seconding the Rick Steves walking tours! Some are a little outdated but will point out the historical highlights. In fact I think I did a tour of the red light district guided by him. Madrid is SO TIGHT. Eat and drink whatever you can. The big Mercado San Miguel is a food court with a million vendors. Small glasses of vermouth are a thing with your olives and tapas. Restaurant recs - La Malontina, El Imparcial, Cerveceria el Dario. The Royal Palace is amazing if you like looking at bonkers stuff old royalty did with their money.
We did the VIP Heineken tour this past summer and had a great time… hit up your tour guide for some good bar recs, that’s what we did and it was a great time. If you’re there on a Saturday, don’t sleep on grabbing a coffee and walking around the morning markets around the city. Awesome way to meet people and take in the cultural side. Anne frank house, honestly very cool of you can get a spot - they usually book out pretty far in advance. There are also self guided walking tours of that time in Amsterdam that are awesome (shoutout my guy Rick steves for his euro tours in the early 2000s). Have fun my guy.
The Van Gogh museum is also worth checking out if you’re a fan of his art! For classic poffertjes and stroopwafel I recommend going to Albert Cuyp Market (better than the places near Dam Square with all the toppings and long lines). The canals are all nice to walk around, but De 9 Straatjes is especially picturesque. Agree with doing a bike tour if you have time. The bike infrastructure is amazing, and it’s a great way to see more of the city
Echoing that the Anne Frank house is really amazing if you can do it. I also highly recommend a bike tour and/or food tour bc there are so many amazing sites to see and eat at. Plus the tour guides are always in the know of other fun things to do.
seconding the Rick Steves walking tours! Some are a little outdated but will point out the historical highlights. In fact I think I did a tour of the red light district guided by him. Madrid is SO TIGHT. Eat and drink whatever you can. The big Mercado San Miguel is a food court with a million vendors. Small glasses of vermouth are a thing with your olives and tapas. Restaurant recs - La Malontina, El Imparcial, Cerveceria el Dario. The Royal Palace is amazing if you like looking at bonkers stuff old royalty did with their money.
We did the VIP Heineken tour this past summer and had a great time… hit up your tour guide for some good bar recs, that’s what we did and it was a great time. If you’re there on a Saturday, don’t sleep on grabbing a coffee and walking around the morning markets around the city. Awesome way to meet people and take in the cultural side. Anne frank house, honestly very cool of you can get a spot - they usually book out pretty far in advance. There are also self guided walking tours of that time in Amsterdam that are awesome (shoutout my guy Rick steves for his euro tours in the early 2000s). Have fun my guy.
The Van Gogh museum is also worth checking out if you’re a fan of his art! For classic poffertjes and stroopwafel I recommend going to Albert Cuyp Market (better than the places near Dam Square with all the toppings and long lines). The canals are all nice to walk around, but De 9 Straatjes is especially picturesque. Agree with doing a bike tour if you have time. The bike infrastructure is amazing, and it’s a great way to see more of the city
Echoing that the Anne Frank house is really amazing if you can do it. I also highly recommend a bike tour and/or food tour bc there are so many amazing sites to see and eat at. Plus the tour guides are always in the know of other fun things to do.