First time Amsterdam Self-Guided Walking Tour
Walking itinerary for your first visit / layover / day or afternoon in Amsterdam.
Google maps itinerary:
Start at Centraal Station
Simply take the train to Central Station and take the main exit. You will now see a boulevard called Damrak. If you walk down this street you’ll quickly reach Dam Square. At the beginning of the street there are plenty of companies offering canal cruises (usually about 1 to 1.5h, highly recommended). You’ll also see the famous Amsterdam houses in the water on your left here (see picture below).
On Damrak you will also find Manneken Pis, a very famous place to eat Flemish fries which has won several awards for best fries of The Netherlands.
There are many souvenir and common international clothes shops here too, such as Primark and H&M.
Parallel to Damrak there is another (pedestrian only) street called Nieuwendijk. You can take this street, with lots of shops, to Dam Square too. If you follow Nieuwendijk in the opposite direction of Dam Square it will ultimately (a short walk only) take you to the Haarlemmerstraat where you can buy nice cheeses and croissants.
Shopping around Dam Square
Once you reach Dam Square you will see the Royal Palace of Amsterdam on your right hand side. On your left you will see De Bijenkorf, the most famous and iconic department store of Amsterdam. From Dam Square you can go straight ahead on to the large boulevard called Rokin (make a pitstop at the super cute little Dutch bakery called De Laatste Kruimel, check out their small little balcony at the back), or take the small parallel pedestrian street (Kalverstraat), these are the main shopping streets of Amsterdam.
Picturesque canals and bridges
Continuing straight (if you don’t stop for some delicious cookies at Van Stapele Koekmakerij on the way) from here you’ll reach Rembrandt Square, a square full of bars and terraces.
After Rembrandt Square you will eventually reach a bridge crossing the Amstel River and see an old church in front of you. Left in front of the church you’ll see Waterlooplein (Waterloo Square) with its flea market popular among tourists (a good place to buy souvenirs!).
From here check your Google Maps/Maps.me (I added a map below with the entire walking route on Google Maps) and take go to the Staalstraat by crossing a small bridge. Right after that there is another bridge on the same street, called Staalmeestersbrug. This is a perfect Instagram spot to take a picture of a traditional small Amsterdam Canal with a little church in the background.
Evening in the Red Light district
Before the third bridge on the same street, turn right on to the Kloveniersburgwal. Ideally it should be dawn by now, because you are about to reach the Red Light District. Down the canal you’ll find a traditional Dutch “brown” Cafe Restaurant called De Engelbewaarder. Great for a beer or for an informal dinner. They have a very competitively priced “dish of the day” which changes everyday. Walking further down the same canal you’ll reach the Nieuwmarkt, a square with an iconic building in the centre called De Waag. This square is full of terraces and cafes too, and is the heart of Amsterdam’s very own China Town. If you continue the small pedestrian road behind De Waag, called the Zeedijk, you’ll find countless Asian restaurants and even a temple! Eventually this street leads you back to Central Station.
However if you turn left on the Nieuwmarkt square, you’ll enter the famous Amsterdam Red Light District. Here you can roam around the small and (at night very busy) canals. Make your way to the Oude Kerk (Old Church) and explore the small alleys behind.
In this area there are two gems to have a drink or eat: Mata Hari is a restaurant/bar that serves great cocktails, they have a terrace right along the canal. Here you can also see the traditional Dutch houses right in the water of the canal.
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