Amsterdam, honestly — and the trips worth taking from here
Hi! I’m Steff. I’ve lived in Amsterdam for eight years, and I write the Amsterdam guides I wanted when I arrived — where to actually eat brunch, which gym is worth it, how to get a car without owning one, and where to go when you need to leave the city for a while.
Start Here
The three guides people come back to most.

25 Best Brunch & Breakfast Spots in Amsterdam
Sorted by neighbourhood, with what to order and which ones you need to book. Eight years of weekend research.

The Best Gyms in Amsterdam (in English)
Spin, reformer Pilates, weights and HIIT — which studios run classes in English, and how to try several before committing.

17 Canal Tours, Ranked by a Local
I took them so you don’t have to guess. Ranked by price, crowd size and route.
Living in Amsterdam
The practical stuff nobody tells you when you move here.
- Car sharing in Amsterdam — every app compared on price, and how to get a car without owning one
- ClassPass vs Urban Sports Club — which flexible fitness app is actually worth it
- Female-only gyms in Amsterdam — six of them, and which are fully women-only
- The 10 best Pilates studios — reformer, mat and everything between
- Vegan brunch in Amsterdam — including which places are fully vegan, not just vegan-friendly
- Side hustle ideas in the Netherlands — realistic ways to earn on the side here
Trips Worth Taking
Longer routes, properly walked and driven — not researched from a desk.

5 Days in Scotland by Car
Edinburgh to the Highlands, with where to stay each night — and a guided option if you’d rather not drive.

4 Days in the Sahara
Marrakech to Merzouga through the Atlas mountains. The brightest night sky I have ever seen.

One Month in Patagonia
A full month, day by day — including eight days on the O Trek in Torres del Paine.
Latest Posts
- G Adventures Nairobi to Cape Town Review: 40 Days, 8 Countries, and What It Really Costs40 days, 8 countries, 27 nights in a tent. What the G Adventures Nairobi to Cape Town overland really costs, who it suits, and whether I’d book it again.
- Things to Do in Utrecht: A Local’s One Day GuideUtrecht is 27 minutes from Amsterdam and half the crowds. A local’s guide to the Dom Tower, the split-level canals, DOMunder and the best way to spend one day.
- Day Trips from Amsterdam: Train or Tour? (2026)Nine day trips from Amsterdam compared — which are better by train, which are worth a guided tour, and the three where the tour is actually cheaper.
- 2 Days in Amsterdam: What to DoTwo days in Amsterdam is enough — as long as you accept, on day one, that you are not going…
- Is There Uber in Amsterdam? Getting Around, HonestlyYes, Uber works in Amsterdam. The locals also use a very similar app called Bolt, which tends to be cheaper….
- Firework-Free New Year’s Eve Hotels in the Netherlands (With Your Dog)If you live in or near Amsterdam, you’re familiar with how intense New Year’s Eve can be. Between the fireworks,…
Who’s writing this
We are Steff and Victor, American and Brazilian by birth but citizens of the world! Together we lived in USA, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Singapore, Netherlands, and Spain; and combined we visited more than 50 countries. As passionate travelers and fellow expats, we created this blog to share our experiences, adventures, and insights from living in Europe and exploring the world.





