Amsterdam - Recommendations

This is a list of my personal recommendations for Amsterdam that I share with my friends (last updated 5.28.2018) - it has grown quite a bit so it's a little intimidating now :P. That being said, if you have any specific questions, feel free to shoot me an email! I love creating custom itineraries. And when in doubt, google maps or tripadvisor is fairly reliable!

To help, I've added these items to a My Map in Google. Feel free to take a look and use as needed!

If you're interested in going to multiple of these locations, you might want to check out this Amsterdam City Pass that has some pretty good discounts, including unlimited public transit!

DISCLAIMER: this is not an all inclusive list by any means. so many places I have yet to try! use this as a starting point or if you have any you feel should be on this list, let me know! :D I will try them for the sake of science! :P

overall:

- APPS: there are a few apps that you should get to help with your trip:

- 9292 : great one for planning out public transit. google maps can also help but 9292 has more accurate data. only downside is that you might need to know specific addresses or station names

- buienradar : pretty accurately predicts rainfall. it's great when there is a sudden downpour and you want to know when you might be able to continue your adventuring or if it's just worth getting a bit wet to get to your next destination

- PUBLIC TRANSIT: if you're just interested in getting to and around the city using public transit, this is a great option for hassle free transport - Amsterdam Travel Ticket - you can buy at the airport, use it on the train (connected to the airport) to the city center and on all public transit in the city....simply tap on and off for each ride. if you have tons of luggage, might want to take taxi or uber. the legitimate airport taxis are all teslas. think its roughly 40-50 to the city? uber is probably cheaper be careful

- DON"T BE SCAMMED by non legitimate taxis/cars (there's a reason why there are tons of yellow signs pointing you to the official taxi line) and as always, be aware of PICKPOCKETS (usually high school students trying to distract you by asking if you speak english)

- BIKE: the best way to get around is using a bike. Netherlands is pretty notoriously flat; around Amsterdam there are small hills whenever you encounter a canal though. brush up on your hand signals and ALWAYS look both ways for bikes if you're walking...dutch people on bikes don't usually ever stop. Here's a good article on bike safety.

LEGEND:

S = sight

B = breakfast/brunch

L = lunch

D = dinner

A = afterhours

O = other

!!!!! = recommended

amsterdam centrum:

largest part of amsterdam featuring the iconic canals in concentric U shapes. Highlighted a few more Dutch centric restaurants below. See my maps for additional restaurants that I've enjoyed.

!!!!! - S - Anne Frank House - recommend reserving up to 3 month in advance to avoid the massive queue. A tour through the historic house where Anne Frank hid and wrote in her diary.

- S - Westerkerk - church close to Anne Frank, great views of the city from the top of the steeple (small fee)

!!!!! - O - Winkel 43 - most recommended as the best dutch apple pie. would recommend giving it a try

- S - Bloemenmarkt - Flower Market - not many real flowers but a bunch of fake tulips and tulip bulbs and clogs! Cool if it's on the way but I wouldn't make a special trip...

- L/D - The Pantry - one of the few places you can try Dutch cuisine if you're interested to try. My faves are the combination mashed potato plate with sausage and the dutch ham with honey mustard sauce (one of these is good for two people so keep that in mind when you're ordering!)

- L - Eetsalon Van Dobben - really historic little spot. Feels very local with people ordering and eating at the bar with glasses of milk or OJ. famous for their croquettes

- O - Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx - Fries! - very popular Dutch snack. They recommend with mayo, peanut sauce and onions (personally think adding sate is too much)

- O - Van Stapele Koekmakerij - this tiny shop survives on selling only one type of cookie - a Valrhona chocolate cookie with milk chocolate chips and a white chocolate truffle center. Definitely for those with a sweet tooth

- O - Dampkring Coffeeshop - not sure a list of recommendations of Amsterdam is complete without a coffeeshop. I like this one for its proximity to other places I enjoy visiting.

- L/D - Kantil & De Tijger - indonesian food - lots of indonesians here and it's nice because you can just take a course and it comes with lots of different dishes to try. popular cuisine in the netherlands as it was a dutch colony

- S - Red Light District - interestingly enough, sometimes feels so touristy that it doesn't seem real. Worth a walk around just to check it out and say you've been (head to "Casa Rosso" as indicated on my Google map as the center of red light)

- A - Waterkant - awesome group of stalls located at the bottom of a parking lot, very hipster spot

- O - Concert Venues : if you're interested in checking out some concerts, I usually end up at Paradiso : an old converted church, will have to pay a membership fee; or Melkweg : has two sides, so likely double the people you can see.

