If you choose to extend your stay in Amsterdam and make a trip out of it, we’ve put together a short guide—including recommendations from EPIC People on the scene!

Interactive Map

An interactive map for when you’re on the go.

Travel guides

“Go to NDSM Wharf for urban visual ethnography—like a Dutch version of Brooklyn. Eat bitterballen—but don’t think, just do. Cycle/boat along Amstel—it’s got a story to tell.”

– Payal Arora
Professor, Erasmus University Rotterdam & Co-founder, FemLab
STRAAT Museum

Off the beaten path museums

  • Museum of the Tropics: A museum of world cultures, housed in one of the most impressive museum buildings in the Netherlands.
  • STRAAT Museum: A graffiti and street art museum for everyone. STRAAT resides in an 8000m² former warehouse on the NDSM wharf, which is a national monument and the biggest outdoor playground for graffiti and street art in Amsterdam.
  • Foam Museum: An international and multifaceted photography museum. Foam connects different views, visions, and perspectives that invite everyone to explore.
  • Moco Museum: An independent museum with a wide range of inspiring modern, contemporary, and street art.
  • Eye Filmmuseum: As the only museum for film heritage and film culture in the Netherlands, Eye manages the country’s cinematographic heritage with an internationally renowned collection of more than 55,000 films. It has a beautiful waterfront terrace too!
  • Museum Tot Zover (Museum of Death): How we deal with death says a lot about who we are, our origins, and the times in which we live; museum Tot Zover illuminates death in all its facets.

“Grab a “biertje” (beer) at Cafe Welling—walking distance from Museumplein and one of Amsterdam’s traditional brown cafes—or t’Aepjen, closer to Centraal Station and historically known for seafarers trading monkeys centuries ago. Both places have great decor for the wandering eye of any ethnographer. ”

– Nicole Aleong
Design Anthropologist & Qualitative Researcher
Hortus Botanicus

In Amsterdam

Food & Drinks

  • Dignita: Serving an exceptional all-day brunch and associated with an NGO, Not For Sale, the Hoftuin location is situated in a beautiful park.
  • Desa: For fantastic Indonesian food, including the famous rijsttafel.
  • Zoku: Working remotely? Catch a coffee and wifi at Zoku Amsterdam. This 6th-floor co-working space has a fantastic view and delicious snacks as well, which is also perfect for a lovely rooftop lunch or evening drinks.
  • Phu Thai: For *the best* Thai food in Amsterdam.
  • The Papeneiland Café: Eat the best Apple Pie at Bill Clinton’s favorite bar in Amsterdam.
  • Little Collins: Serving the best brunch food in town, this cozy bar and eatery brings a slice of Australia to Amsterdam with a menu inspired by the owners’ beloved land down under.
  • Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx: Bring friends and family here for the best fries in town drenched in the best sauces too.
  • Pulitzer’s Bar: For some of the best cocktails in town; also serving simple yet beautifully crafted dishes inspired by modern-Dutch cuisine.
  • PAMELA: A great LGBTQI+ bar with fantastic cocktails (“the Smokey Paloma is the bomb”) and vegan bites.
  • Café De Spuyt: A mellow, friendly, traditional Dutch pub with an amazing selection of craft beers.
  • Gollem Aan Het Water: The perfect place for a special beer; from its splendid, tranquil location on the water, the café looks out across the verdant ARTIS zoo. Listen carefully and you’ll hear the animals.
  • Dutch Courage: “Not a beer drinker? The Netherlands is also known for its jenever, a sister juniper beverage for those fond of gin. Head to Dutch Courage for some fantastic concoctions from the mixologists behind the bar. Delicious alcohol-free mixed drinks are also available too.”
  • Wynand Fockink: Amsterdam’s Oldest Tasting Room has retained its 17th-century character and product assortment.
  • Massimo Gelato: Artisanal Italian ice-cream maker with traditional flavors (and lots of them are vegan!).

