Last updated on March 8th, 2018 at 08:55 pm
Living like a local is a key vacation trend for 2015 according to the ABTA. Travelers are looking for more authentic holiday experiences. We love that there are ways to stay, eat, and play that feature distinct local flavors. Some destinations have many opportunities to connect with locals. The Dutch capital of Amsterdam is one of those places. It is a quirky urban village brimming with culture and community not readily available to tourists. So how do you find these opportunities to live like a local and have an authentic travel experience in Amsterdam?
Stay Where Locals Live or Step back in Time
Amsterdam has a wealth of unique accommodation choices. We always prefer to stay like a local with Airbnb and there are 565 entire place rentals $100 or less to choose from in Amsterdam! When we can’t find an Airbnb rental we like we opt for hotels with historical appeal. There are many hotels in Amsterdam right in the historical center. The Hotel CC is one, composed of three heritage buildings with no two rooms the same it boasts a primo location on the oldest street in the city!
Eat with a Local Host or Where the Locals Love
Peer to peer dining opportunities are part of a local travel experience and Amsterdam has lots to choose from. Nothing defines a culture and its people more than how and what they love to eat. Sites like Bookalokal.com and Eatwith.com make it easy to find local dining options to experience in Amsterdam. Travellers visit hosts’ homes to eat and experience local food and tradition specific to a neighborhood or region. Amsterdam has a variety of these opportunities. We look forward to trying more than one when we visit Amsterdam! Spotted By Locals.com is a site that provides online and mobile city guides kept up to date by local “spotters”. If you want to eat or drink where locals do they make it easy to find great restaurants and pubs that locals love.
Play Where Locals Play and Do as Locals Do
We are so happy that sites exist to connect visitors with locals for tours and local experiences. Locals are the experts when it comes to the best in any city. Travelers can benefit from their perspective and get to know a destination more intimately. Great sites to use to connect with locals for activities in Amsterdam are Excursiopedia or Likealocal. Both offer a multitude of activities inspired and led by local people. Amsterdam breaths history, there is so much to see and do. There is no better way to make sure you experience the best than with a local lead tour. You can hang out where locals do on your own. Spend a day in Vondel Park, stroll through the Jordaan Neighborhood or shop the Albert Cuyp Street Market.
Living like locals in destinations has enriched our travel experiences and saved us money choosing local picks over guidebook recommendations. This trend is having a positive impact on the travel industry and it’s never been easier to connect with locals and create authentic experiences travelling.
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Will visit Amsterdam on Tuesday and your Tipps really helped me a lot, thanks! 😀
Have a great time Joy! Amsterdam is an amazing city, I hope you find my tips helpful too.
Thanks for sharing this information!
I am hoping to visit Amsterdam in April during my 3 week traveling back home to Tallinn, Estonia.
Hopefully I will be able to fulfill my plan of traveling each day on $50 or less 🙂
At least according to Nomadic Matt it is possible and I really wanted to put his book,
“Travel The World on $50 a Day” up to the test. Sounds like I will need to be meeting lots of locals haha
What do you think Tracey, about $50 a day in Amsterdam? Achievable?
Hey Andrei! I’m glad you found the article helpful. There are lots of great tips in Matt’s book. I think you can visit Amsterdam on $50 USD a day, but it will take some strategizing. Airbnb private or shared rooms, dorm beds in hostels, cooking some meals and learning local preferences for where to eat out and grab drinks will save you a lot of money! There are some great apps to track travel costs, Trail wallet is a really good one. I find we save more when we are tracking what we spent as we travel. Using this app really helped keep us on budget.I think you can do it Andrei!