Amsterdam to Rome Itinerary: Epic Europe Route Tips

Part 1: Bikes, Buds, and Botanicals in Amsterdam

I can’t stress this enough: large suitcases have absolutely no place on the streets of Europe. As Americans, we are used to smooth (okay, semi-smooth) sidewalks and wide, paved roads. This is not America.

Fortunately, landing in Amsterdam felt like a breeze compared to the initial panic of Paris. Why, you ask? There is English everywhere. Unlike Paris, which proudly refuses to add English translation to their signs (because, speak French, dammit!), Amsterdam's transit layout was incredibly easy to follow.

The central train station itself is a gorgeous building constructed in the late 1800s, featuring stunning Gothic and Neo-Renaissance vibes. But the moment you step outside, you are welcomed into a whole new world ruled entirely by bicycles.

I’m talking massive, multi-level bike parking garages that look like car lots. There are bike lanes, tram lanes, pedestrian lanes, and car lanes—four distinct streams of traffic all operating simultaneously, and somehow, not a single person was getting hit. Call me impressed.

Now, I’m not exactly a bike person, but damn—if you love to ride, you will absolutely flourish here. Everyone is incredibly cordial to one another; there are no angry horns honking, no tires screeching, and no middle fingers flying out of car windows.

A Mixing Bowl of All Walks of Life

Moving further away from the station and into the heart of the city, the streets become a sensory overload. The air is filled with the sights of Nutella and cheese shops, swarms of tourists mingling with locals, and the distinct, skunky aroma of cannabis floating through the breeze.

My husband and I couldn’t help but giggle. Coming from where we live, cannabis was still viewed as practically the devil at the time. To our surprise, the crowds weren't just young rebels; we saw tons of affluent senior citizens from all over the world casually wandering the streets. We had expected a young, hip, exclusionary vibe, but instead, we were met with a wonderful mixing bowl of all walks of life.

We arrived at our hotel and checked in (nothing too memorable there). We spent the rest of the day wandering the canals, staring at historic houses built in the 1700s. Because of the soft soil, many of them have literally begun to lean forward and tilt over time, yet they are still fully occupied today. The canals, the vibrant colors of the architecture, the local energy—Amsterdam just radiates positivity.

The local food, however, could use a serious upgrade. It’s mostly bland, heavily fried, and basically, you need to be stoned to truly enjoy it. It's edible, but if you’re a die-hard foodie looking for an upscale culinary masterpiece… consider yourself warned.

Of course, we eventually found the famous Red Light District, walked into a local "coffeeshop" to sample the culture, and settled in with the locals like we had lived there for years. Fun fact: Did you know you can be aggressively kicked out of an Amsterdam cafe for smoking a regular tobacco cigarette? Well, now you do!

The Tulip Cleanse & The Rembrandt Room

The next day, we made our way out to the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens. Now, I know what you’re thinking, and YES—this is a non-negotiable, absolute MUST-see if you happen to be visiting during the spring season. The gardens were spectacular. The aroma, the endless sea of color, the tranquility… it completely cleanses the soul of any negativity.

We booked a guided bus tour out to the gardens because we weren’t keen on renting a car and adding unnecessary driving stress to our lives. The trip was about an hour's ride each way, and we were given six hours to roam the grounds. The time flew by. There was even a small petting farm inside the gardens featuring baby goats, and I became completely obsessed.

Upon returning to the city, we headed out to explore the nightlife. Generations of all ages were out enjoying the evening, and the canal bridges looked magical lit up at night. We stopped at chocolate shops, got our fill of Nutella-drizzled treats, and soaked it all in.

The following day, we visited the Rembrandt House Museum, which was the master painter's actual residence from 1639 to 1656. He slept, ate, taught, and painted masterpieces within these walls. As an artist myself, this was a profound experience. The main studio where he painted was flooded with soft, natural light and possessed an incredibly calm, serene energy. Standing in that room, I could see exactly why he chose that specific space to create.

Note: Amsterdam is also home to the brilliant Van Gogh Museum and the historic Anne Frank House—neither of which we got to attend on this trip because tickets were completely sold out weeks in advance. Lesson learned, people! If there are bucket-list sights you absolutely want to see, you have to commit to a date and BUY YOUR TICKETS EARLY

Part 2: Finding "Home" in the 2,000-Year-Old Streets of Rome

Getting from Amsterdam to Italy was a quick flight, but stepping off the plane felt like entering a completely different universe. By now, as we navigated our way through the airport to the train station, we semi-felt like seasoned pros. Okay, that’s a flat-out lie, but we were getting there!

