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Summer in Amsterdam The Best Things To Do in the City This Season

Summer in Amsterdam

The Best Things To Do in the City This Season

Amsterdam's canal system is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most defining feature of the city's extraordinary character. Taking a boat tour along the canals is one of the best and most enjoyable ways to understand the layout of the city, admire the remarkable 17th-century canal house facades, and see Amsterdam from a perspective that is simply not possible from the street. Both guided glass-topped boat tours and self-hire pedal boats and electric boats are available, and a warm summer evening on the water, watching the bridges and house lights reflect in the canals, is one of the most romantic and memorable experiences Amsterdam has to offer.

The Rijksmuseum is one of the greatest museums in the world and an absolute essential for any Amsterdam visit. The collection spans eight centuries of Dutch and Flemish art and history, with masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen at its heart. The building itself, a magnificent 19th-century neo-Gothic and Renaissance palace, is as impressive as the collection it houses, and the newly restored gardens surrounding it are particularly lovely in summer. Book timed entry tickets online well in advance during the summer months and allow at least three hours to do the collection justice.

Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Anne Frank House is one of the most visited and most moving attractions in all of Amsterdam, the preserved hiding place where Anne Frank and her family lived in concealment for over two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The experience of walking through the secret annex and reading Anne's words in the context of the space where they were written is profoundly affecting and one that stays with visitors long after they leave. Tickets must be booked well in advance online as the Anne Frank House does not sell tickets at the door, and summer slots sell out weeks ahead.

Westermarkt 20, 1016 GV Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Jordaan is Amsterdam's most beloved and atmospheric neighborhood, a compact and endlessly charming area of narrow streets, hidden courtyards, independent boutiques, art galleries, and some of the finest brown cafes in the city. In summer the Jordaan is at its most beautiful, with flower boxes overflowing from the canal house windows, the terraces of the cafes and restaurants spilling onto the streets, and a relaxed, village-like atmosphere that makes it the perfect place for an aimless afternoon of wandering, shopping, and people watching. The Saturday antique market at Looiersgracht and the Sunday farmers market at Noordermarkt are both excellent reasons to visit at the weekend.

Amsterdam is one of the great cycling cities of the world, with more bicycles than people and an infrastructure so perfectly designed for two-wheeled travel that cycling here feels not just natural but genuinely exhilarating. Renting a bike and exploring the city on two wheels is the most authentic and enjoyable way to experience Amsterdam as the locals do. In summer, the cycling options extend well beyond the city itself, with beautiful routes through the tulip fields of the Keukenhof region, along the North Sea coast to Zandvoort, and through the green polder landscapes of the Waterland area just north of the city.

The Vondelpark is Amsterdam's most famous and beloved park, a beautifully landscaped green space in the heart of the city that fills with life in the summer months. Locals come here to sunbathe, picnic, play guitar, watch the free open-air theatre and concert performances at the iconic outdoor theatre, and simply enjoy the pleasure of being outside in good weather. The park's cafes and terraces are wonderful spots for a drink or a light lunch, and the atmosphere on a warm summer afternoon, with the city's distinctive mix of residents and visitors all sharing the same green space, is wonderfully convivial and joyful.

Vondelpark, 1071 AA Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Van Gogh Museum near the Museumplein houses the largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh in the world, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and more than 700 personal letters that together tell the story of one of history's most fascinating and troubled artistic geniuses. The museum is beautifully curated and offers an extraordinarily intimate and moving experience of Van Gogh's life and work. Summer is one of the busiest times to visit, and booking timed entry tickets online several weeks in advance is essential. The Museumplein square outside the museum is also a wonderful summer gathering spot.

 Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Albert Cuyp Market in the De Pijp neighborhood is the largest and most vibrant street market in the Netherlands, stretching for over a kilometer along the Albert Cuypstraat with over 260 stalls selling everything from fresh stroopwafels, herring, cheese, and tropical fruit to clothing, flowers, and household goods. Summer is a particularly lively time to visit, when the warm weather brings out the crowds and the atmosphere is at its most festive and colorful. The surrounding De Pijp neighborhood is one of Amsterdam's most interesting and multicultural areas, with an excellent range of restaurants and bars for a post-market meal.

Albert Cuypstraat 101, 1072 VV Amsterdam, Netherlands

9. Attend the Amsterdam Open Air Festival

Amsterdam's summer festival calendar is one of the richest in Europe, and the Amsterdam Open Air festival is one of its most celebrated highlights. Held in the beautiful Amsterdamse Bos park on the southern edge of the city, this beloved electronic music festival brings together some of the finest DJs and producers in the world for a weekend of dancing in a stunning natural setting. Beyond Open Air, Amsterdam's summer calendar includes the famous Amsterdam Pride festival in late July or early August, the Uitmarkt cultural festival marking the start of the new cultural season in late August, and a constant programme of free outdoor concerts and events throughout the warm months.

The NDSM Wharf on the north bank of the IJ river, reached by a free ferry from Central Station, is one of Amsterdam's most creative and atmospheric destinations and a perfect summer day out. This vast former shipyard has been transformed into a thriving hub of art studios, creative businesses, street art, pop-up restaurants, and outdoor events, and its industrial scale and raw character give it an energy that is entirely unlike anything else in the city. In summer the outdoor terraces along the waterfront fill up with a creative, mixed crowd, and the views back across the IJ to the Amsterdam skyline are spectacular.

NDSM-Plein 90C, 1033 WB Amsterdam, Netherlands

No summer visit to Amsterdam is complete without trying a raw herring from one of the city's traditional herring carts, a beloved Dutch institution that has been part of Amsterdam street life for centuries. The classic way to eat it is the Amsterdam style, holding the fish by its tail and lowering it into your mouth, though chopped herring with onions and pickles on a small roll is equally delicious and rather less challenging for the uninitiated. The herring season runs from June onwards, when the first Hollandse Nieuwe of the year are celebrated with genuine enthusiasm across the city. Look for the bright green and white carts at market squares and along the canals.

12. Explore the Museumplein and Stedelijk Museum

The Museumplein, the large public square flanked by the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum, is one of Amsterdam's most enjoyable summer outdoor spaces. The long rectangular lawn at the center of the square is a popular picnic and sunbathing spot, and the famous I Amsterdam sign, recently returned to the square in modified form, is one of the city's most photographed landmarks. The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam's museum of modern and contemporary art and design, is a must-visit in its own right, with a collection spanning from Mondrian and Malevich to the most contemporary Dutch and international artists working today.

Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands

13. Take a Day Trip to Keukenhof and the Tulip Fields

While the peak tulip season runs from late March to mid-May, the wider region around Keukenhof and the Bollenstreek flower-growing area remains beautiful and rewarding to visit in early summer, with late-season blooms, cycling routes through the fields, and the charming historic towns of Haarlem and Leiden nearby. The Keukenhof gardens themselves are typically open until mid-May, but the surrounding landscape and cycling routes through the bulb fields are enjoyable well into June. The region is easily reached by bus or bicycle from Amsterdam and makes for one of the most visually stunning day trips in the Netherlands.

Stationsweg 166A, 2161 AM Lisse, Netherlands

Amsterdam in summer fills up fast, and booking your accommodation well in advance is essential for getting the best rates and the most convenient location. We recommend booking your Amsterdam hotel through 

. With an extensive selection of properties across every Amsterdam neighborhood and price point, competitive rates, genuine guest reviews, and the Hotels.com Rewards program that earns you a free night for every 10 nights booked, it is the easiest and smartest way to find your perfect Amsterdam base.

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