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The Search for Awesome in Amsterdam

STA Travel Insider: Amsterdam Travel Tips

Woot! My weekend in Amsterdam may have ended, but that adrenaline I picked up after days of filming, fun and new friends is still rushing through. Even more so because I’ve got the first video diary from the trip to share with you!

With a reputation for drugs and red lights, Amsterdam is probably one of Europe’s most popular weekend destinations. But when I visited this time (my first time!) with STA Travel, I was determined to get past the tourist highlights and see if Amsterdam could exceed my expectations. Short story: it did. Amsterdam is awesome.

To be completely honest, I wasn’t expecting to find that many cool things to do in the ‘Dam. I thought it was all about late-night parties, drunk revelry and coffee shops. Turns out there’s a lot more to the city and if you take a peek at the video below, I think you’ll see what I’m talking about. And just in case you’re not convinced, below are my top tips for finding all the awesome in Amsterdam. No matter how many days you spend in Amsterdam, you’re sure to have a fantastic holiday!

10 Cool Things To Do & See in Amsterdam

Top 10 Cool Things To Do in AmsterdamMy Amsterdam travel tips might seem a bit out of the ordinary — but that’s the point! I want to show that there’s much more to Amsterdam than the typical tourist sites. And in fact, in my weekend in Amsterdam I ended up missing out on a lot of the major tourist sites and instead focused on having a good time and seeking out unexpected adventures. Here’s what I found!

1. Rent a bike

In a city as famous for its bicycle culture as anything else, this might seem a bit obvious. But seriously: one of the best ways to have some fun in Amsterdam is to get on a bike and see the city on a fixie. You can go farther and see more than if you’re on the tram or a bus. Just be careful: the bike lanes can get a bit crowded!

Read more about cycling in Amsterdam on Wikipedia or check out STA Travel’s list of tours and sightseeing tips which include bike tours.

2. Visit De Pijp

De Pijp is a former working class neighborhood which has seen its share of gentrification over the years. And you know what that means! Now it’s a hipstery ‘hood with cute cafés, underground bars and street art. Also cool in this area is the Albert Cuypmarkt — a daily food market with cool shops and great street food.

Make sure to visit the Albert Cuypmarkt (open every day except Sunday from 9-6pm) to find quirky clothing, street food and fresh fruit & veggies. And for a bit of fun at night, check out the bar Gollem which sells local brews.

3. Eat, eat, eat and eat some more!

Go for a stroopwafel (the most delicious cookie EVER) at the Albert Cuyp market — or you can get them at many cafés in Amsterdam because they go so well with coffee. You’ll also want to try other Dutch food specialities such as poffertjes (small pancakes served with powdered sugar), bitterballen (fried meatballs of ghoulash or other fillings) and cheese (gouda is the local speciality). After my weekend in Amsterdam, the biggest takeaway for me was how good the food can actually be in the Netherlands. I didn’t really know what to expect but the food in Amsterdam was definitely top quality! (Even if some of my meals included 5am kebabs and burgers!!)

Visit the restaurants in the Jordaan neighborhood for an eclectic mix of styles and check out the Amsterdam Foodie blog for restaurant reviews.

4. Go to a speakeasy

While there are plenty of beer bars in Amsterdam, there are also more than a few cool cool places for cocktails. It’s all a matter of knowing where to go, but here’s an easy tip: Door 74 accepts reservations (see here) so all you have to do is find the hidden entrance along Reguliersdwarsstraat.

Check out Shoshannah’s blog, Awesome Amsterdam, for a list of the best cocktail bars.

Unexpected Adventures in Amsterdam

Watch the video of my first day in Amsterdam – hanging out with Shoshannah from Awesome Amsterdam and trying to find the coolest things to do

5. Lounge about in Vondelpark

Just a beautiful, big green space, Vondelpark is one of the coolest places to hang out on a sunny day in Amsterdam. And since 2008, it’s apparently legal to have sex in the park (as long as it’s nighttime and you don’t leave behind any condoms). Not really sure why they needed a law about that, but hey — that’s Amsterdam for you.

Check out the Vondelpark in the summer when there are open-air festivals.

6. Hang out at Hannekes Boom

Along the water, this bar and café has been around since 1662 (that’s a long time!). People pull up to Hannekes Boom along the canal on their boats and end up just chilling out among the picnic tables. There’s music, outdoor seating, fun people, cheap beer and good food. Really: you can’t go wrong here!

If you’ve got a boat, pull up in style. When it gets to be too crowded, just find a seat along the water edge.

Amsterdam Noord

Visit Pllek – the coolest bar in Noord!

7. Visit Noord

Most people when visiting Amsterdam, leave the Centraal station and head straight for the Red Light District. But instead of doing that, if you turn around and go out the back of Centraal station you end up at the ferry port. There you can catch a FREE 20-minute boat to Noord (NDSM). Once on the northern side of the city, you’ll find warehouses full of art projects & artists spaces, a skatepark, festival grounds and shipping containers that have been converted into beachside bars & restaurants. Über cool.

Check out the bars Pllek or Cafe Norderlicht for cool places to chill out on a sunny day.

8. Check out the street art on Spuistraat

This street in central Amsterdam is full of cool street art and graffiti. Bring your camera because some of it is definitely photo-worthy!

