Amsterdam - lesser known things to do

[tonybennscat]

DH has booked us 5 days in Amsterdam in late May. We’ve been before (and loved it) and have done all the ‘big’ things - Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, Resistance and maritime museums, Vondelpark, boat trips etc, we’ve also been to Den Haag (lovely) and Rotterdam.

Any tips for things we might have missed - we’re quite happy just to mooch around drinking coffee and eating.

Utrecht is nearby and a nice place to walk around. Good restaurants there too.

We're going to Amsterdam this weekend for my birthday!
Not making fixed plans, but I'm considering a trip across the water to Amsterdam Noord for galleries and cool stuff, visiting the brewery next to the old windmill, maybe the cat museum, and the Poezenboot cat sanctuary on a boat if it's not crowded. And maybe an afternoon in Den Haag, to meet up with an old friend.

A’dam lookout
Rembrandt House Museum
Rembrandts Amsterdam Experience
This is Holland
Moco Museum
Tea at Het Kleinste Huis
A day trip to Gouda for the Cheese Experience. Could combine it with a half day in Delft for the pottery museum/tour.

The Rembrandt House is the one thing that I have on my list to do. We did the A’dam Lookout and This is Holland on another trip.

Some great ideas, thank you.

@crackofdoom if you get to Den Haag and you like art and have time, the Mauritshuis is a gem.

There's the Nemo science museum too that's fun. And The Eye cinema over the river IJ

Have you been to the Foodhallen.

g.co/kgs/hvhFrtZ

A trip to Marken and Volendam?

Not been to the Foodhallen , though it has been on my list.

Lots of ideas, thank you!

Is it just the two of you?

Look up the Six collection. Super interesting and free tour of a private house and art collection. But probably not very child friendly. You need to book in advance.

I really loved Rembrandt's house. Botanical garden is interesting too but I think their big glass dome is being renovated at the moment - not sure if this will be finished by the time you're there.
Really didn't enjoy the tulip museum - not even worth the (cheap for Amsterdam) 7E entrance fee
The Church in the house was quite interesting too

Straat was very impressive

Foodhallen is great - converted tram sheds with food stands inside, every type of cuisine imaginable. Also try to go to the Tuschinski cinema (opened in 1921) and see a film in the Grote Zaal. If you go on a Friday evening, you can book a pair of seats together and a waitress brings you wine/beer/snacks etc as part of the ticket price (https://en.pathe.nl/bioscoop/tuschinski). Meant to be the most beautiful cinema in the world, all art nouveau - even the loos!

This is Holland is a very touristy activity, but surprisingly good.

Have you considered a walking tour? Tours with Locals are local guides who will explain the history behind certain areas, buildings, canals etc (https://www.withlocals.com/experience/highlights-hidden-gems-of-amsterdam-73d6d9f0/). ). I did one once on the financial history of Amsterdam and it was fascinating. Wear very comfortable shoes though as you'll walk a fair old distance.

If you want to eat out, book your restaurants no later than 4 weeks before, as the good ones get booked up quickly. I can recommend Tapas Bar Duende on the Lindengracht (https://en.cafe-duende.nl/)

Also walk down the Utrechtsestraat from the Rembrandplein, lots of individual stores and some really good restaurants (but again, do the research and book a table or you'll be disappointed).

You should also wander around the area around the FoodHallen - Old West. No tourists there, and lots of stores, cafes and restaurants with Amsterdammers who live there. The main shopping/restaurant street is the Bilderdijkstraat (coming from the top sort of near the Jordan) which eventually becomes the Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat nearer the Overtoom. You can cross the Overtoom to walk into the Vondel Park. Plenty of trams to take you where you need to go.

Hope that helps give you some different things to do and see (I live here!).

Get the train to Utrecht. It's beautiful and lovely for a day out and go and explore the shops the other side of the Dom that run along the canal. There is a small independent cinema at the end and some bars. It's a really lovely place.

@crackofdoom we are off to Amsterdam too this weekend- weather looking decent!! ( always a risk this time of year)

The huge weekend market in the Pipj is really nice - we always go -

https://opsolder.nl/ Our Lord in the Attic is well worth a visit.

Consider catching the train to Leiden too.

I really enjoyed visiting this Verzetsmuseum - Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam

We went to Marken which was lovely and we stopped somewhere on the way back for a walk, lovely canals and windmills (sorry can’t remember where)

And there is a great cocktail bar in the American Hotel if you like art deco. I remember going to a cafe bar on the top of a department store too.

Unlike a PP, I loved the Tulip Museum, but it is small.

You could have a trip to the Amsterdamse Bos, where if you're lucky there may still be some cherry blossom in evidence in the Japanese Garden.

I'd second the PP who suggested Amsterdam Noord. You can catch free ferries from behind the Centraal Station to various points over in Noord.

I'd highly recommend a day trip to Haarlem. Beautiful city and within easy reach.

Definitely consider getting either a GVB transport pass which covers the greater Amsterdam area, or an Amsterdam & Region Travel pass, which covers a much larger area, including I believe Haarlem and out to the coast, plus many other towns and sights.

Have a great time in my favourite city!

Sorry, I had to go out but will read through and list all the suggestions.
It’s just the two of us.

The foodhall is good, but if you live in London, it’s very similar to all the ones there. I recommend this (as a complete non-religious person!), so interesting!! And obviously a canal boat trip if you haven’t done that before.

https://opsolder.nl

Dutch resistance museum
Holocaust museum is fairly new - book as tickets go fast
The Jewish synagogue museum
Rembrand House
Church in the attic
Artis Groote Museum and Micropia

If the weather is great you can do a trip to Zandvoort, the "local" beach
Utrecht is just 1/2 hr train ride away

I'm going on April 4th. Please could you tell me how you book for the Tuschinski cinema as that sounds very interesting. Many thanks

We also loved Our Lord in the Attic and the Rembrandt Museum.
If you go ahead with a day in Utrecht, renovations on the main tower are finally complete. It’s well worth a trip. I would recommend hiring a canoe for an hour or two to get around the canals -.you can also order poffertjes from the boat (the phone number is on one of the bridges you go under) and there are cafes along the main canal (Oude Gracht?) that will let you order a drink from the canoe.
If you like den Haag, it’s great to take the tram a bit further to the beach at Schevingen. Some lovely cafes there and you can see those huge ‘beach beasts’ made of wood (can’t link here but look up beach beasts Theo Jansen).

Following as love Amdam and going again mid May