The Netherlands is a world of windmills, canals, and bicycles. Just don’t call it Holland. In Amsterdam’s Centrum, the Canal Belt has a horseshoe shape. The Amstel River passes miles of canals, including Prinsengracht, Herengracht, and Keizersgracht, the main canals in the central burough. Next to each canal is a lane for cars, a bike lane, and sometimes a sidewalk for pedestrians. At the end of each block, there is an intersection next to a slightly elevated bridge crossing the canal.

Must Sees | Food | Forbidden Fruit | Transportation

MUST SEES

Get a Bike

Amsterdam has more bicycles than people. With a bicycle, you have the freedom to explore the city and stop at interesting places. For the most part, bikes have the right of way above cars and pedestrians. Amsterdam is flat except for bridges over canals and speed bumps.

Canal Houses

Dutch colonization and trade in the 1600s resulted in the Golden Age. As Amsterdam constructed its canals, newly wealthy merchants built grand canal houses. Space restrictions and taxes on a home’s width led to vertical and skinny canal houses.

Houseboats

After WWII, people made homes in the canals due to a housing shortage and a surplus of boats. There are 2,400 house-ships and arks along the canals. The house-ship is a boat conversion. Arks are rectangular buildings on concrete pontoons.

Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum is a beautiful palace of Dutch art through the centuries with a highlight on the Golden Age. The Honour Gallery is home to prized masterpieces from Golden Age Dutch masters Rembrandt (Night Watch) and Vermeer (The Milkmaid).

Anne Frank Huis

Otto Frank, his wife Edith, daughters Margot and Anne, and the van Pels moved into the Secret Annex. Anne wrote about the Holocaust and their time hiding in her diary. She candidly discussed her relationships and difficulties with her family.

Van Gogh Museum

The museum’s permanent exhibition displays Vincent van Gogh’s masterpieces. His vibrant oil paintings have thick brushstrokes and bold colors. Van Gogh was a tortured artist, creating over 2,000 artworks in a decade, with only one sold in his lifetime.

Canal Cruise

Experience Amsterdam from a different perspective. Enjoy the waterways like a local on a relaxing cruise. While you soak in the views, listen to stories about the Dutch capital.

Vondelpark

Vondelpark is a long green park at the center of the city with many fountains and pavilions.

De Gooyer Molen

At 87 feet high, De Gooyer Molen is the tallest wooden windmill in the Netherlands. It was built in 1725 as a flour mill. Brouwerij ‘t IJ is a brewery that operates at the bottom of the windmill. You can sit inside the windmill or at the water’s edge.

FOOD

Stamppot

The Stamppot is a hearty plate of mashed potatoes, a meatball, smoked sausage, a slice of bacon, sauerkraut, and gravy. Get a reservation and try this at Moeders.

Pickled Herring

Pickled herring is cured in a pickling liquid of vinegar, salt, spices, and cider. You can have thin herring filets with onions and pickles or you can get it all in a sandwich. Try both. The herring is soft and smooth like sashimi with strong fish and onion flavors. Stubbe’s Haring is a simple stall at one of the canal bridges.

Bitterballen

Bitterballen are round crispy croquettes once meant to be eaten with bitter liqueur. You can find traditional ones with beef and cheese. De Ballen Bar at the Foodhallen has a bouillabaisse version, cheesy with seafood, a twist much better than the original.

Appeltaart

Dutch apple pie consists of sliced apples on a thick crust with a lattice top. The warm pie is tall and flavored with cinnamon, sugar, and lemon juice. Eat a comforting slice with whipped cream and ice cream at Café Hegeraad’s large patio.

Poffertjes

Poffertjes are small plump pancakes topped with melted butter and dusted with powdered sugar. They are fluffy and pleasantly chewy. The Pancake Bakery serves various kinds of pancakes with sweet or savory toppings.

Snert (Pea Soup)

The thick split pea soup is served with smoked rookworst sausage and a dense rye bread with thin smoked bacon. Add mustard, butter, and the bacon to the bread.

Rijstaffel

Rijstaffel is a rice table of many Indonesian dishes, originally a fancy meal for VIPs when Indonesia was a colony. You receive an assortment of plates including: coconut beef, curry chicken, fried potato sticks, rice, pickles, and more.

Stroopwafel

Two thin, dense, and chewy waffles are filled with a thick sticky syrup. The syrup waffles taste like a cookie with a gooey caramel filling. Place a stroopwafel on top of a hot mug of coffee or tea to melt the syrup.

 

FORBIDDEN FRUIT

Coffeeshops

In the 1970s, Amsterdam began tolerating the consumption of ganja at licensed coffeshops. You can smell the coffeeshops before you pass by them. Wherever you find a coffeeshop, there’s usually a neighboring waffleshop with trays of waffles coated in colorful frosting.

Red Windows

De Wallen is Amsterdam’s oldest neighborhood and host to the world’s oldest profession, theaters, shows, and bars. Next to Amsterdam’s oldest church, De Oude Kerk, there are hundreds of windows with red neon lights. Windows with closed curtains indicate that the room is not open for business.

 

TRANSPORTATION

The high-speed train to Paris only stops a few times at the start and at the end. It slows down in tunnels, turns, and major cities. Once it reaches a straightaway in the farmlands, you can hear it rumble and rattle a bit more than normal. The conductor typically pushes it right to the limit (300 km/h) while always staying slightly under. The fastest I could clock the train was at 187 mph. Not too shabby!

 

Regions

Africa | Antarctica | Asia | Australia | Europe | Middle East | North America | South America