Places to Visit in Amsterdam

Travel notes

Capital: Amsterdam

Official language: Dutch

Population recorded at publication: 810,937

Apparently, the name comes from the dam built beside the River Amstel, gradually becoming Amsterdam. The roof shapes and small windows caught my eye most. I was told these features reflected the high taxes on houses at the time.

Amsterdam began as a fishing village by the Amstel in the 12th century. One of Europe's best-known and most visited cities, it is often called a city of freedoms. Among its leading sights are lively, central Dam Square, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. Many tours are available, but I think exploring independently is more enjoyable. The city has more than 1,500 bridges, and its varied nightlife contributes to its free-spirited reputation.

The airport hotel-shuttle stop

The bus station opposite our Ibis hotel; bus 197 went to the centre.

Getting from the airport was easy for us because we stayed at an airport hotel with a shuttle. We chose Ibis and were happy enough, though it was about 20 minutes from the centre. At the time, bus 197 went into town and accepted cash as well as cards. I would recommend staying centrally instead, so you can stay out later and avoid losing time in transit. April and May, the famous tulip season, are often recommended. We stayed from 13 to 15 May, but the weather was wildly changeable: sunshine one moment, cloud, rain, wind and cold the next 😀 Pack layers, both light and warm! I don't know about summer, but spring seemed like this. It was genuinely cold, especially in the evenings, so be prepared.

Canals everywhere, bicycles everywhere. Cycling is great, but there were so many bikes here! I found some riders inconsiderate towards pedestrians: no slowing down or giving way, and sharp looks if you made the slightest wrong move 🙂 With tram tracks, cycle lanes, roads and pavements, we became confused. You would take a step and suddenly a bicycle would appear. We even became nervous about walking! Still, we really enjoyed ourselves. It is a distinctive city with lots to see and do.

What are the Netherlands and Amsterdam famous for?

Cheese, windmills, bicycles, tulips—including black tulips—Holstein cows and social rights are all closely associated with the country. Same-sex marriage is legal. Amsterdam is also known for recreational substances. My original understanding of the rules was that 'soft' drugs were widely available but harder drugs were illegal; that was a visitor's impression, not reliable legal guidance. In souvenir shops and places labelled smart shops, I noticed cookies, biscuits, magic truffles, smoking products and herbs. I wasn't recommending them: I questioned claims that they were harmless, especially when we don't know how our bodies will react.

Where to go in Amsterdam

Dam Square: a classic European square, lively and central, where Rokin and Damstraat meet, with Madame Tussauds among its attractions. It seemed active almost 24 hours a day; you could find street performances even at night.

Vondelpark: Amsterdam's enormous park. Enjoy the trees and greenery in the middle of the city. It is a lovely, peaceful, quiet place.

The Van Gogh Museum: dedicated to the painter famously associated with his severed ear, with around 200 works and information about his life. The entry price I recorded was €15.

NEMO Science Centre: its history goes back to 1923, and since 1997 it has occupied a building designed by Renzo Piano. My notes described the five-storey building as the Netherlands' largest science centre, attracting over 500,000 visitors a year.

The Dutch film museum: founded in 1952 to pass knowledge of cinema to future generations. The collection figures in my notes were 46,000 film titles, 35,000 posters and over 450,000 photographs, with objects tracing Dutch cinema from 1895 onwards.

Rijksmuseum: the Netherlands' most important fine-art museum.

The Anne Frank House: excerpts from Anne's famous wartime diary, historical documents, photographs, film footage and belongings of those in hiding and their helpers illuminate what happened in the house. Anne's original diary and other notebooks are also displayed.

Bloemenmarkt, the flower market: although tulips reached Europe through the Ottoman Empire, the Netherlands is worth visiting for the seas of colour these flowers create. Here you can find all kinds of flowers, plants and seeds.

Leidseplein: this pedestrian area offered a break from bicycles too. Always lively and entertaining, it is an important nightlife spot.

Rembrandtplein: another lively square and nightlife hub. My notes also mentioned several casinos around it.

The Red Light District: an even freer corner of this free-spirited city, with sex workers in windows, coffeeshops, amusement arcades, small gambling venues and peep-show theatres. It felt very strange to me: couples strolled around as though on a seaside promenade, looking at women in lingerie behind the windows. A different world 😀

Madame Tussauds: my original notes described this as the second largest after London. If you want wax figures of celebrities, it is an option, though frequent travellers will encounter branches elsewhere, sometimes cheaper. Some figures looked very lifelike. We had a good time and I would recommend it, but book online to enter sooner: weekend queues can be long.

The Heineken Experience: near Leidseplein, the big beer brand's entertaining former brewery. A tour is worth considering, though not essential; everyone I knew who went enjoyed it. The entry prices I recorded ranged from €18 to €22.

Take a canal boat tour: a lovely way to enjoy Amsterdam's waterways.

Get lost in the city and explore its side streets 🙂

With its canals, almost impossibly lovely architecture, extraordinary bicycle traffic, excellent public transport, friendly people, lively nightlife, squares and Vondelpark, Amsterdam is a very beautiful city. We enjoyed exploring it enormously.

Shopping in Amsterdam

Amsterdam has one of Europe's widest choices of souvenirs. Dutch cheese and tulips top the list, followed by wooden clogs, porcelain, magnets and amusing Red Light District- or cannabis-themed items. Many shopping streets are traffic-free, making browsing pleasant. Street markets are a strong tradition, while shopping malls are relatively limited. Familiar brands also line the pedestrian streets.

You can taste the cheeses before buying 🙂

Dutch cuisine and eating in Amsterdam

I didn't encounter many specifically Dutch dishes, but as a port city it is famous for fish, and its fries are well known too. There are restaurants serving cuisines from around the world. Living in England, we naturally miss our own food, so we often research good Turkish restaurants wherever we go. The one we visited had such a pleasant, refined atmosphere that we didn't want to leave. Its owner and staff were very polite, and the dishes and meze were delicious. If you find yourself there, give it a try. Especially if you enjoy rakı, fish, meze and conversation over gentle background music, it is just your sort of place 😉

Amsterdam's famous fries in a cone

Vlaamse Frites

Winkel 43—its apple cake was famous and delicious.

Bagels served with tapas-style accompaniments at Bagels & Beans.

The bagels were delicious, with a lovely sauce. Alongside were olive paste, hummus, tuna mayonnaise and smoked meat to spread on them. I really liked it 🙂

Cannibale Royale—the burger and fries were tasty. I recommend it.

Of course, we couldn't visit without stopping at Simit Sarayı again 🙂

For fans of Chinese restaurants 🙂

Hard Rock Café

People seemed so peaceful and relaxed that I felt rather envious.

This café is called Sweet Cup. The coffee was really, really good, and it had a charming character of its own. This sweet dog belonged there too 🙂

An electric car charging 🙂

For chess lovers 🙂

There were lots of lovely homes on the canals like these 🙂

An unusual motorbike I spotted in a shop 🙂

Related stories and videos