Our hotel was located right outside the Colosseum—the one ancient wonder I was dying to see more than anything else. We took the train from the airport to Termini, Rome’s chaotic main transit hub. From there, we switched to the underground subway. Unlike the sprawling maze of Paris, Rome's metro system is wonderfully simple, running on just a few primary lines. We caught the line directly to the Colosseo station. Easy peasy.

(If your Italian adventures have you stopping off in Northern Italy before hitting the capital, make sure to read my honest guide to Getting Lost in Venice before you go!)

But of course, we were still dragging that damn massive suitcase. We were three countries deep into this vacation, and it was still an absolute nightmare to haul around. While some transit stations in Rome feature modern escalators, others force you to manually climb your way to street level. The Colosseo exit graced us with a massive, daunting flight of concrete stairs. God bless my husband for lifting that heavy beast right out of my hands.

However, the moment you reach the top of those stairs… what is waiting for you on the other side will absolutely blow your freaking mind.

Standing in the Shadow of History

The exact second you step out of the metro station and look up, there she sits in all her 2,000-year-old glory: The Colosseum. There are no words to perfectly capture what that feels like, but I’ll try. It was an instant wave of pure joy, awe, and astonishment, immediately followed by a heavy, somber gut punch when realizing that real human gladiators were once forced to fight for their lives right there just for public entertainment.

The natural flow of the metro crowd forces you to keep moving. As we walked past the massive stone arches toward our hotel, another sensation hit us—one that both my husband and I still describe to this day as the feeling of coming Home.

The energy, the physical weight of the history, and the vibrant buzz of the modern Italian world moving seamlessly around ancient ruins… it is pure magic. Just past the Colosseum, you can look down and see the ruins of the Ludus Magnus—the ancient gladiator training school—with its old tunnels running directly beneath your feet.

We finally arrived at our hotel, and the very first thing I noticed was a literal box of foam earplugs sitting directly on the check-in counter. Things that make you go hmmmmmmm, right?

To our surprise, there was a thriving nightclub directly underneath the hotel, and the bass pumped until well after 2:00 AM. I cannot stress this enough to my fellow travelers: READ THE HOTEL REVIEWS!

Roaming Rome: Underground and After Hours

After checking in, it was time to roam—which is truly the best way to experience Rome. The city is an open-air museum, and renting a car here is absolutely not for the faint of heart (nor is it meant for tourists). On our very first day, I'm pretty sure we put a solid eight miles on our sneakers, hitting everything from the Colosseum and the Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.

Because it was April, the crowds were incredibly manageable. With temperatures hovering in the upper 50s, I was the only weirdo walking around in a T-shirt while the locals were sporting full winter coats.

We pre-purchased skip-the-line tour tickets that combined the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill all into one wrapper. Let me tell you, this is the absolute key to sightseeing in Italy. I felt horrible for the poor souls standing in those massive general admission lines under the sun because they hadn't booked in advance. We literally walked right past the crowds and straight inside, saving ourselves hours of standing on hot cobblestones. Plus, unless you’ve brushed up on your ancient history lately, you’re going to want an expert guide explaining exactly what the hell you’re actually looking at.

Later that night, while scrolling through a booking app, I stumbled upon an exclusive "Night Tour Under the Colosseum." At the time, I had no idea this kind of after-hours access even existed. I clicked "Add to Cart" immediately.

The evening tour was a small, intimate group of about twelve people. Because the monument was entirely closed to the general public, the atmosphere was beautifully eerie and incredibly special. It’s impossible not to think of the movie Gladiator as you climb down the cold stone steps into the darkness of the hypogeum..

Main entrance to the Hypogeum, Colosseum

This underground network was the exact staging area where the gladiators waited in the dark to enter the arena. Our guide showed us where the wild animals were caged, how a system of mechanical lifts raised them up through hidden trapdoors into the flashing sunlight, and where the ancient stagehands worked. It was unforgettable. (Fun fact: over the last decade, even more of the hypogeum has been excavated and opened up, providing an even deeper look into the history below the arena floor than what we were able to see back then!). Today, these underground tickets are highly coveted and sell out almost instantly. At the risk of sounding like a broken record: you've gotta stalk the ticket sites early, or find a Travel Agent to do the stalking for you.

We were only in Rome for three days on that first trip, and it wasn’t nearly enough. We ate pasta, drank local wine, and roamed the cobblestones until our feet could no longer carry us. There is simply too much beauty to absorb in one lifetime.

Amsterdam to Rome