15 Amsterdam Hidden Secrets, Best Places & Food
Amsterdam is a small, but vibrant, city which has much to offer. Check out the ultimate 15 Amsterdam hidden secrets, things to do, best places and foods to experience in Amsterdam in this 1 minute video guide which I put together.
Ride a bike
Start off your journey through Amsterdam by renting a bicycle / bike. There are places around the Amsterdam Central Station and Dam Square that offer various bike rental options. Speaking of bikes. You’ll spot anything from one tow five people riding on one bike, if you are lucky, you may even spot one person riding two bikes. While not exactly an Amsterdam Hidden Secret, the below video shows you a number of ways that two people can ride a bike. Look out for the different ways as you explore Amsterdam.
Amsterdam Food / Dutch Food
There is a lot of great food in Amsterdam which you must try. Apple pie is an Dutch Amsterdam classic. With a bit of cream / slagroom, it is delicious. Winkel 43 is one of the best places to get fresh apple pie. When in Amsterdam you should also visit one of the many cheese shops. There are many all over town.
Foodies should pay a visit to Amsterdam’s first food hall, De Food Hallen in De Hallen. There you will discover a variety of food, including Dutch foods. Try the bitterballen, cheese tosti and beer.
For more Amsterdam food options / secrets, check out my Amsterdam food videos:
– Best Amsterdam Food
Including the best Apple Pie, Pancakes, Tosti and Bitterballen in Amsterdam, some of which can be found at Amsterdam’s food hall de Foodhallen.
– Amsterdam Street Food
Amsterdam street food is varied and delicious, though admittedly not very healthy. In this video we explored some of Amsterdam’s best street food including haring, fresh warm stroopwafels, Febo, friet (fries) with peanut sauce (sate sauce) and poffertjes or Dutch mini pancakes.
– Amsterdam Hidden Secret
Best Cookie in the World in Amsterdam. This is one of our favourite Amsterdam hidden secrets. One of the best cookies / best biscuits in the world can be found in a secret shop in Amsterdam. Vera Van Stapele spent months refining her recipe to come up with a dark chocolate biscuit with a white chocolate interior. Her shop, Van Stapele Koekmakerij is situated in a small alleyway in Amsterdam.
Museumplein
No visit to Amsterdam is complete without visiting the Museumplein. There are multiple attractions there, including the Van Gogh Museum (1.5 million annual visitors), the Rijksmuseum and the IAmsterdam sign. One of the Amsterdam hidden secrets which you shouldn’t miss is the library located in the Rijksmuseum. While hard to find, it is charming and looks like something right out of Harry Potter, so well worth a visit.
Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum opened its new modern entrance in September Watch the video from the opening, where 125 000 sunflowers were arranged in a maze on the Museumplein. This was a unique sight to behold.
Amsterdam Festivals
Amsterdam hosts in excess of 300 festivals a year. There is a festival or two to suit every taste. There are three festivals that you simply can’t miss, though they take place at three separate times of the year.
– Kingsday
KINGSDAY / KONINGSDAG, end of April, is the biggest party and biggest outdoor market of the year in The Netherlands. King’s Day (formerly Queen’s Day) bring all the masses onto the streets. You’ll never see Amsterdam as busy as this.
– Amsterdam Gay Pride Canal Parade
The Amsterdam Gay Pride, which takes place in early August, is one of the biggest events of the year in Amsterdam. This is the only floating pride parade in the world where 80 decorated, themed boats / floats sail along the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, entertaining the many visitors.
– Amsterdam Light Festival
The Amsterdam Light Festival, late November to mid January, is the annual light festival which lights up the Amsterdam skies with light sculptures, projections and installations by contemporary (inter)national artists. The best way to experience the Amsterdam Light Festival is to follow the Water Colors Cruise. There are a number of companies which offer the opportunity to see the installations by boat.
Gezellig
Oh, and if you like something in Amsterdam, then say the favourite Dutch word Gezellig out loud. Again, not an Amsterdam Hidden Secret exactly, but fun to learn and say. Watch the reactions of unsuspecting tourists.
Here are my 15 Amsterdam Hidden Secrets, Best Places and Food in a convenient list.
- Ride a bike
- Best apple pie in Amsterdam at Winkel 43
- Cheese
- Museumplein
- Kings day
- Gay pride canal parade
- Van Gogh Museum
- Rijksmuseum
- Foodhallen
- Best cheese tosti in Amsterdam
- Best bitterballen in Amsterdam
- Best fries in Amsterdam: Amsterdam Food Tour
- Beer breweries
- Amsterdam Light Festival
- Gezellig