A Day of Sights and Sin in Amsterdam

I’m going to take the next few minutes to explain to you why Amsterdam, Netherlands is my favourite European city. And no, it is not because cannabis is legal and offered at every café nor because of the opportunity to see hundreds of half-nude women in red tinted windows. This beautiful city has so much to offer, from must-see historical buildings and stunning environmental features to popular Dutch foods.  These make-up for a city that deserves to be visited. Throw on your clogs, and let me walk you through the amazing city of Amsterdam.

Tourist Attractions and History

Let us begin with a few historical elements that are considered must-visits and create a major buzz around the city for both tourists and locals. First, the Van Gogh museum is the most popular museum of many in Amsterdam that is devoted to Vincent Van Gogh’s artwork. It is one of Amsterdam’s most visited attractions that offers hundreds of drawings, roughly 200 paintings including the well-known “Starry nights”. The museum is the perfect size for an afternoon break from the other city sights. Next, located in central Amsterdam is the Anne Frank House. A tour of the home where she lived in hiding during World War II and the brief history behind her journey is spectacular. However, I must emphasize the need to book your tickets ahead of your trip as the typical wait time exceeds the two hour mark. Following a busy day discovering the city, the perfect way to end a busy afternoon is at the Heineken Experience, the original brewery in the city that has been developed into an interactive tour. The experience provides interesting history on the brewery and the operations, followed by Heineken served on their rooftop patios accompanied by a beautiful view of the city. As previously mentioned, the city is very well known for its Red-Light District, an area of many alleys consisting of over 300 red-lit rooms rented by prostitutes who advertise themselves in the windows offering sexual services. Evidently, sex work is legal in the city. Furthermore, the area also features various sex-based attractions and services.

Environmental Features

As many of you may already know, the city of Amsterdam and its roads are owned by cyclists.  It is known as the bicycle capital city in the world. Popular opinion has cycling as the best way to discover the city as it is easy to navigate through central Amsterdam and visit all the must-see attractions as aforementioned. Riding bikes alongside the beautiful architecture, over and around the canals, and making your way to Vondelpark, a beautiful urban park surrounded by trees, also considered the most popular park in the Netherlands is frankly amazing. This area is perfect to bike through aimlessly, people-watch and even grab a bite to eat. While on the topic of nature, I recommend a stroll through the busy flower market which is bordered by various cheese stores with many kinds of local Gouda. All the main roads lead to Dam Square, the town square, the very center of the city. While in the area I suggest checking into one of the many coffee shops or restaurants in the area, but most importantly, to do some shopping along Dam Square. The best way to end a day in the city is a relaxing evening wine and cheese canal cruise through the city, allowing you to see the city from a different perspective while relaxing.

Dutch Food

The Dutch have a few well-renowned foods that you will try while being in the city, beginning with their local cheeses, particularly their Gouda – known to be, and I can attest, incomparable to the cheese in Canada. Next, an exceptionally well-known food that is served with every cup of coffee throughout the city and equally as delicious eaten on its own is the Stroopwafel; two thin layers of waffle with a caramel syrup between the two. The Dutch often hold or rest the Stroopwafel over their hot beverage, allowing it soften up before indulging. However, I must warn you, binge-eating these cookie-like waffles is hard to resist. And while on the topic, yes, as previously mentioned, the city is very well known for its coffee shops that also offer cannabis, part of their extensive menus. A popular breakfast to begin your day is the famous Dutch pancake, which is a very thin pancake that resembles the popular Canadian “crepes”. Next is the French-fry cone, an extreme snack which is very popular throughout the city, but most seen in the city central. This is not your typical serving of fries. This snack is a large cone filled with thick-cut french-fries and topped with a large amount of mayonnaise or cheese sauce… Interesting right? Besides its famous Dutch food offerings, the city offers a large variety of foods, but I must recommend my favourite restaurant: Vapianos. It has an assorted menu and is located just a 5-minute bike ride from Dam Square. Located next door to the restaurant is the perfect spot to grab a drink in the evening; SkyLounge. It has a great rooftop bar that overlooks the amazing Amsterdam skyline. You must go!  (Image - Pancakes Amsterdam)

I can imagine that reading this blog underlined the exact reasons why I had decided to return to Amsterdam for a second time, and am already planning my third trip the city. And I hope I was able to convince you to start planning as well. If you need more convincing, I encourage you all to visit @amsterdam on Instagram for daily pictures of the beautiful city.

What interests YOU the most about the wonderful city of Amsterdam? Please let me know – Contact me!

Thank you for reading, 

Alex