Amsterdam is such a beautiful city, with the tree lined canals and gorgeous Dutch architecture. It’s quite a different feeling than Venice, and is a much more lived-in city.
I have a big birthday coming up and my whole family is flying in to help me celebrate! Paris and Amsterdam are the two big European flight hubs and my cousin is studying abroad in Amsterdam, so we had a fabulous few days exploring the city with my family (just missing my younger brother and his girlfriend who are finishing up exams but will arrive today)! I’m so glad to have everyone here!
I’ve pulled together my favorite things to do for a great time in Amsterdam!
Do
1. Rijkesmuseum, Van Gogh, and I Amsterdam Sign
This was my first time doing the Rijkesmuseum and oh my gosh it was a great museum. The building itself is stunning and worth a walk through the atrium pass-through alone even if you don’t want to do the museum.
The museum has paintings from Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Delft pottery, and the most swoon worthy library I’ve ever seen, fit for beauty and the beast for sure 🙂
The Van Gogh museum is also very well done and you get to step through Van Gogh’s life and career and see how his paintings transform with what’s going on in his life.
The walk to the Museumplein from our hotel was so pretty along the canal!
2. Paddle Boat Through the Canals
This was the highlight of our trip and a must do! Try to do it on a blue-sky day if you have good weather and you will be pinching yourself with how great it is! You can pick the paddle boats up at the Rijkes Museum, Leidesplein, or the Westerkerk near the Anne Frank House and the Jordaan neighborhood.
We wanted to paddle boat from the Rijkesmusem to the Jordaan area, and were able to get boats at the Leidesplein. The rentals are 10 EUR per person and you get them for 1 hour. The route we took was exactly one hour and we paddled through the gorgeous canal houses, under bridges, and got to see a ton of the city while the sun shined down on us. It was magic.
Dave and my cousin were the paddlers for our boat, so I was the barista in the back. You can purchase snacks and drinks at the rental, so we scooped up some rose and stroopwaffles for our boating snacks!
3. Anne Frank House
Make sure to buy tickets online, right now that’s the only way you can enter and you will be able to walk right up at your designated time. They begin releasing tickets 2 months in advance up until the day before, so check back often if your desired day isn’t available initially.
I love this museum and have been twice. I enjoy how they keep the integrity of the Secret Annex, they even kept the original wall paper with the kid’s growth marks on it. So heart wrenching!
4. Canal Cruise
We like to pick up a canal cruise boat around the old city center, which are open air boats and more fun than the covered boats you’ll see right by the Amsterdam Centraal station. Look to pay 15 EUR for 60-70 minute ride, and some have drinks included. It’s a fun way to see the city and a must-do when visiting.
5. Walk through the Red Light District
No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a walk through the Red Light!
5. Wander the City
Don’t forget to simply stroll through the tree lined canals and enjoy the gorgeous architecture! Amsterdam is one of Europe’s prettiest cities, walking through the streets is bound to make you smile.
Did you know the canal houses have UNESCO World Heritage status? That means home owners must keep the original integrity of the houses in tact, and even rennovate with the old materials from the original time period, usually 1600-1700s. There was a great fire in Amsterdam in the 1600s so much of the inner city had to be re-built (now with brick instead of wood). The UNESCO status means you and I get to enjoy the beautiful canal houses to this day!
6. Day trip to Utrecht
Utrecht is a 25 minute train ride from Amsterdam Centraal and a more quaint version of the bustle of Amsterdam. It’s a perfect day trip and a breath of fresh air if Amsterdam is having you feel like you’ve ‘been there, done that’.
We went with my cousin, who’s studying abroad in Amsterdam for the semester. There is one river that runs through the town, with lots of cafes, shopping, and a weekend market. The cathedral in town is worth a peek inside as well!
Eat
Amsterdam is full of good food!! I’ve listed some of our favorites to date.
1. Van Kerkwijk – We ate here for dinner and the food was great, the staff very friendly, and all around a great time. City center location
2. De Luwte – Great food with a French flare on the canal in the Jordaan.
3. Jansz. – This is the Pulitzer Amsterdam’s on-site restaurant and open to anyone in the city. Great food! We ordered oysters, a vegetable salad, fish, lobster risotto, and more veggies. Healthy options and delish!
4. Blue Amsterdam – Go here for lunch and gorgeous city views. It’s on the top floor and floor to ceiling glass walls. You can see out over all of Amsterdam, it’s stunning!
5. The Avocado Show – Located in the Pijp neighborhood, open for breakfast and lunch. They serve all avocado dishes and are delicious (plus good cappuccinos 🙂 ). Very trendy decor and when we exited there was a line to get in, so go early if you can!
6. Cannibale Royale – This bar/brasserie has a few locations in the city with cool decor, and food was fantastic! I had the small burger with cucumber, green pepper and feta and watermelon salad. Everything was very fresh, with good local beers on tap too. Nice chill place to hang out, grab drinks and a bite to eat.
7. La Oliva – We didn’t get to eat here but this Spanish restaurant looked so nice and the street it’s on is full of fun cafes.
Drink
1. De Sluyswacht – This used to be the old lochs man’s house and is now a crooked old bar with a beautiful patio overlooking the canals. Good beers on tap and a fun hang out spot! The picture below was taken from the patio!
2. Spanjer en Van Twist – We love this outdoor cafe right on the canal and near the Anne Frank House. It’s on a smaller side canal that gets a lot of boat traffic. If you’re lucky a floating band might come and play for all the cafe guests!
3. Freddy’s Bar – Owned by Freddy Heineken, who bought the hotel when he forgot his wife’s anniversary! The hotel is top notch, has a 2-star Michelin restaurant, and a bar on premise. Pay homage to Freddy and toast to him!
Stay
We were lucky enough to stay at the Pulitzer for a few nights and it was a dream. I cannot say enough good things about this hotel! The decor is on point, I can’t get over the design aspect of this gorgeous hotel!
The hotel bought a block of canal houses and kept the integrity of the houses while connecting them. The interior court yard is where the hotel houses the breakfast cafe, Pause, and has some beautiful hang out areas. Everything about the hotel was wonderful.
Hope you enjoy the city when you go! What are your Amsterdam favorites? I’d love to hear in the comments!
xo