are prepared in people’s homes, so there isn’t as huge of a dining-out culture for this cuisine as I’d expected. So she recommended we get a traditional meal of “rijsttafel,” or “rice table,” at an Indonesian restaurant.
Rijsttafel is a Dutch-Indonesian feast born of the country’s colonial ties to Indonesia — the Netherlands colonized Indonesia for roughly 350 years.
It’s presented family-style, with tons of small dishes in the middle of the table for sampling, and served with rice — think satay, rendang, sambal (chili pastes), and vegetables.
The variety lets us sample a wide range of flavors, textures, and spices. It was incredible.
All in all, it felt like a super family-friendly city
Amsterdam has a strong reputation for its permissive sex and drug culture, which we didn’t seek out on a family trip. However, this vibe did seep into things like naughty souvenirs and street art, which slightly raised a couple of tween eyebrows.
That said, we generally found Amsterdam to be incredibly family-friendly. The walkable, compact city is filled with cultural attractions and parks, so even with kids in tow, it didn’t feel overwhelming.
My twins were able to navigate on foot, hop easily on trams, explore the sprawling Vondelpark greenspace, and sample kid-friendly treats, such as warm stroopwafels, from street vendors.
Aside from obvious venues for adults, we didn’t come across many spots where visitors had to be a certain age to step inside, which helped our whole family feel included. Kids seemed to be welcome all over, even in restaurants and pubs where we might not expect to see them back home in the US.
By the time we left, I definitely got why so many people fall hard for Amsterdam — it’s a visually beautiful city that throws some surprises and challenges at visitors, but it still made us feel right at home.
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