Amsterdam is made for today’s teens—every location is a picture-perfect backdrop for TikTok or Instagram, thanks to its cobblestone-street-lined canals, bicycles, diverse museum culture, quirky cafés and thriving food markets. And, the city is having a bit of a rebrand, actively downplaying the infamous “Red-Light District” and nightlife with a “Stay Away” campaign aimed at hard partiers with new restrictions on alcohol, prostitution and coffee shops—cafés where it is legal to sell marijuana. While the effort is more of a tweak than an overhaul, it surely will make the city feel more family friendly. Here are our recommendations on how you and your teens can enjoy Amsterdam together.
Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht
Housed in the former public library, Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht has a super cool vibe, with a décor that celebrates Dutch heritage mixed with pops of colorful contemporary art. Located in the middle of the charming Nine Streets area, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better spot for teens; this is the neighborhood where lots of trendy boutiques and cafés are nestled along the canals.
The hotel’s 122 rooms and suites are spread between two buildings with a funky “Alice in Wonderland”-themed garden in between. Top digs: Prinsengracht Suite, a 1,500-square-foot room with a large terrace overlooking the canals, with plenty of entertaining space, a king bedroom with spinning television, a living room, dining table, kitchenette, and library/study. The oversized bathroom has a Marcel Wanders soap bar bathtub, TV mirror and walk-in shower. This suite can be connected to a Garden View Room with two twins, perfect for families.
Another good option is the Andaz Large Suites, we saw room 218, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the garden, and has a large sitting area, bedroom, and separate bathroom with a freestanding tub and separate shower. This same suite is also available with canal views. Good to know: All the Deluxe Rooms have high ceilings and efficient layouts that make the most of the 290 square feet, including “open concept” bathrooms, meaning the sink and vanity are part of the room, with the shower and toilet in separate areas off the main room. A little weird, but it works. We loved the large yellow Tulip reading chair, fun illustrations of Amsterdam, colorful carpets, modern shelves stocked with interesting books, and the comp minibar drinks and snacks.
The hub of the hotel is the main building on Prinsengracht Street; there is no real front desk, just greeters/hosts behind tall, round tables who also act as concierges. Every afternoon there is a complimentary happy hour where you can sample local Dutch gin called Jenever, either as a shot (it’s smooth!) or mixed with local sodas flavored with ginger or grapefruit. The bar area is intimate and buzzy, we chatted with a family visiting from Atlanta about to go on a riverboat cruise through Belgium. Breakfast in the restaurant is very good; choose from an excellent buffet and you can order eggs or waffles (delish!). For relaxing or working out: The hotel has a small but well-stocked gym and a spa with a sauna and two treatment rooms.
Cycling, Canal Rides and Shopping
Amsterdam is a city for wandering. Everything is within easy reach on foot, by the efficient trams, or as the Dutch do, by bike. Andaz host Livia Horvath helped us with suggestions. “We arrange bicycle tours as a fun way for guests to get an overview of the city,” she said. The other most popular way to see the city is a boat tour of the canals. The hotel works with the Leemstar Private Boat company, who offer shared and private tours on a vintage 1928 Amsterdam wooden canal boat. The Andaz is ground zero for shopping, boutiques in the Nine Streets range from local high-end denim shops and trendy international brands to thrift stores and quirky antique stores with pretty blue and white china from nearby Delft.
Museums
Museum culture is big in Amsterdam and great with teens as most are highly interactive, either with their own apps or audio guides on site, which help to hit the highlights and move efficiently. Must Dos: Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, which are all in the Museum Quarter and showcase the brilliance of Dutch masters, modern art and impressionists. Beyond the paintings, we loved the artifacts in the Rijks, particularly the evolution of chalices for drinking games! Top Tip: Book tickets ahead online, no matter the time of year; the city is always busy.
Beyond art, the Anne Frank House is much smaller and very moving—you literally tour the attic where her family hid during World War II. Speaking of attics, another spot we loved was Our Lord in the Attic Museum, a unique and well-preserved canal house from the 17th century, whose wealthy owner built a complete Catholic church—pews, altar, Jesus statues, the works—when the Protestants made it illegal to practice any other faith in public. The church is astonishing, and the audio guide is terrific. A few other museums worth noting if social media is the goal: Wondr and the Upside Down Museum, both are interactive with colorful backdrops, from ball pools to immersive art installations, and STRAAT, the street art/graffiti museum—all seem made for posting killer pics.
Where to Eat
The food scene in Amsterdam is incredible from Michelin star to street food markets. TikTok is ideal for finding hot spots and insider tips, and a perfect way to have the teens be part of the planning. Here are some we suggest:
Fine dining: For fish, Pesca is a one-of-a-kind concept. When you enter the restaurant, you will find yourself in a fish market, where you can choose your dishes, then you will be guided to their winery to choose your beverages. It is a vibrant and casual restaurant, with an open kitchen. For steak, Salmuera is “the casa” of Latin cooking, from Argentina to Mexico. It is also home to Amsterdam’s first mezcaleria with over 80 different mezcals. A must is De Kas, the original farm-to-table fine dining in Amsterdam. The restaurant is literally in a greenhouse, and the motto is “harvested in the morning, on your plate in the afternoon.” I first went here 20 years ago; it was amazing then, and since it changed ownership in 2018, now has a red and green Michelin star. There is a set menu daily, and diners just choose the number of courses. Booking ahead is essential, though they do have a daily waitlist online. Last but not least, Nela, situated in a modern high rise that juts out at odd angles, is a new temple of gastronomy with star chefs Hari Shetty and Ori Geller, who worked for many years for top restaurants such as Nobu (London), Yafo-Tel Aviv (Tel Aviv) and Mr. Porter (Amsterdam). This is a fun fine dining experience (think small plates with big flavors).
Fun, not fancy: With a shared history of colonial interaction between the two countries, Indonesian food occupies a special place within Dutch culture. Try a rijsttafel (Dutch for ‘rice table’), a traditional multi-course Indonesian meal, at Amoi. Meander around Albert Cyupmarkt, an outdoor street market with a variety of food trucks from Asian dumplings to spicy chicken, and what we considered the best Stroopwafel, a flat, crispy sweet waffle filled with liquid caramel, at Rudi’s. Foodhallen is an indoor food market with 21 stands from Middle Eastern to Vietnamese. Everything was yummy. Brunch and good coffee are also a big thing in Amsterdam; our favorites were Benji’s and Little Collins de Pijp. Near the Andaz is a cookie shop, Van Stapele, that sells only one type of cookie, chocolate with white chocolate chips. It has a line around the block day and night. Worth the hype! For chocolate-lovers, hit Tony’s Chocolonley shop near the Centraal Station; here, you can make your own custom bar from the popular Dutch brand, known for its fair trade practices and colorful wrappers.
Finally, flowers. If you can make it during the tulip season, late March through mid-May, the views are divine. Keukenhof, about 30 minutes drive outside Amsterdam is one of the world’s largest flower gardens, covering an area of about 80 acres. They plant approximately seven million flower bulbs annually and it is breathtaking. Perfect final shot for the ‘gram or TikTok!
Luxury travel advisors can contact Nienke Badía ([email protected]), cluster director of sales and marketing, Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht.
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