How to Spend 5 Hours in Amsterdam on a Mini Cruise with DFDS Ferries
BUT - let me tell you, I fell in LOVE with Amsterdam and soaked up every moment we were exploring. It has to be one of the prettiest cities I’ve ever been to and aside from all the bikes coming from every which way, it feels safe and friendly.
In October’24, my husband and I headed back to Amsterdam just the two of us. We went on the DFDS Mini Cruise from North Shields (around eight miles from Newcastle city centre). This gives you five hours in Amsterdam and we spent the time wandering footpaths by the canals, eating a stroopwaffle or two, taking a river cruise to learn more about the interesting buildings around us and generally just soaking up the atmosphere.
Here is a little guide to what you should expect from an Amsterdam Mini Cruise with DFDS Ferries and how to make the most of your (short) time in Amsterdam.
My husband booked this as a surprise getaway for us both so I can’t comment on how much he spent, but if you head to the DFDS website they are always having seasonal sales and special offers on cruises. You can also book the ferry to travel to the Netherlands and take your car. This is still on my bucket list for a European road trip starting from our home in Northumberland.
We booked the Mini Cruise which has an itinerary like this:
Day 1
Check in between 2.30pm – 4.15pm
Depart from North Shields at 5pm
Day 2
9.45am – Arrive in IJmuiden, Holland
10.15 – Coach departs for Amsterdam City Centre (30 mins)
3.30pm – Coach departs Amsterdam for IJmuiden terminal
5.30pm – Ship departs IJmuiden
Day 3
7.30am – Breakfast onboard the ship
9.15am – Arrive back in North Shields
This gives you around five hours in Amsterdam. The coaches drop you off pretty centrally, so it's the absolute minimum connection time, and so easy to find your way to and from drop off points. Our coach driver was very friendly and chatted to us about things to see and do on our way into Amsterdam. It was all well organised.
As you can imagine, a standard cabin is small, but we were only in our cabin to shower and sleep. There are bunk beds and as you can see, our cabin was in the middle of the ship so had no window. I’m not sure if I preferred this or not but as I say, we weren’t in there long, so it didn’t matter. There are larger rooms with more bunks, and you can upgrade to stay in one of the suites, which I must admit did look nice and more like a hotel room.
On board the ship there are two bar areas. One is more like a night club while the second is quieter and more “pub” like. There was a live singer in the quieter bar and we took a pack of cards and just chilled out with our drinks, listening to the music.
We also visited the onboard cinema. There are two screens and each show three different films throughout the evening. You buy a cinema ticket onboard for around the same price as you would at a normal cinema. We watched the latest Deadpool film with snacks bought on the ship.
There’s also a duty-free shop, soft play for kids and a games room. Restaurant wise, there’s a bistro restaurant which you need to book and a buffet restaurant. Neither of these are included in your board, but you can save money by pre-booking when you are booking your cruise.
We paid for breakfast on the morning we were exploring Amsterdam. This is a buffet style breakfast, so a great way to fill up before a busy day exploring. You are allowed to take your own food onto the ship, but it has to be eaten in your cabin. This is a good way to save some money if you are on a budget. We ate sandwiches in our cabin on the first night, as we’d had lunch out before boarding.
It might not sound very long, and the time flies by, but with some careful planning you can fit in plenty of exploring opportunities as well as foodie stops.
Amsterdam is bursting with culture and like I said earlier, is one of the prettiest cities I have been to.
You can wander along the picturesque canals lined with historic houses and vibrant tulips (in the spring). Act like a local and hire a bike to cycle through the stunning Vondel Park or take a leisurely stroll in the Jordaan district, where artisan boutiques are a plenty.
Make sure you also leave time to treat yourself to a coffee and a slice of freshly baked apple pie at a cool café or enjoy the buzz of outdoor terraces as you soak up the lively atmosphere. My favourite spot was on the way back to the coach pick up point, we stopped at a place called Café the Schreiertower and enjoyed a glass of wine next to the canal whilst people watching.
There’s a Madame Tussauds, The Amsterdam Dungeons and NEMO science museum to pay a visit to as well. (I don’t think you would manage all of these in your five hours so perhaps pick one and save the others for another visit.)
If you are more of an art and history lover, the iconic Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum are inspiring, and a visit to the Anne Frank House is a must. I recommend pre-booking a timeslot here before your visit to avoid queuing and wasting precious time.
We also booked a river cruise which I would recommend doing as it was a great way to see as much of the city as possible and the tour offers lots of interesting information and fun facts. It’s very relaxing and lasts 1.5 hours so easily fitted into your schedule.
You can head to some of the famous stroopwaffle and cookie shops, but the trendy ones have huge queues. We stopped by a small stroopwaffle shop that sold exactly the same products and no wait time. I think because time is precious, I would say this is better to do than joining a long queue just for a cookie!
Overall, the Mini Cruise was a great way to explore Amsterdam, everything was easy and relaxed.
It definitely wasn't enough time for me! I’m already planning our return visit with the kids which will include a stop at the science museum and possibly the zoo (this is a separate trip but follows a similar itinerary.) Hopefully you have found this helpful for planning your whistle stop tour of Amsterdam. I think you have to think of the whole trip as an experience, so the ferry over is part of your holiday!
Images by Bethanie Wardell & Unsplash
