Jacob’s personal recommendations for Amsterdam!
These are my personal tips -based on experience and research- for a great experience in Amsterdam! This resulted in a good list of tips! You can click on the bold text to get to the Google Maps location of the establishment.
All of you good luck in Amsterdam!
And don’t forget to write me a review here of course 😉
Food / Restaurants
Food / Breakfast / Lunch
Bars
Shopping
Coffeeshops (no coffee, weed!)
Museum
Parks
Things to do
More Free Tours in Amsterdam
Food / Restaurants
Colibri
Wonderful gastrobar tucked away in a residential corner (of my street, as it happens). Brazilian chef Alex and his wife Carlotta run this place like it’s their home. Fresh, organic, wholly original. Be their guest and let yourself be treated!
Website
Roopram Roti
Legendary Surinamese food in a canteen-like setting. Be prepared to stand in line. If you eat meat, take the lamb roti. Not great for vegans.
Website
La Vallade
Lovely little French-style restaurant that serves a daily “menu routier”. That means every day a different cook who makes one 4 course menu! They recently went full veggie with an optional meat/fish supplement.
Website
Breakfast/lunch
Bataat
Wonderful little vegan lunchroom. Lots of options – from croissants to hot meals – for great prices. I bike across town just to have lunch here.
Website
Foodhallen
The only foodcourt in all of Amsterdam, as far as I know. Great options for every diet, perfect if you and your friends can’t agree on what to get.
Website
Toscanini Deli
A true Italian deli in the most atmospheric part of the Centrum. Take your €1 espresso standing at the bar and get some smashing focaccia for lunch.
Website
Bars
‘t Blauwe Theehuis
Amsterdam’s beloved brewery put new life into an old teahouse in the middle of Vondelpark. Great beer, good bites and surrounded by green.
Website
The Waterhole
The only place in town to have live music 7 nights a week. Usually rock, good vibes, sometimes a small entrance fee. Pool table and beer. Can’t go wrong.
Website
Café Eijlders
The last remaining typical Dutch ‘bruine kroeg’ (brown pub) in the lively Leidseplein area. Formerly a famed hangout for poets. You might find their lingering spirit still inspires you here!
Website
Shopping
American Book Center
My favourite English book shop in town. Great range, lots of fantasy and thriller, and good selection of graphic novels too. At Spui square, which hosts 2 other book shops!
Website
Arket
New in Amsterdam, a Nordic warehouse with focus on sustainability. Pleasant atmosphere and beautiful, high-quality clothing and more.
Website
Kiloshop Waterlooplein
Great place for affordable vintage clothing in every imaginable style. Right at the Waterlooplein, which hosts the oldest flea market in the city, 7 days a week.
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Coffeeshops (no coffee; Weed)
Greenhouse Coffeeshop
Famous shop with multiple locations, all worth a visit. I favoured the Haarlemmerstraat, but others have more food options.
Website
Barney’s Lounge
All Barney’s coffeeshops offer a good vibe, but I used to like the lounge best. Simple, friendly, good selection.
Website
De Overkant
Nothing special, but in a fun area and better prices than other coffeeshops in Centrum.
Museums
FOAM
Amsterdam’s photography museum is a highlight for lovers of artistic photography in all its forms. The dedicated museum is well priced and reliably puts on thought-provoking exhibitions.
Website
Rembrandthuis
This one hits a few birds in one stone: see a well-preserved golden age house on the inside, get a feel for how the master lived and worked, and see some of his lesser-known but beautiful art.
Website
Stedelijk Museum
It’s an obvious choice, but for very good reason. The standard collection is vast and shows highlights of modern art history. The changing exhibitions give excellent space to a great variety of art-styles and are always worthwhile. No art lover can skip Stedelijk!
Website
Parks/Areas
Flevopark
I used to live around the corner and this is still my favourite park. It’s at the water, feels more like nature than most Amsterdam parks and hosts a well-hidden liquor distillery and bar. Great for walks, picnics and runs/workouts.
Het Amsterdamse Bos
By far the biggest park, on the outskirts of the city. Forest, field, water, and an organic goat-farm with great cheese and cuddlable goats!
Vondelpark
Famous for good reason. It’s location makes it the perfect place for a break between shopping and museums. The vibe is always good, it hosts loveable cafés and is also great for running.
Fun things to do in Amsterdam
Complete your visit to Amsterdam, by exploring the city on its beautiful canals. For a quality tour with excellent service, we highly recommend Flag Ship
Mystery city puzzle tour, discover the city and its history by solving a puzzle. Challenge yourself and try it!
Mystery city escape game Amsterdam
The city center gets all the attention, but I highly recommend checking out the local area around your hotel/hostel/BnB:
- For the Oost (East) part of town, the axis of Javastraat and Dapperstraat. Expect excellent immigrant cuisine, affordable everything, and neighbourly vibes.
- For the West part of town, the area between Jan Pieter Heijestraat and De Hallen (I live in this neighbourhood!). Expect local fashion, high quality food, and hipster/gentrification vibes.
- For the Zuid (South) part of town, the area around Ferdinand Bolstraat and Sarphatipark. Expect great coffee, the famous Albert Cuyp market, and well-off millennial vibes.
Join our themed tours!
Did you enjoy our Classic Tour? Dive deeper into the Dutch culture with our Free Alternative Tour or Free Food Tour:
