Cute spots to visit in- and around Amsterdam

During corona, I have been discovering cute places around my home town, Amsterdam. It’s not like there were a lot of other options. Up until August 2020, I was living in the UAE, but due to the pandemic I had to move back home. This was a hard pill to swallow when I just found out, but it gave me the chance to discover some beautiful places in this tiny flat country called the Netherlands. I was actually surprised by the amount of cute and photogenic places we have that I didn’t know about.

1. Amsterdam activities

Amsterdam has a lot to offer for both sunny and rainy days. Let’s start with the indoor activities, because there will definitely be plenty of days for them.

• STRAAT Museum is located at NDSM werf and this is the place to be for street-art fans. There are over 150 pieces of art showcased here.
• Amaze Amsterdam
• Rijksmuseum
• Van Gogh Museum
• Bodyworlds
• Youseum is fun to visit with some friends or your partner if you like taking some funny photo’s. Tripper often has a special deal on tickets available!
• ICE bar Amsterdam
• NXT Museum
• Kaasbar (cheese bar) in the Pijp, a dream for cheese lovers!

Many tickets for the above attractions and activities can be bought here at Tours & Tickets.

Outdoor activities

• Kayak or SUP on the canals of Amsterdam
• Visit one of the many markets, my personal favorites are the Noordermarkt and Ten Kate markt, but Albert Cuyp is also a good market to walk around. The stands on the market vary per week/day but you will mainly find food, accessories, clothes and plants.
• Looking for vintage goodies? Waterloopplein market or the IJ-Hallen market are the places to be. The vintage market in the IJ-Hallen is at the NDSM werf and there is an entree fee of € 6,00. You can either buy tickets in advance online or at the entrance.
• Walk around and have a picnic at one of Amsterdam’s parks. Westerpark usually has a good vibe on summer days, but if you’re looking for a more central park Vondelpark is probably the best option. During summer there are also free “concerts” in the park on Sunday.
• Boat tour over the canals. There are many different types of trips so do some research and pick your fave. Lovers is one of the most well known companies and offers day- and night tours. If you’re looking for a more relaxed vibe including drinks you could check out Flagship Amsterdam.

2. ‘t Twiske

Hop on your (rental) bike and cycle to ‘t Twiske. You can easily take the ferry to Amsterdam Noord Buikslotermeerplein for free. Then get on to the bike lane at the right side and just keep going straight. There are different routes, but we took the one through the countryside fields. The wind made it a bit challenging but the sun was out so we still really enjoyed being surrounded by nature.

3. Broek in Waterland

I honestly hadn’t heard of this village until this year (may have learned it in geography class but we all know how it goes). It’s a really cute and picturesque village. We visited it in wintertime when the lake and ditches were frozen and all kids were playing ice hockey while the adults were having drinks on the ice. Definitely worth a visit if you’re done with the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam city. Take bus 314/316 from Amsterdam Central station and you’ll be there in less than 20 mins. You can either buy your tickets at the station, but you can also skip the lines and buy your NS public transport tickets in advance here.

If you prefer to spend a night in this peaceful village, book your unique accommodation in the nature.

4. Monnickendam

This was the first stop during our road trip around the villages north of Amsterdam and I immediately fell in love with this cute place. The small houses, the canal with the old boats make it look like an open air museum. It’s quite small so you won’t need much time to explore this town. The town is known for its Smoked Fish so you shouldn’t miss out on that.

5. Edam

The place to be for cheese lovers and another lovely village to stroll around. We visited during the lockdown so the museums and all were closed, but there are supposed to be some really nice tours to take.

6. Zaanse Schans

You probably already know these windmills from photos or posters, but it is definitely a place you must visit at least once in your life. It’s beautiful to go during sunrise or sunset and you’ll probably bump into some photographers at those periods, but even during the day it’s great! In winter when the lake is frozen (like this year) people are ice-skating around the windmills, isn’t that a pretty unique experience? If you’re visiting during summer you might as well rent a SUP or kayak to see the area from the waterside. For the drone flyers among us, this is a great spot!

If you’re short on time or you prefer to go with an organised tour, you can book tickets through via Tours & Tickets or IAMsterdam, here.

Besides that, Musement is a great website to book all of your tickets, to any kind of attraction or (guided) tour around the world.

7. Zaandam

Zaandam is a bigger town, but a good place to stay the night in case you have a little more time. The Inntel hotels Amsterdam Zaandam is a unique experience for sure.

8. Haarlem

Only a short train ride away is Haarlem, another beautiful city you must pay a visit! Haarlem is full of boutiques and has a lovely square full of restaurants and cafe’s. It’s perfect to visit for a day since you can walk everywhere.

Don’t miss out on the following spots:

• By LIMA – amazing cakes and I just love everything on their menu.
• Native Haarlem – Coffee.
• DeDAKKAS – rooptop restaurants, funky and vegan. Great spot for cocktails as well.
• Brownies & downieS – just a really interesting concept and nice for lunch.
• Bij Babette – Tea, cakes, scones and more cakes.
• De Haerlemsche Vlaamse – fries with lots of sauce options, but mayonaise and peanut sauce is always a winner.

9. Marken

Marken used to be an island but it is now accessible by a dyke. It is a 30 minute car drive from Amsterdam and can be reached by a direct bus in 45 minutes. You would need to take bus 315 from Amsterdam Centraal Station. Marken is a cute village and good place for a walk as you can walk along the water all the way to the lighthouse and back. After your walk you can enjoy a nice lunch overlooking the little harbour.

In case you’re going to use public transport and perhaps rent a shared car/bike/scooter, I suggest downloading the Glimble app! This app lets you plan and book your whole trip within the Netherlands and is available in many different languages.

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