There are astounding numbers of things to do in Amsterdam even in the shortest stay. With over 750, 000 inhabitants, Amsterdam is one of the smallest European capitals – crossing it diagonally from coast to coast could take an hour, at most, by bicycle. The city remains one of the charming places to live on earth, with straight-talking people with a zest for the good life, standard education, lifestyle of the classless, thriving cultural industry and good connection to the rest of the world.
In case you plan to explore soon, here are eight amazing things to do in Amsterdam and you’d want to be a part of these activities.
1. Visit the museum
Visitors are attracted to Amsterdam museums like kids to a cookie jar. There are numerous museums in the city, but let’s focus on the famous ones to indecision about choosing which to visit. You’ll find the largest collection of paintings and drawings by renowned painter, Vincent Van Gogh, and his contemporaries at the Van Gogh Museum. Bring back the Dutch Golden age at The Rijksmuseum, where you’ll find “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt, Vermeer’s “The Milk Maid” and other outstanding collection of Dutch art. Gaze into The Anne Frank Museum – where the Frank family hid during World War II – and all its war history (booking ticket in advance will save you a long wait in line). The City has much more museums in the Lord in the Attic church, the Ship Museum on the harbour, Botanical Gardens, the Troppen Museum of tropical life, the Reubens House and the Jewish Museum.
2. Arrive on a Pillion
In Amsterdam, it’s quite commendable how transportation new-found hack isn’t four-wheeled! Apparently, the next big thing since we conceptualized Uber – I can at least say you’ll love the thrill. Why ‘uber’ home when you could yell “backie” at a cyclist with a yellow luggage rack? Dubbed the Yellow Backie scheme, tourists can get much into ‘the Venice of the North’ and its locals by requesting a lift from the city’s fast riders (long as you are both headed on a shared path). Now, this’s the catch: You might find for yourself a tour of the Jordaan district, Rembrandt and Thorbecke squares on top of a ride to your destination. From the nearest park to your hotel or cycle rental agency, there are 3.3 bikes for every car in Amsterdam. Wait time is no time and you can go from there to another park, on to the next one.
3. Go street or carp fishing
Do you fish for leisure or might just take it up for sport? Amsterdam canals are not bad place to launch into your longing for angling (tourist complete your paperwork). The canals don’t look so clean, doubt if you would keep your catch. That’s not to say there are no nice-looking waters in Amsterdam where you could catch a King Mackerel. Pending how much a fishing expedition fanatic you are, you could go carp fishing. Local fishing shop do come handy with tips and directions to make your stay worth your while (remember to plan ahead).
4. Cruise the canals
Gain a new outlook of Amsterdam along its waterways. The waterways divide the city into several areas, you can take a canal tour to get to know your new surroundings as the tour guide explains the history and tell you about the major sites and attractions. Doing the canal cruise at sunset has a way of retracing the sparkling beauty of the city’s shadow on your senses from within the illuminated channels. Amsterdam canal cruises provide rides through the waterways where you can see the picturesque city.
5. Experience the pulsating nightlife
You’ll never forget in an impulsive a night filled with the stars at Melkweg. This is the famous multi-purpose cultural center and music venue, which located near the Leidseplein – the main nightlife square of Amsterdam. Melkweg features several shows, including exhibitions, live concerts, film festivals and movie premieres. It has existed for several decades. Other top venues for exciting and vibrant nightlife include Heineken Music Hall, the Royal Concertgebouw, OCCII, Arena Hotel and Paradiso. You can hit the club and have some fun. Although, the sex trade in Amsterdam’s notorious neighborhood seems to have lost some of its grips. However, the louche red light zones are still a goldmine for cheap fun within the city.
6. Visit Coffee shops, Red light district or Heineken
Amsterdam’s coffee houses are very famous. People are friendly and you could find some new company without even trying. If you don’t want to do the coffeehouse, you could go out bar hopping till 4am. While anybody might want to take the Heineken Brewery Tour for some $3 it takes some getting used to, to visit the brown café or any coffee shop to smoke bud.
7. Try some yummy Dutch street food
Only if you are yet to strike up a convo with a real Dutch foodie, you’d agree Amsterdam is not much about restaurants as street foods. We couldn’t agree the more. It’s not yet at the level of New York or Delhi; if you want to have something authentic like Herring (pickled fish), Frikandel (Dutch sausage) Patatjes met mayo (fried potato chips with mayonnaise better known as French fries in America), sweet hot stroopwafels or poffertjes (mini pancakes) go up north of Europe.
8. Visit Keukenhof Gardens
No place in the world outdoes Keukenhof Gardens than When it comes to tulips. According to the Eastman Kodak Co., “the flowers and ornate concrete water fountains at Keukenhof in the Netherlands are the second most photographed place in the world, after the Taj Mahal”. April is the best time to visit when the spring showers are moderate. This is the ideal time to see Holland’s famous tulip in all their majesty, flower fields and gardens. Keukenhof Gardens is a short 40-min train ride from Central Station. The VVV tourist office just across the street from the Central Station offer a special ride (buy tickets and get a schedule from them. You may need to walk your ways to the garden after leaving the train.
Leave a Reply