It just so happened that one of my favourite bands, La Dispute, played an anniversary tour of their album “Rooms of the House” with only a few tour dates worldwide last year. Amsterdam and Berlin were among the locations and as Amsterdam is actually closer to me than Berlin, I bought my ticket and booked my trip right away. With the concert taking place on a Saturday night, it was perfect to spend some time in the city before and afterwards.

This trip was a bit of a spontaneous decision though, so it all had to happen on a budget.

Mode of travel

I live in Düsseldorf, which is a German city close to the Dutch border, so it’s actually easy to get to Amsterdam on a budget. The easiest way is to go by Flixbus, a long-haul bus trip company that operates all thoughout Europe. They have amazing deals available if you book in advance. I was able to score a roundtrip from Düsseldorf to Amsterdam and back for about 30 €! It’s only about three hours per trip and the only other stop between Düsseldorf and Amsterdam is Duisburg.

I know it’s not always great to be stuck on a bus with strangers because you never know who will sit next to you, but for three hours that’s okay I think. If you really like your personal space though, Flixbus offers an option where you can pay extra to have the seat next to you to yourself. I didn’t do that as I was traveling on a budget, but it’s definitely a nice option to have.

Accommodation

Accommodation in Amsterdam is really expensive compared to a lot of other European cities, so it can be quite hard to find a room on a budget. Of course there’s always affordable dorm rooms in hostels but as I’m getting older I tend to try and avoid sharing a room with strangers, mostly for personal health reasons (as in I don’t want others to have to put up with my health problems). Anyway, so if there’s no other option, I’ll do it but if I can find a cheap single room that I don’t have to share, that’s better. So I researched and as I’m quite stingy, I really wanted to find a room for under 100 € per night. I ended up finding a 13 square meter hotel room with a shared bath on the same floor for 60 € per night and that’s as good as it gets for Amsterdam standards in this price range.

I have to say though that when I checked in, I was happy that I would only stay for one night. The size of the room was fine, I like tiny spaces and find them cosy, so no problem. What put me off quite a bit was the fact that the “shared bathroom” was actually the bathroom of the 6-bed-room next door. So I had to enter other people’s room with a key card to use their toilet/bathroom! Really uncomfortable, especially if you have to use the toilet at night.

Bathroom aside, the hotel hallway smelled like old cooking oil and spices quite a bit because I found out they also have a shared kitchen there.

My room itself was okay but I have to admit I had never seen a latex mattress before (I mean hey, at least no bedbugs!) and I was provided with sheets that were youth hostel style – you had to put them on yourself. The sheets were clean but the duvet had big yellow stains on it, so I didn’t use it. Thankfully it was warm enough to use the sheets as a blanket instead.

So yeah, I can’t really recommend the hotel per se but it’s an okay cheap accommodation in Amsterdam. In case you’re not put off by the things I mentioned above: It’s the “Ironing Room” at Teleport Hotel. To finish off with a positive aspect though, they have a really cute reception cat called Pepper, who has her own Instagram. 🙂

Free or budget-friendly things to do in Amsterdam

The most obvious free activity is to roam around and soak up the vibes and views – something you can do for hours in this city! I’ve been there several times but there is always something new to discover every time.

Amsterdam can be a very expensive city though, especially if you want to visit sights and museums. If you’d like to have the full tourist experience with all the classic sights and save a bit of money, you should at least get the “I Amsterdam Card”, a discount card especially for tourists.

Rijksmuseum Gardens

Rijksmuseum itself is not very budget-friendly unfortunately. Admittance fee is 20-25 €, which is still a good deal considering that their collection is huge and you can easily spend at least half a day there.

If the inside of Rijksmuseum is too expensive for you, you can at least visit the beautiful gardens that surround the building. You can enter them for free, roam around or chill out on a bench for a while.

The Cheese Museum

It might be a bit cheesy (excuse the pun) but in case you like quirky little shops and museums, this place is for you. Visiting the Cheese Museum is free. This place is actually an overpriced touristy cheese shop – so definitely don’t buy your cheese there! Instead visit a normal Dutch supermarket, they have good quality cheeses for much better prices. What you can do at the Cheese Museum though is sample their different cheeses for free. They offer toothpicks to snack on cheese cubes all throughout the shop.

You can also head downstairs to their basement where they put together a little exhibition about the history of cheese making in the Netherlands. There is also a photo booth where you can take photos with a big fake cheese wheel and a cheese maker’s hat. Kitschy touristy fun at its best.

The Tulip Museum

The Tulip Museum follows the same concept like the Cheese Museum: You enter a shop where you can buy tulip bulbs or seeds or basically anything that has a tulip print on it.

For 5 € you can enter their exhibition space in the back and learn about the history of tulips. Good deal for a fiver I’d say. Again, like with the Cheese Museum: Don’t buy your tulips here. Visit one of the many florists or garden centers in Amsterdam and get good quality tulips for normal prices there.

De Winkel Van Nijntje: Miffy Shop

Nijntje, internationally known as Miffy, is basically the Dutch version of Hello Kitty. It’s a little bunny from a series of Dutch children’s books. You can visit the Nijntje Shop on Nieuwe Spiegelstraat and take a selfie with Nijntje and her friends – simply scan the QR code that’s displayed on the posters. If you can hold back and don’t buy anything, this is another free tourist activity.

Free Walking Tours and self-guided street art tours

A great way to discover Europe’s cities on a budget are Free Walking Tours. There might be different providers depending on the city but you’ll definitely find them everywhere – in Amsterdam, too. A local guide will walk you through some of the most famous sights and tell you about them. In the end you decide, how much money you want to pay them – or not because it is free after all (lots of people like to give tips though).

Another cool way to explore Amsterdam and its amazing street art is a self-guided street art tour. This way you walk around, get to see cool artworks and maybe find other cool places along the way. https://www.blocal-travel.com/street-art/street-art-guide-amsterdam/

You can also take the ferry (normal public transport fees apply) from Central Station over to NDSM Wharf and check out the Street Art Museum’s free outdoor gallery (entering the museum itself is 18 €, which is way too pricey in my opinion).

Other things to see and do

These are only a few ideas. What’s always free is to visit parks, sit by the water and watch people. A very budget-friendly way to enjoy Amsterdam’s vibes like a local would for example be to get a drink and a snack at the supermarket and sit by a canal.

If you have a bit more money to spend for sightseeing, there will be a post about everything to see and do in Amsterdam without a budget here on my blog soon!