As this charming colourful city shakes off winter’s chill, and spring warms the old streets of Amsterdam, canal-side café visitors spill out onto cobbled streets, the iconic 17th-century gabled houses reflected on the water at their feet. It’s the perfect place to visit at this time of year.
Tulips, tulips everywhere!
The story goes that tulips were brought to the Netherlands in the 17th-century from the Ottoman Empire, and were so popular, particularly with the monied, that the tulip bulbs were worth more than their weight in gold. And April is the prime time for tulip lovers to visit Amsterdam. For a city sighting of a triumph of tulips (a collective noun we made up on the spot here at Times2), the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam’s floating flower market Bloemenmarkt is the first place to head. Alternatively, although it’s just outside the city, Keukenhof Gardens is an extraordinary landscape that’s an artist’s palette of colour as millions of tulips stripe the fields as far as they eye can see, the sails of iconic Dutch windmills turning majestically above them. It’s the key shot for your Instagram story!
Canals and cycling
Back in town there’s no better way to experience Amsterdam than on two wheels. It’s wonderfully flat and a refreshing contrast to the steep up-hill roads on our Mediterranean rock that would terrify all but those with the muscular thighs of an Olympian. Rent a bike and glide through Vondelpark, cycle along the Amstel River, through the Red Light District or get lost in the city’s charming Jordaan district. If cycling isn’t your thing, Segways may look a bit foolish but they’re fantastic fun, or hop on a canal cruise and float through the waterways at the city’s heart, imagining the trade and wealth of centuries gone by.
Museums & masterpieces
Amsterdam’s museum line-up is strong. The Van Gogh Museum is a top recommendation, offering an intimate look into the life of the troubled genius alongside Sunflower, Irises, Wheatfields, The Yellow House, and Van Gogh’s bed. Rijksmuseum is the place to head for the great Dutch masters and home to masterpieces like Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, an enormous work famed for its dramatic play of light and shadow; Johannes Vermeer’s Milkmaid and Floris van Dijck’s still lifes. For something much more modern, there’s the STRAAT, a museum for street art and graffiti in a 8000 m2 former warehouse on the NDSM wharf.
For crazy cat lovers
Amsterdam is also home to the tongue-in-cheek KattenKabinet (The Cat Cabinet), an art museum dedicated to cat-related artwork highlighting their cultural significance throughout history—while real cats roam the space! Housed in a 17th-century townhouse, this eccentric museum was founded in 1990 by Bob Meijer, inspired by the loss of his beloved pet cat, and what began as a small collection of cat-themed art and memorabilia gradually expanded to fill his entire home.
here’s also a cat sanctuary located on a canal boat which has upvto fifty feline residents at any one time, and has for more than fifty years been finding homes for many of the city’s stray cats. You can visit if you have pre-booked, and don’t forget to pack your cat-carrier before you head to Luqa.
The Anne Frank House
A must visit – if you can – is the poignant Anne Frank House. These cramped secret rooms, where Anne and her family hid, concealed behind a movable bookcase from 1942 to 1944, are a chilling reminder of the Nazi occupation of Holland and the plight of the Jews during WW2. Book ahead to avoid long queues.
King’s Day madness
Then to lighten the mood, if your visit coincides with April 27, dress like a satsuma for King’s Day (Koningsdag) —a vibrant nationwide birthday bash for the King that transforms Amsterdam into an orange-hued festival. The entire city turns into a giant street party, with lively boat parades, outdoor concerts, and open air flea markets.
Foodie adventures
You can’t visit Amsterdam without trying Dutch bitterballen (deep-fried meatballs), a fresh herring sandwich from a street vendor – the Dutch have been catching these silver fish in the North Sea and preserving them in brine for hundreds of years;- and the sweet classic, stroopwafels, a very thin cookie-like treat of thin waffles sandwiched with caramel. They’re absolutely delicious, especially if eaten while still warm, and we recommend you try a plain one before being seduced by the chocolate topped variety. You won’t want to come home!
