Flüge nach Amsterdam

NOVEMBER 2023

Amsterdam is easy to get around on foot, by bike, or by tram. The city center is small, and just outside its core, you’ll find trendy neighborhoods, great cafés, and beautiful parks. Discover Amsterdam in a weekend with our guide to hotels, restaurants, bars, museums, and stand-up comedy.

Friday

Check In

Amsterdam’s central areas can fill up very quickly with tourists, so it’s a good idea to choose a hotel away from the most popular streets—the difference can be stark. A favorite of ours is Maison ELLE Amsterdam, located right next to Vondelpark and within walking distance of several famous museums and attractions.

Boutique by the park

Maison ELLE Amsterdam

A sophisticated 30-room boutique hotel with a private garden and an interior that feels traditional, minimalist, contemporary, and luxurious all at once. Located on a quiet street, just a stone’s throw from the beautiful Vondelpark, it’s easy to get to nearby museums on foot or quickly into the city center from the tram stop around the corner.Photo: Unsplash

Museum

Take a stroll through Vondelpark—and if you have time for lunch, it’s the perfect place for some peace and quiet after your flight. The Van Gogh Museum lies just on the other side of the park. It’s best to book a ticket in advance to see some of the most famous works in the history of art.

Also nearby is the Moco Museum, Amsterdam’s wonderful contemporary art museum. Here, you’ll find works from artists such as Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, KAWS, and Jeff Koons. Just a few steps away, you’ll find yourself at the Rijksmuseum, where the most famous work is Rembrandt’s Night Watch.

Tip: don’t try to squeeze all three into one afternoon—choose one or two at most.

Dinner

On Friday evening, enjoy a delicious dinner at the beautifully decorated Secret Garden, featuring a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines.

Kitschy taste sensations

Secret garden

This restaurant, which opened last year, specializes in Nikkei cuisine, a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian culinary traditions. The decor is unique and charming – a fanciful, eclectic mix of animal murals, hanging plants, bird cages, and checkered floors, among other things. Thanks to the finest, top-shelf ingredients, you can count on the fact that everything served here is fresh and delicious – from the tataki tuna to the grilled corn-fed chicken with a glazed miso seasoning and salsa Huancaina (a spicy cheese sauce). Whatever you do, make sure to save enough room for the incredible delicately-textured pineapple crème brulée.

Bar Hopping

End the evening at Waterkant, a “tropical oasis” with a huge terrace on the Singelgracht. Inspired by De Waterkant in Suriname, you can dance or soak in the sun (weather permitting) on the relaxed terrace.

Saturday

Breakfast

Saturday morning starts with a delicious, relaxed breakfast. If you’re not eating at the hotel then Lova Café is a great option. The café boasts modern decoration and has large windows upstairs where you can sit and gaze out over a lush courtyard. The brunch fare is inspired by the owners’ Brazilian roots.

Canal Tour

Morning is the perfect time for an hour-long canal boat tour. As well as getting a better feel for the layout of the city and an easy guide to Amsterdam’s sights, you’ll discover that some canal boats are wonderfully opulent luxury homes.

Lunch

“Let’s get smashed,” implores Maijard Smashburgers, a relatively new burger joint with local ingredients and wonderfully tasty smashburgers (which are smashed flat against the griddle) with very tasty sides. Enjoy a simple but very typical lunch on Amsterdam’s vibrant food scene.

Shopping

While Carmen does serve food and is featured in our guide to Amsterdam’s hottest restaurants, at heart, it is a store with the perfect selection of interior design, books and magazines, beauty products, and fashion from super hip brands like Eckhaus Latta and Baserange.

Lingerie and swimwear brand Love Stories is a local favorite. It has both a larger store in the city center and an archive store with past collections in De Pijp—the latter is popular with those in the know.

If you want the best in contemporary Dutch design, the concept store X Bank has smartly brought together a variety of exciting names in interior design and fashion in one place. Housed in the W Amsterdam hotel, X Bank is the perfect gauge for the local design scene.Photo: Alba Hedman

Dinner

End the day with a wonderful Italian dinner. Fiaschetteria Pistoia, which has two locations in the city, is run by a family that opened its first restaurant back in 1890 in Pistoia, Italy, and has since branched out to New York and Amsterdam. Eat their specialty tortellini in brodo (meat-filled tortellini with broth) and finish your meal off with a limoncello.Photo: Alba Hedman

Stand-up Comedy

Round off the evening with some stand-up at Boom Chicago. A series of comedians improvise and encourage input from the audience (the best ones get a free shot). The show starts at 10:00 p.m. and lasts just over an hour.

Sunday

Excursion

Rent bikes or take a bus or train from Central Station to Zaanse Schans in Zaandam, a cultural park with a collection of windmills and traditional buildings that were relocated here beginning in 1961. Here, you can experience how people lived in the mid-19th century, learn more about Dutch history, and buy traditional crafts.

Photo: Unsplash

Lunch

Before leaving Amsterdam, try some traditional Dutch pancakes at The Pancake Club near the Rijksmuseum. Sweet and savory varieties are on offer, as well as poffertjes, a smaller, fluffy pancake that is often eaten with strawberries and cream.If that doesn’t float your boat, head to Coffee & Coconuts in De Pijp, a multi-story hangar-like café that really brings home how hip yet relaxed Amsterdam can be. Enjoy toast with kimchi or a fresh salad with marinated tempeh.

Addresses

Van Gogh Museum Museumplein 6

Moco Museum Honthorststraat 20

Rijksmuseum Museumstraat 1

Secret Garden Reguliersdwarsstraat 38

Waterkant Amsterdam Marnixstraat 246

Lova Café Harlemmerdijk 182

Maijard Smashburgers Rozengracht 9

Love Stories Herengracht 298

Love Stories Archive Gerard Doustraat 95

Fiaschetteria Amsterdam Lindengracht 95 Utrechtsedwarsstraat 85

Boom Chicago Rozengracht 117

De Zaanse Schans Zaandam

The Pancake Club Leidsebosje 5

Coffee & Coconuts Ceintuurbaan 282

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Amsterdam is a fantastic destination year round, each season offering its own unique charm. Spring is iconic for its tulip season, the vibrant celebrations of King's Day, and mild weather, while autumn provides a more tranquil atmosphere and beautiful golden hues along the canals. For travelers looking to optimize their budget, the winter months often offer the cheapest flights and a chance to explore the city's world-class museums, like the Rijksmuseum, without the summer crowds.

Yes, for the most popular attractions such as the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum, pre-booking is now mandatory. Tickets are often released several weeks in advance and sell out quickly, especially during weekends and holidays. For the Rijksmuseum as well, it is safest to book your time slot online to ensure entry once you arrive.

Amsterdam uses a very convenient system called "OV-pay." This means you don’t need to buy paper tickets; you simply tap your contactless bank card, mobile phone, or smartwatch against the card reader on trams, buses, and trains when you board and exit. It is an efficient way to get around the city without having to navigate complex fare zones or local travel cards.