So you’ve seen all the museums and art galleries, and now the red light district and the coffee shops are starting to grate. If you want to discover a little more from this great city then book your hip Amsterdam hotel and explore our 10 favourite things to do in Amsterdam for travel snobs…
1. Explore one of the best streets in town
Herenstraat was our favourite street in the Jordaan district, although the whole of the Jordaan area should be explored if you have the time. If you imagine a smaller Dutch version of London’s Soho or New York’s Greenwich village then you’re on the right lines. Take a handful of boutique shops, some excellent design shops, restaurants you’d give your right arm to be seen in and throw in lots of beautiful types and pretty cobbled streets and you have the Herenstraat street area. There are also plenty of very similar streets covering most of the upper part of the Jordaan area.
2. Visit the Totalitarian Art Gallery
This place has the feel of an old curiosity shop from a different era. It’s actually a very eclectic collection of propaganda, including paintings, signs, toys and other memorabilia collected from countries with very dark pasts. There are also some random oddities thrown into the mix. The Totalitarian Art Gallery might not be for everyone but it definitely makes an interesting stop in the Jordaan area especially if you’re a history fan.
3. Hang out at Cafe Kobalt
If you’re looking for a traditional Brown cafe/bar to mingle with the locals then try Cafe Kobalt. It’s housed in a 17th century ex-warehouse located very near the famous Singel canal. Reasons to visit? Cosy surroundings, good food, generously proportioned drinks and one of the friendliest atmospheres in town. They also have a DJ on a Friday nights and live Jazz on Sundays. Just try it, you won’t be disappointed.
4. While away a few hours in Nieuwmarkt
This large square is one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam. It’s overlooked by an attractive looking castle complete with gates and turrets known as De Waag. Although located in the middle of the Red Light District, it has a more relaxed vibe than other central parts of the city. Nieuwmarkt has everything from funky bars and cafes to Buddhist temples and even – unusually for this area – a convent. If you are looking for things to do in Amsterdam there is an also a daily market, an organic food market on Saturdays and an antique market on Sundays. Although the real reason you should visit is to sit with a coffee or a beer and people watch for a few hours.
5. Try an award-winning cocktail
The Vesper cocktail bar is another great place in the Jordaan area (can you see a pattern forming here?) It’s a small ’boutique’ cocktail bar named after Vesper Lynd, the only woman James Bond ever loved. The bar has an understated classiness about it but it’s the little details that really make this place. There’s a tattered James Bond novel on the top shelf, a retro Schweppes soda stream and a portable shaker set housed in a little leather suitcase, of course not forgetting cocktails mixed to perfection by an award-winning bar team.
6. Hunt for bargains at Waterlooplein Flea Market
If you head towards the city’s beloved Waterlooplein area you’ll find a daily outdoor flea market with over 300 stalls. This place has everything you’d expect from a Amsterdam flea market ranging from second hand army gear and Che Guevara T-shirts to antiques and general bric a brac (you’ll even find cheap canned spray paints which supply the city’s graffiti artists). It’s located in the quiet former Jewish quarter next to the Amstel river and you’ll have plenty of traditional cafes and restaurants to choose from if you want to stretch out your stay in this area a bit longer.
7. Eat out at Humphrey’s Restaurant
Humphrey’s restaurant bridges the gap between a good value eatery and a trendy restaurant. These kind of places are quite hard to find, hence the reason it has made the list. For around €20 you get a decent 3 course meal in homely but contemporary surroundings (think wooden floors, dark decor and plenty of bookcases). An evening out at this price in an otherwise fairly expensive capital is quite unusual, it’s just a shame more cities don’t have places like this.
8. Leave your hotel and wander the Nine Streets
This is another area in the Jordaan district you shouldn’t miss. Nine Streets is made up of three-by-three-blocks of roads prettily interwoven with canals. You’ll find lots of independent shops selling everything from hand made jewellery to vintage chic and there’s also some very unusual stores you won’t find anywhere else – one barber shop even doubles as an art gallery. Make sure you stop for a coffee at one of the many canal-side cafes to take it all in for a bit.
9. Stop for lunch at La Place restaurant & food hall
We stumbled across this food hall purely by accident. It’s actually part of the Vroom & Dreesman department store (one of the largest stores in the Netherlands) which is located at the end of Rokin near Muntplein. Easily one of the nicest places in Amsterdam for a healthy self-service lunch, you can choose from the most colourful salads you’ll probably ever see, freshly baked bread, sandwiches and cakes, a huge variety of fresh soups and juices. Even noodles and pizza. Alternatively try the fresh meat and fish sections to pick up something to cook later.
10. Return to a different era
Most visitors to Amsterdam find time to squeeze in at least one canal trip and there is definitely no shortage of boat tours to choose from. If you’re a person who likes to do things a little differently then consider the paddle wheeler Kapitein Kok. This authentically old-fashioned boat regularly hosts popular Twenties parties complete with paparazzo style photographers, professional Charleston dance teachers, a roulette table and a strict prohibition era dress code.
Although, if you want to skip the water altogether then why not try the Bootleg Party? This secretly located party is regularly hosted in a speakeasy-style club and you’ll need to be dressed in 1920s clothing to gain access. Once inside, the bootleg alcohol will be flowing and live jazz and other nostalgic entertainment will have you swinging until the early hours.
I hope you’ve liked our suggestions, they should keep you occupied for a three-day city break. Although if you want to explore a little further afield you should definitely try Rotterdam and the other great Dutch city Utrecht.
Our suggestions for travelling to Amsterdam
- To find the cheapest flight from wherever you are we always use Kayak.
