Things to Do in Amsterdam: A Weekend in February
Are you looking for things to do in Amsterdam?
Good, because here you will find exactly that!
Read on to learn about all the incredible things to do in Amsterdam.
Visiting Amsterdam Again After 20 Years
The last time I ventured to Amsterdam was 20 years ago, so I decided that it was perhaps time to make a return visit and see what had changed. When most people think of Amsterdam they automatically and quite rightly think of Anne Frank, the beautiful canals and the tulips (& maybe even the brownies).
However as is always the case, going slightly further afield can offer other sights and events. Having been before, I had already visited the Anne Frank house and museum, and so I decided to spend the limited time that I had available on simply exploring areas of the city and visiting a few other select attractions.
Fabrique des Lumières and the Rijksmuseum (Thanks, TikTok)
Having been pulled into the TikTok era (at the grand age of 55) I knew I particularly wanted to visit the Fabrique des Lumieres and the Rijksmuseum.
As my visit was mid February, gaining access to these attractions was fairly easy. However, I would advise booking tickets in advance if you are visiting in busier periods as we did get denied access to the Rijksmuseum on the Saturday, as it was full by 1:30pm.
Fabrique des Lumieres
The Fabrique des Lumieres is a must visit attraction for art lovers, and costs a little less than the Rijksmuseum, at 18 euro for adults. The exhibitions there change on a regular basis, with 2 main events daily. When I was visiting, the main immersive event was based around the Dutch masters with an evening event based on the Cosmos. These immersive events take place in a large room with limited seating. Top tip if you are standing don’t look down! You can end up feeling really rather seasick, as the pattern changes on the floor making it feel like the whole building is moving!
As an immersive event you really do get drawn into the paintings on display, and personally I began to feel what I imagined the original artist might have felt. The power of the waves crashing, the bloom of the flowers, the movements of sea, and windmills amongst others were all covered and were powerful effects, heightened by the dramatic lighting and music. This attraction was easily my favourite place in Amsterdam because it felt very emotional and I became lost in the magic of it all.
The Rijksmuseum
Vermeer, Van Gough, Rembrandts
The Rijksmuseum is famous for the dutch masters collections, and there are many examples on display including paintings by Vermeer, Van Gough, and Rembrandts.
The gallery is full of incredible, famous artwork, with Vermeers ‘The Milkmaid’ on display (unfortunately his famous ‘Girl With The Pearl Earring’ is not displayed here). Van Goughs self portrait is also on display, and unlike Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, in The Louvre, you can actually get close to it and see the detail and techniques of this artist. Rembrandts, The Night WatchMan, is currently being restored and from a viewing gallery you can see how the removal of the varnish used to protect the paintings alters the original colours.
If you are an art lover, I would definitely recommend visiting. Entry costs 25 euro for adults. When you purchase your ticket, it will have a specific entry time, which you are required to follow. However, once inside, you can stay as long as you like. If it’s any consolation, the atmosphere feels very relaxed, and you won’t feel rushed at all. It’s a lovely place to take a leisurely stroll and admire famous artwork.
Getting Lost in the Maze of Canals
Amsterdam is home to 165 canals, which form a rainbow like pattern, covering over 100km and are home to many boats and barges. There are endless tourists boats which cruise constantly along the canals and come in many shapes and sizes and these share the waterways with a large number of houseboats and barges.
Crossing the canals are a multitude of bridges, in a variety of styles and colours, some modern and many which date back to earlier times. Needless to say adorning the bridges are thousands of bikes, the primary mode of transport around the city, which again are a brilliant props for some artistic photos. Be careful though, there are so many canals that it is easy to get lost!
Our First-Ever 5-Star Hotel Experience & Royal Coster Diamonds
For the first time in 25 years of marriage we decided that we could go in style, and we booked into a 5 star hotel… (don’t tell anyone but it was simply because it was on offer and was the same price as other hotels).
The beautiful Grand Hotel Amarth Amsterdam was our hotel of choice for this weekend. The hotel has an interesting history, with it originally being the shipping house for the nearby port before being converted into a magnificent gothic like hotel with over 200 rooms, several restaurants, and even a ‘Spa and Wellbeing Suite’, perfect for those who want to relax and spoil themselves. We had a deluxe room with a fabulous view over one of the many canals just minutes walk from the central station.
Although the view was fabulous, for us it was the little things that made a difference. For the first time ever we were given an umbrella for the day without having to ask to borrow one, simply because it was starting to rain… even though we were checking out at the time! 5 star service ;).
The Excitements of Our Hotel Being a Named Hotel at Royal Coster Diamonds
Royal Coster Diamonds offer a free diamond factory tour, and although we had no intention of buying anything we decided to see what the tour had to offer. When registering for the tour they only ask which hotel you are staying at……imagine our delight when we discovered that ours was one of the 5 listed! The tour was short, but interesting and a great way to spend 30 minutes on a very wet Monday!
The Royal Coster uses diamonds from around the world, mainly Australia and Columbia, and holds the record for the most number of facets on a diamond, currently 201. The more facets the greater the sparkle and boy does the 201 cut sparkle!
If you know what you want then the factory will hand make your jewellery for you and, indeed in some cases, can set a diamond that they have ready into a ring in as little as 20 minutes!
In addition to the, shall I say standard diamond, there are apparently many different colours of diamonds, including yellow, red, and even black. These are much much rarer and so the cost needless to say goes up and up, but they are very beautiful.
The first picture shows the 201 cut facets as well as the standard 57 cuts. The earrings are “normal” and black diamonds.
Food, Food, Food
Fable Fries was one recommendation on TikTok of something to try in Amsterdam, but beware the actual Fable Fries Stores constantly have huge queues outside. We decided not to wait and bought fries covered in peanut butter and parmesan cheese from another outlet. A strange taste combination, but it does grow on you! The Bun Bun store is also a TikTok favourite, and the strawberry cheesecake bun was certainly delicious if a tad tricky to eat.
Cheese shops are everywhere, and I would definitely suggest you take a trip to the one situated in the Jordann area of the city called Henri Willig. Every possible cheese you can buy is available to taste and the whole experience was a joy on both our eyes and tastebuds.
If you are a pancake lover, which let’s be honest, who isn’t?! Then you will be delighted to hear that there are a multitude of shops selling crepes, churros and pancakes all around Amsterdam. We tired two of the pancake shops, and I highly recommend the Pancake Corner (and not just because its called the Pancake Corner lol), for a relaxed breakfast close to the RijkMuseum, which sells a large selection of both savoury and sweet pancakes, from apple through to bacon. The choice was endless!
Amsterdam, I Will Be Back But Next Time I Won’t Get Lost (hopefully)
Overall I had a lovely few days away, despite the weather, the fact that I got lost on several occasions in the maze of canals, and ended up with sore feet from walking 34 miles in 3 days!
