A Long Weekend in Amsterdam With Your Best Friends

Brunch & Museum Magic: The Best Things to Start Your Weekend in Amsterdam

Your visit to Amsterdam begins the way many perfect weekends do: with brunch. Wander from Amsterdam Centraal into the city center, where you’ll find cute cafés serving airy pancake stacks, warm stroopwafels, and the kind of traditional Dutch comfort that settles you gently into the rhythm of the city.

From here, stroll toward Museumplein, home to the national museum of the Netherlands: the iconic Rijksmuseum. It’s one of Amsterdam’s most famous landmarks and one of the most beautiful museums in Europe, housing the largest collection of Dutch masterpieces. This is where the Golden Age lives: Rembrandt, Vermeer, maritime maps and models, and secrets tucked away in oil and varnish.

And tucked nearby, in a gesture that still fills us with pride, is a piece of Sherlocked’s own history: a collaborative immersive project we built for the Rijksmuseum. A reminder of how magic happens when stories, puzzles, and heritage collide. Even though the project came to an end, it remains a wonderful memory and achievement.

Just a few minutes away sits the beloved Van Gogh Museum, which is always worth a visit if you’re looking for the emotional heartbeat of Dutch art.

For lunch, drift into the Nine Streets, also known as de Negen Straatjes or simply negen, a charming part of Amsterdam woven together with canals, independent boutiques, warm cozy cafés, and sunlit windows looking out on crooked canal houses. It’s the kind of place where time stretches, where you can stroll from one tiny shop to another, tasting, browsing, daydreaming.

It’s best to end your afternoon here, slowly discovering everything the city has to offer before the evening turns cinematic.

Sherlocked Experience: Challenge Your Teamwork

Every weekend in Amsterdam deserves at least one mystery, and this is where Sherlocked enters your story.

Whether this long weekend is about adrenaline, storytelling, or simply doing one of the best things you can do with friends in the Netherlands, these adventures turn your group into a team.

The Alchemist

An intimate, 90-minute descent into the hidden world of Dutch alchemy. Ancient symbols. Darkened chambers. A catastrophe quietly ticking beneath your feet. It’s atmospheric, emotional, and deeply cinematic. And Sherlocked makes Amsterdam famous for escape rooms like this.

"Simply one of the best highlights of our Amsterdam trip and an incredible immersive experience for all our playing group. The attention to details and the incredible effort and creativity put in the design of this space and storytelling just give you a constant state of awe. It's definitely a must on your list and one of the best investments for quality time spent with friends." - Stelian B on TripAdvisor

The Architect

Beneath the Beurs van Berlage lies the untouched office of H.P. Berlage: architect, visionary, rumored secret society member. This is a mystery tucked away for nearly a century, an attraction unlike any other.

"The Architect is a more traditional escape room, but definitely a beauty among its kind. The room has a great look, and the puzzles are well-thought out." - Diana & Rasmus on TripAdvisor

The Vault

A high-stakes, heart-thumping break-in. Cracking codes. Outwitting technology. A thrilling immersion into the underbelly of Amsterdam’s hidden history. It’s a must-do for any group craving something unforgettable.

"My whole group was blown away with the detail and complexity of The Vault from the interactions with the actors to the puzzles themselves!" - Margaux W on TripAdvisor

After your mission, celebrate with bitterballen (possibly the most satisfying bar snacks and drinks pairing in the world), then slip into one of Amsterdam’s trendier places to eat. One option could be in de Pijp, a lively district once known as a working-class neighborhood but now home to creative kitchens, vibrant cafés, and soft-lit dining rooms perfect for storytelling.

Street Art, Bike Rides & Hidden Places to Eat

Begin Saturday on two wheels, which it's truly the way to see the city. From sunrise light on the IJ to murals stretching across forgotten walls, Amsterdam’s street art scene reveals a different personality entirely.

A guided bike tour will take you through Jordaan, where wooden houses lean gently toward the water, and into corners of the city centre even locals forget exist. Wander past tucked-away galleries, open-air murals, and spontaneous graffiti experiments. Then follow the path toward the STRAAT Museum, a bold contemporary museum dedicated to global street art and visual rebellion.

For lunch, cycle into De Pijp, where colourful stalls spill across the market and you may just spot tulip bouquets or tulip bulbs in a cheerful stall at the flower market or Bloemenmarkt. This neighbourhood is the opposite of touristy: eclectic, warm, full of real life. End with coffee and stroopwafel sweetness before the night calls.

Night Cruise, Jordaan Strolls & Amsterdam Nightlife

Evening in Amsterdam arrives softly, lanterns glimmering across the canal, windows reflecting gold, silhouettes drifting beneath bridges. It’s one of the best things about this city.

A canal cruise at night is the most poetic way to see Amsterdam without rushing. You’ll glide past 17th-century canal houses, moving through the “Venice of the North,” past the glowing façade of the Anne Frank House, along waterways that whisper stories.

After your cruise, wander into Jordaan again. Its narrow lantern-lit streets feel made for friendship. Here, you’ll find cocktail bars, familiar pubs, and intimate corners perfect for ending a long day. If curiosity calls, you may even thread briefly through the Red Light District, a space often misunderstood, but undeniably part of Amsterdam.

Night ends the way all good nights here do: with laughter, a final drink at a warm cocktail bar, maybe a detour through Dam Square, maybe a quiet walk back toward Amsterdam Centraal. And yes, you’ll pass plenty of coffee shops along the way.

Conclusion

Amsterdam is one of the most emotionally generous cities in the world, a place where artistry, history, and mischief fold together effortlessly. A place where you can wander museums all morning, pull off a heist in the afternoon, and drift along a moonlit canal by night.

Your trip to Amsterdam may end, but the charm lingers. The brushstrokes in the Rijksmuseum, the thrill of Sherlocked puzzles solved under pressure, the warmth of bitterballen, the glow of the canal houses, the secret corners of Jordaan, the memories shared with those you treasure most.

And if you’re still craving wonder? Sherlocked’s doors are open.

Buy tickets for your next adventure and let’s make more magic together.