A bit late to post here but thought I would share my experience. Went to Amsterdam and Paris for my honeymoon in June 2025 and loved every bit of the trip. This was me and my wife’s first ever Europe trip. I had planned for months leading up to it. Sharing some photos of the iconic landmarks that are instantly recognizable. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what we did, the pros and cons of each city! Also, we are not museum people. So no museums in Amsterdam or Paris except of course the Louvre.
Travel Sim- we got this from MobiMatter. Honestly, great prices and probably the best to use. Not sure why it isn’t talked about enough.
AMSTERDAM- Honestly, Amsterdam has been a dream of mine to visit since forever. The canals, the streets, the bikes and everything about it has intrigued me for years. So, I decided to go here for a few days before moving to another city. Oh also, the weather here is quite unpredictable. Pack a windbreaker or a denim jacket and get an umbrella.
Hotel & Transit- Booked the Crowne Plaza hotel near Zuid Metro. Perfect location and the hotel was about $275cad per night. For the transit, we got the 3 day pass. I think it was €25 or so.
Day 1- Landed in the afternoon. Went to hotel. Relaxed, refreshed and went to the city centre where we had a free walking tour scheduled. Had some time before the tour so walked around, ate and clicked pics. The tour was amazing. Learned so much about the city and its history. Then ate in the evening and went to the hotel to recover from the jet lag.
Day 2- No plans for the day until the night cruise. Got up super early and went to the city centre. Just kept wandering the streets. Walked by Anne Frank house and walked around Jordaan neighborhood. It was quite peaceful. Didn’t feel like we were in a touristy city. Walked all the way to the Rijksmuseum. Had food along the way. Tons of photos. It was a sunny day so enjoyed it everybit. In the afternoon, went to the hotel for a quick nap before returning to city again for the night cruise. Booked a company via Google and the boat was a small one. There were just 4 of us on board including the captain. He was such a chill guy. Although, it was a night cruise, the days were too long and so it ended up being just a regular cruise. But he took us all around Amsterdam. I would honestly recommend that company. Name is- Amsterdam Boat Adventures | Open Boat Tours. Then had food and back to the hotel.
Day 3- Initially had planned to go explore other neighbourhoods or go to Zaanse Schans. But it was a rainy day. So, decided to stay in the city. Once again walked around different streets, had food, and found souvenirs. Then went to Vondelpark. So beautiful. Then quick nap and back to the city in the evening. During this time, we went to the touristic parts of the city (the red light district) and finally saw hoards of tourists. Found a nice bar with a canal view and seating and enjoyed food and drinks. Walked around the rain at night and called it a day.
PARIS- Well not much to say about why we chose Paris. It’s called the City of love for a reason. And I chose to go here due to the ease of travel from Amsterdam. Had more days planned here to the sheer number of activities. Paris left a long lasting impression. It was beautiful in certain parts and equally dirty in others. It has so much to offer. My wife didn’t love it as much but I still feel it was a great addition to this trip.
Hotel & Transit- Hotels were quite expensive here. I had to stay within a budget so I found an Aparthotel in Clichy. Name- Appart'City Confort Paris Clichy Mairie - Appart Hôtel. Price was about $1350 cad for 6 nights including a decent breakfast. Hotel was decent. Not great but at this price I can’t complain much. We arrived here Sunday evening. So took the weekly transit pass which was about €35 or something. Honestly, so worth it as it included the RER B to the Paris airport.
Day 4- Arrived from Amsterdam in the afternoon. Went to the hotel, refreshed and got ready to see Eiffel tower. Had booked us ticket for the stairs. The other ones were sold out. My wife didn’t want to go to the 2nd floor after the nightmare-ish steps to the first floor. But then she agreed. It was a great experience. Climbing the steps is an accomplishment for sure. It was quite busy but we stayed here until the night to witness the lights and the twinkling. Loved it.
Day 5- Walked by the Arc de Triomphe. The famous Champ Elysees street. Had an amazing poutine here. Then went to The Louvre. Had an entry for 3 but it was such a loong line. It did move quickly in the end so got inside by 3:30. Loved the museum. Went to the Egypt section, the other ones with those famous statues, paintings, Crown Jewels and Mona Lisa. My wife loved it too. For sure, one of the highlights of this trip.
Day 6- Went to Montmarte to visit Sacre Coeur. We loved this area soo much. In fact, came back here on our last day too. Was quite busy and hot but still felt great here. The streets, the vibes were so lovely. Wandered around here until the evening and then went to the Eiffel tower again in the evening.
Day 7- Had booked tickets for some famous churches. Went to Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame and Pantheon. Also, went to the Luxembourg Gardens. Once again a hot day but still bearable. Super busy but still enjoyed it. Also, had Indian food at Patang restaurant. As an Indian, a must try. It was near Notre Dame. Also, had Lychee ice cream from Le Glacier De Notre Dame De Paris. Highly recommended. Such a lovely passionate couple who run this place. Went to the hotel and took a nap. In the evening, we had Arc de Triomphe planned. I thought it had an elevator but we were treated to more stairs. Lol. I didn’t look at my wife as she would give me killer looks for getting her to do more stairs. Haha. Anyways, went to the top and witnessed a stunning Parisian sunset. Soo damn beautiful. Had dinner and called it a day.
Day 8- went to the Palace of Versailles. It was a super hot day. Honestly, I wouldn’t go here. People are treated like sheep and just thrown from one room to another. I hated it. The palace itself is beautiful. Since it was so hot, we decided to skip the gardens. I almost called it a day wasted. Went to the hotel, changed and came to the 4th district. It felt a bit nicer there.
Day 9- Once again a super hot day. Made a mistake of not waking up early to beat the heat. Went to Montmarte as we felt it could be cooler there. It indeed was. Still super hot and my wife fell sick after having sangria. We went to the hotel and stayed there for the rest of the day. Ordered food in.
And that’s it. Day 8 and 9 felt a little wasted and too got hot (even as someone from India. Lol). Still a beautiful first European trip. Amsterdam is still one of the most beautiful cities we have seen (after visiting Paris, Vienna, Budapest & Ljubljana). Maybe it was our first ever city in Europe so it felt like a dream. We’ll definitely got back to both these cities someday.
Also, link to our Vienna-Budapest-Slovenia 2026 trip- https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/DVAsUI1S82
Feel free to ask more questions.