The Muziektheater in Amsterdam is one of the venues for June’s Holland Festival. picture courtesy of FaceMePLS on Flickr.

The biggest and best-established arts festival in the Netherlands brings international musicians and actors into Amsterdam every June – 2013 dates are June 1 through 26. Encompassing all genres of music from classical to garage, drama, dance, film, and opera, Holland Festival spreads across the city into every sizeable venue from the mainstream Muziektheater and the Royal Theatre Carré to the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam plus the home of leftfield music and drama, the art-house venue Westergasfabriek. The festival also takes to the streets of Amsterdam, with performances popping up in many public places.

The Holland Festival has been an annual event on Amsterdam’s arts calendar since 1947. In a year that has so far seen the re-opening of the Rijksmuseum after 10 years of renovation work, a revamped Van Gogh Museum, and most poignantly the abdication of Queen Beatrix in favor of her son, Willem-Alexander, who on April 30 became the first Dutch king for over 100 years, this year’s extravaganza has ramped up to celebrate a benchmark year for Amsterdam.

Artistic director Pierre Audi is keen to lead the Holland Festival into the realm of the avant-garde. In 2013 we will see the new multimedia opera Sunken Garden by award-wining Dutch composer Michel Van der Aa alongside the mainstream highlight of the year, the Berliner Ensemble’s performance of Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.

Artists will travel from Iceland, La Scala in Milan, Algeria, and Chile to appear in contemporary dance performances, plays, and musical recitals. There will be a series of lunchtime concerts in the glossy new underpass of the Rijksmusem and late-night parties at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

Tickets for 2013 are now available on the Holland Festival website, by telephone (+31 (0)20 523 77 87), and from the festival box office at the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam. Festival tickets are also valid for travel on trams and city buses for three hours before and four hours after the relevant show. Buy an Amsterdam and Holland Pass for reduced travel around Amsterdam and discounted entry into the major attractions.

– Sasha Heseltine

Holland Festival from Amsterdam Things to Do

Keukenhof Gardens

If you’re visiting Amsterdam in spring, a day trip to Keukenhof Gardens near Lisse is an absolute must. They only open for a couple of months a year – in 2013 from March 21 to May 20 – and every year produce a miraculous psychedelic carpet of color from the seven million bulbs planted here, with some 100 varieties of tulip as well as daffodils and hyacinths. The gardens are under an hour from Amsterdam and there is a direct bus from Schiphol Airport Plaza.

Windmills at Kinderdijk. Picture courtesy of jlastras on Flickr.

Kinderdijk

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kinderdijk consists of 19 wooden windmills – once there were 150 – and pumping stations dating from the 18th century, built to drain water from the polders as land was reclaimed from the North Sea. Well below sea level, the mills march towards the horizon on either side of the dyke. One mill is open to the public, comprising a small museum revealing the cramped living quarters, primitive kitchen, pumping equipment. Boat trips and walks around Kinderdijk produce a mass of photo opportunities on a great day trip from Amsterdam.

Holland in One Day

The opportunity to explore Delft, Rotterdam, and The Hague in a packed day includes a visit to the world-famous blue-and-white pottery Delftse Pauw factory in Delft and a trip up the 700-ft (185m) Euromast for panoramas over the striking contemporary architecture of Rotterdam city center. The whistle-stop trip from Amsterdam takes in a drive past The Hague’s major sights, including the Peace Palace and Houses of Parliament and a final stop visiting the Madurodam to admire the major attractions of the Netherlands in miniature.

Antwerp is one of the best day trips from Amsterdam. Picture courtesy of girolame on Flickr.

Brussels and Antwerp

Antwerp is the hub of funky designers and diamond traders, cobbled squares, gabled medieval buildings, and Europe’s largest harbor as well as Baroque churches designed by Peter Paul Rubens and the innovative Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS). For a day trip it’s easy to combine Antwerp and Brussels from Amsterdam, with it medieval center, Art Nouveau mansions, and flamboyant Royal Quarter, which contrast with the glittering skyscrapers of the EU headquarters.

