Top 5 fun things to do in Amsterdam

Don’t miss out on these fabulously fun things to do in Amsterdam!

Hello Folks! It’s that time of the year again for us when we feverishly make travel plans, budget our trips, and hope and pray that everything goes to plan. February is the month of birthday and anniversary celebrations in our family. Starting last year we have celebrated landmark birthdays and anniversaries and this we wanted to plan a holiday that will create memories for a lifetime.

So after much research, I finally booked a holiday to an amazing destination. Last year, our annual February celebrations were spent in Venice. We had a really romantic short break and enjoyed great food, lots of fabulous Italian wine and fell madly in love with Venice – so much so that we made a promise to ourselves to visit again in exactly five years’ time.(Why 5 years? well we have pretty elaborate travel plans and places we want to tick off our bucket list until then!)

For now, I would love to share my Top 5 fun things to do while in Amsterdam, we visited last year over the Easter break and loved every minute of our stay.

Amsterdam evening canal cruise – Cruising along the canals during the evening is the best time to see the lights and take in the sights and sounds of this vibrant city. Its a whole new experience compared to a daytime cruise. 

Cycle across Amsterdam: Pretend to be one of the locals for a few hours by cycling around the city. It can be quite a thrilling experience, especially at night! Riding along the canals and ringing your cycle bell to make your way through crowded narrow cobbled streets is quite exciting. Fuel up along the way at one of the many traditional brown cafes. 

Explore De Pijp: 19th-century architecture sits comfortably alongside modern structures.  Sample authentic Dutch street food at the city’s largest street market Albert Cuyp Market. Shops for souveniers or just stroll around admiring the various offerings from the street vendors. Also home to the Heineken Experience, step inside the red-brick building to go on a bottle ride on their interesting tour and of course sample a pint or two 😉

Wind down at Vondel Park: After a long day of admiring art at the Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum, get some downtime at Vondel Park. This large green space offers an escape from the hustle-bustle of the busy city streets. Grab a coffee from the posh restaurant cafe and relax on the green lawns. If you enjoy people watching, this is the place for you, scores of enthusiastic cyclists riding past, tulips in full bloom during spring.

Eat from one of the many FEBO vending machines : Cheap and cheerful food was never more fun than getting piping hot and filling treats from FEBO. This chain of food vending machines dots the main tourist areas in Amsterdam. Perfect after you haven’t spent the day guzzling loads of beer or after a late-night walk around the pretty.

Though spring can be chilly in Europe, we only needed extra layers when we visited Keukenhof gardens, the rest of the trip we managed with light jackets and I always had my trusted scarf from FatFace wrapped around my neck to keep me cosy. Easter break brings in throngs of tourists to Amsterdam as is to be expected so advance bookings for some of the bigger attractions are highly recommended – coming up soon – a short guide to which attractions to book in advance and some money-saving tips to ace your trip to the Netherlands. To plan your day – trip to Keukenhof have a look at my detailed how-to guide here.

Here are some recommendations to plan well and make the most of your visit to this beautiful and vibrant city:

• Enjoy an evening tasting the best local cheese and wine

Looking for pointers about where to stay while in Amsterdam? Then you might want to read my review about my stay at the Steigenberger Hotel in Schipol

Have you done any of my top 5 fun things while in Amsterdam? Leave me a comment and let me know. I always enjoy reading through all your comments on my blog and my social media posts 🙂