Top Things To See and Do When In Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city of surprises; a lovely, walkable capital where history and everyday life meet on its canals. Narrow gabled houses and floating houseboats line concentric waterways, while canal-side cafes and more world-class museums per square meter than any other city invite discovery. Learn how 17th century tulip-mania helped finance the Golden Age, use the city to see Keukenhof’s stellar springtime display, and shop at the world’s only floating market. Through it all, soak up the city’s atmosphere of tolerance and openness, and admire a pervasive bike culture (with over a million bicycles). Whether you’re after its charming canals, art, architecture, culture, or simply people watching, Amsterdam offers something for everyone. This post covers the top things to see and do when in Amsterdam.

Top Things To See & Do When In Amsterdam

Cruise Amsterdam’s Canals

Cruising Amsterdam’s canals is a definite must, even if you only visit the city for one day. This is one of the top things to do when you are in Amsterdam. The canals are the heart of this city, dating back to the Golden Age in the 17th century, back when Amsterdam was a one of the most powerful and influential commercial centers in the world. It’s also fun. Especially on a sunny day when the canals are full of boaters enjoying the city’s winding waterways.

Did you know that you can travel over 60 miles (100km) on canals here?

The most famous are the concentric canal ‘rings’ curving around the city in a half moon; the Prinsegracht, Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Singel, although there are actually over 165 canals, criss-crossed with many bridges.

See Het Sengel 7

As you cruise the canals, admire the architecture, with its narrow, gabled buildings. They were built based on historical width-based tax laws. Exactly which is the narrowest, or smallest, is up for debate, but the narrowest facade is at Het Sengel 7. It’s just over 1 meter wide.

Bicycle Or Walk Along The Canals

Of course you’ll also want to walk and bicycle along the canals, as the lifestyle here is intoxicating. When you do, make sure to find a table near the canal edge for a beverage or a meal. On a sunny day, it seems like every square inch is taken up canal-side tables.

Magere Brug, or Skinny Bridge

There are over 1,200 bridges in Amsterdam, yet its most famous is the little wooden bridge, Magere Brug, which means skinny bridge. It spans the Amstel River, which is the river that gave Amsterdam its name. This bridge is also famous for being in the 007 movie Diamonds Are Forever.

The best time to see Magere Brug is at night. It’s lit by hundreds of bulbs and makes for a romantic evening walk.

See Where Anne Frank Lived

The Anne Frank House is the house 15-year-old Anne Frank’s family hid in during German occupation. Were all familiar with the story, but seeing the actual space where the family hid, reading examples of her diary, and seeing video of her father (and friends) that survived the war, takes this horrible part of history to another level.

Make sure to purchase tickets in advance as this is one of the most popular things to do when in Amsterdam. It sells out weeks in advance. If you don’t, you still may be able to get a ticket, but you will need to wait in a very long line.

See The Royal Palace

The Royal Palace Amsterdam is in the former 17th century city hall at Dam Square. It serves as King Willem-Alexander’s official reception palace. This palace is open to the public for tours when it is not in use. An audio tour is included with the entrance fee.

Explore Negen Straatjes

The Negen Straatjes area is “9 little streets”, composed of 3 streets crossed by 3 canals. This picturesque neighborhood sits just behind the Royal Palace in Grachtengordel (which means Canal Belt).

This is a fun area to visit, full of galleries, boutique shops, for fashion and home decor, and many terrace cafes. The names of the streets refer back to the work that was once performed there. For example, a street with an animal name refers to the animal skins that were once processed there.

Take A Walk In Vondelpark

Located outside of the canal rings, is Vondelpark. A lush park full of trees and lakes. This is a lovely place for an afternoon walk or a picnic. It’s also unique as you will likely see the anomaly of green parakeets here that thrive in Amsterdam in the thousands. They are called Rose-ringed parakeets. No one knows for sure why there are so many, as their native habitat is a tropical climate. They think they are the descendants of domestic parakeets that escaped years ago.

Visit Oude Kerk

Visit Amsterdam’s oldest building, founded in 1213, right in the center of Old Town and in the heart of the Red Light District. It’s a church. Oude Kerk means Old Church, and this one is not only the oldest, it’s also one of the few places not renovated since Rembrandt attended it. His children were also baptized here. Today, this monument is a museum, displaying art exhibits. Check the website for exhibit details.

Experience Leidsplein

Leidesplien, or Leiden Square, is close to the main entrance of Vondelpark, at the southern end of the central canal ring. This lively square is known for its nightlife, including terrace bars and cafes and street performers. It’s a hot spot. It’s located at the Leidsplein tram stop.

Shop At A Floating Flower Market

The world’s only floating flower market, Bloemenmarkt, is in Singel canal between the Koningsplein and the Muntplein. This market is on houseboats and has been a tradition since 1862. Today, however, it caters mostly to tourists.

Visit World-Class Museums

Amsterdam boasts the highest concentration of museums per square meter of all the cities in the world, with over 60 (a lot for such a small city). The musuems here attract millions annually. The big three are Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, and the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art.