Find the yellow “snake house” (der Slang) at Spuistraat 199 — it’s a squat house which puts on cool events.

9. Visit the Red Light District

This area is a hot mess — really. I wasn’t sure what to expect of it before seeing it for myself…and it ended up being one of the more surprising things I saw in Amsterdam. Sure, I guess I always knew sex was easy to come by in ‘Dam but it was still a bit weird to see it all right there.

STA Travel offer tours through the Red Light District which visit places like the Sex Museum, but if you want to experience it on your own, I recommend staying at a hostel like the famous St Christopher’s Inn. There you’ll be in the thick of things. The atmosphere (fun, loud, lively) is definitely infectious! (Let’s hope that’s the only thing…)

Haarlemmerstraat

Haarlemmerstraat in Amsterdam – full of funky shops & cool cafés

10. Shop on Haarlemmerstraat

Shoshannah from Awesome Amsterdam told me to visit this street (and the nearby Jordaan neighborhood) on Sunday morning and it was a definite highlight! There were a lot of cool shops selling everything from fine Dutch cheeses to cool mens clothing. There was even some street art along the way. Plus with bars, cafés and restaurants all open, it was a great place to just wander around and get lost.

Check out Vinnie’s Deli for a bit of pretentiousness — though the food is great (and healthy!). Just take a walk down this street and you won’t be disappointed with what you find!

  1. Jeanette says:

    I love Amsterdam and adore Hanneke’s Boom too! Looks like you enjoyed your time there. Great video, too! xo

    • Adam says:

      Woot! Glad to hear you also hung out at Hanneke’s Boom – seemed a little out of the way but so glad I made the trek out there. Loved the atmosphere there!

  2. We’re big fans of bicycle-friendly cities. I enjoyed your list of a-typical things to do in Amsterdam. Thanks for sharing your insider tips!

    • Adam says:

      I’m a big fan of bike-friendly cities, too — though I found the cyclists in Amsterdam to be rather dangerous

  3. The House of Bols experience is also well worth a visit.. and so are the canal tours. A beautiful way to see the city from a different view and aspect

  4. Jamie says:

    “I like the trains”- perfect! Amsterdam looks amazing…thanks for the great tips and videos!!

  5. Asia says:

    Great Trip, I love Amsterdam, I hoping to travel to Amsterdam next time

  6. Rebecca says:

    love this! really interesting video. Always interesting to see bloggers that you read go from writing to video.

    I loved Amsterdam, I was there for a weekend and have toa gree with you about the travel hazards, looking out for cars when crossing the road is hard enough let-alone the bikes, trams, buses, motorcycles. There is so much more to the cool city then smoking weed and drinking too much!

    • Adam says:

      Thanks Rebecca! This was a fun trip because of the filming behind it as well :D Completely agree about there being more to Amsterdam than the typical stuff you hear about

  7. Franca says:

    Last time I went to Amsterdam I didn’t rent a bike but next time (because there will be another visit I hope) bike is a must! Thanks for the tips Adam! :)

    • Adam says:

      Franca! You absolutely should try a bike tour or just renting a bike one afternoon on your next visit – it’s such a fun way to experience Amsterdam

  8. Never been but it sounds awesome!

  9. I’ve been to Amsterdam, but only at the train station! Too bad eh? Next time, I’ll definitely stay longer. Would love to go around in a bike.

    • Adam says:

      Well, admittedly Amsterdam has quite an impressive train station but next time I hope you can venture a bit further out into the city. There’s so much to see!

  10. Great list, starting with the rental bike. I love Amsterdam.

  11. I want to do them all! Oh man… I need to make it to Amsterdam soon.

  12. Totally love Amsterdam. I want to won a houseboat on the Prinsengracht canal in the Joordan area. Bliss

  13. I love hanging out at Vondelpark! My post about Amsterdam is one of the first long posts I wrote on my blog. Well that’s also because it was my first destination when I moved to Europe. More cool stuff to do here: http://www.dreameurotrip.com/essential-guide-amsterdam-budget/

    • Adam says:

      Vondelpark was pretty impressive, DJ, though I wish I had a bit more time to spend there… Must make a return trip!

  14. Lydian says:

    Happy to read you discovered the ‘cool’ part of my hometown and shared your experience with fellow travellers, Adam! Most tourists usually follow the standard tourist routes and don’t venture outside the centre, but it’s definitely worthwile. I love all the places you mentioned and can definitely recommend them too.

    • Adam says:

      So great to hear that, Lydian! I think it’s helpful to step out of the main tourist areas every now and then to see what else a city has to offer :)

  15. Beautiful Amsterdam: Weekend in Europe's Prettiest City says:

    […] exploring the neighborhoods, bars, restaurants and typical tourist sites. Among all the normal things to do in Amsterdam, I also spent my time exploring the more cool and hip areas: notably in Amsterdam Noord and De […]

  16. wesley says:

    I loved Amsterdam, such a great city.

  17. Jan says:

    Awesome list Adam, De Pijp neighboorhood being one of my favorite places:) I’ve got a top 50 list myself in case you’d like to check it out: http://www.netherlands-tourism.com/things-amsterdam-ultimate-top-50/

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