- L/D - MOS - very nice restaurant, think michelin rated now. a bit pricey but very good food and service. if you can get a seat by the window, also has a nice view.

museumplein:

!!!!! - S - Vondelpark- huge park where tons of locals and tourists go to enjoy some nature. Akin to NY's central park, nice to bike around and throw out a picnic blanket to just chill

- S - Rijksmuseum - iconic museum that also gives me a similar feeling as the Louvre, an extremely large museum with (for me) not many familiar art pieces. Nice shots on the outside and I love taking a stroll or biking through the museum and listening to the string quartet that usually plays there. My favorite photo op is at the opposite side of the pool (I have indicated the spot in my Google maps as "Rijksmuseum Photo Op" in blue)

- S - Van Gogh museum - I believe the largest collection of Van Gogh artwork in the world. personally, not a fan. being so large it includes a lot of works that are not very well known and as for the flow of the gallery, thought it did little to highlight the transition of his work throughout his life. could have changed though

!!!!!- S - Moco museum - one of my personal faves but mostly because I like street art. A Banksy exhibit worth 30 min - 1 hr to walk through. and of course, an "exit through the gift shop." :P

- S - Iamsterdam sign - I really like this sign but there are always soo many people. One thing I have tried with some success is actually taking the picture from the back side (closer to Rijkmuseum) and then flipping it. You can also get lucky if you go early/late enough or if the weather is not great. Another thing to note is that if you're planning to visit the noord side (see "noord/ndsm" section below for more info), there is one by the EYE museum

noord/ndsm:

Got a similar feel to downtown LA. easy to get to from centraal station using the free ferry system on the river side. They usually run every 5-10 minutes in normal times. Can also bring your bikes onboard.

!!!!! - L/D - Pllek - old shipping containers converted into a restaurant and makeshift beach; limited menu so all very good, no reservations, tables free for all

!!!!! - S - A'dam Lookout - great view of the city, access by free ferry from Centraal station. swings over the building create a great photo opp. entrance includes free bottle opener when i went

- L/D - Hotel de Goudfazant - haven't been but recommended by a foodie friend and very busy when I tried to visit (might want to make reservation). Good price 3 course meal

de pijp:

known as the hip, up-and-coming neighborhood of the netherlands.

!!!!! - L - Albert Cuyp Market - One of my favorite places to visit to try all the Dutch cuisine (Closed Sunday) BRING CASH, preferably small bills/coins:

- kibbeling : dutch fried fish bites tossed in a special mix of spices, i usually go for tartar sauce but seems like the common dutch way is with garlic aoili

- poffertjes : small fluffy pillowy pancakes, normally served w butter and powdered sugar

- stroopwaffel : waffle like cookie with cinnamon sugar syrup in the middle (might be too sweet for some), one of the few places you can eat it fresh

- herring w pickles and onions : but this is raw fish so...might not be in your wheel house either. I like it! It's a fattier fish...what I usually tell my friends, if you like mackerel sushi, you'll probably enjoy this take. I would also recommend not having it with bread, but as always, up to your own preferences! :)

- fresh fruit juice / smoothies for cheap

- rotisserie chicken (kip) : this isn't really Dutch but is popular with the Dutch, someone recommended the chicken sandwich at Benny's

- S - The Heineken Experience - old converted Heineken brewery turned museum. Fairly cheap and includes 2 beers. A fun way to spend a few hours. Buy online to skip the line!

- B - Little Collins - pretty tiny brunch spot so get there early to secure a seat. awesome food

- B - CT Coffee and Coconuts - trendy, healthy brunch spot that can also get pretty busy. old converted theater, upstairs has a bunch of bean bags. a bit pricey. I usually try to snag a spot by the bar on the first level. service can be slow so make sure you have some time to spare

- B - Avocado Sh ow - made popular by social media, as the name suggests, focuses on avocado menu items

others:

- S - Keukenhof - (Lisse) famous tulip fields, only available during a few months in late spring...usually late march to mid may

- S - Zaanse Schaanse - (Zaandam) famous area for iconic windmill shots

!!!!! - L/D - Foodhallen - (Amsterdam Oud West) old shipping containers converted into a restaurant and makeshift beach; limited menu so all very good, no reservations, tables free for all

- A - Brouwerij 't IJ - (Funenkade) popular Amsterdam microbrewery. Great outdoor patio for nice weather and a big windmill. check hours!

- D - De Kas - (Watergraafsmeer) also known as "the greenhouse" as the restaurant is in a green house and the food featured on the menu is grown locally. a trendy classy restaurant so it's on the pricier side.