When you come for the first time to Amsterdam there are a lot of activities you have to cross of your list before you can really say you have seen the city. Below listed are the most basic, but really cool activities every newly Amsterdammer should do! For more local secrets and input look for our other pages.
- Rent a bike. What better way than discovering Amsterdam on a bike! Cycle through the city center and pass the city channels, the Rijksmuseum and the red light district. Renting a bike is the cheapest and healthiest way to discover Amsterdam and to get the real Dutch experience.
- Picnic in the Vondelpark. The Vondelpark is Amsterdam’s biggest park which is named after the famous poet Joost van den Vondel. In the summer it is full of life and it is a park where a lot of activities take place. It is sprawling with ponds, lawns and bicycle trails. This is good place to visit on a sunny day.
- Visit the Rijksmuseum. One of Europe’s oldest and biggest museum’s with an astonishing collection of artifacts. This is a must see for every visitor. The recently renovated Rijksmuseum displays over 8000 artistic and historical objects which embody the 800 year old Dutch history. With almost 2 million visitors a year it is the best visited museum in the Netherlands and definitely worthwhile visiting. Also here it would be advisable to come early before the big streams of tourist come during the day.
- Visit to a coffee shop. Even if you don’t smoke weed, the coffee shops in Amsterdam are definitely worth visiting. You can go in and just drink a coffee, look around and absorb the different smells that surround you.
- Visit the Anne Frank huis. Visiting the Anne Frank huis is an powerful experience everyone visiting Amsterdam should have. The main focus of the museum if the ‘rear house ‘where Anne Frank wrote most of her diary. The Anne Frank huis draws a lot of tourist and it would be smart to visit relatively early or in the evening since it can be very crowded during the day. The Anne Frank house opens at 9am and closes at 9pm.
- Visit the red light district. From sex shops, to brothels to museums, the red light district in Amsterdam does not leave anything to the imagination. It is Amsterdam’s most famous area and you have probably heard about it. Everything they say is true, so why not visit it and see it for yourself? The red light district is visited by a wide variety of tourist, from giggling groups of women to groups of Chinese tourist and couples holding hands. Everybody is welcome to have a look as long as you don’t make pictures from the working girls you will not be bothered.