Hey, you. Thanks for coming by. These are some of my favourite things to experience in Amsterdam, plus reasons. Don’t forget to sign up for The Amsterdam Good Murder Guide. Oh, and don’t forget to leave a review if you were on one of my tours, and don’t forget to mention my name. With a K. Thank you. You were my favourite.
Now, feast your senses…
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Calendar
Eating in Amsterdam
Toko Dun Yong | Hidden at the top of a Chinese supermarket. Very few options, very limited opening hours (12–16, closed Mondays), and far from cheap — but still worth it.
Rodja | A self-described “healthy deli” that seriously undersells itself. Delicious food, but mainly takeaway. Perfect picnic fare.
Nam Kee | Excellent Chinese food with two branches (second location here). Great for lazy late-afternoon lunches.
Bird | Possibly the best Thai in town, with cheaper lunchtime deals.
Bird Snackbar | Bird’s cheaper sister eatery across the street. Sit in the window and watch the world go by.
Ocha | Another strong contender for best Thai in town — and probably the most reasonably priced.
De Hapjeshoek | Popular Surinamese takeaway in Waterlooplein metro station. Famous for its rotis.
Kilimanjaro | Ethiopian & Eritrean restaurant with great vegan options and excellent injera.
Abyssinia | Fantastic Ethiopian food. Best enjoyed with a group and a large shared platter.
Kilimanjaro Take Me Away | Second branch of Kilimanjaro with longer hours and plenty of seating.
Moeder’s | Classic Dutch cuisine served in famously quirky surroundings.
Cafe Sonneveld | Traditional Dutch food in a friendly, gezellig setting.
PLLEK | Mostly vegetarian restaurant in Amsterdam North with great food and a socially conscious vibe.
The Golden Temple | Mostly vegan Asian food with occasional yoga, kirtan, and live music events.
Meatless District | Moderately upmarket vegan fare — not cheap but very tasty.
Vegan Junk Food Bar | Junk food without the guilt. Three Amsterdam branches:
Mastino | Excellent vegan pizza — expensive but worth it.
Greenwoods | One of Amsterdam’s best breakfast spots with two locations.
Blue | Great breakfast with panoramic views across the city.
De Koffie Schenkerij | Coffee and cakes in a beautiful courtyard next to the Old Church.
Caldi e Freddi | Often cited as the best sandwich shop in Amsterdam.
Broodje Bert | A personal favourite sandwich place with canalside seating.
Winkel 43 | Famous worldwide for its Dutch apple pie.
Pannenkoeken Upstairs | Tiny historic pancake house once visited by Anthony Bourdain.
FEBO | Dutch croquettes from vending machines. Found everywhere in the city.
Vleminckx | Legendary fries with a huge selection of sauces.
Henri Willig | Cheese shop famous for its generous free samples.
Foodhallen | Indoor food market with 20+ high-quality street-food stands.
Dappermarkt | Daily market in east Amsterdam with excellent kibbeling.
Drinking in Amsterdam
De Prael | Microbrewery, comedy venue and social programme. Killer beef stew. Also features prominently in The Amsterdam Good Murder Guide.
In ‘t Aepjen | Historic bar where 1600s sailors supposedly paid for drinks with monkeys. Equal parts museum, pub and magical place.
Café Eylders | Historic Amsterdam bar once used as a Resistance meeting place during WWII. Great bitterballen. Great anti-Nazi vibe.
Het Elfde Gebod | Quirky old-fashioned brown bar with a surprisingly wide range of beer — especially Belgian — and carpets on some of the tables.
’T Smalle | One of the best canalside pubs in the city. If you get a good outside seat on a warm day, you may never want to leave.
Mata Hari | Sophisticated bar with Art Deco lights, painted nymphs, an upright piano and a large collection of stuffed birds. Fancy, friendly, fun.
The VOC Café (The Weeping Tower) | In a historic building where wives once waved goodbye to departing sailors. Today it offers breathtaking canal views.
Café De Dokter | Insanely small, incredibly dusty and utterly unique. The website says: “Open every day from 16:00 till 01:00. Closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.” Classic.
De Ceuvel | A phenomenal sustainable cultural space and great place for an evening drink.
In De Wildeman | Historic bar in a former distillery with 250+ beers and excellent pub snacks. The mussels are great.
Café Karpershoek | Possibly the oldest pub in Amsterdam and very conveniently located opposite Central Station. Ideal for a final farewell drink.
Waterhole | Great live music venue. Start next door at Café Eylders, then end the night here dancing yourself into a pool of sweat.
