Amsterdam is a stunning city with all its canals and bridges. The main Amsterdam attractions are (as everyone knows) coffee shops and the red light district! But the city has way much more to offer.
Canal tours
There are around 20 different company’s who offer all kinds of deals and cruises on the Amsterdam canals. We chose to get the cheapest one of course, the Lovers Cruise. How cute, we know.
The tour didn’t actually have anything to do with romance at all, but it was a fab tour! You are provided with a set of headphones which you plug in to the wall and choose your language. There were many languages to choose from.
A few minutes after the boat sets off, the audio guide begins to tell you stories about the history of Amsterdam. Each part of the canal plays a part in Amsterdam’s history.
The boat ride takes about a hour in total. It is very interesting and a great experience to see Amsterdam from a different perspective. We paid €12.50 online. The tickets go up to 20 euros depending on what kind of cruise you book.
Bike Hire
Hiring bikes in Amsterdam is great! Many people are quite skeptical when it comes to hiring them and I can understand why. There are more bikes than people (if that could be possible it would be accurate!) and it can seem quite dangerous.
However, using bikes to get around is effective and it makes it easy to get from one attraction to another. It also doesn’t need to be expensive. A few years ago, the city introducted the OV fiets (bike). If you have read our Amsterdam Transport post, you’ll see that we have talked about the OV transport card. You can charge the card with money and use all the public transport in the Netherlands, including the bikes! Go to www.ov-chipkaar.nl to find out where the specific spots are in Amsterdam to pick up these bikes.
If you are only wanting a bike for the day, go to a rental shop like we did. We paid 10€ for 3 hours, which was enough time to see the city in. If you would like the bikes for more time, you’ll just have to pay a bit more, simple 🙂
Hiring bikes and riding around the city is an awesome experience in itself and it was probably my favourite day in Amsterdam!
Sex museum
The sex museum in Amsterdam is definitely something else. The entrance fee is only €5 and it’s definitely worth it. You walk in and are immediately introduced with a bang (not literally!). There is a lovely statue of a man opening up his jacket to show you his bits as you enter.
There is no hiding when it comes to the sex museum, everything is on display. As soon as you walk in you know it’s going to be a laugh! Just wait until you get in to the next room!
I won’t give you anymore spoilers because you have to go and see it for yourself! But in the meantime, enjoy this picture of my sister and I sat on this giant penis.
Getting there: The museum is at the Damrak, the main street between Central station and the Dam square.
Opening times: Mon-Sun, 9.30am until 23.30pm
Price: 5€
Anne Frank House
For those of you who don’t know the story of Anne Frank, you should have probably paid a little bit more attention in History class.
During the second world war, Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl, had to go into hiding to escape the Nazi’s. The Anne Frank house is an amazing place to visit as it is so interesting to visit the house where her, alongside 6 others, hid for so long. It is definitely a eye opener for most people. Walking through the book-door where there shelter was, seeing the small rooms they had to live in for 2 long years was such a incredible experience.
Getting there: Anne Frank House is located in the centrum of amsterdam on Prinsengracht 263-267. For walking just type in Maps Me App and you’ll find it. From central station it is about a 20 minute walk. Tram 13, 14, 17 stop at the ‘Westermarkt’ which is just a 1 min walk to the Anne Frank House.
Opening times: 1 Nov 2017 – 1 April 2018 Mon-Fri: 10am – 8pm, Saturday: 9am – 10pm, Sunday: 9am – 7pm
Opening times after April 2018 Daily: 9am – 10pm
Prices: Adults; €14.50, 10-17 years old is €10 and under 10’s are free
Important information: There is no need to bring your student pass for this one, there isn’t any discount.
TIP! Definitely buy a ticket online! The queues can be up to 2 hours long in the summer months. Even during winter when we went, the tours were all booked up.
Ice Skating
During the winter months, if the weather allows it, go Ice Skating! It is such a good laugh when you’ve had a drag of a joint (or haven’t – either is cool) and you get on the rink with a bunch of mates. I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time we were on there.
Getting there: The Ice skating rink is located directly opposite the IAMSTERDAM sign, outside the Rijksmuseum.
Opening times: 10:00-21:00
Price: €5 entrance if you have you’re own skates. €12 if you need to borrow some skates
There are so many things to do in this crazy city, make sure you get out and explore it!