Amsterdam, Netherlands

5 THINGS EVERY TOURIST SHOULD DO IN AMSTERDAM

Thinking of taking a break in the city of tulips? You won't be disappointed! There is so much to see, do, and erm, smoke, in Amsterdam that you could spend weeks wandering the pretty city. And with no end of visitors flocking there I thought I should pop together a list of the most typical tourist things to do. There are tonnes of cultural things to do in A'dam, but were going to ignore those for now!

So what are my top 5 things every tourist should do in Amsterdam...


Neon Hard Rock Cafe sign on the front of the Amsterdam Hard Rock Cafe
The Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam

1. Eat or drink at the Hard Rock Cafe - This one of the main things me and Sean wanted to do when we planned our trip to Amsterdam. We're slowly but surely ticking off the list of Hard Rock Cafes, previously visiting the Barcelona and the London branches. Although we had been to others before we had never actually had a meal there and that was at the top of the to do list! Although it was slightly pricey our meals were delicious and I wouldn't hesitate to dine there again. We each had a burger which was cooked to perfection and was really well presented. If you do make a trip there you have to try a Southern Rock Cocktail. I cant remember whats in it but I know it's super strong and really tasty!

A giraffe licking its lips inside Amsterdam Zoo
A Giraffe at Amsterdam Zoo

2. Go to the Zoo - We went to the zoo on the last day after running out of realistic things to do. We said before we left for Amsterdam that we wouldn't go to the zoo as we have been to so many over the last couple of years but I'm so glad we went. It's around 20 Euros to get in but it's a really fun relaxing day out. There's so much to do that we just couldn't possibly do it all, but we took our time and saw the most important things. I was really happy to find out that they have elephants here and as they are my favourite animal I did spend quite a long time looking at these beautiful creatures. While you are here make sure you take a trip to the aquarium. It's not huge but there's some lovely setups in there and it's a quite a relaxing way to finish the day off.  

Myself sitting on the infamous penis chair at the Sex Museum Amsterdam
The famous penis chair inside the Amsterdam Sex Museum

3. Visit the famous Sex Museum -  I'm sure you've all heard about the Sex Museum. Most people I've spoken to about Amsterdam say you have to visit the Sex Museum. It's only 4 Euros to get in and it really is a must see. There's tons of sex related tat and a fair bit of actual interesting information too. You can do the whole thing in maybe just over an hour so I wouldn't set aside much more time than that to visit it. If you do go make sure you take a photo with the giant penis chair shown above!

Taken from a canal boat looking across one of the wider canals in Amsterdam. In the background you can see two house boats and behind those the famous thin houses stacked side by side
A typical cityscape in Amsterdam

4. Take a canal boat trip - There are so many boat trips available in Amsterdam you really are spoiled for choice. Before we went we knew we wanted to take a boat trip but we didn't know just how cheap and how many there were. We decided to go with a company just outside the train station who did the same tour as Thompson's but for around £7 cheaper. Tours usually last around an hour but you can get longer or shorter ones depending on how much time and money you have spare. If you really want a boat trip but are short of cash, the ferry to North Amsterdam is free so that's worth doing if you are running out of Euros. 

Two cocktails sitting on the bar at the Amsterdam Ice Bar
Cocktails at the fiercely cold Amsterdam Ice Bar

5. Grab some drinks at the Ice Bar - Before we went to Amsterdam my cousin said I had to go for drinks at the Ice Bar. I hadn't heard of it before but after a little research Sean and I really wanted to go. It costs 16 Euros to get in and you get 3 drinks included, one in the normal bar and two in the actual Ice Bar. I didn't think that was too pricey considering a beer would cost you 5 Euros in most bars in Amsterdam. When you book your ticket you choose the time you want to get there and usually spend around half an hour in the Ice Bar itself. We spend around 20 minutes in there as it was just too cold to be in there any longer. This isn't somewhere you would visit more than once but I would definitely recommend it to start a night out!

So those were my top 5 things every tourist should do in Amsterdam. There's so  many touristy things to do in this beautiful city so it was really hard to narrow it down to just 5. 

Have you been to any of these places? What do you think should have made the list?

Thanks for reading!


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2 comments

  1. Ahhh I'd love to go to Amsterdam! Looks fab - great pictures too!

    Right Up My Street

    xo

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    Replies
    1. If you ever get the chance you should definitely go, its such an amazing city! xx

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