Sin city – Amsterdam

Amsterdam is known as the ‘sin city’ of Europe, we all know why. Read on to find out all the naughty and nice things you can do in this city –

Bloemenmarkt – Brighten up your day with one of Amsterdam’s most colourful attractions – the floating flower market called the bloemenmarkt. The shops are set on a canal bank (not really floating). Not just fresh flowers, but you can also buy seeds and bulbs here.

Zaanse Schans windmills – half an hour away from the city, this is a village of 18th and 19th century windmills set alongside a river. You can go inside a windmill and see how it works. They also have handicraft shops, houses and restaurants. Check out a clog musuem and the artisan chocolate shop. Its a pretty place to spend half a day.

Heineken experience – For those who love their beer ! Get a tour of the inside of  the factory and see how the beer is made. And of course there is a tasting session at the end!

Boat ride along the canals – A nice way to spend a leisurely evening. Great to take in the views and architecture. We went with blue boat company.

Cycling – For some exercise, rent a cycle. Did you know there are more cycles in Amsterdam than people? There are more than 881,000 bicycles in Amsterdam. Theft is a problem though, use a bike lock when you leave it somewhere.

Coster diamonds –  It is the oldest, still operating, diamond polishing factory in the world. See the polishers at work and learn all about diamonds. You can even buy a diamond at a good price.

Stubbe’s Haring – This is a famous place to eat in Amsterdam. Its an open air fish stall by Singel canal near Central station. Raw herring is a quintessential Dutch snack. The locals eat raw herring covered in onions. There’s a special way to eat it as well.. you have to put the whole fish in your mouth in one shot! Up for the challenge?

Stroopwafels – This is the best thing in the world!! You will get this from street food carts. It is a freshly baked waffle, with caramel-like syrup inside! You also get nutella filling. They are so addictive, I took packs of these back home!

Selfie spot – The best place to take a selfie is at the ‘Iamsterdam’ giant letters outside the Rijksmueum. Go early in the morning if you want a clean one though, it gets very crowded.

Coffeeshop – The infamous coffeeshops of Amsterdam sell anything but coffee! Weed, marijuana, hash brownies, pre-rolled joints… you can just walk in and buy it shamelessly. We recommend ‘purple haze’. We went to a famous coffeeshop called the Bulldog. (PS – if you actually want coffee, go to a cafe)

Red light district – The other big attraction of Amsterdam. Streets of girls in lingerie behind glass windows. By the way, photography is not allowed, if you take photos with your phone or camera, it will be thrown into the canal. They are very strict about that. The area is called De Wallen, we had a little trouble finding it on Google maps, its better to ask for directions.

Also worth a visit, check out The Hague, an hour’s drive or train ride away. Read about things to do here. Rotterdam is 30 minutes drive from The Hague, see things to do here.