If you’re headed Dam-wards, here’s what to do when you get there; a blend of the classic Amsterdam attractions and the lesser-known parts that make it even more special. Here’s what you need to know about this splendid city, a mellow place with a legendary chilled-out vibe.
Holland or Netherlands?
The jewel of the western Netherlands, you’ll find Amsterdam on the Ijsselmeer, which connects onwards to the wild and chilly North Sea. It’s the capital of the Netherlands.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands was founded in 1579 as a union of provinces and cities who collaborated to beat back the invading Spanish. One of them was called Holland, dating back to the 1100s, and these days Holland is still a province of the Netherlands.
Discovering Amsterdam
Amsterdam has been a popular destination for weed-heads for a long time, an unusually tolerant city since the ‘60s. But there’s a whole lot more to this lovely, lively city than the coffee shops.
Like most capitals Amsterdam is stuffed with historical attractions and great art, and has a colourful past. This place goes back 700 years, basically a living museum. The network of centuries-old canals, the tall, thin terraced houses lining them, the serene parks and colourful gardens, the sculpture and the street art, it’s the kind of thing you’d expect from a gracious old city.
Once upon a time this was a small medieval settlement built on earth dikes where the river met the sea. They dammed the river t to control flooding, hence the ‘dam’ part of the name. By the 1500s it had matured into a walled city, three of whose ancient towers still stand. In the 1600s the great canal building time began, continuing through to the 1700s, and they still stand today, one of the city’s best-fun attractions. Take an electric hire boat and explore the canals for yourself, seeing the best of the place from the glittering water.
The inner city’s 90 or so ‘islands’ divided by canals and accessible via around 1300 bridges and viaducts give this place a unique flavour. 20% of the population gets around by bike and the tram service is excellent, both of which make it a pleasure to explore. Because it is so flat it’s also a delight to explore on foot, much calmer than traffic-ruined capitals.
The mighty Amstel River flows from south to north through the city, large parts of which are actually below sea level. The Dutch, being masters at water management with centuries of experience keeping floods at bay, are busy coming up with new ways to save their city from the rising waters of climate change.
The usual Amsterdam suspects
There’s a load of famous places to go and things to do. The art collections at the Rijksmuseum are world-class and everyone’s heard of Anne Frank House. The magnificent Van Gogh Museum awaits you and there’s endless Instagrammery to photograph in the Jordaan Neighbourhood. Head for the green stuff in the relaxing Vondelpark, full of beautiful blooms, or just sit in Dam Square and watch the world go by. Brits high on mushrooms are always an entertaining sight 😉
The Royal Palace of Amsterdam is well worth a tour, as is the beautiful West Church or Westerkerk. The Rembrandt House Museum gives you insight into the life and work of one of the world’s best-loved painters. And this is where you’ll find one of the oldest and most beautiful botanical gardens on the planet.
Amsterdam Royal Zoo is great fun for every age and the views from Oude Kerk’s Tower – the old church’s tower – are eye-wateringly lovely. Satisfy your internal intellectual at the Stedelijk Museum, full of wonderful Dutch art, and stroll the stylish Begijnhof to get a deeper flavour of the city’s personality.
The Jewish Historical Museum is a worthy but harrowing experience, lightened up by a shopping trip to Kalverstraat and the Vlooienmarkt. The NEMO Science Museum rivals London’s Science Museum, a thrill for visitors of every age, and the EYE Film Institute Netherlands delights movie fans. There are graceful tall ships at the National Maritime Museum and the Museum of the Tropics and Hermitage Amsterdam are packed with fascinating treasures.
Amsterdam off the beaten track
For an unusual souvenir, find an antique shop selling Gouda pottery. It’s highly collectible and very beautiful, richly decorated with colourful glazes and complex patterns in something a lot like William Morris style.
In this city coffee shops actually mean licensed cannabis cafés with varied marijuana menus. They’re friendly, chilled places on the whole, being social hubs as well as nice places to drink the city’s famously good hot chocolate and enjoy a tasty snack. It’s best to avoid the famous ones and the tourist traps, venturing out in search of the places the locals frequent instead. Try Katsu, Paradox, Grey Area and The Plug.
Here’s a list of more alternative things to do in Amsterdam.
- Do the Over the Edge swing from the A’DAM’s sky deck if you dare, Europe’s highest swing at an adrenaline-busting 100 meters high. You’ll swing right over the edge of the tower
- Go to Moco Museum and sculpture garden – see genuine works of art by heroes like Banksy and Warhol, a feast of thoroughly modern art
- Go to the Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder museum, a stunning secret hidden chapel behind a canal-house facade
- Find out how happiness affects our bodies at the Happiness Project
- Take an open boat tour complete with masses of BOOZE!
- Visit Amsterdam North’s seven old dike villages
- Explore the curious Cat Cabinet Museum
- Take a private food tour or book a cheese tour
- Go to Bodyworlds, an exhibit of plasticised human remains
- Enjoy an alternative walking tour with an expert guide
- Visit magnificent Museum van Loon – a palace of a house full of treasures with a gorgeous garden to match. This is how the rich live!
- Eat out at the extraordinary REM Eiland restaurant, once a broadcast platform out on the water and now a posh eatery
- Go to the Houseboat Museum
- Take a guided tour of the red light district
- Rent a bicycle and take yourself off on an adventure – all you need is Google maps
- Watch the world go by at the trendy NDSM Wharf, once a shipyard but now a creative haven for the city’s alternative scene
- Rummage your way through IJ-Hallen, the biggest flea market in Europe, taking place once a month
If that little lot has your mouth watering for an adventure, think guided travel. It’s a brilliant way to see what you want, never get lost, experience all the bets bits and get to the hidden treasures even some of the locals aren’t aware of. We’ll see you in the ‘dam!
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