Facebook-f Youtube Instagram

AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM

It is famous for its canals, bike riding, and Dutch tulips. It is considered the “City of Sin” in Europe since it is home to the Red-Light District

Fly into Amsterdam: Airport Schiphol (AMS) (10 miles south of the city centre)

WHAT TO DO

Alcohol Experiences

  • Heineken Experience: Beer experience within Heineken’s oldest brewery, ending in a tasting room
  • House of Bols: Interactive cocktail museum, ending in a cocktail lounge

Take a canal boat ride

   Many tours on the canal you can hop onto.

Rent a bike:

Amsterdam is a city of bikes! Rent a bike from one of the numerous shops around the city.

Albert Cuyp market: Outdoor street market

  • Watch locals bargaining for their goods!
  • Get a stroopwafel from Rudi’s Original Stroopwafels

Westergasfabriek: Former factory turned into bars, cafes, movie theatres, + more

Visit a Coffeeshop (Cannabis bar)

  • Bulldog Lounge Coffee Shop: Longest-running coffee shop in the city
  • Grey Area: Iconic hangout patronized by celebrities over the years including Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson
  • Barney’s: Inside a 16th-century building, laid out like an old-time apothecary
  • Coffeeshop Smokey: Popular & touristy coffee shop with music and party atmosphere

Visit a magic truffle smart shop

  • The Magic Mushroom Gallery: One of the oldest smart shops in Amsterdam
  • Visit Electric Ladyland after- a Museum dedicated to fluorescent art

Walk through the Red-Light District at night: The most curious area of the city where prostitution is legal.

  • Go to a live sex show!
  • Casa Rosso: One of the more well-known sex shows
  • Banana Bar: One of the more famous clubs. Waitresses serve drinks and perform party tricks
  • Condomeire: Funny little shop with condoms, souvenirs, post cards, etc

Food tour

  • The 10 Tastings of Amsterdam: 10 delicious and typical tastings that range from sweet to savoury as well as drinks
  • The original experience: Focuses on Amsterdam’s street food and shares information about the city’s culture, daily life and the people who make the dishes 
canal cruise
canal cruise

Free walking tour

 Shop at De Negen Straatjes (Nine Little Streets):

9 streets that run between the Prinsengracht and Singel canals full of designer boutiques and vintage shops

  • Proeflokaal A. Van Wees: Brown café located inside a former distillery

Shop on Kalversraat Street:

Amsterdam’s longest shopping street. Head over to Begijnhof after the Garden & courtyard overlooked by a set of medieval houses built for beguines

Relax in Vondelpark:

The Largest green space in the city. Have a picnic or stroll through and people-watch!

Explore the Jordaan neighbourhood:

The trendy area of the city is filled with galleries, eclectic shops, restaurants, and bars

  • Neighbourhood built in the 17th century
  • Café Papeneiland: Café that dates back to 1642

Leidseplein:

Centre of Amsterdam’s entertainment scene

  • Filled with nightclubs, movie theatres, concert venues, casinos, and coffee shops

Go to a museum

  • Van Gogh Museum: Home to over 700 of Van Gogh’s works as well as paintings by artists who influenced him
  • Rijksmuseum: Work of Rembrandt, along with other artists from the Dutch Golden Age
  • Museum Market: Market with crafts and food trucks on 3rd Sunday of every month (near the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum)
  • MOCO Museum: Modern Contemporary Museum
  • Anne Frank House: It is nice to read the book before you visit.
Heineken Brewery

Lunch & Dinner

  • Foodhallen: Food hall with plenty of stalls with restaurants, drinks and live music
  • BUFFET van Odette: Modern European restaurant with outdoor seating area with views of the Prinsengrach
  • The Pantry: Hearty portions of house made; traditional cuisine served in a homestyle space with a terrace.
  • ‘Skek: Restaurant and bar that fuses traditional Dutch food with all the newest eating trends
  • Wilde Zwijnen: 3-4 course Modern Dutch meal in a rustic setting with wood tables, exposed brick & an open kitchen
  • Moeders: Restaurant with a terrace, serving Dutch classics.
  • Restaurant Blauw: Modern Indonesian food. You can eat traditional rijsttafels here or an ‘Experience Menu’ to sample many Indonesian street foods
  • Pesca: Fresh seafood restaurant with an open fish market
  • BAK restaurant: Modern Dutch restaurant with views of the river IJ
  • Café De Klepel: Classic French bistro with cheese and wine
  • De Kas: Luxurious chic restaurant in a greenhouse. Mediterranean dishes made from organic ingredients grown on-site.

.

waiting in front of Ann Frank's house

Breakfast

  • Bakers & Roasters: New Zealand-style brunch cafe
  • Dignita Hoftuin: All-day brunch in a secluded courtyard
  • Greenwoods: English breakfast and brunch
  • The Cottage: Cozy restaurant with all-day brunch and cocktails
  • Little Collins De Pijp: Breakfast with Australian twist nestled on a leafy street. Great bloody Mary’s!
  • Omelegg: The Netherlands’ first omelettery
  • Scandinavian Embassy: Coffee shop with Scandinavian influenced breakfast Sweets
  • Lanskroon: Dutch bakery with amazing stroopwafels
  • Hartog’s Wholegrain Bakery and Milling: Amazing Bakery!
  • Be sure to try their Oliebollen
  • Van Stapele Koekmakerij: Famous bakery that only makes one kind of cookie–Valrhona chocolate cookie dough with white chocolate filling
  • Holtkamp Patisserie: Family-owned pastry shop with French and Dutch patisserie, cakes, chocolates, and biscuits. Also known for their kroketten (croquettes). Be sure to try all the traditional Dutch foods!
canal in the city

