Hard Rock Cafe, Amsterdam | Photo: Dguendel via Wikimedia Commons [CC BY 4.0]
That’s why we’ve collected some highlights to make these choices easier for you. In every programme we also give you tips for the best lunch or dinner restaurants.
Sometimes we make a suggestion for a nice (lounge) bar, where you can enjoy an afternoon drink or we suggest what you could do in the evening. We offer you complete programmes ideas for things to do in Amsterdam in 1 day.
Choose one of our things to do in Amsterdam in one day planning programmes in the category of your interest as follows:
- Culture: Culture and food with water view, two famous museums and the Concert Hall.
- History: Canal cruise, Canal Museum, Royal Palace, Jordaan and Anne Frank House.
- Culinary: A Culinary Day in Style and Various Dutch Food & a Cocktail Cruise.
- Architecture: Art Deco, Canal Houses and Canal House Museums.
- Activities: Explore the canals by yourself and Friday Night Skate.
Today you will explore culinary Amsterdam with a flair of style. You’ll start in Amsterdam’s most charming shopping area, De 9 Straatjes. Here you’ll visit Patisserie Pompadour and cheese store De Kaaskamer. After some foreign food shopping at Eichholtz, you’ll have lunch in the Art Deco Café Americain and will spend the afternoon at House of Bols, Cocktail & Jenever Experience.
In the evening the Red Light District awaits you, for some surprisingly high quality dining and a stroll through the Red Light District.
The Van Gogh Museum contains the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world. The concert hall is world famous, just like the resident: Het Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest (The Royal Concert Hall Orchestra).
Lunch We advise you not to eat too much at breakfast or lunch, as this will be an afternoon of tastings. For lunch you could go to English Tearoom Greenwoods – yes we know it’s not Dutch – on Singel 103. Have a coffee or tea with a little bite in this cosy and charming restaurant.
Afternoon From Greenwoods you walk along Singel in the direction of Amsterdam Central Station. At the end of Singel you see the stall of Stubbe’s Haring (Stubbe’s Herring) to your left on the Haarlemmersluis – which runs over the water of the Singel canal. Buy a ‘Maatjesharing’ here. Herring is a special Dutch treat that you have to try. You either love it or hate, but you first have to try it before you know!
Herring is not a raw fish, as some people think. Herring is, in salt and its own enzymes, ripened fish. It is eaten with pickles or raw unions, as delicious contrast to the oiliness of the fish.
After your Dutch herring experience, walk to the other side of the Singel to where you came from and start walking back, away from Central Station. You are now walking in the direction of Reypenaer Cheese Store and Tasting Rooms. Make sure you have made a reservation beforehand, to avoid a disappointment.
At the Reypenaer Cheese Tasting Room in the centre of Amsterdam, you can personally test and evaluate the flavour, the aroma and the qualities of the Reypenaer cheeses, all under the guidance of an expert cheese taster.
Each cheese tasting session lasts approximately 45 mins and caters for a maximum of 8 people per tasting.
Tasting workshops take place from Wednesday to Sunday at 13.30 CET and 16:30 CET.
If you have time to kill take a little detour and turn right at Blauwburgwal. After the next canals – Herengracht – this street becomes Herenstraat, which continues into the Prinsenstraat. These two streets have some nice shops and boutiques, where you can have a browse around.
Reypenaer Cheese Store and Tasting Rooms is located on one of our most favourite corner of Amsterdam: Singel and Oude Leliestraat. Why? On one side you have cheese – Reypenaer – and on the other side you have chocolate – Puccini Bomboni… But first the cheese!!!
The cheese tasting of Reypenaers is being held downstairs. There are two types of tastings that you can book, with the only difference that you get a cheese gift with the more expensive one. Wine and port is served to go with the cheese, another reason why it is good that you had your oily herring snack. The tasting last about 45 minutes to an hour.
After the tasting you can have a browse around the shop and maybe ask some more questions. And then it is time to go across the road to Puccini. Puccini Bomboni has one of the yummiest bonbons of Amsterdam, with all kinds of surprising flavours: Cranberry, pepper, thyme, aniseed, ginger, mint, calvados, rum currant or one of our two favourites: vanilla poppyseed and fig marzipan. Have one on the spot or take some home to your apartment or hotel. And even if you just want to have a look, just go in and enjoy the delicious smell of the finest chocolate.
Dinner For dinner we have a couple of suggestions for you. Brasserie Harkema is a contemporary version of the classic Parisian brasserie, with and international feel and friendly and efficient service. A more romantic and intimate option would be Restaurant De Luwte on the beautiful Leliegracht.
Evening As the sun sets in Amsterdam, the nightlife begins. Amsterdam looks different at night and even more different from the water! The Cocktail Cruise that we suggest is a canal cruise of 2 hours. While sipping your favourite cocktail (2 per persons) you will pass by many highlights in Amsterdam and get information about them by the multilingual guide. Your cocktails is accompanied by some basic but tasty snacks: nachos with guacamole and home made crostinis with tapenade and aioli. Sit back and enjoy the wonderful illuminated canals, bridges and houses of Amsterdam.
In Summer the Cocktail Cruise departs daily at 21.00 hours (except on 30 April, Queens Day). In Winter the Cocktail Cruise departs daily at 20.00 hours (except 31 December). Departure point: Prins Hendrikkade 33, opposite Central Station.
Continue Discovering Amsterdam in the category of your interest as follows: (coming soon)