Bruges

Time has stood still in miniature Bruges, over the border in Belgium and crammed with ancient churches, a smattering of museums, and palaces looming over canals. The two great central squares of Markt – dominated by the 260-foot (80-meter) belfry of the 13th-century Belfort – and Burg offer some of the best medieval architecture in Belgium. Boat trips explore the canals, and there are plenty of restaurants in which to enjoy moules-frites washed down with Belgian beer.

– Sasha Heseltine

Best Day Trips from Amsterdam from Amsterdam Things to Do

Keukenof Gardens in Spring

Amsterdam bursts back into life in springtime; parks explode in to color and trees blossom along the canalsides. As temperatures hover around 55°F (12.8°C), pavement cafés teem with people and tulip tourists arrive in their thousands, pushing up air fares and hotel prices.

Tulips at Keukenhof Gardens

Amsterdam in spring means flowers; Keukenhof Gardens near Lisse only open for a couple of months a year – in 2013 from March 21 to May 20. Every year seven million bulbs are planted here, forming a psychedelic carpet of flowers, with some 100 varieties of tulip as well as daffodils and hyacinths. The Gardens are under an hour from Amsterdam and there is a direct bus from Schiphol Airport Plaza.

Cycle round the Dutch Bulbfields

In springtime more than three billion bulbs burst into color around Noordoostpolder, where 2,000 hectares are under culture. The flat landscape lends itself to easy cycling along way-marked paths to see the extraordinary kaleidoscope of colors, standing neatly in regimented lines.

Beach holidays at Blijburg

From late April until August, the artificial beach of Blijburg on the IJ swings into life, with bars and restaurants, DJs on weekend nights, and bonfires to huddle round at night.

Rijksmuseum Re-opening

To worldwide acclaim, Amsterdam in spring 2013 saw the re-opening of the city’s majestic Rijksmuseum on Saturday April 13. The Van Gogh Museum follows suit on May 1. Use the Amsterdam and Holland Pass to skip the lines.

Queen’s Day, April 30

Amsterdam’s biggest spring festival is Queen’s Day, ceebrated by donning orange clothes, wigs, and hats at street parties in honor of Queen Beatrix. The 2013 celebration has a special poignancy as she abdicates in favor of her son Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange. Celebrations in Amsterdam include a Royal Boat Parade along the River IJ and a grand ball in Museumplein plus all the usual chaotic street markets and parties; giant screens in Dam Square and Museumplein will catch the action for the hundreds of thousands expected for the occasion.

Art Amsterdam

May 15-21 sees Art Amsterdam kick off at the RAI Exhibition and Conference Centre, with 120 galleries from the Netherlands and overseas focusing on contemporary artwork from all genres.

– Sasha Heseltine

Amsterdam in Spring from Amsterdam Things to Do

Café De Jaren on the side of the Amstel in Amsterdam. Courtesy of dutchgrub on Flickr.

Brown Cafés
Traditional Amsterdam taverns or brown cafés have a peculiarly Dutch mixture of charm and cosiness; some serve a limited menu but beer and chatter are always the order of the day. Café ‘t Smalle in charming Jordaan is Amsterdam’s prettiest brown café, with a canal-side location in a 17th-century distillery – happy drinkers spread on to the floating terrace on sunny days. Once Rembrandt’s local, the ancient and atmospheric Café de Sluyswacht is always crowded and leans precariously over Oude Schans canal. Famous for its specialist Belgian and Dutch beers, Café Gollem is tucked away on Raamsteeg and serves around 220 bottled and draught ales.

Café ‘t Smalle in Jordaan, Amsterdam. Picture courtesy of toolmantim on Flickr.

Grand Cafés
Amsterdam’s sleek and ritzy grand cafés offer plenty of wine and beer choices as well as all-day menus. Top tips are Café De Jaren, with a massive, well-stocked bar, plus balcony and terrace overlooking the Amstel. It’s crowded all day with an enticing menu of salads and burgers, while Café Americain on Leidsekade is an Art Deco fantasia with chandeliers, parquet floors, and stained glass, perfect for morning coffee or brunch with jazz on Sundays.

Dutch gin comes in many exotic flavors. Picture courtesy of MollySVH on Flickr.

