Top 10 things to do during a Short Stay in Amsterdam
dinsdag, 22 juni 2010
With the summer months around the corner, I’d like to provide you with some tips on things to do in Amsterdam that I’d personally recommend to those of you that are considering a trip to Amsterdam.
Sightseeing tours
Canal boat trips are the best proposition to get familiar with the cities’ architecture and history. You can book the trips in advance or directly with the boat companies that you can find on numerous spots in the city center. Travel through semi-circle shaped canals with 400 bridges running over them, and get to know the best of Amsterdam.- Amsterdam is a compact city that is meant to be walked. With hundreds of bridges to cross, famous architecture to photograph and countless brown cafés for breaks along the way, exploring Amsterdam by foot offers hours of sightseeing. I prefer self-guided walking tours- with a good guidebook for reference. The city allows itself to be discovered easily due to the limited distances between all cultural highlights. Be sure to walk the canal districts at night, and enjoy the reflections of lighted bridges in the canals. Peek into windows of cozy homes- the Dutch don’t mind, they rarely close their curtains. Guided tours are also available, with the red-light district walking tours amongst the more popular.
Restaurants
Amsterdam is a gastronome’s paradise. Food from every corner of the world at your fingertips. Besides the wealth of choice in the city center, consider heading out a bit further towards the outskirts of the city to find the best new places. Here’s my personal favorite:
Pompstation - An old water factory sets the perfect décor for one of the trendiest cosmopolitan restaurants in town. Not known to the big public, you’ll run into the trendy local crowd. The food and service are great, the overall atmosphere is even better. Make sure you have reservations in advance; the place is fully booked practically every night. Friday and Saturday night are dance nights, after dinner it’s the place really gets rocking.
Museums
Many museums are worthwhile visiting in Amsterdam. These are the ones you should not miss:
- The Van Gogh Museum. This museum holds the largest collection of work by this world famous artist. There are always special things to do at the museum. Consider going on Friday night- the museum stays open till 10pm and enjoy a visit the bar while listening to live DJ’s. A beautiful collection of his work and a rich history of his life.
- Anne Frank House, a museum dedicated to the world famous wartime diary writer Anne Frank. Visit the house where she hid from Nazi prosecution during World War II.
- The Rijksmuseum (literally, "national museum") features one of Europe's top collections of art and historical items. It holds the world's largest group of Dutch Master Paintings.
For all museum visits, make sure to buy tickets online or ask our front desk staff to avoid the queues. If you don’t you risk standing in line up to 6 hours.
Nightlife
The clubbing scene of Amsterdam is world famous; many of the best DJ’s in the world regularly play in countless trendy clubs. I however prefer going to places where I do not feel like I the rest of the crowd was still in high school when I was in high school. Here are 2 suggestions:
- Panama, depending on the day and time you visit van be a café, restaurant, lounge or club and is located in the eastern harbor area. The crowd here is known for being more 30-something than 20-something. It has a meatpacking district (Manhattan, NYC) feel to it. It is just outside the tourist center, so you’ll get to mingle with a more local clientele.
- The Reguliersdwarsstraat, a gay oriented, highly trendy street has numerous places worth visiting. April has 3 separate bars and is currently on of the hottest places in this area.
Shopping
The Dutch are known as early adapters. Various ideas become trend in the city of Amsterdam, think of the reintroduction of the pony-tail for men that was introduced here many years ago. In terms of shopping you’ll find tremendous choice of fashionable shops in various price ranges. I recommend 2 areas for shopping:
- Kalverstraat, Nieuwendijk and Leidsestraat. These streets are all practically connected and provide a great walk from the Central Station area to the Leidseplein. In theory you can walk this in 20 minutes, but take some more time as you’ll be walking in and out of shops- guaranteed.
- P.C. Hooftstraat. Here you’ll find the major fashion brands, like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Chanel and Gucci. Shopping here is a bit more expensive than in the previously mentioned areas.
So, next time when you pack your bags, for some rest and sightseeing, visit ‘Venice of the North’. Trendy and beautiful Amsterdam is the place to be.
Book your Amsterdam Short Stay now!
Oh, yes, I heard the weather is going to be fantastic this summer…
Ingmar Sloothaak
General Manager
Htel Serviced Apartments
