Foods & drinks
If you like food and an alcoholic beverage every now and then, you can eat your heart out in Amsterdam.
Oliebollen
Whoever has been to Amsterdam in the run-up to New Year’s Eve, knows what ‘Oliebollen’ are. Around the start of fall, the Oliebollen-carts pop up on every street corner. You may know them as Dutch Doughnuts, but literally translated, oliebollen means ‘oily balls’. That may not sound tempting at all, but don’t be fooled, they are delicious. The deep-fried balls of dough are often eaten with powdered sugar and a real hot treat on a cold rainy day.
Grand Caron
This is a pop-up restaurant in the Westergasfabriek. The Caron Group already has two amazing restaurants in Amsterdam but they tried something different. The pop-up restaurant offers 80 places to sit inside an industrial-looking hall. Grand Caron serves typical French cuisine, it's delicious and has a cool location at the same time! There are several other things to do around de
Westergasfabriek, Westerpark is nearby as well.
Visit a Brewery
This one might already be on your list but who does not want to visit the most famous brewery of The Netherlands (maybe the world...). Yes, I am talking about Heineken. You can visit the brewery in de Pijp, at the
Heineken Experience building and get to know all the ins and outs. If you want to keep it small and local,
Brouwerij 't IJ is the place to go.
Culture and arts
You know Amsterdam is famous for its rich culture all year round. Since the weather isn’t always that great around this time of year, many opt to visit a museum at the Museum Square. We already wrote a blog about the
Best museums in Amsterdam, check that one out if you want to visit museums. However, there are more cultural activities during the fall.
Amsterdam Art Gallery Weekend
The Amsterdam Art Gallery Weekend will take place in the weekend of 25 – 29 November, Amsterdam's art galleries and its artist will be the centre of attention during this weekend. You can enjoy the various arts through exhibitions, artist talks, gallery tours and performances. Normally, there was the official Amsterdam Art weekend, due to Covid-19 this weekend is postponed to 15-18 April 2021.
Party in Amsterdam
A lot of young people visit Amsterdam to party all night. However, partying is not only reserved for the young and restless. In the City of Diamonds, you can party regardless of your age. Unfortunately, Covid-19 came around the block and stopped us from partying. Nevertheless, some creative people came up with some alternatives.
Amsterdam Dance Event
Dance the night away at one of the most famous dance events in all of Europe.
The Amsterdam Dance Event is considered the world’s biggest club festival and Europe’s leading electronic music conference. If you’re into Electro, you don’t want to miss this. This year, ADE will continue but it will turn into an online event! Between Wednesday, October 21st and Sunday, October 25th you can stream in from your living room and have the best night with yourself. There used to be more than 400 music events throughout the entire city but this won't be happening this year. Although, some locations offer seated ADE Special Shows, like
Paradiso. One great advantage is that the price will be way less than it used to be. They offer an
ADE Pro Pass for only €75, while it used to be €450.
Amsterdam Halloween Festival
Between 20 and 31 October, there are many
Halloween parties and activities in Amsterdam. Visit the Arty Party - Halloween Special (20 October) or Pumpkin Carving (28 October) in the Student Hotel West. If you’re a fan of scary movies, you should check out the Halloween Movie Night at Spartaan on October 28. Furthermore, there is the FIZZ Halloween Social Club on 31 October at Don Bosco.
Take A Walk
Autumn is the best timing to enjoy the parks in Amsterdam. There are leaves falling from the trees, beautiful brown colors decorate the city and its green. You might think as Amsterdam as a city with no green at all but the opposite is true. We have a lot of parks to enjoy.
Parks
Vondelpark is of course the most famous park in the city and is located in the middle of Amsterdam. If you want to escape the crowded city centre, then the Amsterdamse Bos is the solution. It is the largest local park in the city. There are several things to do, like visiting the organic goat farm, explore the lake by pedal boat or ride a bike. Near the lively neighborhood, De Pijp there is also the Sarpathipark, an oasis of peace without any bikes driving around. Furthermore, there are lots of other parks like the Eramuspark, Oosterpark etc.
Other Activities
Amsterdam Film Festival
Every year the international filmfestival takes place in Amsterdam. You can enjoy different events, one of them is the
International DocumentaryFilm Festival. The IDFA displays the biggest and newest international documentaries. Furthermore, you can enjoy the
Da Bounce Urban Film Festival, representing the Afro-American culture. There are lots of other things to do like the
Bijlmerbios and the
Cinekid Festival.
ICE Amsterdam
On the 14th of November, ICE Amsterdam is back again. The well-known ice-skating rink on the Museumplein! It will be there until the 31st of January 2021. A Christmas Market will take place from the 11th of December until the 27th of December. You can enjoy the amazing view, a hot chocolate or engage in ice skating. It is a must see when you are in Amsterdam around this timing.
Arrival of Sinterklaas
Let’s finish these activities with the most famous Dutch tradition for the little ones. On November 15, Sinterklaas arrives in Amsterdam. Sinterklaas is a fictional character based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. He was actually the inspiration for the American Santa Claus we all know so well. Mid-November, Sinterklaas enters the country with his steamboat from Spain. Normally, his helpers throw candy and small, round gingerbread-like cookies (pepernoten) to all the children who came to welcome him but unfortunately this is not possible anymore due to Covid-19. Although, Sinterklaas will still enter Amsterdam with his steamboat but with a smaller public. The feast of Sinterklaas itself is on December 5
th. That day, all children receive gifts from The Sint – just like kids do at the American Christmas. If you want to learn more about Dutch traditions or if you want tips for your trip to Amsterdam, please contact us.
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