Proeflokalen (gin houses)
Dutch gin (genever) was invented in the 17th-century and contains malted grain, molasses, and juniper berries. Gin houses were all the rage in the Dutch Golden Age but now few remain. Two of the best are tiny De Dries Fleschjes, which dates from 1650 and is in the shadow of the Nieuwe Kerk. It boasts a wall of barrels containing various gins and some of the casks are embossed with the names of their original patrons. At De Admiraal on Herengracht, there are plenty of boutique gins on offer as well as a serious wine list and a range of delectable snacks.

Bars
Amsterdam has plenty of elegant cocktail bars, buzzing cafés serving gourmet food, and – predictably – even a bar in a windmill. Sample local brews at low, low prices on the terrace at Brouwerij ‘t IJ close to the Oosterpark, or head to the trendy Vesper Bar in cool Haarlemerdijk to sip a cocktail or two. Museumplein’s Café Cobra is the perfect pit stop after a day’s exploration of the new-look Rijksmuseum, serving drinks and snacks by day and gourmet food by night.

How about booking our Amsterdam pub crawl?

– Sasha Heseltine

The Best Bars in Amsterdam from Amsterdam Things to Do

You have the opportunity to see a wide variety of live music at 5 Days Off

It’s the end of a long cold winter and time to get back outside and dance off those winter blues. To do that Amsterdammers will be heading to their iconic music venues Milkveg and Paradiso for 5 Days Off, an electronic music and art festival running from March 6 – 10. The art part is basically to make sure that people do see some daylight hours by providing 5 Days On, a non-music based part of the programming.

This is the thirteenth year of 5 Days Off and this year includes James Holden, Audio Culture, Lukid, Chris Julien, and Gilles Peterson. Milkweg (Milky Way) has been around since the 1970s and is a legendary Amsterdam music venue. It’s located in an old warehouse near the Leidseplein and has a huge concert hall plus smaller spaces for dance, theater, cinema, exhibitions etc. Similarly, Paradiso has been around since 1968 when it opened its doors as the Cosmic Relaxation Center Paradiso – what a great name! Forty years on it’s just known as Paradiso and if those walls could talk… An old church building on Weteringschans, the aim was always to provide a cultural center for creative talent and they have and still do. From Al Green to Grace Jones, to George Clinton, White Stripes and Lady Gaga, everyone has played Paradiso in Amsterdam. And it was one of the first places to bring late night club culture to Amsterdam in the 1980s. Don’t just follow the other tourists into the Red Light District and the coffee shops, head to where the Dutch go to party and take 5 Days Off.

 -Philippa Burne

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5 Days Off from Amsterdam Things to Do

The Magna Plaza in Amsterdam. Picture courtesy of Ernie Hathaway on Flickr.

With some of the best markets, specialty stores, and boutiques in the world, Amsterdam’s shopping streets are easily explored on foot, from the pedestrianized Nieuwedijk-Kalverstraat to the cobbled side streets, canal-sides, and squares. You’ll find everything from big department stores to specialty stores glittering diamonds, crumbly Gouda cheese, and the famous blue-and-white Delftware.

Start the day with a trawl through some of Amsterdam’s 27 flower, flood, and flea markets. Pick out vintage clothes and knock-off DVDs in Waterlooplein’s sprawling flea market, buy bulbs and seeds in the vibrant floating Bloemenmarkt on the Singel, or unearth first editions at the quaintly old-fashioned Bookenmarkt at Oudemanhuispoort – all are open Monday through Saturday. The farmers’ markets (Saturday only), on Nieuwmarkt and Noordermarkt, are the perfect places to pick up organic picnic lunches.

The big three department stores of De Bijenkorf, Metz & Co, and Maison de Bonneterie are all at the luxury end of the market; for bargains search the Amsterdam branch of Vroom & Dreesman (V&D) and the two main shopping malls of Magna Plaza – the third floor is great for main-stream fashion – and Kalvertoren.

De Kaaskamer cheese shop in Amsterdam. Picture courtesy of cheeseslave on Flickr.