Sites & Entertainment

  • Vondelpark: Stroll through Amsterdam’s most popular park, which is home to a selection of restaurants, cafés, a skate shop, an open-air theatre, and a rose garden. The Vondelpark was designed by landscape architect L.D. Zocher and has been awarded national heritage status.
  • Hortus Botanicus: Escape the city by visiting the ever peaceful and charming Hortus Botanicus, which has regaled visitors with its lush greenhouses and exotic plants for nearly four centuries. It was established in 1638 to provide medicinal herbs to supply pharmacists and doctors.
  • Swim at the Nieuwe Meer (a beautiful lake to the west of the city) and/or Marineterrein (a city swimming spot in a lovely park).
  • Mezrab: “An international “House of Stories” that always has a great line-up of storytellers on Wednesday and Friday evenings that will make you laugh, cry and experience all sorts of emotions in between. Walk in, grab a bowl of lentil soup and a (cheap) drink at the bar before finding a seat. It definitely gets busy, so come early before the show starts at 8 p.m.”
  • Jazz Cafe Alto: For a modest entrance fee, enjoy live jazz music any night of the week.
  • Sexyland World: Sexyland World is run by 365 members who are each responsible for one day of programming during the year; each day offers an opportunity for a new experience.
  • Tolhuistuin: One of Amsterdam Noord’s liveliest cultural hotspots, Tolhuistuin is a dynamic place for diverse artistic disciplines with diverse programming. Cultural activities take place throughout the year in the idyllic garden and in the completely renovated Public Building.

Shopping

  • Penny Lane Vintage: A great, edited selection of vintage clothing offering unique contemporary classics, bright and bold Art Nouveau collectibles, and Oxford-style staples.
  • De Foodhallen: A food market full of international cuisine with boutique shops and a movie theatre nearby.
  • Misc. store: Stop here for a beautiful and carefully selected range of stationery, everyday design objects, and furniture.
  • Zooful: Pick up a gift for your niece or nephew back at home.
  • The Maker’s Store at De Hallen: With locally made artisan gifts, books, and more, this is a great spot to pick up a gift or souvenir to take home.

 

“Go to the North side of Amsterdam…to visit the Eye Museum, or have a nice lunch/dinner at Tolhuistuin. Take the Ferry to Buiksloterweg (for free) at the back side of the central museum (ij-plein). If you have a bike or are willing to take a 20-minute walk in North, then Sexyland is a nice option to have a drink or small snack.”

– Yoni Lefevre
Senior Design Researcher, STBY
Kinderdijk

Near Amsterdam

  • Floriade Expo 2022: Enjoy the scents and colors of flowers, plants, vegetables, and fruits at the International Horticultural Exhibition Floriade in Almere. Floriade only takes place once every 10 years, don’t miss it!
  • Zuiderzee Museum: The museum brings stories of the people who once lived on the shores of the Zuiderzee to life. See, hear, feel, taste, and smell everyday life around the Zuiderzee as it was before the Afsluitdijk (the great IJsselmeer Barrier Dam) turned the former inland sea into what is now known as the IJsselmeer, in 1932.
  • Zandvoort Beach: Zandvoort is one of the Netherlands’ most popular beach destinations, but it wasn’t always the famous seaside resort it is today. It originated as a fishing village, whose quaint charm has carried through to modern times.

Outside of Amsterdam

  • Sculpture Museum (The Hague): A unique cultural institution, it is the only Dutch museum focusing exclusively on contemporary international sculpture.
  • Coda Museum (Appeldorn): A museum, a library, and an archive all under one roof. CODA is the place for ever-new exhibitions featuring modern visual art, contemporary costume, and jewelry made by designers and artists.
  • Rotterdam:
    • The Boijman’s Depot: The depot is located next to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, where visitors can see the result of 173 years of collecting. More than 151,000 objects are housed together, arranged in fourteen storage compartments with five different climates. Next to the objects, all the activities that go into preserving and managing a collection are on open view in the building.
    • Kunsthal: In its iconic building designed by Rem Koolhaas, the Kunsthal stands for three core values: art, culture, and society. The art on display can vary from photography and sculpture to fashion and film, celebrating the art history canon alongside emerging artists.
    • The Maritime Museum: A place to discover the enormous effect that shipping has on our daily lives. The museum has one of the oldest and largest museum harbours in the Netherlands, where you can visit historical vessels and cranes and experience how the world’s leading port of Rotterdam began at this spot.
    • Kinderdijk: A UNESCO World Heritage site with 19 windmills from the 18th century. The site illustrates all the typical features associated with this technology–dykes, reservoirs, pumping stations, administrative buildings, and a series of beautifully preserved windmills.