World famous canals, Red light district, and world-class Dutch art are in Amsterdam.
But traveling to Amsterdam can be a bit...
challenging.
As a tour guide, I'll share all the basics you need to know for your visit to Amsterdam.
I'll show you the most important tourist attractions,
iconic must try dutch food, when is the best time to visit,
how many days to spend, where to book a room,
and the best ways to get around the city.
And at the end, I'll share my favorite tips and tricks about Amsterdam.
Most important tourist attraction is world famous canal district,
the heart of Amsterdam with beautiful houses,
best shops, bars, and restaurants. Here is also the most important
museum in the country holding some of the world's biggest masterpieces.
Even if you're not a fan of paintings, you've heard of famous dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh.
Visiting his museum is simply a must.
Another must is a deeply moving Anne Frank house.
It's about a young jewish girl who was hiding here from the Nazis during the second world war.
Amsterdam is also home of one of the most famous beer brands in the world, Heineken.
Here are also lively squares with great architecture known for its cafes, bars,
and nightlife clubs.
On the outskirts of Amsterdam, you can admire famous Dutch windmills.
Once the oldest industrial area in Europe has become a popular open air museum.
Amsterdam is also famous for its tulips and has a unique flower market with all sorts of tulips.
World famous Red light district with red lit windows also offers
unique museums and cannabis coffee shops.
Main square has the royal palace, beautiful gothic style church,
and a popular Amsterdam's national monument.
If you're brave enough, you should also visit the highest lookout point in Amsterdam,
famous for its spectacular views and Europe's highest swing.
This is space cake, an original Amsterdam invention that includes cannabis.
Quirky food is another attraction of Amsterdam.
The best place to taste popular dutch finger food is an old tram depot known
as De Hallen with more than 30 food stalls from Amsterdam's most respected kitchens.
Here you can try one of the best Bitterballen, the most popular Dutch street food.
Bitterballen are deep fried, breadcrumbed, meat-filled balls.
They come in various flavors, but the most traditional ones have a
filling consisting of beef, flour, beef broth, and various seasonings.
Absolutely perfect!
Another popular street food is a fried fish snack called Kibbeling.
Dish was born from the need to use cod leftovers as the
word Kibbeling originally meant the remains.
Nowadays, besides codfish different types of white fish can also be used.
Kibbeling is made of battered chunks of whitefish and deep-fried. It's eaten both as a snack served
in a tray directly from fishmongers, or as a main dish at the table in a restaurant.
But the most interesting food in Amsterdam is a small fish from
the north sea called Herring as it is eaten raw.
New Herring arrives in Amsterdam every June when a traditional auction of the
first barrel of fish takes place. On every corner of Amsterdam,
fish stands pop up and they remain there till the end of September when the Herring season
ends. Fish is chopped into bite-sized pieces and served on a paper plate with onions and pickles.
If you're visiting Amsterdam in the off Herring season like me, you can still try it,
but there are less places selling it and the fish is called Maatjesharing.
Stamppot remains to be one of the oldest and most popular Dutch dishes.
The word means mesh pot as potatoes and several different vegetables are meshed together.
There are several Stamppot variations,
so don't get confused by the menu as they are basically all the same thing.
Stamppot can also be served with smoked sausage or cooked meat on the side.
And for dessert, you should try a crispy dutch waffle.
Most popular waffle is called Stroopwafel. It's like a sandwich composed of two round
thin waffles that are baked crispy in a waffle iron, after which two waffles are
glued together with a sweet syrup. Hmm, it's absolutely delicious.
But before you start packing, let's check when is the best time to visit Amsterdam?
Summer is the peak of the season due to pleasant summer temperatures and long, sunny days.
But perfect weather attracts huge crowds. Popular places are packed, and hotels are
full despite their premium prices. Between September and November,
the crowds get thinner and the weather remains quite pleasant as accommodation options become
a little bit more affordable. This is a great time to visit.
Winter season is between December and March, and it can be quite unpleasant.
Days are short, dark, and nearly freezing, although prices are at its lowest.
Spring is nice as you can see from my footage. If you're coming to see the tulips,
book your room during the last two weeks of April and the first two weeks of May.
That's why I recommend a trip to Amsterdam between
April and May in spring, and between September and November in autumn.
And for how many nights should you book a room?
Even a very long summer day is not enough to get a proper taste of Amsterdam.
Sites are spread around the historical city centre and visiting museums and
galleries does take some time. Besides, there are many great
squares with cafes and bars where you would want to soak up the atmosphere.
