We just returned from a whirlwind Northern European tour where we visited Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm. Little did I expect that Amsterdam would easily become one of my favorite cities I’ve ever visited.
From their beautiful canals to biking culture and stunning architecture, I couldn’t get enough of the city. Read on for the ultimate travel guide to Amsterdam. We have this itinerary broken into what we did each day, and grouped many of the activities by proximity to each other, so this itinerary is completely doable.
Day 1
Brunch at Foodhallen: After checking into your hotel (We stayed at Hotel De Hallen, which we will be writing about later this week), head to brunch at Foodhallen. This food hall has a number of hot eateries and a few bars in a really cool building, making it easy to sample different foods and drinks in a communal setting. It’s basically Amsterdam’s answer to New York’s Chelsea Market, but much prettier, in my opinion.
The range of food options is really impressive, and it scans different cultures. For instance, there was a Spanish tapas place, a burger spot, a frozen yogurt stall, a pita place, an eatery purely dedicated to bao buns, and much more. There is also an enormous bar in the middle of the hall, serving up great cocktails.
After walking in and having a gander at all of the delicious stalls, we decided on ordering Spanish tapas from Jabugo and Mexican food from Taqueria Lima to split. Between the two of us, we ordered a charcuterie tray with cured Spanish meats and cheeses, a delicious jamon sandwich, and a burrito bowl with guacamole.
We decided to eat at the bar, so that we could chat with the bartender and get some cocktails to toast our arrival in Amsterdam. I ordered a Moscow mule made with Dutch gin, and my fiancé had a dark & stormy. Both were delicious, as was the food. It left us full, sated and fueled up for what was to be a nonstop day of sightseeing.
Bike Through Vondelpark: One of the first things you should do when arriving in Amsterdam is to rent bikes. Luckily, our hotel had bikes on hand for us to use during our stay, but there are also loads of bike rental shops. Aside from our ride to and from the airport, we didn’t take a single taxi or bus while we were in Amsterdam. We literally biked everywhere, which was one of the best parts of this trip. We saw SO much more of the city than we would have from the back of a taxi, and it allowed us to happen upon beautiful areas while also getting in some exercise.
Bikers have the right of way in Amsterdam and there are literally bike lanes on every street, so getting around is so easy once you are there.
One of our first stops by bike was Vondelpark, a massive park in the middle of Amsterdam with beautiful trees, flowers and more. The bike paths are really wide, so it is perfect to take a great gander through the park before checking out other sites. While we were visiting, the trees had begun to change color, so the park was all shades or bright orange, reds and yellows.
Rijksmuseum: One of Amsterdam’s most celebrated museums is the Rijksmuseum, which is home to tons of classic art. It houses Rembrandt’s famous Night Watch painting, which is a must to visit, as well as Vermeer, Van Gogh and other influential Dutch artists.
Bonus: right in front of Rijksmuseum is the famous IAMSTERDAM installation, which is a very instagrammable moment.
Van Gogh Museum: The same square as the Rijksmuseum is also home to the Van Gogh Museum. This museum houses the largest body of Van Gogh’s works in the world, and does a great job walking you through the tortured artist’s life, illness and upbringing. There is an entire hall of his self portraits, as well as beautiful works from his time in the mental asylum. There are also paintings by his contemporaries who influenced him during his career.
Moco Museum: This contemporary museum houses some great modern art in an old mansion. They have a permanent exhibit featuring Warhols, Kaws and other modern artists, but also have some great rotating exhibits. While we were in town, we were able to see an exhibit dedicated to street artist Banksy, which was really interesting. The museum is small, so can be done in an hour or so. It also has a beautiful sculpture garden. Like Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, this is in the same square, so all three can be viewed on the same day.
Bloenmarket: Amsterdam is known for its tulips, and this outdoor market features tulip sellers, but also little stalls with lots of souvenirs. It’s in a central part of town, so chances are that you will pass it at some pint during your stay. It’s worth popping in for 20 minutes or so in order to get some good shots.
Begijnhof: Just a few minute’s walk from the flower market is a secret garden where nuns have lived for hundreds of years. It’s worth taking a few minutes to walk through the courtyard, which also gives some history on the religions of Amsterdam.
