Amsterdam things to do

Keukenhof Gardens

I lived in Amsterdam for almost four years and during this time explored the city and the country quite a lot. I was super impressed by how such a small country had so much to offer! Trails, cycling paths, culture, activities, nature and so on. There was just so much! Here is a list of things I did and experienced over these years. And detailed blogs on all of them.

I have tried to split the posts under different topics. Still there are some mixed articles here, as I may have walked in an area, cycled till there, swum in the neighbouring lake, and also driven there. As in the Netherlands you can do everything anywhere 😂. So sorry for that.

No bad weather

Also while writing these blogs I realised, that in spite of the bad weather, the Dutch do a lot outdoors (and inspire expats to do the same). And that is because of a few mindsets they have. One is ‘you are not made of sugar, you will not melt’. Second is ‘there is no bad weather, there is only bad clothing’. And the third is the concept of ‘uitwaaien’. It refers to spending time outdoors, in the wind, on dunes or beaches, as a way of wind therapy. I think that’s what they do, and by the end of four years, I had started doing the same, unknowingly 😂.


Activities in and around Amsterdam (Link)

• Aalsmeer swimming
• Amsterdam Boating
• Amsterdam Concertgebouw free concerts
• Amsterdam Pride Parade
• Amsterdam Tulip Day
• Amsterdam Walks
• Amsterdam Light Festival
• King’s Day celebrations
• Keukenhof gardens and tulip season
• Keukenhof castle
• Naardenmeer ice skating (+ cycling)
• Vinkeveen swimming
• Beaches around Amsterdam (Bloemendaal aan Zee, Hoek van Holland, IJmuiden, Noordwijk, Scheveningen, Zaandvoort)

National parks and trails near Amsterdam (Link)

• Bison trail
• Bergen aan Zee trail (+ beach)
• Castricum dunes trail
• Meijendel trail near Wassenaar (+ beach)
• Schoorl trail
• Tri-country hike near Aachen
• Veluwe are including Veluwezoon National Park, Hoge Veluwe National Park, Veluwe forest park and Lage Vuursche walks

Cycling trips around Amsterdam (Link)

• Abcoude (+ city visit)
• Amsterdamse Bos
• Broek in Waterland (+ city visit)
• Haarlem (+ city visit)
• Lisse tulip fields
• Monnickendam
• Muiden (+ city visit)
• Ouderkerk aan de Amstel (+ city visit)
• Het Twiske (+ swimming)
• Vught (+ swimming)

Cities and villages of the Netherlands (Link)

• Delft
• Enkhuizen and Markerwaarddijk (+ beach)
• Hague
• Giethoorn
• Kinderdijk
• Leiden
• Lemmer
• Marken
• Texel (+ beach)
• Volendam
• Zaandam
• Zaanse Schans
• Zeeland islands (+ beach)
  

Trips to neighbouring countries from Amsterdam (Link)

• Antwerp, Belgium
• Bruges, Belgium
• Ghent, Belgium
• Christmas market in Essen

Museums visited across Netherlands (Link)

In Amsterdam

• Museum Amstelkring (Our Lord in the Attic museum) 
• Anne Frank House
• De Nieuwe Kerk (the New Church) 
• FOAM Photography museum
• Grachten museum (Museum of Canals) 
• Hermitage Amsterdam
• Het Scheepvaart Museum (the Maritime Museum) 
• Nemo Science museum 
• Oude Kerk (Old Church) 
• Rijksmuseum (4 visits including Vermeer Exhibition) 
• Van Loon Museum
• Van Gogh museum

Other parts of Netherlands

• Frans Hals museum (Haarlem) 
• Kroller-Muller Museum (Veluwe) 
• LAM museum (Keukenhof) 
• Mauritshuis (Hague) 
• Museum Prinsenhof (Delft) 
• Waterland museum (Monnickendam)

Things to do
Activities in and around Amsterdam
National parks and trails near Amsterdam
Cycling trips around Amsterdam
Cities and villages of the Netherlands
Trips to neighbouring countries from Amsterdam
Museums visited across Netherlands

Additional blogs on Amsterdam
Dutch way of life (1), March 2026
Dutch way of life (2), March 2026
First impressions, June 2021
My first trip to Amsterdam, February 2013