Resources for Amsterdam Travel from California

Traveling to Amsterdam from Ventura County is actually fairly simple. There are plenty of flights with just one stop and Amsterdam itself is a delightful city that is not hard to navigate. For more on our experience in Amsterdam, click here. (Link live after March 5th)

Food- or garden-related events to check out and dates to be aware of in 2024:

April 1–30 Tulip Festival: Find tulips in hundreds of locations around the city.

April 4–6 Amsterdam Coffee Festival: Meet and mingle with the best Dutch coffee roasters and enjoy samples, master classes, food, cocktails and more.

April 18–21 Amsterdam Wine Festival: Three days of music, wine, workshops and so much more.

April 20 The Flower Parade near Keukenhof: See keukenhof.nl/en for updates and ticket information. 

May 5 Liberation Day: Like our Independence Day, the Dutch celebrate May 5 as the day the Netherlands was free from German occupation. 

May 8–12 Rolling Kitchens in Westergas: Free to enter, this event brings mobile kitchens and food trucks together for three days of open air culinary feasts. Rollendekeukens.amsterdam

June 1 Taste of Amsterdam in Amstelpark

June 7–9 and 14–16 Bacchus WineFestival: Two weekends of wine, food and music to celebrate the summer season.

Winter Markets in Amsterdam 2024 (dates have not been released at the time of this writing):

The markets get VERY crowded in the evenings and weekends. Some are only open for a few short days. Plan ahead and expect to wait in some lines. There are plenty of other markets in surrounding areas that can be added to the list if your trip dates work.

• The Christmas Village: Open in Museumplein from mid-December until just before Christmas, traditionally this village pop-up has ice skating (though it was absent in 2023), lots of warm drink options, local food and craft artisans. 
• Funky Xmas market: Offered just twice during the month, this is a fun market to see the best of local artisans and perhaps find some special gifts.
• Pure Markt Wintermarkt: This sustainably focused market is a year-round monthly pop-up but has a festive bent for its December date.
• The Sustainable Christmas Market at De Ceuval: Offered for two weekends of the month, this market offers sustainable goods and natural drinks and bites often with vegan and gluten free options. 

For more information about the city cards for events and transportation click here.

Traveling the world sustainably

While in Amsterdam, I had an enlightening conversation with a local geology teacher who had decided that he had done more than enough air travel in his life and to do more would be irresponsible from a carbon footprint perspective. He and his wife still traveled around Europe, but it was by bicycle for the most part. His only regret in his choice seemed to be that he would not be able to see the Grand Canyon in person. 

Tips to keep your travel more sustainable:

•    Buy a reusable bottle at the airport, or bring an empty water bottle, and refill it often on your trip. 

•    Pack lighter. We bought travel backpacks and packed strategically so that we only had a carryon each. 

•    Fly economy whenever possible. The less room you take on a plane, the smaller the carbon footprint. 

•    Use public transportation locally whenever possible.

•    Eat locally—local food made by local vendors has a smaller carbon cost.

•    Stay in eco-friendly hotels. Amsterdam is very eco-conscious, so while there may be a “Best of” list out there, many of the hotels have energy savings and low-waste procedures already in place. 

•    Do only one long flight or international trip per year and keep your home life as waste free as possible as a balance.

•    Use the Curb6 carbon footprint calculator to determine the carbon cost of your trip: Curb6.com.

•    Offset your travel by supporting projects that reduce emissions: SustainableTravel.org.