Get drinks at a Brown Bar: Brown bars, or brown cafes, are to the Dutch what the pub is to British people. These gathering places are where locals grab a beer, meal or catch up. Luckily for tourists, they happen to be incredibly charming.
Many of Amsterdam’s brown bars date back hundreds of years. Their interiors are made of wood and brick and it feels like you are stepping back into time when you enter them. We decided to visit one called Hoppe, which is in a great outdoor square in Amsterdam just perfect for people watching. This bar dates back to 1670.
Dinner at La Falote: How do I even begin to describe the dining experience at La Falote? This local neighborhood restaurant (we were the only non-locals in there) is so special for so many reasons.
It has a menu that has lots of Dutch delicacies, so it is great on that front. But, its owner is so dynamic and a force of nature that he makes the whole experience so memorable. I’ll start with the timeline of events. We biked to La Falote for an 8:30 pm dinner reservation and were shown to two seats in this small but cozy restaurant. We then looked at the menu, which was chock full of hearty fare such as mussels, beef stew, onion soup, steak with mushrooms, etc.
The tables around us had giant plates of food that we look at before ordering the onion soup and half order of mussels to share as starters. All the while, the restaurant’s owners made the rounds conversing with patrons, who were clearly regulars.
As the night wore on, the owner came out and started making the rounds and got out an accordion. Before you know it, he was handing out playbills with his face on them and telling us which page to turn to for song lyrics. The restaurant then burst into an hour-long singalong in Dutch and English.
This was the most fun we’ve had at a restaurant maybe ever, and it was great that the food was excellent, too.
Day 2:
Breakfast at Lot Sixty-One: This neighborhood coffee shop has loads of cool factor. Amsterdam’s hipsters can be spotted sitting outside of it sipping lattes and eating croissants. We stopped in for coffee and pastry before an epic boat tour.
Canal Tour: Amsterdam is famous for its canals, and exploring the city by boat is one of the most fun things you can do while in the city. There are all sorts of varieties of tour you can take, from the hop-on, hop-off variety to more intimate tours. We knew we wanted more of a luxury experience, so we booked a private tour with Admiral Heijn, which was the perfect way to spend a few hours learning about Amsterdam.
The captain picked us up at a pier near our hotel and then we set off for our journey. I was immediately impressed by the boat. It was a sleek, wooden electric boat that looked like it had been made for Ralph Lauren. On the bow, was a bucket filled with Laurent Perrier champagne bottles. There was a basket full of blankets on board to get your hygge on.
As the boat took down the canals, we passed the most beautiful historic homes and house boats. It was like sensory overload being on the water gliding through the canals seeing the pastel row homes go by. We passed the Anne Frank House, The Amstel River and the Red Light district on the tour, which helped give us a really good feel for the layout of the city as well as sights we wanted to add to our itinerary. An added bonus: the boat is smaller than most of the other tourist boats, so you get to go through hidden canals and other areas that the larger boats can’t access.
This was truly one of our favorite things we did in Amsterdam and should be at the very top of your list when you book your trip.
Lunch in De Pijp: Head over to the De Pijp area, which is essentially Amsterdam’s Brooklyn. This hip neighborhood has great restaurants, shops and bars and is so Instagrammable. We decided to do the best of both worlds while there: Eat a delicious brunch in a great boutique, called Cottoncake.
This boutique has such a well—curated selection of clothing and jewelry from Nordic designers as well as international brands. It also has a killer brunch menu and cook, if you are lucky enough to secure one of its coveted tables.
After browsing the clothes, we went to the top floor overlooking the shop for some brunch. We were lucky enough to have a sampling of their best dishes, starting with a green smoothie bowl with bananas, dates, almond milk and fresh fruit. Their food is so colorful because of all of the fresh fruits and vegetables they use.
Next, the chef brought out two colorfully delightful plates of food to share. The first was their chunky omelette, which was similar to a crustless quiche. It had eggs, zucchini, spinach and was topped with creamy goat cheese. They paired it with a gluten free bread with homemade pesto. The second dish was smashed avocado toast. I know you’re thinking that there isn’t much room to transform avocado toast, but this one was truly next level. It came atop their gluten free bread, which is flavorful and has a great texture, and comes with a tahini sauce that paired so wonderfully with the fresh avocado. There was also a healthy spelt flour and buckwheat waffle with a berry compote.
