I’m going to Amsterdam! What are the best things to do there?

[JandamiHash]

Going with work to Amsterdam in July. Never been before and very excited. I’m taking a couple of days after the work trip to extend my stay and enjoy the city. I want to do Anne Frank’s house and the Van Gogh exhibition. What other must-do’s are there in Amsterdam? Me and colleagues are also wanting to de-stress on an evening. None of us use drugs (well I haven’t since Uni) but when in Rome and all that - where and how can a not pot-smoking crowd enjoy weed without getting so high we’ll accidentally stumble into a canal? Is it best to get something in food?

On leaving Anne Frank’s House, walk about 50 doors down for the Pancake Bakery. Very nice and so many options

For something a little bit different check out the body worlds museum. It's not up everybody's street but I loved it. Enjoy! I'm there again in March, love Amsterdam ❤️

Coffee shop first get well baked
Sex museum
Torture museum
Then a vleeskroketen and stoopwaffel.

All within 5 minutes walk of Centraal Station.

Hope you've booked accomodation already.

Amsterdam is heaving all year round and even more in summer.

Have a great time. It's a fab city.

I love the Van Gogh museum!

Dutch Apple Pie is amazing. Would thoroughly recommend finding a scenic cafe overlooking a canal to sit and eat a slice of apple pie while people watching. (Slices can be huge - a meal in itself)

Go to a brown bar (sort of like a pub) a drink young gin. Dutch gins are delicious!

Perhaps a more acquired taste would be the salty licorice coins "dropjes". Personally I love them but they are an unusual taste sensation!

Agree with pp's Hema recommendation.

I've been to Amsterdam quite a few times and only done the coffee shop thing once. A lot of them are pretty awful tourist traps. Agree with others to avoid edibles - you just don't have any control over how much you consume and it can knock you sideways. There are so many charming ways to spend time in Amsterdam.

I loved the botanic garden - De Hortus, also an interesting stroll around the red light district 😁.
If you are planning to go to lots of museums stc it might be worth getting an Amsterdam City Card - it covers public transport too
https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/tickets/i-amsterdam-city-card

The Foodhallen is good.

Highly recommend the canal boat tour and a visit to Tonys Chocolonely super store.

We went to the Bulldog Coffee Shop and bought a pre-rolled joint to share between 2. We asked for the weakest they had just to get a bit mellow, and it was still reasonably strong but not silly strong. Its definitely better than eating it as its easier to just stop smoking when you have had enough (altho obviously that doesn't stop the effect immediately).

I'd avoid the edibles unless you're experienced. It's a completely different high to smoking it and can feel quite 'trippy'. It's VERY easy to eat too much also. It takes around an hour to come up from an edible, 2 to 3 hours for your high to peak, then another 2 to 3 hours to come down. Many people eat a brownie, don't feel anything, then eat another one. Before they know it they're off their face and there's still 5 hours to go!

Stick with the joints and take a few small puffs. Leave it at least half an hour before partaking again. A small, occasional high is fun and a great way to relax. Too much can feel like death and a really unpleasant experience.

We could get in at AFH either - book it now.
Rijks Museum was great.
Canal boat trip.
Found a lovely little restaurant called "trees".

Agreed. So maybe ‘better’ places to see in the Netherlands. Also a coffee shop has weed.

The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum are both wonderful.

We also really enjoyed Moco - the modern art museum.

The canal boat tours and pancake houses are also great. There are also some fantastic shopping streets around the royal palace area.

Anne Frank house is a must. Booking opens 6 weeks in advance of the date I believe at around 10am on a specific day, but check this on their website. Slots book out EXTREMELY quickly once released, I set a reminder for myself. Definitely do a canal boat trip, we had a cheese and drinks one but there are so many available. There's also a tiny tulip museum near the Anne Frank House. I found the Van Gogh museum very interesting. The Rijksmuseum less so for me although there were interesting exhibits on history of fashion and things recovered from shipwrecks when we went. The tram network is good and easy to use to get around, you tap in and out with your card or you can download their app I think.

My mum lived there for a bit so went a few times to do touristy stuff.

Boat tour is an absolute must!

There’s a historic little bar called Wynand Fockink which I loved. They also do a distillery tour.

Keukenhof is beautiful if you’re there at the right time.

We went to a cheese tasting a couple of times at Old Amsterdam. Good way to spend an afternoon. We also went to the Bols distillery one time which was great.

Anne Frank house is also a must - definitely book and I would try to get one of the earliest slots as the queue gets really long later in the day regardless of whether you’ve booked.

The sex museum was a laugh depending who you’re going with.

Theres a museum called the Katten Kabinet which is basically a rich old lady’s house full of cat stuff, it’s good fun!

Agree with everyone saying smoke don’t eat your weed, edibles are no good for a first time. You should be able to get prerolled joints. They might advertise different strains of weed- you’ll want sativa (light, giggly, happy) rather than indica (chilled, sleepy). When I went there were coffee shops aimed at tourists all over the place, you’ll spot them easily enough.

The pre rolled joints are a great idea. Weed nowadays is lovely as well, nice and pure with none of the paranoia inducing chemicals in it. Enjoy.

We were there for a day recently, couldn't get tickets for Anne Frank but enjoyed the Van Gogh museum. Would thoroughly recommend the museum of the Dutch resistance, very insightful and a little bit different to the regular haunts. In a less touristy area with lots of lovely, quiet spots for lunch. Enjoy!

There is a great bar called Bubbles and Wine that do "flights of wine" for tasting if you're into wine tasting and drinking! Look it up, it's so lovely and you and book online x

Pancakes Amsterdam on the waterfront behind Centraal Station is good and not usually too busy. Also a lovely cate in Vondelpark. Museum Van Loon
and Huis Willet-Holthuysen Museum are a canal houses that have been restored to show how they would have been lived in.

I really liked the Rijksmuseum. We rented audio guides and found that really useful.

I just cant smoke so I blitzed on you know what cakes. I was in my 50s at the time. I was unable to find my hotel I was so high.

Whatever you do - if your colleagues are male.... is get drunk and try to wee in the canal. Read up on it. Also if you decide to cycle, mind the trams and the tracks. Kalverstraat is full of tatty shops. Central Station is pickpocketing heaven. Albert Cuyp market is worth a visit. Rijksmuseum no bags allowed in - you have to leave them at cloakroom. Go to Hema at Schiphol airport to buy your stroopwafels to take home - tonnes cheaper. I'm Dutch and live in NL btw

Smokeboat - The Original and First Smokeboat in Amsterdam