Max’ 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
Dutch Snacks
Food Markets
Bars
Nightlife
Shopping
coffeeshops no coffee weed
Museum
Parks
Boat tour
More Free Tours in Amsterdam

Food / Restaurants

I’ll start with some fancy restaurants:

The Jordaan Area is also really nice to check for restaurants.
As well as the more bohemian area “de pijp” around the daily food and clothes market the Albert Cuyp. Nice market in a neighborhood definitely worth visiting!
Chinatown around the zeedijk (cross the nieuwmarkt square) is hit or miss with Asian restaurants. Sechuan (Chinese) or Bird (thai) are alright though, around 10 to 15 for a dish.

Breakfast/lunch

For great sandwiches and breakfast go to the Broodbar.
Website 

Another place for nice sandwiches is Betty Blue.
Website 

Caldi e feddi (near dam square) has 101 different sandwiches for a good price!

Great juices with amazing açaï bowls are The juice brothers establishments.
Website 

Trust at the Albert Cuyp is a great vegan place were you pay by tip.
Website 

Dutch snacks

Hemels- Broodje ‘Gerookte Paling'(Smoked eel)

– Broodje ‘Half-Om’ (Liver & pastrami sandwich) ONLY in Amsterdam
– Poffertjes (Mini-Pancakes)
– Likkepot (liverwurst with onion and peppers)
– Berehap (Fried meatball in peanut sauce).
Dutch ‘colonial’ food Indonesian/Surinamese
– Bami Doksi (Noodles with duck)
– Bara Kip (Fried bread stuffed with spicy chicken

Food markets

There are 2 great biological food markets on Saturday (best for your cheese shopping) on the nieuwmarkt square and the noordermarkt square (famous apple pie at Cafe Winkel here as well)

There is a big food market on the Albert Cuyp every day except sunday.

Bars

Jenever tasting bar Wijnand Fockink Proeflokaal
Website

Waterkant. For long summer nights & Surinamese ribs
Website

The Last Waterhole. Live Rock Music
Website 

Hill Street Blues. Basement bar that’s covered in graffiti from top to bottom. 420 friendly.
Website

The Flying Dutchman. The best cocktails in the country.
Website 

Nightlife

– Bitterzoet. Urban/Hiphop. Find some famous Dutch rappers here!.
Website 

Shelter. Techno. At the NDSM wharf. No windows, no daylight, no social boundaries.
Website

Club AiR. House/EDM. Very pretty club.
Website

Chapter 21. Cocktails/exclusive. The dandiest club in the city.
Website

Shopping

For nice boutique shops go to the 9 streets or the Haarlemmerstraat in the Jordaan area.

For the expensive big brand fashion shops go to the Pieter Cornelis hooft straat between the Vondelpark and the museum square.

For great secondhand clothes go to the Waterloo square clothes market (Monday through Saturday).

All the ‘standard’ shops (like H&M or Nike/Adidas) can be found at the Kalverstraat and the Nieuwendijk. 

Coffeeshops

Be careful where you buy your herb! Many coffee shops will scam you. Take a tip!

Barney’s coffeeshop
Website

Greenhouse. 3 locations. Best flavor of weed and variety of edibles.
Website

–Cheech & Chong’s. For the finest Moroccan hash.
No Website

-The Original Dampkring. Featured in Oceans 12. Also fun if you’re not a (big) smoker.
Prix d’Ami. Clubhouse for smokers. Three floors of hysterical entertainment.
Website 

Museums

For the most popular museums (Anne Frank, Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum) order your tickets online beforehand to skip the hour long lines.
Website Anne Frank
Website Van Gogh
Website Rijksmusem 

If you want to ‘fact check me” and learn more about the history and culture of Amsterdam go to the Amsterdam museum.
Website 

Some nice alternative museums are Stedelijk museum (modern art) and Eye (cinema and video art, its a movie theater as well, with a bar with a wonderful view of Amsterdam).

Also have a peak inside Tuchinski, the oldest movie theater in Amsterdam build in an Art Deco style with a crazy interior.

Parks

– Schinkeleilanden. Next to the Olympic stadium you will find this gem. It’s quite secluded and not known with tourists. That’s because the local youth wants to keep it ‘secret’. In general the area is great because you’ll have the Olympic stadium nearby and also a ‘penalty’ harbor where old houseboats have been moved to.

Sarphatipark: in the Pijp parallel to the Albert Cuyp market.

Amsterdamse bos is a huge man made woods (if you want to spend some time away from the city).

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: