Weekends in Amsterdam. What to do on a weekend or Amsterdam in two days. Cultural program: hunting for the beauty of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is an amazing combination of old architecture and new buildings, tranquil landscapes and vibrant nightlife, museums with the greatest works of art and entertainment establishments for every taste. There is something to see here - various museums and art galleries from the work famous artists- and what to try: various varieties of Dutch cheese, specially salted herring, traditional local dishes of meat and potatoes. well and night life Amsterdam is one of the brightest in Europe: everyone can choose a party to their liking!

Tour dates

Weekly

Duration

4 days / 3 nights

Estimated cost

From 39 100 rub. per person in a double room

1 day

Arrival to Amsterdam. Self-service transfer and hotel accommodation.

2nd day

Free day. Additionally hiking in Amsterdam.

Day 3

Free day. Optional excursion to Zaanse Schans and Volendam.

Day 4

Self-service transfer to Amsterdam Airport. Departure to Moscow.

The tour price includes:

• Air travel regular flights Moscow - Amsterdam - Moscow
• Meals: breakfasts in hotels
• Medical insurance

Additionally paid:

• Registration of entry visas (Netherlands) - 80 euros
• Transfer airport - hotel - airport
• Travel cancellation insurance (optional)
• Entry tickets to museums, castles, etc.
• Additional excursions (paid on the spot for the guide, the cost is subject to the recruitment of the group)

Objective: to live 5 days in Amsterdam as richly as possible, just like a local, not forgetting about the classic adventures from the “must-do” lists and not rushing anywhere.

So that there was someone to communicate with later: how not to swear in quarantine

We have a situation here: answered popular questions about ticket refunds due to coronavirus

I don't go to work, but I can make a cupcake in a mug

How easy it is to make a flying paper airplane

Let's explain behind the news: what is happening with the coronavirus in Europe (news is being updated)

Given

• 1 traveler.
• Subjective interpretation of the words "cool", "beautiful", "tasty".
• Interest in art.
• Striving to try and see as much as possible.
• Love for walking.
• Refusal from the hustle and bustle.

Let's get down to the solution

Day 0

The most convenient way to get to the city is by train. Tickets can be bought on the way to the exit from the airport - in yellow vending machines, which are located in daisies in the center of the hall. The machine accepts cards and coins. You can buy a ticket for paper euros at the box office, but it is more difficult to find.

Trains leave from platforms 1 and 2, stop and arrive at the Central Station. The journey takes 15-20 minutes.

There is only one airport in Amsterdam, so it is quite busy. Be prepared for the fact that you may not get on the train. Fortunately, they run every 15 minutes. At night - every hour.

Day 1

• Breakfast spot: Blue Amsterdam with 360-degree views. Located in the futuristic glass tower De Kalvertoren, the exact address: Singel 457.
• The bike tour lasts 3 hours and starts from 30 Spuistraat street (this is near the Central Station). See secret gardens, hidden courtyards, and long-forgotten churches. In general, look at Amsterdam through the eyes of a local, without the noisy company of Chinese. Bicycle rental is included in the price. There are no more than 12 people in a group. To book .
• Recreation park for sporting cycling achievements - Vondelpark, Stadhouderskade 47I.
• Place for dinner: Royal 98 - Valkensteeg, 4. Open until 22:00.

Day 2

• Breakfast spot: The Avocado Show - Daniël Stalpertstraat 61. You have never seen so much fancy food. By the way, there is a shop nearby, where everything is with avocado. We advise you to buy a sweatshirt.
• Huge letters for the photo are at Hobbemastraat, 19.
• Moco Museum - Honthorststraat 20. Open from 10:00 to 18:00. Until May 31, 2018, you can go to the Roy Lichtenstein and Banksy exhibition.
• Stedelijk Museum - Museumplein, 10. The Vincent van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum are also located there. All these museums are very different: there is no point in going to all of them, choose according to your preferences. In Stedelijk, stomp behind contemporary art, the Rijksmuseum - the classics, the Vincent van Gogh Museum - no comment.
• What should you look for in a souvenir? Vincent van Gogh Museum: postcards, iron badges, trendy raincoat, handles in the form of tubes with paint. Rijksmuseum - home jokes. Stedelijk Museum - books.
• Dinner option is the ubiquitous Patat. Doubtful taste and pleasure, but you must try. For the sake of a tick.
• Amsterdam Duck Store - Oude Leliestraat 16. The store has little duck key chains, but what's the point? You need to take a full one.
• Place for dinner: Kanarie Club - Bellamyplein, 51. Open until 23:00, on Fridays and Saturdays until 2:30. It has a makeshift pool, photo booth, and a huge cocktail list.

Day 3

• Breakfast area: Dum Dum Palace - Zeedijk, 37.
• Library Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam - Oosterdokskade, 143. Open from 10:00.
• W139 - Warmoesstraat 139.
• Lunch spot: Winkel 43 - official the best place with apple pies. Search at Noordermarkt, 43.
• The best place to shop is Gerard Doustraat. Stores: Cottoncake, Nobody Has to Know, ANNA + NINA, Things I Like Things I love.
• Dinner location: Canvas - Wibautstraat 150. Open until 1:00, Fridays and Saturdays until 4:00.
• Choose any park, everyone is good.

Day 4

• Breakfast area: any Albert Heijn store. Kaasbroodjes is a puff pastry pie with soft cheese filling. By the way, products for a picnic can be bought there.
• The train to Zandvoort departs from Central Station (platform no. 1) every 2 hours, the journey takes 30 minutes and 6 stops (sit on the left for the best view). The beach is a 5-minute walk from the Zandvoort aan Zee platform.
• The place for dinner and merciless dancing: De School - Dr. Jan van Breemenstraat, 1.

Day 5

• Breakfast area: Dakterras NEST - Eerste Ringdijkstraat, 4.
• Look for a souvenir at the Central Station in the IJ-hal pavilion.
• Look for the ferry according to the signs at the Central Station, there is nothing complicated there.
• Netherlands Film Institute - IJpromenade, 1. Open until 19:00.
• NDSM - here galleries, workshops, offices in containers, a hotel in a construction crane and houses in old trams. Address - Tt. Neveritaweg, 61.
• Place for lunch / dinner: Pllek - Tt. Neveritaweg, 59. Here you will find an eco-lunch in a sea container, great views of the city, the beach and the largest disco ball in Amsterdam!

Total

€ 490 for a journey you will never forget.

When to fly?

• Most best months to visit - April and November.
• In April everything blooms around, the air is fresh and sonorous. Such beauty that even one who is always dissatisfied with everything cannot resist. But think a few times before heading to the capital of the Netherlands on the king's birthday (April 27). On this day, all of Europe comes to Amsterdam. Very festive and fun, but if you don’t like the crowd and the crowd, it’s not worth it.
• In November, you can find yourself in a Christmas fairy tale ahead of time. It gets dark quickly, hundreds of lights are lit, which are reflected in the channels. Sometimes snowflakes can come down from the sky and dance with you to the nearest pub. By the way, there are no drunk people on the streets at this time. And in general there are few people - the autumn vacationers have already left, and the New Year's breeders are just buying their tickets.
• Summer in Amsterdam is also very pleasant. There is no heat, a light breeze, but there are a lot of tourists.
• The same goes for the January holidays. Everybody is drunk on the streets. Of course, people are kind and there is no aggression, but you quickly get tired of the eternal party.

How to choose tickets

It is better to choose direct flights, although they are more expensive. Only once, having missed your plane during an hour-long transfer in Frankfurt, will you be able to understand what the point is. Only after 9 hours at Munich Airport will you feel the value of this advice.

Alternatively, you can purposefully fly to the same Munich, eat sausages there and relax, and in a day or two fly to Amsterdam.

It is better to look for tickets for direct flights in advance, using all the possibilities of our website.

Where to live

Do not rush to rent a house on the central channel. It is absolutely certain that a Coffeeshop or a bar will be located under your windows (not everyone likes it). Plus, such housing is 2 times more expensive.

Take a closer look at Pijp Oud-Zuid and The Plantage (closer to Oosterpark). It is very cozy there, there are no crowds of tourists, there are much more cute places where locals hang out, and adequate grocery stores (the Dirk chain is very cool).

A little bit more

• If you think that you will be covered with chocolate, tea or chupa-chups with hemp - this is not so. Although it depends on the strength of self-hypnosis.

Amsterdam weekend in early summer 2017 was the third time I visited Amsterdam, so I wanted to see something unusual, lesser known and visit places I hadn't been to.

There are many attractions in the city, so it will be very difficult to visit everything over a weekend in Amsterdam. Next, I will tell you how I managed to have a great 3 days in Amsterdam in the summer of 2017.

Even if this was my first time in the city, I would not visit all the typical tourist attractions. For three times in Amsterdam, I have not been to any of the city's museums. What for? The city is beautiful in itself.

Since the motto of my blog is “Travel Interestingly”, I will give you a lot of tips on how to spend your time in the capital of Holland, as well as interesting and unknown places in Amsterdam that are worth visiting over the weekend. And in a separate article you can read about.

Interesting things and unusual places to visit on a weekend in Amsterdam

So, the lesser known and atypical things that I recommend you do on a weekend in Amsterdam are:

• Visiting the parks of Amsterdam
• Walk in the city center
• North Amsterdam
• District De Piip
• Biking
• Local specialties tasting
• Walk along the canals

And other unknown attractions worth visiting on a weekend in Amsterdam ...

Visiting the parks of Amsterdam

Usually, parks are not on the list of attractions worth visiting in a new city, at least for me. But Amsterdam is a special city with great and beautiful parks where you just want to stay for a long time. The city parks seem to be a favorite weekend getaway for Amsterdam locals. Well, some canal bars and cafes can argue with them for free time on a weekend in Amsterdam.

My favorite park is Vondelpark although some other parks such as Amstelpark, Westerpark, Oesterpark and Rembrandtpark, - interesting in their own way. Besides the fact that the parks are perfect place for a weekend getaway, Amsterdam's city parks also host numerous festivals and performances, usually on weekends.

Walk in the city center

Amsterdam is one of the few cities that can be considered a museum under open air since you don't need to schedule visits to any a certain place to enjoy the architecture and beauty of the city. The whole center of Amsterdam is very beautiful, so you can just walk around it without specific plans, just turning into narrow side streets, bumping into unusual graffiti and atmospheric places. Not surprisingly, many tourists have already understood the value of Amsterdam as an open-air museum, so when visiting Amsterdam on the weekend, you will have to walk in crowds of tourists if you do not follow my advice.

Most tourists walk the streets Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and Damrak (no need to memorize these scary names, just check on the map), the area around Bloemenmarkt (floating flower market) is also quite crowded. Just try to avoid them or spend as little time there as possible. As I said, the whole center of Amsterdam is beautiful, so if you go to the parallel street, it will definitely be just as good.

If you want to visit the Red Light District at night, you won't escape the crowds as the whole area is full of people. In the daytime, they are almost nonexistent, but if you are not coming here to admire the architecture or the Amsterdam canals, you will not see anything until 10 o'clock in the evening.

If you want to feel as a local in Amsterdam, I recommend you visit the De Piip area which I will talk about later.

North Amsterdam

Others less famous place in Amsterdam is the northern part of the city. There you will not see crowds of tourists wandering from one attraction to another, but locals relaxing on the pier or in one of the authentic cafes... You can also stay at one of the best Amsterdam hostels called ClinkNoord.

There is also a cinema museum EYE , Cultural Center Tolhuistuin and panoramic point Amsterdam lookout where you can look at the old part of Amsterdam through the city's largest canal. To cross the canal, you just need to take the free ferry that departs from the back of the central railway station Amsterdam. It takes you to the north side in just 5 minutes.

