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Amsterdam on my own

I am going on the Holland/Belgium tour and then plan to stay in Amsterdam after the tour. I found plenty of things to see and do during the day, but am not sure what a single woman would or could do at night in Amsterdam. Any suggestions of what I can do to fill in the evenings. It does not need to be every night, but a few suggestions would be helpful. I am not sure yet how long to stay in Amsterdam but thinking at least 4 or 5 nights to really see this city. Was there years ago and looking forward to seeing it again.
Thank you for your advice.

Posted by
26829 posts

I'll bet there is at least one evening walking tour (food- or drink-related, probably).

Some major museums are open late one night a week. Don't know whether there's one with extended hours in Amsterdam, though.

I enjoyed a daytime canal-boat ride on my trip to Amsterdam ages ago. Do the boats run at night as well?

Musical performances are always good; language isn't an issue. You might even find an English-language play being performed by a visiting theatre group, since English is so widely spoken in the Netherlands.

Posted by
7049 posts

If it were me, I'd look into going to a live music venue or a concert (if you like jazz, then all the better).

Posted by
650 posts

You already have many good suggestions, but here are a couple more. The Anne Frank House is open late. Just walking in the Jordan is very pleasant and feels safe. Take a day trip, have dinner out there after the sights have closed, and then spend the early evening coming "home" on the train. You could also eat dinner with a Dutch family. https://dinewiththedutch.amsterdam

Posted by
308 posts

The Van Gogh museum is open until 10 on Fridays. I'm not sure if they still have live music on Friday nights, but when I visited they had live music and a wet bar.

Posted by
1200 posts

Jen:

Thank you so much, this is a very interesting suggestion and one that I will look into. I love this idea. Have you done it and if so did you do it in Amsterdam and would you mind telling me about it. Really cool, thanks again.

Posted by
650 posts

Ann,

We did not. Friends of ours did and really liked it. We tried and we're unable to find a match for four diners. They ate well outside the tourist district with a Dutch family of three and another American couple. The Dutch couple's little boy asked them a lot of questions anout school in the U. S. They had appetizers and beer followed by a family style dinner.

Posted by
15560 posts

That's the dilemma I had. Too many day time options, nothing to do after 5-6 pm, when even the shops closed. Though that was a few years ago, it sounds like A'dam hasn't changed much.

I googled "amsterdam at night". One link was to this tripadvisor thread which had some interesting suggestions after the first few responses.

Posted by
7049 posts

nothing to do after 5-6 pm, ???

Amsterdam has a vibrant dance/club/music scene....it may not appeal to everyone (and the clubbing is admittedly geared toward younger people), but I don't think there's a lack of things to do in Amsterdam at night. I think the trick is just finding something that you'd be comfortable with (I don't want to presume anyone's age or comfort level).

To the OP - I would check out events online (http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting) or grab a magazine with weekly events once you're on the ground, unless you're interested in something that might require advance reservations. Or ask some locals for ideas. This may be a cheesy idea but if you like Chicago-style comedy/improv (I do!), that may be another option (http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/whats-on/on-stage/theatres/boom-chicago)

Posted by
1806 posts

In a 2 week visit, I was never once at a loss for things to do at night in Amsterdam. Like the previous poster, I took advantage of evening hours at a number of museums. Anne Frank House was really easy to visit (I did not even bother with a timed ticket - just walked right in after 6PM with my Museum Pass). The Van Gogh, in particular, as mentioned by the poster above was great on Friday evening as they had live music and a bar on the ground floor. FOAM (photography museum) had special nights where they offered a group dinner and lecture/tour. The EYE Film Museum shows a number of movies at night. There are lots of brown cafes you can go to just for a drink if you aren't interested in clubbing. Depending when you go, there are also things like the theater, opera, orchestra or dance performances you could try to catch. There are also some canal boats that do evening tours.

You could also think about signing up for the Couch Surfing community. It's not just for people looking for a free place to stay, there are often locals that are interested in just having a coffee or eating dinner somewhere with visitors to their city.

Posted by
985 posts

Ann - you might also look at the Withlocals website and look at activities/dinners available. They range from cheap to too expensive for my budget.
Check out the Concertgebeouw for evening concerts.
Van Gogh museum sometimes has free guided tours in English on specific Friday nights at 7:00 pm.

The Stedelijk museum is also open until 10:00 pm on Friday nights.
Evening canal cruises are nice with all of the city lights.
If you think you will be visiting multiple museums then make sure to buy a museumkaart. It's 65 E but pays for itself on the 4th or 5th museum visit.
I've done a lot of research for our upcoming December/January trip and have it all typed up in word document. Shoot me a pm with your email addy if you would like a copy of it.

Posted by
1005 posts

Just want to added my voice to a previous poster who enjoyed Boom Chicago, the improv show in English that is based in the Jordaan neighborhood. It really was a fun evening and the comics were amazing. Otherwise, if you are worried about being lonely, you might try the Meetup website to see if there are groups you can join while in Amsterdam. Also, there may be other members of your tour group who are also staying longer in Amsterdam. During your tour, see who is doing that and arrange to go out together for dinner or a drink one night.

Posted by
1200 posts

I just want to thank everyone for all your wonderful suggestions and help. This will give me a lot to look at and think about and be able to plan this properly. If anyone else has suggestions, please keep them coming. Again, thanks everyone for being so helpful.

Posted by
166 posts

Ann,

Lots of good suggestions already, but let me add just a couple. For great live music in a nice neighborhood setting, I would highly recommend CC Muziek café In the Dejip neighborhood. I played there myself in 2014, and hope to play there again in 2017 in the Summer. The owner Rene' is a real nice guy who appreciates his customers. Easy going crowd as well.

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://cccafe.amsterdam/&prev=search

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv0DMRJOzvM

https://www.facebook.com/ccmuziekcafe/

As for food, I truly love good Chinese food, and my favourite Chinese restaurant in the ENTIRE world is Golden Chopsticks near Dam Square. Great food at a reasonable cost.

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://www.goldenchopsticks.nl/en/&prev=search

Albert Cuyp market during the day is also not to be missed. Lots of interesting folks and things to see , eat , smell etc. That's where I 1st met "Caribbean Joe." PRICELESS!!

http://albertcuyp-markt.amsterdam/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbCEOdPs11g

have a great time !!! One of the truly marvelous cities in the world.
.

Posted by
228 posts

CC Muziek Café is in de Rustenburgerstraat 384 in Amsterdam , in " De Pijp " area. MapQuest etc. should show exactly where it is.

Posted by
4021 posts

Pubs are congenial but I understand the reluctance of a woman to attend on her own. In September I enjoyed myself in several of a chain that promotes craft beer, domestic and foreign. Craft beer fans tend to be single-minded about their consumption and a substantial numberof the staff in these establishments were female. I'm a single male, by the way. Here are their links; Arendsnest was the most intimate:
www.arendsnest.nl
www.beertemple.nl
www.craftanddraft.nl (substantial stock of American brews)
Gastrobar: www.causebeerlovesfood.nl

Posted by
3217 posts

I suggest asking your innkeeper/front desk person for suggestions. You will probably not be the first single female they've encountered and hopefully s/he will know some places where a single woman would feel comfortable.

Posted by
1200 posts

Thank you all for the excellent suggestions.