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Water Activities in Amsterdam: A Local’s Guide to Getting Out on the Water

Water Activities in Amsterdam: A Local’s Guide to Getting Out on the Water

Posted by | Jul 22, 2026 | , ,

…very often to go to the Eye Filmmuseum right across the water. Beyond the canals: sailing the IJ and the IJsselmeer When the canals start to feel small, the water keeps going. Out on the IJ and the great inland sea of the IJsselmeer you can sail properly, charter a classic flat-bottomed boat with a skipper, or join a sailing trip out onto open water that feels a world away from the city centre. The fortress island of Pampus, part of the old Defen…

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Best Day Trips from Amsterdam: 27 Dutch Cities You Need to Visit

Best Day Trips from Amsterdam: 27 Dutch Cities You Need to Visit

Posted by | Jan 29, 2025 | ,

…bol), the Martinikerk, the Fries Scheepvaart Museum (maritime museum), the canals and town hall. To do: Walk the canals, visit the maritime museum, soak up the relaxed pace; sailing fans should come for Sneekweek. Getting around: on foot. Fun fact: Sneek hosts Sneekweek, one of the largest inland sailing regattas in Europe. 👉 Read here my full guide to Sneek: Exploring Sneek: A Guide to Friesland’s Nautical Gem 27. Harlingen: harbour town and tall…

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What to Do in Amsterdam in Summer: A Local’s Guide

What to Do in Amsterdam in Summer: A Local’s Guide

Posted by | Jul 14, 2025 | , ,

…find your favourites, you will keep going there. 8. Listen to music on the canals with Grachtenfestival (canal festival) – 7–16 August 2026 The Grachtenfestival turns Amsterdam’s canals into the world’s most gorgeous concert hall every August, for about 10 days. Floating pontoons are built in the city center, and classical music mixes with the sounds of bycicles and seagulls cry. The concerts are in various locations throughout the city, not only…

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Amsterdam Light Festival 2026: A Winter Glow Over the Canals

Amsterdam Light Festival 2026: A Winter Glow Over the Canals

Posted by | Oct 25, 2025 | , ,

…te goes through the heart of Amsterdam, with artworks positioned along the canals, beside them, and occasionally even in the water itself. You can experience the installations from multiple perspectives, by boat on the canals or on foot along the streets. For the fifteenth edition the festival has said the route will be new, but has not yet published where it runs. Last edition it took in the Amstel, the canal belt and the area around Central Stat…

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Visiting Giethoorn from Amsterdam: An Honest Guide to the Village With No Roads

Visiting Giethoorn from Amsterdam: An Honest Guide to the Village With No Roads

Posted by | Apr 12, 2025 | ,

…ear, and would be very nice to see it covered in snow or to see the frozen canals and everyone skating. However, winters are quite warm in the Netherlands now, snow is rare, and frozen canals are even rarer. The moment of the day matters too. Most day tours arrive late morning and leave by mid-afternoon. Showing up at 9am or staying past 5pm gives you a completely different village. This, more than anything else, is the trick. Where to Stay in Gie…

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Amsterdam Canal Cruise from Autumn to Light Festival: A Local’s Review of Pure Boats

Amsterdam Canal Cruise from Autumn to Light Festival: A Local’s Review of Pure Boats

Posted by | Sep 21, 2026 | , ,

…ound ninety islands, roughly 1,500 bridges and well over 100 kilometres of canals, and the seventeenth-century ring has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2010. I have lived here for about 15 years now and have sailed on the canals on various occasions, in different boats and seasons, and I am still amazed every time I am on the water. It’s one of the things that relaxes me so much, and it’s not just me, judging by the fact that at the f…

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Day Trip to Leiden: Rembrandt’s Birthplace and the Netherlands’ Oldest University City

Day Trip to Leiden: Rembrandt’s Birthplace and the Netherlands’ Oldest University City

Posted by | Jul 24, 2026 | ,

…that date. It’s a cool thing to witness. Exploring the City ⏺ Walking the Canals Leiden is small enough that you can do most of it on foot. Walk along the canals, check out the smaller side streets (most very rewarding!), discover squares and old houses and sidewalk gardens. It’s the best way to see the city. Make sure to not miss the Rapenburg, the broadest and most stately of Leiden’s canals, lined with the grandest 17th-century houses and the…

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Things to Do in Utrecht: a Complete Guide to Discovering the City and Its Surroundings

Things to Do in Utrecht: a Complete Guide to Discovering the City and Its Surroundings

Posted by | Feb 23, 2022 | , ,

…but also by bike. Walk around, paying attention to the old houses and the canals, and don’t miss the hidden courtyards you will stumble upon. The house entrances are beautiful and you can spend a lot of time admiring them, as this article proves. Explore the canals (Oudegracht in particular). The current canal network, different from what you usually see in the Dutch cities, was constructed on the bed of the river, which was passing through the h…

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Amsterdam Events in 2026: Your Month-by-Month Calendar

Amsterdam Events in 2026: Your Month-by-Month Calendar

Posted by | Jan 9, 2026 | , ,

…and political themes. De Amsterdamse Grachtenrace — 10 October, Amsterdam canals De Amsterdamse Grachtenrace (Canal Race) is a long-standing rowing event in which teams of rowers compete in traditional sloops along a course that winds through Amsterdam’s canals, usually covering around 21–25 kilometres of waterway. Amsterdam Marathon – 17-18 October The Amsterdam Marathon is an annual marathon in Amsterdam in the Netherlands since 1975. The road…

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Skating on the Frozen Canals in Amsterdam

Skating on the Frozen Canals in Amsterdam

Posted by | Mar 3, 2018 | ,

…rms, the Dutch are happy: lakes and canals have frozen and they can do one of their favourite activities – skating on natural ice. Yes, the miracle happened. After a week of painfully cold temperatures, everything is frozen, even some canals in Amsterdam , where this doesn’t happen too often (last time was in 2012). The Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht are frozen partially, as well as other smaller canals. The photos below are taken on Egelantiersg…

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Amsterdamian is a digital magazine exploring life in Amsterdam and the Netherlands and everything that makes this place unique. From everyday moments to cultural deep-dives, hidden corners to personal stories, it’s an invitation to discover not just the country, but the people who give it soul.

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