Zaïda’s personal page.

Welcome to my personal page, where you will find all kinds of useful information, suggestions, and deals to help you make the rest of your stay in Amsterdam even more memorable! All suggestions are hand-picked by me, your new BFF in Amsterdam! 🙂

You will find:

The Group picture & Instagram
Ideas for what to see and do
Dutch & Indonesian Restaurant suggestions
Tickets for other activities with great discounts
Staff favorites map: great places to eat, drink, smoke …and experience
Interesting reads

Now, before we get started, If you enjoyed the tour, please don’t forget to recommend us on TripAdvisor or Google or wherever you booked the tour. It only takes you a few seconds. It really helps me stay motivated as a guide, plus I get small bonus from my boss, so don’t forget to mention my name! 😉

THE GROUP PICTURE

I posted our picture (or will be soon) on our Facebook page so you can show your friends how much fun you’re having in Amsterdam! Follow me on Instagram for great pictures of the city – no selfies 😉 I have not been active for a while but this is a big motivation to get started again 🙂

WHAT TO DO

Go on a canal cruise!! You simply cannot come to Amsterdam and not see it from the water, which is where all those beautiful canal houses were meant to be seen, so don’t miss this opportunity! We partnered up with Those Dam Goat Guys, (the best-rated canal cruise company in town, and definitely not your average canal cruise experience!), and by using the promo code FDzaida you get a 10% discount on your booking.
Visit the Jordaan (especially the northern part, north of Rozengracht) and have an apple pie at Winkel 43 (the best apple pie in town!) or ‘Papeneiland‘ – a very cute traditional brown cafe’s on a stunning canalside location. Visit some of the many ‘secret courtyards‘ the Jordaan is famous for, and have lunch or dinner Dutch restaurant Sonneveld. Check out the farmers market on Saturday and the super cool food, clothes, and art market (my favorite!) on Monday morning, both taking place on Noordermarkt
Explore some of the most beautiful and least visited parts in the city center like De Oude Waal (my favorite canal in Amsterdam! – make sure to see ‘The Shiping house’ (also from the inside! My favorite building in Amsterdam 🙂 Now a hotel and the beautiful old warehouse district Etrepotdok, next to Artis ZOO.
Get a bike (!!) and visit the 19th Century neighborhoods around the city center: De Pijp, (hipster district) Oud Zuid, (affluent part of town) Oud west (especially the Helmersstraat area and Food Hallen), Oost (multicultural – check out Javastraat & Oosterpark)
Stroll & shop along the Nine little streets and Utrechtsestraat
Get a fresh stroopwafel at the Albert Cuypmarket (Monday – Saturday 9am – 5pm)
Visit at least one of our great parks: Vondelpark, Westerpark, Sarphatipark, Oosterpark.
Take a free ferry to the NDSM shipyard and check out the largest Street Art museum in the world located in the ‘Lasloods’. check out their program to see what’s on.
Visit the new Public Library and get a stunning view from their rooftop terrace for free
If you like modern state of the art architecture and urbanism check out the Eastern Docklands (former warehouses. industrial area)
Walk along the Amstel river and take pictures on the skinny bridge
Eat, drink and dance at ‘de School‘ aka ’the Berghain of Amsterdam’ – a 24-hour complex situated in an old School offering a high-end eatery, a gym, cafe & art exhibits.

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS

(click on the names for directions on Google Maps)

Dutch – Café Sonneveld.

Very nice and reasonable priced Dutch restaurant with friendly staff (ask for Kora!) in THE best location in the Jordaan, with absolutely stunning canal & church views. I recommend their stamppot (a typical dutch dish of stamped potatoes, kale, and sausage or meatball with gravy) and their spare ribs – voted the best ones in Amsterdam! Click here for directions in Google maps and here to reserve your spot. Please don’t forget to mention my name in the special request section, show them my card, or just tell them I sent you 🙂

Indonesian

Sampurna (by the flower market)

Cafe Kadijk (by the shipping museum)

You can find other (non-dutch) restaurant recommendations on the staff-favorites map.

TICKETS FOR OTHER ACTIVITIES WITH GREAT DISCOUNTS

We now have a webshop where you can buy tickets with a discount for a wide variety of attractions in Amsterdam. Click here to see the entire selection with hundreds of attractions – it’s fast and super easy. Their digital tickets (no need to print them) are accepted everywhere. From canal cruises to skip-the-line tickets for museums, I’m sure you will find something fun to do in Amsterdam!

AMSTERDAM PERSONAL FAVOURITES / MUST DO’S:

Those Dam Boat Guys €~~32,50~~ €29,25

Best-rated canal cruise company in Amsterdam! Small, open boats, lots of fun, and storytelling by your very personable captain. This is definitely NOT your average canal cruise and is worth the extra price. By using the promo code FDzaida you get a 10% discount on your booking.

