How To Explore Amsterdam Like A Local

23.04.2024 - 08:12 / forbes.com

According to the city’s statistics bureau, more than 18 million people visited Amsterdam last year, making it one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations.

It’s easy to see why so many people are lured to the Dutch capital: world heritage canals, vintage architecture, outstanding museums, chromatic tulips, what seems like a thousand different types of cheese, and effortless transportation links to the rest of western Europe.

With iconic attractions like the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, and canal boat tours chockablock with tourists during the summer season, how do Amsterdammers spend their free time?

Here are four awesome ways to explore the city like a local:

Forget the guided, narrated canal boat tours. Rent your own boat at maritime outfitters like Sloepdelen and explore the city’s waterways at your own pace.

Their little all-electric sloops are super quiet and easy to drive via a joystick and rudder. Unlike renting cars, no boating license is required and the vessels can fit as many as 12 people.

You book the boats online, choosing between Sloepdelen’s two floating docks, both of them perched on the sinuous Singelgracht canal on the east and west sides of the city’s historic center. Arriving at the dock, you activate the sloop with your smartphone, get a brief orientation on how to navigate the craft, and you’re off.

The boats can be rented in increments of two, three and four hours (at a cost of 70 Euros per hour). Each boat comes with a handy map showing popular routes, one-way canals, restricted areas, and public restrooms.

And don’t forget food and beverage for a floating picnic. Try the tasty Asian fusion sandwiches at Margo’s Amsterdam or the bánh mì baguettes, gỏi cuốn spring rolls, and other Vietnamese street foods at Viȇt View.

Amsterdam’s busy harbor is called the Ij (pronounced like “eye”). Across the water from the historic center is the Noord district, a former factory and shipbuilding area that’s gradually transitioned over the past few decades into a cutting-edge, post-industrial wonderland.

Getting there is part of the fun. The GVB Ferries that crisscross the harbor are totally free to pedestrians and cyclists. And the more popular lines run every 15 or 20 minutes between 7 a.m. and midnight.

Start your ferry hopping day on the No. 7 ferry from Pontsteiger to the NDSM Wharf. Grab a pastry and coffee at Carroll’s Café before ducking into the new Straat Museum. Opened in 2020 and housed inside a former shipbuilding warehouse, the museum flaunts massive works of graffiti and street art from around the world.

If you’re not in a hurry, sink into a long and casual lunch at Pllek, a waterfront eatery built with old metal shipping containers (try the avocado toast or the