Areas to target on a shopping spree include Jordaan’s narrow backstreets for young designers and junky antique shops, Haarlemmer for quirky boutiques, the Negen Straatjes (Nine Alleys) between Prinsengracht and Herengracht for gourmet delis and independent boutiques, and P.C. Hooftstraat, Amsterdam’s flashiest shopping nexus and home to top-end designers and luxury accessories.

For jewelry, head to Coster Diamonds in Paulus Potterstraat; standout delicatessens include De Kaaskammer in Jordaan’s Runstraat, and Meeuwig & Zn in Haarlemmerstraat for delicious olive oils and mustards. New Delftware from the factories in Delft can be sourced from Jorri Heinen on Prinsengracht.

Painted Dutch clogs on sale in Amsterdam. Picture courtesy of Tiger Girl on Flickr.

If you’re after a pair of funky handmade wooden clogs, the Wooden Shoe Factory on Sint Antoniesbreestraat is your best bet, although mass-produced clogs are sold on virtually every street corner in the city. Other wacky Amsterdam shopping souvenirs gaudily painted ceramic gabled houses, blow-up plastic tulips, and kitsch little pottery kissing couples – look no further than Dam Square Souvenirs.

Shop opening hours adhere roughly to the following: Monday 1pm-6pm; Tuesday through Friday 9am-6pm (late-night shopping on Thursday); and Saturday 9am-5pm. Most city-center stores also open on Sunday between 12pm-5pm.

– Sasha Heseltine

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Amsterdam, Amsterdam attractions, and Amsterdam travel recommendations. Or book a private guide in Amsterdam for a customized tour!

Shopping in Amsterdam from Amsterdam Things to Do

Keukenhof, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The tulips are coming out in The Netherlands – it must be springtime. Every year, March is eagerly awaited by gardeners everywhere, not just because it’s the time when plants will actually start growing again and they can get back outside with their buckets and spades, but because March is the month when Keukenhof gardens open each year for its short two-month burst of splendor.

In 2013 Keukenhof opens opens on March 23 and closes May 20, with the flower parade happening on April 20. A range of other activities over these few weeks include an Easter Bunny parade, birds of prey on show, and a weekebnd of art shows running May 2-5.  Once a 15th-century hunting ground, then a castle kitchen garden (‘keukenhof’ means ‘kitchen garden’ in Dutch), this huge parkland has been an open-air flower garden since 1949, with millions of tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils blooming every spring.

Keukenhof is easily accessible from Amsterdam in 40 minutes by car and public transport, and it’s one of Europe’s leading visitor attractions, even though it’s only open for a couple of months a year when the bulbs are in flower. You’ll understand why tulips are so popular in Holland, and why they set off Tulip Mania in The Netherlands during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, when bulbs were briefly worth more than gold.

Also in the 80 acre (32 ha) Keukenhof park are sculptures, activities, and a petting zoo for kids, plus indoor flower displays. You can hire bikes to explore the area outside the park (inside you may only travel the 10 miles (15 km) of paths on foot) – and there are five restaurants dotted around for you to recharge your energy. Outside the park there are also boat trips on offer in electric-powered traditional flower-transport boats. It’s all about the flowers: at Keukenhof you’ll catch tulipmania.

-Philippa Burne

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Amsterdam tours and things to do, Amsterdam attractions, and Amsterdam travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Amsterdam for a customized tour!

Keukenhof Gardens from Amsterdam Things to Do

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will reopen on Saturday 13th April 2013.

I have to say it feels like the Rijksmuseum has been under renovation forever, but finally after 10 years of restoration, the grand reopening will take place on Saturday 13 April 2013.

In 2000 the decision was made to modernise the 1885 building designed by Pierre Cuypers, and the date given for the gallery fully reopening was 2013. It sounds like the new-look Rijksmuseum will be worth the wait – the architects are staying faithful to the red-brick Cuypers fairytale building, but they are opening it up, adding a couple of new buildings, and modernising visitor facilities, security, and climate control for the art works.

For the last decade the best of the museum’s collection (900,000 items in total) has been on display in the Philips Wing, and despite this only being a fraction of what you would normally see, it is definitely still worth visiting.

