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Amsterdam might have a reputation as a party city, but there are so many things to do for non-partiers too. It’s such a liveable and walkable city. I went there with a girl friend and neither of us drink, and we still enjoyed ourselves. Keep reading for some of the wholesome things we did in Amsterdam.
To find out more about where we ate in Amsterdam, click here.
We stayed at Jan Luyken Amsterdam and Commune Suites for two nights each.
PRO TIPS
- Pack an umbrella. Amsterdam gets a lot of rain each year, so it’s likely that you’ll encounter at least one day where it’s raining.
- Even though it rains a lot in Amsterdam, there are pockets where the rain will stop. We would hide out for a few hours at a restaurant/café and wait for the rain to pass. Scope out your surroundings and research a few spots to hide in!
- Use the tram to get around the city. You can purchase a day pass and hop on the tram to get to major attractions and fun neighbourhoods in the city.
- Everyone we encountered spoke amazing English, so we had no issues getting around.
BOOK A CANAL TOUR
Did you know that there are 165 canals in the city of Amsterdam? It might seem like a cliché touristy thing to do, but regardless I would still highly recommend taking a boat tour through the canals. There are many tour groups to choose from, with many leaving from the canals near Anne Frank House. We looked for smaller, boutique companies where the boats wouldn’t be overcrowded.
It rained quite hard during our canal tour, but the captain would park the boat under a bridge for a few minutes as we waited for the rain to pass. There were also umbrellas on board, as I’m sure all tour companies would have. This was a great way for us to learn about the city, its history and see Amsterdam from the eyes of locals.
TAKE A JOURNEY THROUGH AMAZE AMSTERDAM
AMAZE is an immersive audiovisual experience that takes about an hour to walk through. Located in the West harbour area of Amsterdam, Amaze was built by creatives behind Dutch festivals, so the experience celebrates electronic music and lights. It was quite unique and we had fun walking through the different parts of the journey, especially the interactive areas where we had the opportunity to engage with some of the exhibit. If you’re looking for indoor things to do in Amsterdam, this is a memorable one! Note that the music is quite loud and there are lots of flashing lights, so the experience may not be suitable for everyone.
Location: Elementenstraat 25, 1014 AR Amsterdam, Netherlands. Click here for the map.
VISIT MOCO MUSEUM
I was surprised to learn that Amsterdam has more than 40 official museums. One of my favourites was Moco Museum which is located in Museum Square (Museumplein). At first glance it doesn’t look like a museum, as it’s in an old townhouse. Moco Museum is dedicated to modern and contemporary art. You can find artwork by Banksy and Andy Warhol here. Some of the displays are very colourful, which makes the museum very instagrammable.
Location: Honthorststraat 20, 1071 DE Amsterdam, Netherlands. Click here for the map.
EXPLORE RIJKSMUSEUM
Also located in Museum Square is Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands. The art here is more historical and some exhibits contain artifacts dating back to the Middle Ages. There are works of art here by Rembrandt and Vermeer. The building itself is beautiful and worth visiting, even for non-art fans. The public library there is stunning. Because of the size of the museum, I would allocate at least two hours for Rijksmuseum.
Location: Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam, Netherlands. Click here for the map.
DISCOVER VAN GOGH MUSEUM
Across from Rijksmuseum is Van Gogh Museum. Dutch painter Van Gogh is now one of the most well-known artists of all time. His sunflowers and starry nights (not found at this museum) are recognized by many. At this museum you can see some of his self portraits and paintings of flowers, while learning about his journey and life as an artist.
Location: Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands. Click here for the map.
LEARN ABOUT DUTCH ARTIST, REMBRANDT
It was very interesting to explore this 17th century Rembrandt House Museum and learn about how famous Dutch artist Rembrandt lived. At Rembrandt House Museum, the audio tour is included with admission and we took our time going from room to room, learning about the history of Rembrandt and what it was like living in the house. Similar to Van Gogh, he had a bit of a sad life, so there are definitely somber undertones to the content. At Rembrandt House, you can see some of his original paintings and there are also daily live demonstrations showing some of the techniques that Rembrandt used.
Location: Jodenbreestraat 4, 1011 NK Amsterdam, Netherlands. Click here for the map.
WATCH A MOVIE AT TUCHINSKI THEATRE
We were looking for indoor activities to escape the rain and ducked into Tuchinski Theatre (Pathé Tuchinski), one of Amsterdam’s most well-known theatres built in the 1920s. Tuchinski Theatre is one of the most stunning old theatres I’ve been in. We watched the live remake of The Little Mermaid with freshly popped popcorn and were pleased to find that the seats were very spacious, comfortable couches. I even dozed off for a few minutes during the movie, it was so cozy!
Location: Reguliersbreestraat 26-34, 1017 CN Amsterdam, Netherlands. Click here for the map.
WALK THROUGH VONDELPARK
Vondelpark is the city’s largest urban park and one of the most well-known of the Netherlands. We noticed lots of locals walking their dogs here, riding their bikes and jogging on the paths. It was so clean and peaceful, with lots of grassy areas to lay out a towel and enjoy the sun. Within Vondelpark, there is a rose garden, an open air theatre, a café/restaurant and a water playground for kids.
Click here for the map.