Rijksmuseum

The Rijkmuseum is must-visit museum with 8 centuries of Dutch and International artists, but is most famous for its 17th century Dutch artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals.

One of its most famous paintings is Rembrandt’s The Night Watch from 1642. This is not only Rembrant’s most famous painting, but the most famous painting of the Dutch Golden Age. It shows the 17th century Militia Company of District II in larger-than-life scale. Other famous paintings include Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid and a self portrait of Vincent Van Gogh.

The Rijksmuseum is located in Museum Square, near the Rijksmuseum tram stop.

Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum is an entire museum devoted to Van Gogh. Some of his more famous works here include Sunflowers, The Potato Eaters, Almond Blossom, and The Bedroom (although sometimes they rotate to other museums). There are also personal letters like those to and from his brother and friends that provide fascinating insights into his life.

The Van Gogh Museum is about a 5-minute walk southwest of the Rijksmuseum in Museum Square.

Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art

The Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art is the largest Dutch museum of contemporary art, modern art and design. See famous works by Cézanne, Chagall, Kandinsky, De Kooning, Matisse Mondrian, Picasso, Pollock, and Warhol.

The Stedelijk Museum is just a 1-minute walk southwest of the Van Gogh Museum in Museum Square.

Moco Museum 

Moco features modern and contemporary art from both contemporary artists and rising stars. See the Moco Museumwebsite for the latest exhibitions. This museum is also in Museum Square, next to the Rijksmuseum.

Rembrandt House Museum

You can also visit Rembrandt’s former home-turned-museum. His painting studio is on the upper floor and a space for his apprentices is on the top floor.

He paid 15,000 guilders for it when the average annual income for a laborer was 300 guilders a year. After his wife died, Rembrandt reportedly went into a downward spiral, overspent, went into bankruptcy, and was forced to sell the home to pay off his debts. Ironically, the detailed list of his possessions created due to the bankruptcy is how they were able to set the house up exactly as it was when he lived here.

Learn Tulip Past & Present

April is when the tulips peak in Amsterdam, drawing over a million visitors. In fact, the entire month of April is known as the Tulip Festival, with hundreds of thousands of tulips throughout the city. You can visit Keukenhof Gardens, one of the world’s largest flower gardens, or drive, or bicycle by the tulips fields, over 12 miles (20 km) of them.

This flower strip is known as Bollenstreek, which is in bloom from the end of March to mid-May, usually peaking in mid-April.

The Amsterdam Tulip Museum covers the history of the tulip in Amsterdam from its origin to “tulip mania”. Another option is the Museum De Zwarte Tulp, or the Black Tulip Museum in Lisse (near Keukenhof).

Try Local Herring

Herring is a quintessential dish in Amsterdam. One that you must try. The best place to try its raw herring (yes, raw) is reported to be Albert Cuyp Market, which is one of Amsterdam’s top street markets.

If you order een haring, it is served sliced on a plate with pickles and onions. If you order a broodje haring, it comes on a small sandwich with pickles and onions. The best time to try raw herring is from May to July, when it considered to be at its sweetest.

NDSM & STRAAAT

Take the ferry to the northern side of Amsterdam and visit NDSM & STRAAT. NDSM is a cultural hotspot with art, studios, restaurants, and exhibition spaces. STRAAT is a graffiti museum. The unique name comes from its history as the Nederlandsche Dock en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (Dutch Dock and Shipbuilding Company).

To get here, take the free GVB ferry F4 from behind Centraal Station. It runs frequently. The ride takes about 15 minutes.

Visit Amsterdam’s Coffee Shops

The coffee shops of Amsterdam are an important aspect of Amsterdam’s open-stance on tolerance and openness. They are legally licensed to sell cannabis in small quantities, but mostly for on site use. Note that some coffee shops sell only to locals.

To learn more about the intricacies of the law, see the Amsterdam Coffeeshop Guide.

The Red Light District

There are actually multiple red light districts in Amsterdam, but the one in central Old Town, is the most well-known. There are also eclectic shops, cafes, and the Red Light Secrets Museum.

Amsterdam prides itself on being open and tolerant and decriminalized prostitution (it’s not legal on the street, so set up in private rooms, with street-facing windows). Despite many red light districts in the world, this area is monitored and protected, so considered friendly and safe, although it can get boisterous in the evening. So boisterous, and so busy, there has been talk of moving much of this area to a new location in the near future.

If you are curious and want to avoid the crowds, it’s better to walk by earlier as it gets busy at night. For more details, see the Red Light District Info.

Visit The Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague

If there are not enough museums for you in Amsterdam, visit the Mauritshuis Museum in the Hague. Some famous works here include The Girl With the Pearl Earring and The Goldfinch. The Hague is about an hour southwest of Amsterdam and easily reachable by train.

Want More Of The Netherlands?

To learn more about the Netherlands, an overview of its top sites, how to get around, safety, scams, important money matters, and more, see my Netherlands Travel Guide.

Safe Travels!

Julie