- We prebooked our transfer from the aiport to our hotel with www.booktaxiamsterdam.com which saved queuing and getting ripped off when we arrived.
- We always want to stay somewhere funky and unique when we travel so wrote a guide to our Top 10 cool and unusual Hotels in Amsterdam.
32 Comments
Alice
19 September, 2017 at 11:26 amWow. Amazing post. I really enjoyed read this.
Wanderlustingk
25 March, 2016 at 5:44 pmNice post. I live in Amsterdam and you hit quite a few spots I like, including Vester. I definitely would add Westerpark and exploring some other areas. Would love if you could check out my post on Amsterdam. 🙂
Tuni
19 July, 2015 at 2:55 pmThank you very much for the list. I cant wait to go to Amsterdam soon 🙂
Aijika
29 June, 2015 at 4:16 amWe went in Van Gogh Museum last Month of May i must admit that was not very familiar with Van Gogh’s history, but after visiting this museum…I fell in love! We had the privilege to visit with a tour guide and I could feel proud while she was talking about Van Gogh’s paintings. if you don’t get the chance to have a private tour guide, you can take a multimedia interactive tour in many languages. please, don’t miss.. 😉
Brad Bernard
30 April, 2014 at 12:56 pmGreat post! Who knew there was more to Amsterdam than coffee shops and drunk Americans? I need to check these out!
Deman
20 April, 2014 at 4:09 pmNice list. To put the things on a balance I have heard some bad things about pushy drug sellers after the sun goes down. Don’t know if its true or not.
Becky Moore
20 April, 2014 at 4:31 pmHi Deman,
Certain areas can be a little dicey but they’ve cleaned up the city a lot since even just a few years ago.
Paul Scoropan
1 April, 2014 at 11:57 amYou forgot to specify where can taste a fried brownie
Cora
12 September, 2013 at 10:42 amTop-notch tips, it’s definitely among the most useful guide to Amsterdam I’ve seen!
Graham
13 September, 2013 at 10:13 amThanks Cora!
bakeca Catanzaro
3 September, 2013 at 11:37 amgreat tips….very nice places
Brenda Bonte
2 July, 2013 at 11:10 amGreat blog! With very good tips. But i am still missing one thing! The canals, part of the UNESCO world heritage list. Great idea to discover these canals on your own. You can rent a boat at Boats4rent to see Amsterdam from the water.
Jill
17 June, 2013 at 4:14 pmThanks for this article I loved reading about all the best places to visit in Amsterdam, nice collection!
Lucy | gapyeardotcom
6 June, 2013 at 11:33 amThanks for sharing some really nice ideas :)I plan on going this year
Sam @ Travellingking.com
5 June, 2013 at 12:15 pmOh gosh Humphrey’s Restaurant looks lovely! Would love to go to Amsterdam one day – pity its so far away!
Graham
13 September, 2013 at 10:14 amHope you do get over there one day, it will be worth it! 🙂
Rob
4 June, 2013 at 10:00 pmSome very helpful tips for those visiting Amsterdam and beautiful photos as well. Thanks again for your excellent articles and photographs!
Charles
12 March, 2013 at 7:21 amThis is a great post. Thank you for the suggestions. I would definitely like to go to Cafe Kobalt and the Waterloopein flea market on my next visit to Amsterdam.
Half Baked Potatoes
12 October, 2012 at 3:27 pmit is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I try go every year or 2 and if you haven’t been then it is a must
Vicky
31 July, 2012 at 10:11 amGreat article. I went in May for two days and was shocked at the chaviness of the city. I really tried to explore more of the city than just what the stags see. Great tips here.
Paul
24 April, 2012 at 7:31 pmAs an Amsterdam resident I’d say you missed the most unique place in the World to visit in Amsterdam. A Coffeeshop or cannabis cafe if you like to call it that.There are no coffeeshops anywhere else in the world, the rest of the places in your article, while nice, are in most Cities in one form or other.
cheap amsterdam apartments
4 March, 2012 at 7:28 amAmsterdam is a beautiful place because of there canals,gardens,museums,Street art,coffee shops,cheap apartments Amsterdam and etc
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2 February, 2012 at 4:45 amVery nice review about your travel followed by good pictures! Found a good recommendation of a housing rental on amsterdam apartments vacation. Could be worth to see to choose a canal house for a short stay.
JP
15 December, 2011 at 1:08 pmDon’t forget one of the most unique features of Amsterdam: the beautiful canals! Best way to experience these is by renting your own boat. You can do so at Boaty Rent a Boat Amsterdam: http://www.amsterdamrentaboat.com.
Max. 6 persons per boat, free maps and route advice, electric zero emission boats!
Theo Janssen
11 December, 2011 at 1:42 pmAnd what about visiting a match of local pride Ajax Amsterdam?
Graham
11 December, 2011 at 2:30 pmnice idea!
Medhotel group
28 September, 2011 at 2:32 pmAre you the one taking pictures? I am loving it. Sprmrkt, that is in Amsterdam. I always visit this place whenever i ge t the chance because for me it is a phenomenon.
Nicole
27 September, 2011 at 1:29 pmLove the photography in this post!
I visited to Amsterdam for only 9hrs last year and really want to go back. Will defiantly be using this list for inspiration. 🙂
Henry Williams
26 September, 2011 at 1:50 pmgood post nice list of things to do in amsterdam
Nomadic Samuel
26 September, 2011 at 1:46 amAmsterdam is always a city I’ve wanted to visit. I could imagine myself strolling around for hours and never getting bored.
Graham
29 September, 2011 at 8:53 pmYes definitely give it a go, you won’t regret it!
clare
25 September, 2011 at 4:06 pmSome great ideas here ,will check some of these out . Thanks for sharing.