Sweet

  • Stroopwafel: Made from two thin layers of baked dough stuck together with caramel syrup
  • Oliebollen: Dutch doughnuts doused in powdered sugar
  • Dutch apple pie: Quintessential Dutch dessert with fresh whipped cream
  • Poffertjes: Puffy pancakes Savory
  • Bitterballen: Breaded balls filled with gravy and fried – Traditional beer snack available at most pubs
  • Patat Frites: French fries coated in one of many sauce choices
  • Kibbeling: Juicy pieces of fried fish
  • Stamppot: A combination of mashed potatoes and other vegetables like spinach, kale, carrots, or turnip greens
  • Gouda cheese: Staple of Dutch cuisine
  • Indonesian food: Dutch food isn’t Dutch at all—it’s Indonesian. The food of the former Dutch colony
  • Rijsttafel (“rice table”): Meal of 15+ small dishes of everything from eggrolls to satay

WHERE TO DRINK

Bars

  • Brouwerij ‘t IJ (IJ Brewery): Amsterdam’s original microbrewery housed in a working windmill
  • Hiding in Plain Site: Classy speakeasy type bar
  • Cafe Hoppe: Storied old brown cafe. Opened in 1670 as a jenever distillery
  • Café De Druif: Liquor license that dates back to 1631 and is rumored to have served departing sailors in the 1580s
  • Bar Rouge: Parisian bar with dancing and shows
  • Flying Dutchmen Cocktails: Cocktail bar in the centre of Amsterdam. Has a focus on classic cocktails based on recipes up to 400 years old
  • The Waterhole: Funky old-school tavern with live rock bands
  • Proeflokall De Drie Fleschies: Café & bar with antique-y vibe. Been around since 1650
  • Proeflokaal Arendsnest: 50+ Dutch craft beers on tap plus a bar menu with traditional Dutch charcuterie and cheese. Right on the canals!

Waterfront

  • Hannekes Boom: Dockside restaurant and bar. Great outdoor summertime hangout
  • Pllek: Beachfront restaurant and bar with live electronic music. Only accessible by ferry! Hop on the free ferry at Amsterdam Central to get here
  • Nieuwe Diep Distillery: Hidden away distillery on a lake. Has a beautiful terrace for the summer and a tasting room for winter

Rooftop

  • A’dam Lookout: 22-story building with the best view of Amsterdam
  • Offers a panoramic view over canals, historic houses, and other gorgeous spots
  • Sky Lounge: Breath-taking views especially at sunset!
  • Floor 17: Rooftop terrace with city views
  • GAPP: Lush rooftop open-air beer garden
  • W Lounge: Luxury rooftop with views of the Royal Palace.
  • DJ at nights
  • Level Eleven: 360 views
  • Only open in July, August, and September
stayed in IBIS hotel in city centre

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel

  • Hotel The Craftsmen: Boutique hotel offering individually designed rooms in the heart of Amsterdam’s Canal District.
  • Lloyd Hotel: Unique rooms in a historic building on the IJ river
  • NH Collection Doelen: Five-star accommodations in a 17th-century building with a restaurant & bar
  • The Dylan: Luxury hotel on the Keizersgracht canal
  • Bar Brasserie OCCO & Restaurant Vinkeles (Michelin star)
  • Daily wine and bite-tasting
  • The Pulitzer: Luxury hotel spread across 25 canal houses. Traditional and Modern Dutch craftsman rooms
  • Jansz: Crafts dishes inspired by modern Dutch cuisine
  • Pulitzer Garden: Beautiful courtyard garden to relax with a glass of wine in!

Airbnb

  • Studio Koggeschip Amsterdam BB
  • Beautiful loft in centre of Amsterdam
  • Canal House
  • Luxury Loft Downtown
  • Penthouse Apartment
  • Amsterdam Modern HOUSEBOAT with TERRACE
KEUKENHOF GARDENS

DAY TRIPS FROM AMSTERDAM

KEUKENHOF GARDENS

35-minute bus ride  Keukenhof Express bus from  Amsterdam RAI Station.

See the famous Dutch tulips!

  • World’s largest flower gardens
  • Park covers around 80 acres and about 7 million flower bulbs are planted annually.
  • Only bloom for eight weeks every spring

LEDIDEN

35-minute train ride -from Amsterdam Central Station to Leiden Central

Known for its centuries-old architecture

  • Greatest quantity of waterways and bridges
  • Countless great terraces, restaurants and cafés

HAARLEM

20-minute train ride- from Amsterdam Central Station to Haarlem

Was a major North Sea trading port surrounded by a defensive wall

  • Retains its medieval character of cobblestone streets, gothic cathedrals, and gabled houses
  • Famous for its outlying tulip fields, art museums, bustling main square, canals, & hofjes (enclosed courtyard gardens)
  • Has a phenomenal atmosphere and a laid-back vibe
ZAANSE SCHANS

ZAANSE SCHANS (VIDEO)

40-minute bus ride-Bus 391 from Amsterdam Central Station to Zaanse Schans

Full of wooden houses, mills, barns and workshops

  • Climb windmills, have a cheese tasting, learn about the

history of clogs, & indulge in Dutch pancakes

WATERLAND

35-minute bus ride- Bus 316 from Amsterdam Central Station to Volendam

Home to three picturesque villages: Edam, Marken, and Volendam

  • Volendam: Typical Dutch fishing village. Tour of a cheese factory, authentic clog-making workshop and souvenir store, or hop on a lake cruise for a windmill tour
  • Marken: Island famous for traditional wooden houses built on stilts and windmills
  • Edam: Famous cheese market! Massive wheels of cheese, traditional clothing and many old-timey features (July-August)
KEUKENHOF GARDENS

Related Posts