Budget Canal Cruise
€~~19,00~~ €16 – 60 minutes
My #1 Budget Boat Trip- Recommended Experience! Explore Amsterdam’s canals on a larger boat cruise with an audioguide.

I amsterdam City Card
€~~65,00~~ € €60 The ultimate one-stop solution if you REALLY want to get the most out of your stay in Amsterdam, and beyond. Included are:

Entrance to the best museums and attractions in Amsterdam and picturesque towns and villeges nearby including Haarlem, Zaanse Schans, Volendam, Marken, Muiden, and Enkhuizen
Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, ARTIS, Hermitage Amsterdam, and more!
Free canal cruise
Discounts and special offers
Detailed city map
Unlimited use of the GVB public transport in Amsterdam (metro, tram, bus)

Zaanse Schans Windmills + Fishing Villages of Volendam + Marken!
€~~59,00~~ €32,50
The best day trip excursion to do out of Amsterdam! In a deluxe coach with a live guide, you will visit the most famous area with preserved windmills in the Netherlands along with visiting the traditional fishing village of Volendam and take a boat to Marken, another fishing village with no cars! Extremely good value tour and my favorite day trip to recommend to people!

Van Gogh Museum + Audioguide
€22
Marvel at the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings. Everything from Starry Nights to the famous sunflower paintings is on display!

Rijksmuseum: Skip The Line Access
€22
Amsterdam’s must-see museum boasts Rembrandt’s Night-watch along with other masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age + 8,000 objects in 80 galleries. Insider tip: Download the Rijksmuseum App from the Apple Store or Google Play Store and bring headphones to get a highlights tour for free instead of renting an audio guide.

THINGS WE SAW / DISCUSSED ON THE TOUR:

Red Light Secrets – Museum of Prostitution
€~~17,00~~ €14,50
Go behind the scenes of the world’s oldest profession.

The Hidden Church – Our Dear Lord in the Attic
€15,50
My favorite ‘off-the-beaten-path place to take visitors! You get to see what a traditional canal house used to look like plus visit the incredible attic church I talked about. A wonderful place to ponder the idea of Dutch tolerance.

BODY WORLDS – The Happiness Project
€~~24,95~~ €22,50
If you were inspired by Rembrandt’s anatomy lesson then I suggest taking a thrilling tour of the human anatomy at this groundbreaking exhibition where you can Experience the scientific phenomenon that’s taken the whole world by storm and see over 200 perfectly preserved human bodies right in the heart of Amsterdam

Amsterdam Museum
€18
Located in the former city’s Orphanage, see what you learned on the tour with artwork, artifacts & interactive exhibitions tracing Amsterdam’s history. Now exhibiting the Golden Royal Carriage! (till February 27th, 2022)

The Rembrandt House Museum
€17,50
Visit the place where the genius lived, worked, and trained other Dutch master artists. On display are Rembrandt’s spectacular etchings in addition to artifacts from his life and residence.

Jewish Cultural Quarter
€17
Entry to five major Jewish cultural sites with a single ticket. A MUST for anyone interested in exploring the Jewish history of Amsterdam further.
Includes 1. Jewish Historical Museum 2. Portuguese Synagogue 3. Children’s Museum 4. National Holocaust Memorial (Hollandse Schouwburg) 5. Holocaust Museum

OTHER FAN FAVOURITES:

HEINEKEN Experience
€21
Drink up the history of the Netherlands’ most famous export. Many love this place. If you love HEINEKEN it is a must and you can take advantage of this discount. Don’t miss the rooftop with a great view of Amsterdam with free beers included!

Modern Art – Stedelijk Museum:
Skip The Line Access €22,50
A mecca of modern art in a stunning collection. See works by Warhol, Kandinsky, Rodin, Matisse, Pollock, and more with rotating world-class temporary exhibitions.

ARTIS Royal Zoo:
Skip The Line Access €25
See hundreds of different species including lions, zebras, and giraffes, and dine to the soothing sounds of birdsong on the restaurant’s terrace. Great to do with kids!

MOCO Museum – Banksy Exhibition:
Skip The Line Access Ticket €19.50
Original artworks by Banksy and other geniuses!

National Maritime Museum
€17.50
Experience 500 years of maritime history in stimulating interactive exhibitions & Come aboard the replica of the Amsterdam, a sailing ship of the Dutch East India Company.

STAFF-FAVOURITES MAP

We created an interactive google map with all our favorite activities, from local hotspots to the best urban beaches! Click here to check it out!

INTERESTING READS

If you are interested in learning more about Amsterdam’s history and Dutch culture I warmly recommend these two books:

‘Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City’ by Russel Shorto
And
Why The Dutch Are Different: A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands by Ben Coates.

Now you really have everything you need to have an absolutely great time!! 😃

Thank you so much for choosing FreeDam Tours, enjoy the rest of your stay,
…and see you next time in Amsterdam!

Hugs, Zaïda.