The most famous piece and the one the Dutch are proudest of is Rembrandt’s huge painting The Night Watch of 1642. It is a wonderful painting to see in reality, and it has a fascinating history. In 1715 it was cut down in size to fit a wall in the town hall, rolled up and hidden from the Nazis in 1939, then slashed by a vandal in 1975, and sprayed with acid by another attacker in 1990.

Rembrandt was not the only genius to emerge from the 17th-century Golden Age when the Netherlands were at their richest and most powerful. Over 400 paintings are still on display, including Vermeer, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen, alongside Golden Age silverware, Delftware pottery, and wonderful dollhouses. The Rijksmuseum is located on Museumplein, alongside the Van Gogh Museum, which also reopens in 2013, and close to the expensive shopping streets. It’s easily reached by bicycle or tram. The museum also has a small site at Schiphol airport to ease the boredom between check-in and boarding.

- Philippa Burne

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Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum from Amsterdam Things to Do

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam reopens April 25 2013. – Photo courtesy of Rinuseversen1 via flickr

Always living in poverty, often ill, van Gogh had little success during his lifetime and his work has only been appreciated since his early death at 37. These days paintings such as Sunflowers, The Starry Night, and Bedroom in Arles are some of the most recognized in the world. As are his self-portraits – especially the one with the famous bandaged ear. But no matter how well we think we know his paintings from books and postcards, seeing the real thing is like seeing them for the first time. The vibrant colors, the swirling brushstrokes, the size and presence of these artworks is amazing. The delicacy of the painted flowers in his Japanese-inspired paintings is lovely. Taking time to really look is rewarding.

The Van Gogh Museum is in a modern building on the Museumplein in Amsterdam and contains over 200 paintings, 500 drawings and 700 letters by van Gogh. Since October 2012 it has been closed for renovation work, and a selection of 75 of its treasures are temporarily on display in the Hermitage Amsterdam until April 25 2013. The museum will reopen on Wednesday May 1 2013 with an exhibition entitled ‘Van Gogh at Work’, examining the artist’s methods of working alongside displays of his masterpieces.

The lines can get very long, so it is worth getting there early; the added bonus being you’ll have fewer people standing between you and the art. Truly inspirational. The museum is across the Museumplein from the Rijksmuseum, which itself reopens Saturday August 13 2013 after a decade of restoration work.

- Philippa Burne

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Van Gogh Museum from Amsterdam Things to Do

The bulb festival in Keukenhof Gardens, just outside Amsterdam. Picture courtesy of stevekc on Flickr.

Spring in Amsterdam brings a host of exciting festivals in celebration of the city’s diverse heritage.

February sees street parades and firework displays in honor of Chinese New Year. March 1-6 kicks off with the electro-fest 5 Days Off, bringing the latest in electronic music to Amsterdam, taking over the biggest clubs Melkweg and Paradiso for non-stop club performances from Booka Shade, Hudson Mohawke, and the headliners the Bloody Beetroots.

The international film and dance festival Cinedans runs from March 1-9 at the EYE Film Institute Netherlands, and later in the month the Food Film Festival runs from March 22-24.  And then the bulbs arrive, forming a psychedelic carpet of flower around Keukenhof Gardens, which open from March 21 to May 20. A blaze of color hits Amsterdam’s flower market, sprawling along the Singel Canal, just in time for Easter (March 29 through April 1).

Queen’s Day im Amsterdam. Picture courtesy of Kerryonlondon on FLickr.

Imagine Film Festival (April 8-17) features freaky anime and science fiction movies at the EYE Film Institute Netherlands, plus a gruesome Night of Terror at the Art Deco Tuschinski Theater on Reguliersbreestraat.

But without a doubt the biggest festival of Amsterdam’s spring months is Queen’s Day, April 30. Hundreds of thousands of orange-clad and orange-bewigged revellers crowd onto the streets, the canals are choked with barges blaring music, the bars overflow, and impromptu street market sprung up on every corner. This year’s Queen’s Day will mark the abdication of Queen Beatrix and celebrations are likely to be even bigger than usual.

– Sasha Heseltine

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Amsterdam, Amsterdam attractions, and Amsterdam travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Amsterdam for a customized tour!

The Best Festivals in Amsterdam in Spring from Amsterdam Things to Do