Amsterdam is a vibrant city full of life, wonder, spectacular architecture, entertainment and incredibly nice people.

People from all over the world come to visit the "Venice of the North", many only stopping for a short stay before jumping back on a boat at their port along the Rhine River or living it up on the weekend for a bachelor or bachelorette party.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting this lovely city but only had 48 hours to make the most of it.

If your journey is limited, plan out at least a minimum of five things you want to accomplish and go from there. Time isn't on your side, but don't let that stop you from enjoying all the city has to offer. Here are some tips on how to navigate the city and what to do.

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The City Centre

To truly live it up in Amsterdam, you'll need to get around the city with ease.

The best way to do this is through the free public transit that comes with purchasing the I Amsterdam City Card, which can be done at iamsterdam.com. You'll also get a detailed map of the city, entry to many of the city's top museums, a one-hour canal cruise and several more great discounts and offers.

There are hop-on, hop-off buses you can use separately to get around the city, but your best bet is to buy the I Amsterdam City Card because of all the additional perks that come with it. Plus, riding the transit in any new city is a terrific way to live like a local.

The canal cruise that comes with the card might just end up being the highlight of your trip.

Along the way, you'll pass by house boats of various styles, as well as go under many bridges. You'll never be able to hit all the bridges in such a short stay, though, as Amsterdam has around 1,700 of these structures scattered about. (Its canals were dug out in the 17th-century and used as moats for protection from enemies.)

There are also bike tours you can do, but I would only recommend this if you know you're great at riding a bike around big crowds and other bicyclists. At any one time, there are near 600,000 bikes around the city.

If you do ride a bike, only ring the bell when it's truly needed-like for notifying people around you to get out of the way. Locals know to move once they hear the bell, so when tourists come over and do it just for fun, it can be very annoying.

You'll hear that bell ring quite a bit if you sit outside at any one of the numerous cafes throughout the city. Visiting an outdoor caf�� is a must in Amsterdam. Whether you just want to drink a beer and people watch or devour a full meal, you're guaranteed a fantastic time and a great view, especially if you pick one near a canal.

We stumbled upon Caf�� Van Zuylen and were captivated by the stunning canal views from their tables that sit on the bridge. It is just around the corner and down the street from the Anne Frank House, which is, of course, another must do when visiting Amsterdam. Buy your tickets here online ahead of time though or else you'll be waiting in quite the long line. No pictures are allowed inside, however.

Whether it's your first time or not, you must dine on authentic Dutch cuisine. For a fresh and unique spin, go to Restaurant Lt. Cornelis and order the four-course meal that comes with four wine pairings.

It's a chef-inspired meal that will blow your mind.

As for street food, you have to try frites. I'm still craving those delicious fries from Amsterdam to this day.

Our favorite was Manneken Pis, which is just down the street from the central train station, but Frietsteeg, Vlaamese and Chipsy King are solid options as well.

And finally, no visit to the city centre of Amsterdam is complete without a stop by the "I Amsterdam" sign. It's the No. 1 photo spot in the entire city, so be prepared to have random people in your pictures. However, if you go at night, it's still well-lit enough for a good photo and there will be far less people around.

The Neighborhoods

With less than 48 hours, it will be difficult to truly soak in all the various neighborhoods surrounding the city centre. That said, it's still worth a visit to see a different side of Amsterdam that not many experience.

Your best bet is to research ahead of time on where you'd like to go and what you'd like to see, then use your I Amsterdam City Card to board public transit for a fun ride to areas with far fewer tourists.

If beer is your thing, jump the tram to the De Pijp neighborhood for the Heineken Experience or head over to the Oostelijke Eilanen (Eastern Docklands) neighborhood to grab a beer at Brouwerij 't IJ, a local brewery right next to an old windmill. For great art scene, you'll want to venture out to the Oud-Zid (Old-South) neighborhood.

Take the Iamsterdamn.com quiz to find out which neighborhood would best suit you.

[READMORE] READ MORE Avoiding Crowds in Amsterdam [/READMORE]

The Red-Light District

The Red-Light District is located in the oldest part of the city. It has a long history and quite the reputation. No doubt you've heard about it.

But in talking with local Amsterdammers during my trip, things have been cleaned up a great deal within the last 10 years and focused more around attracting tourists. There are relatively new bars as well as older, more historic bars, casinos, "coffee shops" that sell marijuana and "ladies of the night" posted in windows.

Just don't take pictures of these girls, or they might throw your camera in the canal. I took photos of the bright lights on the bridge over a canal and one local informed me to be careful, as he's seen it happen before.

If you're the least bit intrigued by the Red-Light District, it's worth a visit, even if only for the comedy that comes from people watching. We also saw at least 10 different bachelorette parties, and there's no telling how many bachelor party crews stumble these streets on any given Saturday.

You can always learn more in this Discovery Channel documentary or this VICE documentary (warning: NSFW).

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