Pack Light for Amsterdam – How I Took Only my Handbag for 2 days Abroad

Last updated on 24 April 2025

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

It’s easy to pack light for Amsterdam. In fact, sometimes all you need is a handbag.

One of the reasons I loved living in England was the access to Europe right there.  I made as much use of it as I could, and while there will always be more to explore, what I did discover was wonderful. One trip I did was taking a short stay in Amsterdam. And I packed light. Really light. In fact, I learnt how to pack light for Amsterdam, and realised that for just a quick pop across to the Netherlands, all I needed was my handbag.

My dad was headed to the Netherlands on a work trip, and I tagged along, excited to visit a new place. We were only going to be going for two nights.

On Friday we spent time exploring the city, checking out the Rijksmuseum, getting a lay of the city, watching the boats move up and down the canals, dodging cyclists, wandering through flower markets and discovering hidden bookstores down alleyways. We stayed in a hostel in the heart of the city, which I highly recommend doing.

On Saturday, my dad headed off to his conference with another colleague who was staying at the same hostel in Amsterdam that we were, and I had the day to myself. I took a wonderful walking tour of the city with the hostel hosts, then spent the afternoon jumping on and off a Hop On Hop Off Bus. It’s such a great way to see a city if you’re new to the place, and are travelling alone in Amsterdam.

But back to packing light.

We were there for two nights, and I only took a (relatively large but no bigger than the size of your average laptop – which I couldn’t fit in this bag) handbag.

How I packed light

If you’re heading away on a short stay, just one or two nights, and you don’t have checked-in luggage on your plane, bus or train, you can easily squeeze what you need into a shoulder bag.

The bag I took was a decent-sized handbag or shoulder bag, to begin with, but it all came down to what I took and how I packed it.

I knew that both days I would be taking my bag with me around as we explored, so I needed to make sure that I was only taking the essentials on my trip. The largest, heaviest thing I took (and which I would not leave behind even if I had to sacrifice pyjamas) was my DSLR camera. I didn’t take any extra lenses, just the one that I knew would be the most useful for capturing the city.

Besides my camera, I took my pyjamas, a change of underwear and socks, and a change of top and leggings, all of which were rolled up tightly and stuff right at the bottom, snug next to my small makeup bag, which had only my essentials in – deodorant, small body wash, foundation, mascara. I also took my phone charger, wallet and, obviously, passport.

My outfit consisted of comfortable leggings, canvas shoes, a skirt with pockets, a top and a cardigan. On day two I swapped my leggings and top for freshness, but my skirt and cardigan were worn on both days. It was spring when we went, so the need for jackets and extra layers was moot.

On top of my clothes and makeup bag, sat my camera, while we were on the plane, but it was around my neck as I wandered the beautiful city.

Take a shoulder bag overseas instead of a backpack!

While most people might opt for a backpack for a two-day trip, for those of us who don’t really like them, a large over the shoulder handbag that zips up does the trick nicely. The other advantage of this was that we didn’t have to arrive at our hostel until late on Friday night, and when we checked out the next day, we didn’t have to go back for any suitcases or packs.

If you’re planning a short stay in Amsterdam (or any other country!), and the thought of carrying around a backpack doesn’t float your boat, then a handbag like this was an excellent solution.

There will be items you need to sacrifice (I didn’t wash my hair while I was there, for example, but that eliminated the need to take shampoo – and I could have bought some there if I needed to), but it’s much easier taking as little as possible when you’re headed overseas.

Trying to pack light for Amsterdam was actually out of character for me. Usually, I end up taking too many things. But this adventure to the Netherlands with just a small bag was 100% doable. While I might not do it every time I head away for just 2 nights, I know that it’s possible. And I never regretted not being able to take an extra set of clothes or more than I absolutely had to.

Let me know if you’ve taken this amount (or less!) on an overseas trip before! Or if you’ve been to Amsterdam!