Six Fun Things to do in Amsterdam

Last month Bill and I had the pleasure of spending two and a half days in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. It was the last stop of our Rhine River cruise, and we chose to spend an extra day to explore. We were not disappointed. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. It is famous for its canals, museums, beautiful homes, “coffee” shops, the Red Light District, bicycles, and more. During our time there, I compiled a list of must-dos in the city. By no means is this list complete. There is so much more to see and do, and we will be back someday to this fantastic city.

City Canal Cruise

Take a cruise along Amsterdam’s UNESCO heritage canals. The city has 165 canals. As we sailed through three of the main canals of the city (Keizersgracht, Herengracht, and Prinsengracht), we passed houseboats and beautiful canal homes (a canal home is a house that overlooks a canal). These homes are narrow, high, and deep. If you look closely, each home has a hook on the front. These hooks enable the residents to pull large, bulky objects up into a window. Most homes have very narrow staircases, and moving furniture in is a challenge.

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Another thing to notice about the homes is that they are crooked or lean forward. Many of these homes were built many, many years ago, and built on wooden piles. The piles were pounded into wet soil. These piles have not been able to stand the test of time and have begun to rot and sink, leaving the homes uneven. I think it gives the houses a bit more charm.

Other points of interest are the Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge), the Westerkerk Church, Anne Frank Huis, the InterContinental Hotel (George Clooney stayed there during the filming of a movie) and the Amstel River.

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Van Gogh Museum and Painting Class

The Van Gogh Museum has over 1,000 paintings, drawings, and letters of Vincent Van Gogh. The museum has the most extensive collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world. We learned about his life and came up close and personal with his greatest masterpieces such as “Sunflowers” and “The Bedroom” Unfortunately, photos are not allowed. I took this image from the museum’s website.

After the museum tour, there is an option for a painting class. The class was on a canal boat. A sketch of one of Van Gogh’s paintings was provided, as was the paint. It was harder than it looked. Bill did a great job, me not so much!

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Rembrandt House

Once what was home to the famous Rembrandt, is now a museum. It was here he commissioned the renowned piece “The Nightwatch.” It contains an extensive collection of his etchings, and you can attend an etching workshop while there. Quick fact- Rembrandt’s wife and three children died in this home. He later lost it to bankruptcy.

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is one of the finest art museums in the world. There are over 8000 works on display, including Van Gogh, Vermeer, and Rembrandt. You can also find the blue and white pottery that is famous in the Netherlands.

Anne Frank Huis

In my opinion, this should be on top of everyone’s list that visits Amsterdam. The museum focuses on the secret annex, where Anne and her family lived for more than two years before being arrested and taken away by the Nazis. It is a self-guided tour with the use of a listening device. We walked from room to room, where each room shared a different part of their story. It is such a moving tour. The photos of Anne are thought-provoking and remind us that we need to do better in the world. We can’t forget history, and we can’t let it repeat itself. Again, no photos were allowed, but I picked up some postcards to include in my scrapbook and to use here to illustrate what we saw.

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Walking Tour of the City

On our last full day, we took a three-hour walking tour of the city; it began at Amsterdam’s Central Station, which in and of itself is a sight to see. Opening in 1989, 250,000 passengers pass through it each day. Our tour took us through Dam Square, home to the Royal Palace, the New Church, and National Monuments. We walked around De Wallen, the medieval city center. It is home to Amsterdam’s oldest church and the famous Red-Light District. It was quite the experience to see and learn how the city handles the world’s oldest profession. We also saw De Wagg, the city’s oldest non-religious building dating back to the 15th century and once part of the city wall. We walked through Chinatown, a flower market, and ended our tour at The Night Watch Sculpture. It was a great way to see the city. 

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This is just a small sampling as to what Amsterdam has to offer. I have many more photos to share and will do so in future posts. For now, I hope I have given you some ideas as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.