District De Piip

District De Pijp - one of the liveliest districts of Amsterdam, loved by the locals residents. Visit one of the bars and cafes in the area to feel like a local. At night it is a lively and dynamic atmosphere here. The area is also good place to find an overnight stay if you don't like the hustle and bustle of the city center but prefer something authentic Amsterdam.

Biking

Cycling is not unusual in Amsterdam. In a bicycle city with 500 kilometers of bike paths, 800,000 bicycles per million inhabitants, which account for 32% of city traffic, and about 250,000 bicycle parking spaces near Amsterdam Central Station, it is no surprise that tourists also want to cycle here.

And this good idea, although you need some time to get used to city traffic... Here, while riding on a narrow bike path, you need to pay attention to pedestrians, trams, cars, other cyclists and much more, so it can seem very dangerous and scary the first time. But you will quickly get used to it. If you don't want to or just can't get used to it, go to northern part the city, which I mentioned above, it is safer to ride there.

With all this traffic, I was biking with another person on the trunk (just had no other choice) while taking pictures proudly on my phone with one hand? ... I have rented a bike twice in Amsterdam. The first time it was a small rental near my hostel, the second time it was Green City Bikes. Prices in different companies relatively similar, so there is no need to look for the best prices. I just recommend that you do not rent a bike in a very tourist places... Prices there may be higher.

One more piece of advice from me - try not to be late in returning your bike... We got the timing wrong, so we had to pay for the next 3 hours of rent, and if we were a little more late, we would pay for the whole next day. This is pretty strict here, so keep an eye on the time.

Local specialties tasting

When visiting Amsterdam on a weekend, you need to try the local dishes that are sold here on every corner. While there is a very wide selection of different fast food and restaurants from all over the world, you should try something truly Dutch.

It is difficult to call it a tasting, because Dutch cuisine is not haute cuisine like French, rather simple ingredients are used here, and most of the local dishes are or can be sold as fast food. The local food here is not the most healthy, but nevertheless, the Dutch do not suffer from obesity. Everyone looks quite slim and athletic.

So, some of the most popular traditional Holland dishes are raw herring, fat Dutch fries with various sauces after which you will quickly feel full for another half day. Taste some of the local cheeses like Gouda and Masdamer, which you can find at the cheese museum and many cheese shops around the city, where you can sample samples for free. Popular local desserts include Stroopwafel caramel waffles, Ontbijtkoek gingerbread and thick pancakes.

Walk along the canals

In Amsterdam one of the best and most enjoyable activities is walking along the city canals and sit next to them. Water, and especially canals, make any city very beautiful. Just think of Venice or (city on islands). Would they be so beautiful without canals and rivers?

Other unknown attractions worth visiting on a weekend in Amsterdam are ...

Other entertainments and attractions in Amsterdam that are worth visiting within 3 days are visiting some of the coffee shops (everyone knows that Amsterdam is famous for its freedom), go to museums, but keep in mind that in the city museums of Amsterdam, the entrance price is about 15-20 Euro. Take a canal ride on one of the pleasure boats and visit the city's vibrant markets.

Read on from 14 seasoned travel bloggers and in total. Enjoy your weekend in Amsterdam!

Wondering if museums, canals, cheese, shopping, coffee shops and entertainment can be accommodated in two short days, which together represent a dream vacation in Amsterdam? The answer is yes! The compact city center, excellent public transportation, sidewalks, accessible routes and clearly marked bike paths make Amsterdam the perfect city to explore on the weekend! Here are some tips on how to spend a real weekend in Amsterdam!

To start:

Start at Central Station, a beautiful entrance to the city dating back to the 19th century. Stock up travel card which will allow you to enjoy by public transport free for 24, 48 or 72 hours. If you are planning to visit museums and other attractions in the city, the Amsterdam City Card can be a wise purchase, providing free admission to many attractions and discounts on several others. Add a city map to that and you're ready to start a fun weekend!

