7 must-do experiences in Amsterdam

In 2025, Amsterdam will celebrate its milestone 750th anniversary with a year of commemorative events. Here’s what else not to miss on your next visit to the Dutch capital.

Tour Amsterdam’s canals in style

Forgo the packed, open-air tour boats and opt for a salonboot, or salon boat—handsome wooden vessels with cozy cabins—to experience Amsterdam’s 60 miles of UNESCO-protected canals (grachten). “Amsterdam is a city built based on canals,” explains Eva van Dijk, co-founder of Amsterdam Odyssey, a private tour company. “Canals were the first roads of the settlement. Everything was about shipping and sailing.” Exploring via the water lets visitors get “to the source, the core, the heart of the city.”

Some luxury hotels offer private boats for guests, but you can also book through an operator. If budget allows, van Dijk advises choosing tours with a skipper and separate guide, which ensures a more in-depth experience.

Dig into a rijsttafel at an Indonesian restaurant

Dutch favorites like poffertjes (small pancakes) and bitterballen (meat- or veggie-based fried snacks) are essential for first-time visitors. But don’t miss tucking into Indonesian cuisine, specifically a rijsttafel, which literally means “rice table” and refers to a mouthwatering array of meat and vegetable dishes, plus rice, of course.

This popular meal is a Dutch adaptation of traditional Indonesian cuisine. It speaks to a complex and difficult history of Dutch colonization in Indonesia (which it called Dutch East Indies), before the Southeast Asian country declared its independence in 1945. In fact, rijsttafel was added in 2022 to the Netherlands’ register of intangible cultural heritage to honor the role of Indonesian cuisine in modern Dutch culture.

“Tourists are often very surprised that Indonesian food is an integral part of Dutch food culture,” says Hendra Subandrio, executive chef at Restaurant Blauw, who came to the Netherlands from Indonesia when he was 13. “I would recommend everyone to try a rijsttafel, not only because you get to taste so many delicious dishes from Indonesia in one go, but also to experience the history behind it between Indonesia and the Netherlands.”

Cycle in Amsterdam safely

If cruising along Amsterdam’s canals via two wheels is on your travel bucket list, Ruud van Es, co-founder of Het Amsterdams Fietscollege, a well-respected bike school, offers sound advice: Focus on cycling safely instead of sightseeing. “When I ride with non-Dutch pupils, we laugh a lot about the behavior of tourists on bikes,” says van Es. “Very often it is very funny. Unfortunately, it very often is dangerous as well.”

Instead of the busy city center, van Es recommends visitors explore quieter neighborhoods such as Spaarndammerbuurt, De Pijp, and Amsterdam Noord (to get there, ride right onto a free ferry from Amsterdam Central Station). Wherever you go, ride single file, stay to the right, use your bell when passing, signal when turning, stay off your phone, and always look over your shoulder before making any moves.

Head to an urban beach

Amsterdam’s iconic canals may be its most famous waterways, but during warm summers, lakes and urban beaches beckon for a bracing dip. At Somerlust Park, a grassy area on a fairly calm stretch of the Amstel River, join locals for a swim and a picnic. The Gaasperplas nature reserve features a wide beach and spacious lawn and can easily be reached via metro. Farther south, the scenic Ouderkerkerplas, near the village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, is popular with families, thanks to sandy beaches and a shallow shoreline.

Museum-hop beyond the Dutch Masters

Art lovers visiting Amsterdam for the first time shouldn’t miss the Rijksmuseum, widely regarded as the world’s top institution on Dutch art and masters. Nearby, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk, with 90,000 modern and contemporary works, are also worthy stops.

But beyond Museum Quarter, a remarkable selection of lesser known spots await, each focusing on a distinct aspect of Dutch culture. At the Rembrandt House Museum, you can follow in the footsteps of Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn; after a recent renovation, his attic studios are now open to visitors. At the charming Amsterdam Tulip Museum, flower fans can learn why, during the Golden Age, the coveted tubers fetched astronomical prices. History buffs, meanwhile, shouldn’t miss the Verzetsmuseum (Dutch Resistance Museum). An excellent complement to the always popular Anne Frank House (and worthy alternative if tickets are sold out), it showcases the Netherlands’ effort against Nazi rule before and during World War II. Finally, little ones and science geeks of all ages will love the NEMO Science Museum.

Spot kingfishers, parakeets, and more

Amsterdam’s location in a country approximately one-third below sea level makes it a haven for diverse wildlife, flora, and fauna. Nature lovers could spend at least a day exploring Amsterdamse Bos, a polder forest three times larger than New York City’s Central Park. Meanwhile, tree-lined canals and numerous city parks serve as home to a surprisingly diverse array of creatures, winged and otherwise: foxes, rabbits, neon-green parakeets, and even a pair of storks in Vondelpark, notes Mónica Guimarães Cruz, a biologist who offers weekend nature walks in Amsterdam. “If you really take the time and just look around, you will discover amazing plants and animals,” she says. “Don't assume that because it's a city, it's just stone.”

Do date night the Dutch way

To hit the town with a special someone, it’s simple: “Going to a terrace on a canal, I think that's the most Dutch thing in the world,” says Derek Mitchell, a comedian who splits time between Amsterdam and London and has a Dutch partner. Options abound, but one of Mitchell’s favorites is De Ysbreeker, a restaurant dating to 1885 with ample outdoor seating on the Amstel River. Another popular spot: Café de Sluyswachtis, housed in an adorably off-kilter building from 1695 that once served as the lockmaster’s home.

But if it’s raining, you can’t go wrong with a brown bar like In ’t Aepjen or Café Hoppe. So named for their tobacco-stained ceilings, these centuries-old watering holes, many with original features like wooden beams and barrels, hum with the aura of bygone eras. Order a beer (biertje, in Dutch; Heineken is always a good pick) and toast to gezelligheid, which roughly translates to a vibe of coziness and conviviality.

(For more tips on what to do in Amsterdam, see our Explorer’s Guide.)

Blane Bachelor is a Florida-born, Amsterdam-based freelance journalist who covers travel, aviation, outdoor adventure, and quirky, offbeat topics like local legends and haunted history. Follow her on Instagram.