10 Fun Things To Do in Amsterdam Summers
Posted on: juli 16, 2014
How To Spend The Summer In Amsterdam
What are the best things to do during the summers in Holland’s capital? These are 10 great tips during a hot summer in Amsterdam.
Why Go?
Holland’s capital works its fairy-tale magic in many ways: via the gabled Golden Age buildings, the glinting boat-filled canals, friendly people, liberalism and especially the cosy, centuries-old brown bars, where candles burn low and beers froth high. Art lovers will be hard-pressed to stare at . a more masterpiece-packed city, thanks to the unique collections at the Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, Willet-Holthuysen Museum and Hermitage Museum.
Music fans can tune into typical Dutch festivals like; PinkPop, LowLands, Dekmantel, Awakenings, Zwarte Cross, Solar Weekend, Mysteryland, Into the Woods, Pleinvrees, Voltt, etc. Didn’t get a ticket? Then we’d recommend to check out the Dutch site TicketSwap. It’s truly the best and safest way to buy tickets for parties in the Netherlands. The site itself makes sure that all tickets are legit and therefor it guarantees the purchase.
And pleasure-seekers? Amsterdam has it all! From escort or the sex workers in the Red Light District windows to “coffeeshops” that offer cannabis and more than 1.500 cafes with cold (Dutch) drinks 🙂
Hot Town, Summer In The City
The best period to visit Amsterdam is usually between April and September. In general, July and August are the hottest months in the Netherlands. The average temperature in July and August in Amsterdam is 21 degrees Celsius but during these months the temperature often reaches 26 degrees Celsius (or higher). And when it’s hot like this, you wanna know where to find the oases. So, here we go!
10 Tips For A Summer in Amsterdam
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Vondelpark
The biggest park of the capital is definitely one of the best parks in town to enjoy a lovely summer in Amsterdam. It attracts around 10 million visitors a year, it’s 470.000 square meters in total en 2 km long. The atmosphere in the Vondelpark is really relaxed. People enjoying beers, wines, football, weed, the sun, the shade, the water and whatnot. Amsterdam’s Vondelpark is much more relaxed than for example New York’s Central Park – a park with lots of unnecessary rules like “alcohol is prohibited”, “smoking is not allowed”, etc. Luckily, pretty much anything is allowed in the Vondelpark!
Definitely go to the Vondelpark, experience the Dutch liberalism, Amsterdam’s nature and freedom!
Also, the Vondelpark offers some cafes, restaurants and a teahouse. Yes, that’s correct a teahouse. It’s called The Blue Teahouse and it was build in 1937. The best thing to do, when visiting this place is to go sit upstairs. On the second floor, you’ll have the best view. It’s an oasis in the heart of Amsterdam’s Vondelpark!
Another cool cafe in the Vondelpark is The Vondel Garden, which is located in the south of the park. Most of time, this place doesn’t attract much tourists, as it takes somewhat of a walk to get there. But it’s absolutely worth a visit! Amsterdam doesn’t have much beer gardens, but this is one of the rare ones out there.
Spend A Cheap Day in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam
Go to supermarket Albert Heijn Overtoom street, which is next to Vondelpark. Buy some drinks, food and one or two ready-to-use disposable grill(s) and find a nice spot in the park. The Vondelpark is located in the city centre, just next to Leidse Square, making it really easy to get here. Click here for directions.
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Amsterdam By Boat
Cool off on Amsterdam’s canals.Canal Cruise
There are several ways to get yourself on a boat. One of the easiest ways is by taking a canal cruise, preferably an open boat. Like this one: Hop-on Hop-off Canal Cruise.
By taking such a cruise, you’ll see Amsterdam from a whole other perspective. And, with the wind going through your hair, a drink in your hand, things couldn’t be better. Make sure you buy yourself some drinks before getting on board though. Most of the time, the canal companies don’t offer drinks on these cruises.
Prices: Between 10 and 25 euros.
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Pllek in Amsterdam North – NDSM Wharf
Pllek in Amsterdam has lots of (beach) sand too!Pllek is a creative hang-out at the NDSM wharf with a phenomenal view over the IJ-river in Amsterdam. Pllek is made up of raw industrial materials with old shipping containers as the main building blocks. You can find Pllek at the shipyard in the northern part of Amsterdam, next to the Feralda Crane Hotel, on the IJ-river. Take the free ferry from Central Station and you are within a 2 minute walk from Pllek.
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Hanneke’s Boom in City Center of Amsterdam
This is a restaurant with a large terrace on a port; Hanneke is the new cultural hotspot of Amsterdam. It offers a delightful picnic in its park or your boat. The view at Hanneke’s Boom is really great. You can see the Science Center Nemo, The National Maritime Museum and lots of boats sailing by… And if you’re really getting hot, you could just dive into the water.Hanneke’s Boom attracts mostly locals, because it’s not a mainstream location.
