Cafe Culture
As you’re almost certainly aware, coffeeshop Amsterdam are two words that go hand-in-hand. For those that come from a country where cannabis is illegal, it can be novel and fun to explore the legality of this substance when in certain cafes. However, it’s not just moon rock hash that’s on offer, as the Netherlands are known for doing great coffee.
Football
The Dutch enjoy their football as much as the English do, so it makes sense to visit a historical stadium, the Johan Cruyff Arena, to watch the local team AFC Ajax. The €140 million stadium, built in the 90s, is home to many European Champions League matches as well as local derbies in the Eredivisie.
Museums
Rijksmuseum is one of the most famous museums in Holland. Founded in 1809, the museum hosts a large range of antiques and artwork – many, many art pieces, along with tens of thousands of books. There are 250 rooms in this museum, so make sure you have all day free.
Art lovers will want to visit The Van Gogh Museum, which has the largest collection of Van Gough paintings anywhere in the world. With over 200, there are also some letters and drawings to browse that you never knew existed.
Finally, The Anne Frank Museum is suited for just about anybody and everybody to visit, being a staple of WW2 history, in which Anne Frank and her family were hiding. This is her home, and it looks very close to what it would have done at the time.
Beer
For anyone interested in beer, the Heineken Experience is a must. The interactive tour takes you around the former brewery, which is a vast building, with a tasting room to top it all off. Whilst it’s not cheap to enter, you will be drinking some Heineken throughout. The tour is roughly 90 minutes, with five premium beers to be tasted along with some matching Dutch cheese.
Botanical garden
Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is a fantastic botanical garden to visit to get some nature within the city. The medicinal herbs and tropical flowers are best seen in the summer, and it’s worth cycling to the gardens too, if you want a 2-in-1 Dutch experience. Bicycle culture is huge in Holland, and with the dedicated cycling lanes it’s hard to go wrong.
Pllek
When you think of Amsterdam, you’re likely not thinking of beaches. However, Pllek is a lovely spot in which you can grab a wine or hot chocolate and sit on the sand whilst you overlook the Noordzeekanaal water and watch the sunset. This spot is great even in the winter due to the highly-rated restaurant nearby, so you can always pop inside if you’re cold.
Canal Cruise
There are few better ways to explore a capital city with a river than to float right through it. Because of the many canals that cobweb throughout the city, there are equally as many cruise opportunities to majestically float through in a calm, relaxing tour. Some can be daytime sightseeing whilst others can be candlelit night cruises. If there’s one thing Holland can do, it’s creating a cosy, evening atmosphere.