Amsterdam is one of the most visited cities in Europe and also one of the most beautiful. In it you can enjoy a true open-air museum, where getting lost in its streets and canals, not in vain they call it the city of the canals, it is a pleasure for all the senses. We leave you a selection of those we consider the 5 essential visits in Amsterdam. If you want to expand your visits you can also check our list of the 50 things to see and do in Amsterdam.
1- Walk through the channels
While this is not exactly a place, we consider it one of the first, if not the first thing you should do when you arrive in the city. In Amsterdam the channels are full of history and through them you can enjoy the most authentic corners of the city.
Getting lost in the canals of the Jordaan neighborhood is the best way to start getting to know the city and without a doubt one of the best ways to start falling in love with it.
We need you to travel the 75 kilometers in length of all the city's canals, or cross the 1000 bridges that cross them, you will only need a few hours to realize that this is the best way to get to know Amsterdam from within, from its most intimate and at the same time closest part and it is that in Amsterdam life is done in the street and therefore, around the canals.
Do not be surprised if on the sidewalk, in front of a door, you find some chairs and a table, with a couple of glasses of wine and a piece of cheese, waiting for two neighbors who expect to enjoy some rest after The workday.
Singel Canal in Amsterdam
2- The Red Light District
One of the best known areas of the city, and perhaps also one of the most controversial, and that is when we talk about Amsterdam Red Light District we cannot stop talking about the profession that works there, every day, when the sun goes down, which is neither more nor less than the "oldest profession in the world".
While this today is one of the things that attract tourists so far, the Red Light District offers much more than that, so no one should miss a walk around this neighborhood of Amsterdam, both day and night , when the red lights flood the streets and the channels are dotted with hundreds of red reflections. Definitely one of the places to visit in Amsterdam.
In addition, the Red Light District is located in the heart of the city, so if you stay in one of the many cheap apartments in Amsterdam, which is located downtown, at one time or another, you will end up walking through the area.
Despite what you might think the Amsterdam Red Light District It is a very safe neighborhood, so you will not have any problem if you want to walk through its streets when the sun has already fallen, at which time the neighborhood wakes up and dresses in its best clothes, by showcase blow.
Of course, while walking, try to be discreet and respectful. As much as the windows and the lights call your attention, and as much as the girls are accustomed to the looks "indiscreet", we must not forget that peeking through the curtains or taking pictures can be very uncomfortable and disrespectful.
Red Light District
3- The Anne Frank House
Another of the most visited places in Amsterdam, not to mention the most. We, before our trip to Amsterdam, had read all kinds of opinions about this visit. From people who did not recommend it to people who had moved as soon as they started the tour. Now, after having the experience and being able to speak in a consistent manner, we can only strongly recommend the visit to the Anne Frank House. While it is true that you usually have to queue to enter, if you do not go early in the morning, prepare to do more than an hour and the visit is not especially cheap, 9 euros per person, we believe it is one of the essential visits in Amsterdam.
All told in a unique way, with an audio guide included in the price of the ticket, at times it seems that you have moved to the time and are living the same hard story of the protagonist of one of the summits of literature.
4- Flower Market
Being in Amsterdam and not coming until Flower market It's like going to Rome and not visiting the Colosseum.
One of the streets with more atmosphere and color of the city and one of the most emblematic places in Amsterdam await us next to the Munttoren or Mint Tower, where coins were minted before it fell into French hands.
If you put on one of the nearby bridges, you can see how the flower stands are floating. They are located on platforms and barges, which are tied to the Singel Channel. To know its history we have to go back until more than 140 years ago, when the boats arrived here, full of flowers to put them on sale among the locals.
Today it is still one of the favorite places for the Dutch to stock up on plants and flowers.
Flower Market in Amsterdam
5- A getaway to Zaanse Schans
Another of the essential visits in Amsterdam it is definitely a getaway to Zaanse Schans, a beautiful town, just 10 kilometers from Amsterdam, which perfectly recreates a Dutch town from a few years ago.
There you can not only get lost among mills in an enclave that seems to be taken out of a story, but also taste a delicious cheese in the different factories that are there, see the manufacturing process of the famous Dutch clogs and of course, visit the different mills of area.
For to get to Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam You just have to take the train at the Central Station and stop at Koog Zaandijk. From here you will see the indications that take you for 10 minutes walking through a street, where at the end you will see the mills on the horizon.
This visit can be done in one morning and is undoubtedly a perfect complement to a visit to Amsterdam.
Overview of Zaanse Schans
Tours and excursions in Amsterdam in Spanish
If you prefer to forget about preparations or have little time, you can book the following tours in SPANISH
- Tour to Zaanse Schans, Volendam and Edam
- Amsterdam guided tour + Boat trip
- Boat trip on the canals
- Guided tour of Amsterdam
- Many more excursions and tours in / from Amsterdam here //bit.ly/1WcUiZ8
* Post in collaboration with Only-apartments