You can find Hanneke’s Boom on the left of Central Station, that is standing with your back towards Amsterdam’s Central Station. It’s a 12 minute walk. We strongly recommend visiting Hanneke’s Boom, it’s an awesome oasis in Amsterdam. Click here for directions.
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Amstelhaven
Restaurant Amstelhaven has the biggest patio deck of Amsterdam. It’s a unique place which catches lots of sun.
Amstelhaven is located just next to the famous and luxurious Amstel Hotel. Also, this place attracts mostly locals, because it’s kind of hidden. The food at Amstelhaven isn’t that special, but the drinks are always cold served in an instant. Cool place to check out. -
De Ceuvel
This is one of the newest hotspots in the city! An eco-friendly place, build around old houseboats, is cool place to chill during the summer in Amsterdam. It opened on 21th of June 2014 and it’s located in the North of Amsterdam. As De Ceuvel just opened, it isn’t that popular yet. Might be just the reason, to go here and to avoid the city razzle-dazzle.
The latest rumors out there, is that Amsterdam-North is going be the new area for the cool cats. With places like De Ceuvel, Pllek, Eye Museum, the skatepark on the NDSM wharf, The Floating Hotel, The IJ-Kantine, The Feralda NDSM Warf Hotel, it looks like the rumours are true. The best way to get at De Ceuvel is by bike and the free ferry. You might want to rent one during your stay in Amsterdam. It makes your transportation that much easier. From Central Station to De Ceuvel is around 15 minutes by bicycle and 30 minutes by foot. Click here for directions.
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Brewery ‘t IJ
This is a very unique place! It’s one of Amsterdam’s local breweries, which offers a great variety of tasteful beers. Much better than the beers from Heineken or Amstel. One of the breweries of ‘t IJ (and the most beautiful one) is located just next to a Dutch windmill. So while you’re cooling off and having one of those tasteful beers, you can enjoy the awesome view of the windmill.
We wouldn’t recommend to go Brewery ‘t IJ by foot, as it’s a 30 minute walk from Amsterdam’s Central Station. But if you don’t mind spending some time for a city hike, it’s doable. Otherwise, take the bicycle and it will take approximately 15 minutes. Or, you could just take bus 22 and get out at stop Oostenburgergracht.
Go visit Brewery ‘t IJ, you wouldn’t regret it. Here are the directions.
Cheers! -
Canal Picnicking
Another perfect way to spend a hot summer in Amsterdam, is by taking a picnic next to the canals. Buy yourself some beers, wines, fruit, salad and sandwiches and find a peaceful spot next to the water. We’d recommend staking out on the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht or Herengracht. You’ll be amazed by all the things you see around you.
If you’d like to do some swimming, it’s better to search for place next to the Amstel-river. Which is definitely cleaner than Amsterdam’s canal water.
Make sure you take everything with you after finishing the canal picnic. Please throw your garbage into the bin and not into the water.
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Miranda Bad
If you really want to cool off in an outdoor swimming pool, then go to De Miranda Bad. Okay, it takes some effort to get here, but it’s really nice and not touristic at all. De Miranda Bad has the biggest outdoor swimming pool of Amsterdam, which is 50 meters long. The entrance price is about 5 Euro for a whole day. It’s located in the South of Amsterdam – next to the Martin Luther King Park – and it would take you approximately 35 minutes by tram or bus. The best thing to do is to take tram 4 and exit at the Waalstraat.
Click here for directions. -
Cafe Aen ‘t Water
The terrace of Cafe Aen ‘t Water.Don’t want to leave Amsterdam’s Red Light District?
For those who don’t want to leave the Red Light District and would rather chill on a nice terrace. Here’s our tip: Cafe Aen ‘t Water is the place to be! It’s a real oasis in Amsterdam’s Red Light District. We think it has the best terrace in the RLD! The terrace of Cafe Aen ‘t Water offers both shade and sun. More importantly; it has an amazing view on the oldest canal in town. And next to that; you can enjoy the boats sailing by through the beautiful old canals. It’s peacefully hidden on a corner in the Red Light District.
Always Fun To Do In Amsterdam
We would definitely recommend taking an Amsterdam Red Light District Tour. Let one of our local guides show you around through this beautiful area. During our walking tour you’ll learn everything about the Dutch culture, Amsterdam’s history, legal drugs, sex work, local laws, how things work here and much more. It’s super interesting, much fun and very healthy too!
BOOK A TOUR >
Also See: 15 Leuke Dingen Te Doen in Amsterdam en 12 Free Things To See In Amsterdam
