A long weekend in Amsterdam

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With its beautiful architecture, lively nightlife, stunning canals, rich history and artistic culture; Amsterdam is an amazing city to visit. 

Located in the Netherlands, Amsterdam is the capital city. Thanks to its large number of canals, Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the Venice of the North. With a worldwide renowned Bike Riding culture, Amsterdam as well as the rest of the nation of the Netherlands is famously known as the Bicycle Capital of the World.

Cycling the streets and traversing the canals of this charming city a few years ago for my first of many visits there is when I fell in love with Amsterdam. Wooed by the gorgeous architecture, inspired by the art and fascinated by the historic legacy of the city, Amsterdam stole my heart. 

When visiting Amsterdam I’ve stayed in the heart of the city as well as staying further afield on the outskirts, both of which have been great ways to visit Amsterdam. I’ve visited the tourist places as well as immersed myself in local life to experience the rich Dutch culture, for a wonderful time in Amsterdam. To help my money go further but allow for memorable experiences I’ve made the most of using a Go Amsterdam Pass. To ensure I’ve made the most of my time in Amsterdam, especially when only having a long weekend there and my first few times to this wondrous city, I’ve planned the key places I wanted to visit and things I wanted to do. Now the city has won me over during the courtship of my first few visits and I know the city better, I tend to be more free and easy with my plans.

If you fancy having a love affair with Amsterdam and want to experience an unforgettable fling with this superb city over a weekend, here are a few things that are lovely to do and places that are great to visit when visiting Amsterdam for a long weekend.

The Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam. Showcasing 800 years of history, this museum of Netherlands is home to the Dutch masters Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Vermeer. One of Amsterdam’s grandest and most popular museums, it is a must-visit museum in the city. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw. 

The Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House is a museum with an important historical story. The writer’s house and biographical museum is dedicated to Jewish diarist Anne Frank. Visit the museum and step back in time and see where she hid during the war. The building is located on a canal called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk, in central Amsterdam in the Netherlands. 

Cycle

Cycling is intertwined with daily life in Amsterdam. Visiting this cycling city, it pays to do as the locals do and get on a bike. A bike as transport is fantastic for exploring the winding streets of Amsterdam’s historic city centre and there are numerous bicycle paths scattered across the city so you can explore Amsterdam on a bike with ease. If you don’t fancy travelling on a bike for all of your visit you could experience cycling the city and learning more about this wonderful city with a bike tour.

The Van Gogh Museum

Dedicated to the works of Vincent Van Gogh, the Van Gogh Museum is home to the world’s most extensive collection of work from the famous painter. A delight to art lovers and those who appreciate Van Gogh’s art, you can admire more than 200 paintings, drawings and letters from Van Gogh at the museum.

Amsterdam Tulip Museum

The Tulip is the most famous flower from Holland and often used as the icon of the Netherlands. The Amsterdam Tulip Museum is a small, modest museum that showcases the history of the tulip, gorgeous photos of the tulip and a gift shop that sells bulbs so you can grow your own. The museum is located just across the bridge from the Anne Frank House. 

PANCAKES Amsterdam

PANCAKES Amsterdam brings a modern and new twist to traditional pancake houses. Their delicious pancakes are made with fresh and high-quality ingredients, and where possible they use fair trade and free-range products produced by local farmers. With over a dozen Dutch and American pancakes and poffertjes on the menu, enjoy the tastiest pancakes from any of the 6 PANCAKES Amsterdam locations.

House of Bols

Step into the magical world of cocktails with the House of Bols Cocktail & Genever Experience. Immerse yourself in the interactive experience that will be a delight to your senses, as well as gain insight into the history of the world’s oldest distilled brand Bols Amsterdam 1575. After the tour visitors can create their own cocktails in the Do It Yourself Bar or have a delicious cocktail made for them in the Mirror Bar. House of Bols is located next to the Rijksmuseum and opposite the Van Gogh Museum. 

Dutch food and drink

While visiting Amsterdam it is worth tasting the local delicacies. Enjoy cheese from the Netherlands by visiting the Amsterdam Cheese Museum where you can learn about the history of cheese making, enjoy cheese tastings and buy a selection of cheese from the shop. Brouwerij 't IJ is a small brewery in Amsterdam located in a former bath house where visitors can experience a tour and tasting, as well as enjoy the beers brewed there in the pub. Visit FoodHallen, an indoor food market, where you can enjoy BitterBallen which are incredibly tasty fried, minced beef balls that are a Dutch delight.

Boat on the canals

As the city boasts more than 160 canals that combined are over 60 miles long, taking a boat trip on the canals is a great way to experience the picturesque city. With the history of Amsterdam being connected with water and the they are still to this day an important aspect of the city’s landscape and life, experiencing a boat on the canals is a must-do activity. Visitors can enjoy a boat tour on the canals or get a pass for a hop-on, hop-off boat service. 

The diverse city has a lot more to offer to visit and experience including Vondelpark, The Sex Museum, Westergas cultural complex surrounded by the green landscape of Westerpark, Heineken Experience,Tour de BonTon, Albert Cuyp Markt where stallholders have been selling their wares since 1905, the gorgeous floating market Bloemenmarkt, one of the world’s largest squares Dam Square, The Red Light District (known locally as De Wallen), the Hash Marihuana and Hemp Museum, the Sky Lounge, and the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. 

If you’re looking to stay a bit longer and spend more time in Amsterdam, you could travel a little further afield from the city centre to experience more great things in the Netherlands. The vibrant city Zaandam on the outskirts of Amsterdam is renowned for its colourful buildings and fantastic architecture, the charming village of De Zaanse Schans is home to traditional Dutch houses and windmills, Keukenhof is an expansive 19th-century park open from March to May that showcases multicoloured Dutch spring flowers, and the magnificent Castle Muiderslot is a UNESCO World Heritage site that has a remarkable history that dates back to the 13th Century.

Have you ever visited Amsterdam or do you have plans for a weekend in Amsterdam?