Day 1: Channels and Entertainment

Western Ring of Canals:

A glance at the Amsterdam map will show you the three main concentric semicircles that make up the Amsterdam canal ring: Herengracht, Kaisersgracht and Prinzengracht. The western part of the canal ring, a short walk from the station, is called Jordan. Enjoy a leisurely stroll or boat ride through the canals and pose for photos on bridges, admire the architecture, and stop at a quaint cafe or bar for a drink or a snack. Go on a guided tour of the Anne Frank House, but be prepared to queue at good weather and bad.

Dam Square

Having wandered through the streets, you will again return to the very center of the city, on historic square Ladies. Imposing Royal Palace and New Kirche are waiting for your visit. For more entertainment, head to the nearby Madame Tussauds to shake the hand of a Hollywood celebrity. The imposing façade of the oldest department store in the Netherlands, the famous Beijenkorf, is sure to grab your attention, and a wide range of designer brands will help lighten your wallet.

The Kalverstraat shopping street will beckon you with its festive mood, souvenir shops and boutiques.

Nine streets

Heading west to the waters of the Western Ring of Canals, if you're looking for do-it-yourself trinkets and souvenirs or stamps you've never heard of, Nine Streets (de Negen Straatjes) is for you. Vintage and designer goods await you, as do many restaurants with cuisines from around the world. Don't forget to take some memorable photos of Amsterdam as you walk (the canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and there is no public transport along the canals).

Leidseplein

When the calmness and serenity from the canals again gives way to the bustle of shopping, know that you have reached Leidsesstraat. Turn onto it, dodging the trams that pass straight along the narrow alley, and go to the theater, club and Entertainment Center Amsterdam - Leidseplein. Stop for a drink and keep walking until the early hours of the morning if you feel like it. The city theater (Stadschowburg), comedy clubs and open-air pubs abound in the area. The narrow lanes hide some very affordable restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world.

Red light district

Return to Dam Square and this time head east and you will find yourself among the canals of the historic Old Town. Many of Amsterdam's oldest buildings and the beautiful Chinatown, home to the notorious Red Light District. Here you will have to remove your camera, otherwise you risk being doused with water or pursued by very angry ladies. If you want to step in and explore Amsterdam's “coffee shops” (where coffee never makes the top menu), here you will find branches of some of Amsterdam's most famous establishments.

Day 2: Museums, parks and music

Galore Museums

If you followed our advice during the first day, you will wake up quite late the next day. Now is the time for a little cultural program, and there is hardly any The best way do it than visit museums (there are more of them in Amsterdam than any other place). The refurbished Ricks Museum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelic Museum (City Museum) await you at Museum Square. If your museum tastes differ, you will find museums in Amsterdam about anything from bags to tulips and cheese to shipbuilding. After your museum tours, head out for some fresh air at one of the many beautiful parks Amsterdam: the most famous is Vondelpark near the main museums. A boat ride or bike ride around the city will add new experiences to your visit, and they can also be done in the area.

Dutch cuisine

If you haven't tried the (equally loved and hated) Dutch cuisine yet, here's your chance. Order a few pancakes at the Pancake Room with sweet or savory fillings of your choice, in winter time try the famous Stamppot or pea soup, or sample bitterballen at Haesje Claes Dutch restaurant. Lunch would not be complete without the famous Dutch beer. Surely your lunch break will inspire you to visit the Heineken Brewery, where you will meet hundreds of beer lovers.

The rhythm of Amsterdam

Whatever your musical tastes, in the evening you will always find entertainment to your liking. The world famous Royal Concert Hall (Het Concertgebouw) will delight fans classical music(it is important that a strict dress code is not required here). If you are visiting for a weekend when there is a big concert, you can head to the Heineken Music Hall or Ziggo Dome a little further south and east.

If you're in the mood for a night out at the club, head back to Leidseplein, home of Amsterdam legends such as Paradiso and Melkweg, where new and famous artists make every night special.

This 2-day itinerary will serve as a good base for travel on most weekends and weekdays (although shops close earlier and many museums are closed on Mondays). Whatever the weather, you guarantee that you will remember a weekend in Amsterdam for a lifetime!