5 Essential Tips for Your First Visit to Amsterdam

Amsterdam is, without question, one of Europe’s great cities for tourists. If you’ve never visited before, you’re definitely in for a real treat! Question is: where do you begin?

The free-spirited Dutch capital is a delightful blend of whirring bicycles, magical museums, colourful markets and legendary nightlife. Here are five top tips if you are visiting Amsterdam for the very first time:

Arrive by train

Amsterdam Central Station, as the name suggests, is right at the heart of this beautiful city. You can catch a double-decker train from Schiphol Airport, from nearby Rotterdam and even arrive by Eurostar from London. Arriving by train allows you to get an immediate sense of the city. You walk out into the main plaza and see the thousands of bicycles piled up, the canals, the Carlsberg Brewery and immediately get a sense of what makes this place special. From there you can walk to most of the main tourist attractions easily. It is a wonderful way to start any trip to Amsterdam.

Visit museums

The Dutch capital has the highest concentration of museums of any city in the world. You can visit more than 60 of them in Amsterdam and view work by some of the great artists – including Monet and Matisse. The most famous of them all – Vincent Van Gogh – has his own museum (which as you might expect, holds the largest collection of his work anywhere in the world). Make sure you visit the Museum Het Rembrandthuis – what makes this place special is that Rembrandt himself lived and worked in the canal house that is now his museum. You must also visit Anne Frank Huis, which guarantees an emotional experience detailing how Anne and her family hid from the Nazis for more than two years. It was also where she wrote her famous diaries.

View the stunning churches

Even if you are not a religious person, you should take time to visit some of the city’s stunning churches. The three most spectacular churches are the Oude Kerk (Old Church) – which is also the city’s oldest building, dating back to 1306 – Westerkerk (Western Church), and Zuiderkerk (Southern Church). You will not be disappointed.

Leave time to relax in Amsterdam’s parks

We all know that Amsterdam is world-famous for its tulips, but there is much more to see in its wonderful parks. Vondelpark is perhaps the best-known –  a beautiful expanse with sculptures (including one by Picasso), ponds, bridges and beautiful, wandering footpaths. It is also worth considering De Pijp’s Sarphatipark and Westerpark.

Enjoy the variety of food and drink

The Dutch food and drink scene may not be world-famous, but it is worth enjoying while you are in Amsterdam. Traditional dishes such as old-school kroketten croquettes are a great way to start but it is also worth trying the delightful Dutch gin, Jenever. Amsterdam is a multicultural city so you will find a myriad of things to try. The main foodie streets in the city are Amstelveenseweg and Utrechtsestraat, near Rembrandtplein. If you are travelling with children, remember to take plenty of healthy snacks (such as nuts) to keep their energy up as you walk around the city. If you’re a foodie, we also highly recommend the Hungry Birds street food tour! We absolutely loved it and were so surprised by the diversity of food in Amsterdam.

Have you visited Amsterdam before? Share with us your best tips in the comments below!