Brouwerij ’t IJ | Modern microbrewery and pub beside one of Amsterdam’s remaining windmills.
Wynand & Fockink | Traditional tasting house for Dutch jenever. Flavours, rituals and fun.
Sexyland | A lively venue for music, theatre and art. Check the website to see what’s on.
OT301 | Independent club and cultural space hosting music, art and events. For non-crusty clubs or dress-code venues, consult a different guide.
Shopping in Amsterdam
Albert Cuypmarkt | The city’s biggest street market — a busy, bustling multicultural melee of buying and selling. Whatever you need, you can find it here. It might be cheap. Equally, it might not.
Nine Streets | Posh shops and lots of ’em. If you love posh shops, the Nine Streets will please you. If you hate posh shops, go find yourself a kringloopwinkel…
Kringloopwinkels | Basically second-hand shops, thrift stores, junk shops — whatever you like to call them. There’s lots of ’em in Amsterdam and this website tells you exactly where they are.
Waterlooplein Markt | The oldest and apparently (according to their website) the most gezellig flea market in the city. Basically lots and lots of cheap stuff, including great piles of old clothes at ridiculous prices.
IJhallen | The biggest flea market in Europe, but it only takes place one weekend every month. Check the website — maybe you’ll get lucky.
Getting High in Amsterdam
The following is a small selection of some high-quality, reliable coffeeshops. You’ll notice the Bulldog is not amongst them. There is a reason for that…
The Dampkring | An award-winning coffeeshop that featured in Ocean’s 12 and is definitely one of the best. Smaller than it looks though. Maybe even smaller than it is. Whoa. Think about that.
Abraxas | Reliable edibles, nice environment, consistently excellent staff. Some of the best and cheapest pure white widow joints in town too. If you’re into that kind of thing.
The Kashmir Lounge | “The cosiest designated smokers area in Amsterdam.” Two shops — one for buying, one for smoking.
Funky Munky | Boasts a lovely place, friendly staff, decent size, but most important of all: a serviceable pool table.
The Bulldog | — nah, just kidding. Don’t go there. You’re better than that.
Museums in Amsterdam
Rijksmuseum | The gardens, the Dutch Masters, the VOC ship, the library, the stained glass windows, the swan. The Dutch National Museum—you could spend a week here, easily.
The Royal Palace | City hall, royal palace, tourist attraction. Amsterdam at its most arrogant, saying, “Look at me! Look how rich and awesome I am!” Do look. It is genuinely awesome.
Van Gogh Museum | If you’re a fan of Vincent, you’ll enjoy it very much. If you’re not sure … frankly, it could go either way. Watch the film *Loving Vincent* first to see if you really do.
The Grachtenmuseum | Ever wondered how they made the canals? Or how they drove wooden poles 20 metres into the ground? €15 for an excellent 45-minute audio-visual tour.
Maritime Museum | Pretty gobsmacking, but it’s *The Amsterdam*—the replica ship—that you’re really paying for. Climb aboard, crawl around, pace the deck, imagine. It’s awesome.
Stedelijk | Modern & contemporary art & design museum. For my money, better than the Moco. Less Banksy, more surprises.
MOCO | Worth a visit, especially if you like your art audacious, challenging, and a little bit silly. Warhol, Banksy, Koons, Basquiat, Emin. Lots of cool stuff. Lots of head-shaking.
The Resistance Museum | Heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure. Stories of Dutch resistance to Nazi occupation during WWII.
Then there’s Nemo (the Science Museum), Artis (the zoo), Micropia (the microbe zoo), the Katten Kabinet (gallery of cat art), the Poesenboot (boat full of actual cats), Rembrandt House, The Anne Frank House, and a museum for street art and graffiti called Straat. Not to mention more than 60 others. More cultural attractions than any other city in the world in fact! So they say.
If you’re going to visit four or more museums, it might be worth investing in a Museumcard. (But equally, it might not. Check carefully. Some museums, like the Moco and Straat, don’t accept it.)
Parks & Outdoors
Vondelpark | DUTCH PARK NUMBER ONE. It has ponds and play areas and bars and recitals and festivals and even its own goddamn Picasso sculpture. Hire a bike. It’s magical.
Amstelpark | Requires a cycle ride out of town but it’s worth it. Seriously. Go see the red squirrels and the kangaroos. I ain’t lyin’.
Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest) | Boasting 2,500 acres of forest, bursting with lakes, ponds, streams, gardens and sporting activities. Great for walking. Great for wildlife. Totally man-made. From scratch. Classic Dutch.
Dam Square
2 hours
All ages
