Amsterdam: An Insider's Guide to Where to Eat, Stay & Play

However you arrive—by train, car, or flight—Amsterdam has a way of welcoming you in immediately. I drive in from Hamburg, which means by the time I drop my bags at the Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium, I am already in the mood the city creates—unhurried, curious, and ready to move slowly. The Conservatorium is my first choice for clients every time. A former music conservatory reimagined as one of Amsterdam’s most considered hotels, it sits perfectly between the Museum Quarter and the city’s most beautiful streets. Check in, exhale, and resist the urge to plan too much.

Start the day properly with coffee. Amsterdam takes its coffee seriously and it shows—head to Wandu Café for a Nordic cool moment or Uncommon Café, where the handcrafted ceramics and clean, soothing aesthetic make the whole experience feel considered. Then walk. The Conservatorium puts you steps from Museumplein, which means the Van Gogh Museum or the Rijksmuseum are your natural first stop of the day. Pick one—trying to do both in a day is the mistake most people make. Allow yourself to get properly lost inside it rather than rushing through.

Lunch is best somewhere that feels like the city rather than a restaurant trying to impress you. Oriole—a plant-filled bistro with a leafy garden courtyard—is a beautiful middle-of-the-day stop, warm and unhurried with Mediterranean-inspired food that never feels heavy. Afterwards, wander. The Nine Streets are close and perfect for an afternoon with no agenda—local boutiques, canal bridges, a pastry if something catches your eye. This is the part of the day where Amsterdam does its best work.

By late afternoon, make your way back to the Conservatorium. The hotel bar is the ideal place to change your energy before dinner—order something cold, people watch, and let the day settle. For dinner on night one, I always recommend Restaurant Flore at De L’Europe—two Michelin stars, vegetable forward, and genuinely one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the city.

Day two is about leaving the landmarks behind and moving through the neighborhoods that give Amsterdam its real character. Start the morning at Albert Cuyp Market in De Pijp—one of Europe’s largest and most colorful street markets. Pick up a warm stroopwafel, taste some Dutch cheese, and let the energy of the market set the pace. From there, make your way into Jordaan—narrow lanes, hidden courtyards, and a quiet neighborhood rhythm that is impossible not to love. If you have not yet visited the Anne Frank House, this is the moment. It sits in the heart of Jordaan, is one of the most important visits the city offers, and sells out quickly, so book well ahead.

Afternoon is for the canals. Skip the large tourist boats and opt for something smaller and more intimate—Amsterdam looks and feels completely different from the water, and a canal cruise through the historic center is one of those experiences that stays with you. Afterwards, wander the Nine Streets for independent boutiques, vintage finds, and the kind of canalside café culture Amsterdam does better than anywhere.

For lunch, try Restaurant de Kas—a stunning greenhouse restaurant where the menu changes daily based on what is growing on site. It is unhurried, beautiful, and deeply in tune with a slower way of traveling. End the evening at the Pulitzer Bar for drinks before a relaxed dinner at Madre—bold, vibrant, and a completely different energy from night one.

By day three, Amsterdam starts to feel like yours. This is the day to resist any remaining urge to plan and instead move purely by feeling. Start with a long, slow morning coffee at Uncommon Café, where the handcrafted ceramics and calm aesthetic make the whole experience feel considered, followed by a walk through Vondelpark. Amsterdam’s most beloved green space is the perfect place to watch the city wake up at its own pace—locals on bikes, dogs, children, people reading on the grass. It is a side of Amsterdam that most visitors miss entirely and one of the most grounding ways to spend a morning.

From Vondelpark, make your way toward the Museum Quarter if you missed the Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum on day one, or simply wander the neighborhood and let the afternoon take shape on its own. The Stedelijk Museum is worth a stop for contemporary art, and the Moco Museum has an unexpectedly great exhibition on modern and street art that feels very Amsterdam. For something more playful in the late afternoon, Brouwerij 't IJ—a craft brewery inside a working windmill—is one of those Amsterdam experiences that is impossible not to enjoy.

For a final dinner, make it special. Book Restaurant Flore at De L’Europe if you have not already been—two Michelin stars, a vegetable-forward menu, and one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the city. Then finish the evening at Freddy’s Bar next door, a legendary local haunt named after Alfred Heineken that has exactly the kind of warmth and character that makes you want to stay one more night.