With a limited itinerary two nights in Amsterdam might be enough, but I would
rather recommend at least three nights. If you add more you could also
do some out of the town trips. But where should you stay in Amsterdam?
Most attractions are clustered around historic canals of the city center.
But finding a vacant room during popular months can be a bit challenging
so be sure to book well ahead. On booking.com I would recommend
the following neighborhoods: Oude Centrum, Jordaan,
Canal belt and Museum Quarter. I would also add to the list Leidseplein
neighborhood nestled on a great location between Canal belt and Museum Quarter.
Oude Centrum includes the most central neighborhoods,
including the famous Red light district. The area is full of historical buildings,
beautiful canals, cannabis coffee shops, restaurants, stores, and all sorts of museums.
Jordaan neighborhood is also known for canals and beautiful houses.
Its main highlight is Anne Frank house, a museum with a heartbreaking World War two story.
Canal belt includes three main canals that form a ring around the old town.
They were dug during the Dutch golden age and are the most prestigious area
with the most beautiful architecture. Museum Quarter is famous for museums
lined around the largest square in the city. The area also has Amsterdam’s
biggest and most popular city park. Even if you find your accommodation
outside these neighborhoods, you should be fine as Amsterdam has decent public transport.
Still the best way to see Amsterdam is on foot as the city centre is compact and easily walkable.
But when you need public transport, you can choose between tram, bus or metro.
For each journey it's required to check in when boarding and check out on exiting.
By using a reader you will need a transport ticket or a contactless
debit or credit card that also works as a ticket. Tickets come as disposable plastic smart cards
and can be bought from ticket vending machines at all metro stations and most other stations.
A single ticket is valid for one hour, but for more than two trips a day
you should get a daily ticket. It gets activated on the first
check-in and remains valid for 24 hours. Tickets can even be bought on board a tram,
either from a machine or a seller in a booth, but you cannot pay cash.
Part of the public transport are also ferries departing behind the central
station and crossing the river. They are free of charge and
don't require any tickets. But the most popular way of
getting around Amsterdam is cycling. Bicycles are absolutely everywhere and
there are even huge underground bicycle garages. If you want to experience the everyday commute
of most residents, you will have no problems finding a bike rental shop.
Most people arrive to Amsterdam via Schiphol airport.
From the airport you can get to the city by train, bus or taxi.
Taxis are by far the most expensive option costing between 50 to 70 euro.
Trains are great, running 24 hours to multiple stations, including Amsterdam’s central station.
It takes only 17 minutes and costs only 5 euro. During the day, trains run every 10 to 15 minutes
and after midnight they run hourly. You can also use buses as Amsterdam
airport express bus is the quickest way to places near Museumplein and Leidseplein.
Before I share my favorite tips and tricks, I would like to thank you for smashing
thumbs up and for your super thanks support. In Amsterdam you can safely drink tap water.
The city is relatively safe and everyone speaks good english.
However, you should be aware of pickpockets in the crowded parts
of the city center like the Red light district. Be aware that you are not allowed to take photos
of the sex workers in the Red light district. To stay out of trouble, you should keep your
phone or camera in your pocket at all times. If you don't, a security will show up from
nowhere and probably smash your camera. Still, if you want to take a photo of
beautiful historical buildings, double check that there are no red light windows around.
To save time, book ahead where possible. Otherwise expect spending a lot of time
in queues and waiting for your time slot. More and more places don't accept cash so it's
a good idea to have a credit or debit card. Also, be aware of bicycles and never stand
or walk in the bike lane. Be sure to always take a good
look both ways before crossing as silent bicycles can cause serious accidents.
If you use a bicycle, be sure to always lock it with two locks.
Use one for locking the front wheel to the frame and the other for locking the back wheel to a post
or some other structure mounted to the ground. In Amsterdam, there is a massive difference
between a cafe and a coffee shop. Cafe is a place where you drink coffee,
while in a coffee shop they sell marijuana. Some of these coffee shops are only counters
where you can buy weed, while others look like proper cafes intended for smoking weed.
Smoking outside coffee shops might end up with a fine and the same goes
for drinking alcohol outside bars. I hope this video will make your
trip to Amsterdam much easier. Also check my favorite Amsterdam
tours and tickets in the description below and you'll be ready to go.
To learn more about the best things to do in Amsterdam, watch this video.
Thanks for watching and see you next time!