72 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Amsterdam, Netherlands

29 places in this vlog

In the order they appear. Tap a time to play it here, or ↗ to open YouTube at that second.

1. 5:20

   Red Light District (De Wallen)

   🏘️ Neighborhood · De Wallen · brief mention

   This central zone is where tourists are most likely to be overcharged or taken advantage of.

2. 13:16

   Rijksmuseum

   🏛️ Museum · Museumkwartier

   Allow at least a couple of hours; the tunnel alone is worth seeing, but don't block the bike lane.

3. 13:40

   Van Gogh Museum

   🏛️ Museum · Museumkwartier

   Best suited to Van Gogh lovers; tickets go especially fast in summer.

4. 14:05

   Anne Frank House

   🏛️ Museum · Grachtengordel

   Tickets drop on Tuesday mornings; same-day or same-week tickets are unrealistic.

5. 14:27

   Houseboat Museum

   🏛️ Museum · Jordaan

   An underrated pick that needs no advance booking and takes only 5–10 minutes to walk through.

6. 15:25

   ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo

   🚡 Activity · Plantage

   Booking online instead of at the ticket office saves about $3.

7. 15:55

   Vondelpark

   🌳 Park · Oud-Zuid

   Ranked the top park to visit in the city.

8. 16:17

   Westerpark

   🌳 Park · Westerpark

   The garden allotment is the highlight and especially worth seeing in summer.

9. 17:01

   Begijnhof

   🏛️ Historic site · Centrum

   A quick walk-through if nearby, with plenty of other tourists.

10. 18:43

    Back to Black

    ☕ Cafe · Grachtengordel

11. 19:22

    Van Stapele Koekmakerij

    ☕ Cafe · Centrum

    It moved to a bigger shop in the touristy centre, so the once hours-long lines now move quickly.

12. 20:08

    Rudi's Original Stroopwafels

    🍜 Street food · De Pijp · brief mention

    Considered overrated compared with Hans Egstorf's stroopwafels.

13. 20:14

    Hans Egstorf

    🍜 Street food · Amsterdam

    A little more touristy and a little pricier, but the stroopwafels taste better.

14. 20:31

    Café de Klos

    🍴 Restaurant · Grachtengordel

    Top restaurant pick; no reservations and lines grow later in the evening, so arrive early.

15. 21:00

    Uncommon

    🍴 Restaurant · Grachtengordel

    A great choice for brunch or lunch.

16. 22:07

    Albert Cuyp Market

    🛒 Market · De Pijp

    Not fully authentic or the best market in town, but still worth seeing.

17. 22:25

    Foodhallen

    🛒 Market · Oud-West

    The food is decent rather than top-tier, but the building is cool to see.

18. 22:42

    Bloemenmarkt

    🛒 Market · Centrum

    Rated completely overrated, with many of the flowers fake.

19. 23:10

    Noordermarkt

    🛒 Market · Jordaan

    Picked as one of the best markets in town; runs on Mondays and Saturdays.

20. 23:31

    Lindengracht Market

    🛒 Market · Jordaan

    There are plenty of tourists too, but it feels less touristy than other markets.

21. 23:37

    Jordaan

    🏘️ Neighborhood · Jordaan · brief mention

22. 23:52

    IJ-Hallen Flea Market

    🛒 Market · Amsterdam-Noord

    Charges an entrance fee.

23. 24:33

    Zaanse Schans

    🚆 Day trip · Zaandam

    Go as early as possible: crowds peak between noon and 2pm.

24. 25:33

    Zaandam

    🚆 Day trip · Zaandam

    Called a little overrated; time is better spent elsewhere to experience Dutch culture.

25. 26:07

    Amsterdamse Bos

    🌳 Park · Amstelveen

    About a 25–30 minute bike ride from the centre and an underrated alternative to Zaandam.

26. 26:49

    Haarlem

    🚆 Day trip · Haarlem

27. 27:17

    The Hague

    🚆 Day trip · The Hague

    Works as a day trip, but could easily fill a couple of days.

28. 27:41

    Utrecht

    🚆 Day trip · Utrecht

    Described as the day trip that feels most like Amsterdam.

29. 28:04

    Rotterdam

    🚆 Day trip · Rotterdam

    Recommended for a 'new Dutch' experience unlike anywhere else in the Netherlands.