How to make your Amsterdam walking tour exceptional
Transport and city pass
When in Amsterdam, you will need to commute from your accommodation to the center. As well as around the city to see all the essential places and not die from exhaustion. The best option for you is to order a transportation ticket for as many days as you will want to travel. A full-day ticket costs 8euro and you can use all the public transport in the city, which is very cost-effective.
As you will most likely visit some of the city’s museums, you also have the option to purchase an “I Amsterdam card”. With this, you’ll getfree access to most of these museums. This card costs 60euro, so you might want to plan your trip first and see whether buying the card is reasonable for you.
Classic tour with museums
Amsterdam is a beautiful city filled with a lot of landmarks connected to its fascinating history. To see all the pinpointed attractions, we recommend starting with a classic tour around the city. You can start at the National Monument on Dam square and then wander around the city and explore its canals, houses, and picturesque bridges.
If you are traveling with your partner, you should go to check the very romantic Canal belt, where we guarantee you to fall in love…with the city. If you walk in a circle around the center, you can see a lot of churches and museums. You will see the Oude Church, the Royal Palace, the giant head of a famous Dutch writer Multatuli, and more.
Another very famous historical city part, which you should not miss out, is the Jewish Quarter. Here, you can learn about the dark times of Nazi occupation during world war II from local tour guides, and see a holocaust memorial. One of our tips is to visit the Anne Frank House, where she wrote her diary about her terrible experience from those times. It is one of the most famous museums in Amsterdam.
When it comes to museums, there are so many of them in Amsterdam, that we are almost 100% sure you could not visit all of them during one stay. Apart from the Anne Frank House, there are three very famous museums, which we recommend.
Those of you interested in art should not miss The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum. And those of you, who want some entertainment and interactive experience, should visit the Nemo museum. If you do some research on all the museums, you might find some very curious ones which you will want to see, therefore we definitely encourage you to do that.
Alternative tour
To lighten the mood, and to discover the true liberal nature of the city, we advise you to make a private alternative Amsterdam walking tour, where you can experience the uniqueness of this place.
You will be pleasantly surprised by the street art, and by no lack of controversy in the city. In this place, people live by the rule “live and let live”. You will find shops and museums with marihuana products, sex shops and much more. Compared to other European countries, here they look differently at drug use, at LGBT and other controversial topics.
Our tip for you is to go to the Modern Contemporary Museum and take a look at the spectacular Banksy exhibition. After a whole day of walking, there are also a lot of famous cafés worth visiting when you want to take a break. Don’t get confused when you enter the café by the strange smell and dim light. These places are known for openly selling marihuana products rather than for their taste of the coffee.
Red light district
A lot of people want to visit Amsterdam especially because of the Red Light District. It is one of a kind place, celebrating one of the oldest professions. A place where people go to enjoy some of their guilty pleasures.
You can find prostitutes working there on the streets, brothel houses, sex theaters, and much more. To find out the “behind the scenes” of this place, its history, and current situation, you should visit the Prostitute Information Centre, where you will get all the information. You can find out why tourists make it difficult for the business, and how to behave and not get kicked out of there.
Some other unique sites you can see here are the Condomerie, the Old Church, and a hardcore leather neighborhood Warmoestraat. If you are interested, you can watch a live show at the iconic theater Casa Rosso, which has stood there since 1969.
Fun and entertainment
If the Red Light District is not enough entertainment for you, there are plenty of other places where you can go to have fun in Amsterdam. For the “drinkers” there are two museums, which we believe you will appreciate.
The first one is the House of Bols. Here you can learn about the history of different spirits and liqueurs, and the best part is, that you can try them yourself. A similar situation awaits you at the Heineken brewery, where beer tasting is merely one of many interactive activities.
Apart from the alcohol museums, there are also other very unique attractions. Have you ever been to an animal shelter that is floating? You can experience your first time at The Catboat.
If you would rather prefer staying on the ground, you can check the Madurodam village of miniatures. For evening hours, we suggest you try minigolf, which in Amsterdam you can find indoors and glow in the dark.
Nightlife
As amazing as Amsterdam is during the day, it is spectacular during the night. For those who like to party until the morning, we have some tips. Firstly, you need to know where to go.
You can find a bar pretty much anywhere, but the most popular ones are mostly on Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein streets, so you might want to start there. There is really a lot of options to choose from’ However, here are some tip-based clubs you can go to Radion, Claire, Club NYX, Shelter…
Also, we want to bring to your attention, that bars and dance clubs in Amsterdam are not cheap. You usually pay for the entrance around 10 to 20 euros. But do not worry, we have a solution. You can buy a Nightlife ticket that costs 10 euro for one day (night) and you will be allowed to as many bars as you want that night, while avoiding standing in line at the entrance.
If you do not feel like partying, but you still want to enjoy your night, you can always go to a museum. Yes, there are museums in Amsterdam that are open until 10 or 11 PM. You can also go to the highest bar in the city in the A’DAM tower and enjoy the view of the whole city lighting up. Depending on when you are visiting, you can experience the Amsterdam Light Festival, during which there are tons of light installations brightening the city’s streets and canals.
We are not offering any walking tours, nor bar crawl in Amsterdam at the moment, but if you feel like you could be a great tour guide and you have an interest in becoming one, you can always check our BECOME A TOUR GUIDE page.
Start your Amsterdam Walking Tours
At Riviera Bar Crawl & Tours, we have years of experience in providing our visitors with some of the best and most memorable experiences of their lives. While primarily stationed in France, we hope to branch out into as many European cities as possible! With all of the success we’ve experienced and the great feedback we’ve gotten from our clients, we want to share this with even more of the world’s travelers. In regards to both Guided Walking Tours and Pub Crawls.
But who better to run Amsterdam Tours & Activities than someone who knows the very best of what the city and its culture have to offer! Think that might relate to you? Well get in contact with us and send us your Application Form! We’re always looking for Franchising partners to help us make our dream a reality. Not only will you enjoy the liberty of working as your own boss, but you’ll also get to experience some of the unforgettable days for yourself! Along with the satisfaction of knowing you’ve been able to share your culture with more of the world.
For further enquires and information, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us via our email: info@rivierabarcrawl.com
Really informative article post. Much thanks again. Fantastic. Barbara-Anne Flem Annetta