By the time we had finished all of this food we were full, so we didn’t have room to try their actual cakes (it’s in their name, after all, which represents their owners love for both great clothing and great food). But, if you go for lunch, we were eyeing the salty caramel pecan pie.
After brunch, I went back to a 1Oak ring I had eyed before brunch and bought it. It was a Dutch designer I had never heard of, but was happy to happen upon. It now sits happily on my middle finger of my right hand, right next to my engagement ring. It’s the ultimate souvenir from a wonderful trip to Amsterdam.
Anne Frank Museum: This museum doesn’t need much of an introduction. It is the home where Anne Frank, her family and several others hid during the nazi occupation of the Netherlands. A visit to this museum is sobering, and provides a great overview of both the holocaust and its effect on the families that hid in the museum’s quarters as well as the people who bravely helped hide and provide for them. You must reserve your tickets well in advance, so if you have an interest in going, be sure to read up on the ticket policy.
Dinner at Black & Blue: After a full day of biking around Amsterdam, it was time for some dinner. We had a reservation at Black & Blue, which is a beautiful steak house in the TK area of Amsterdam.
From the second we pulled up to Black & Blue on our bikes, we were in love with the ambiance. We started the night with some cocktails – I had a Moscow mule while my fiancé had an aperol spritz. We then ordered some appetizers to share, such as the scallops and eggplant. Both were delicious.
For a starter we had scallops in pea puree, which were severed in giant clam shells a la the little mermaid. They were super flavorful and light and we loved the mix of fix and fresh vegetables. We also had eggplant wrapped with goat cheese, pine nuts, tomato and pomegranate, which was equally delicious and jam packed with flavor.
We also split the ribeye angus steak for two, which was 600 grams and came with delicious french fries and bearnaise sauce.
Explore the Red Light District: You can’t go to Amsterdam without at least seeing what the red light district is about. We went one night after dinner and walked the strip, which is filled with bars, weed cafes and women dancing in women trying to solicit customers. It was definitely a learning experience, and only something you have to see once for about an hour.
Day 3:
Breakfast at Toos & Roos: We woke up for our last half day of sightseeing a bit wistful to say goodbye to the city. So, we hopped on our bikes and headed to Toos & Roos cafe in the Canal Ring section of Amsterdam for some breakfast This quaint cafe is super charming and turns out delicious brunch food made of fresh ingredients.
We decided to sit at a table out front of the restaurant, watching the canal and bikers go by as we sipped on our coffees. The restaurant had really embraced fall, with pumpkins and gourds on each table, which was a nice tough.
I ordered a yogurt with muesli and apple, which was delicious on a cooler fall day. My fiance ordered and omelette with bacon and sausage and a croissant. We left fueled for some final sightseeing before headed to our next country!
Albert Cuyp Market: There are two major markets in Amsterdam: the Bloenmarket, where the tourists shop, and the Albert Cuyp Market, where the locals shop. We much preferred the latter.
This open air market in the De Pijp area of Amsterdam was so fresh and colorful and exactly what we were hoping for.
First of all, walking around the De Pijp area is just so charming. We stopped in lots of cute clothing boutiques, such as Ou Boutique (which I loved) getting acquainted with Nordic designers.
After some shopping, we walked down the streets of the market, looking at the tulip and fresh flowers, home wares and food stalls set up. If you want to get a stroopwaffel, this is the place to get one.
Lunch at Happy Happy Joy Joy: Before heading to the airport, we stopped in for lunch at Happy Happy Joy Joy. This dim sum and street food restaurant is so Instagrammable, with loads of Chinese umbrellas hanging from the ceiling and bright wallpaper everywhere.
We ordered dim sum, peking duck bao buns, shao mai and laab kai salad to share as well as some of their Chinese beers. The menu is a mix of Chinese, Thai, Malay and Vietnamese street food, so there is something for everyone.
From here, we headed to the airport for the next leg of our trip, Copenhagen! Check back for our Copenhagen travel guide.
More Of Our European Travel Guides:
Travel Guide: London’s Notting Hill
Travel Guide: Where to Eat & Apres Ski in Zermatt
Travel Guide: Zurich’s Hotel Glockenhof
Travel Guide: Zermatt’s Riffelalp Resort