We had heard Amsterdam was a wonderful place to explore for over 50s travellers, so when we got the chance to travel to this amazing city we could not wait to see what it had on offer..
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, and incredibly unique for its scenic canal networks, incredible history, and warm culture. While we were only in Amsterdam for 5 days, it was enough time to explore the highlights of the city and to provide our readers with a over 50’s guide to the city.
We stayed at the Sir Adam Hotel, while in Amsterdam. It’s a member of Design Hotels, and may we say, it’s very cool place for over 50s travellers especially if you have a love of music. We highly recommend a stay here as the hotel affords splendid views of the city and is close to the things you most likely want to see during your stay. It had a fun, energetic vibe that we really got into and we loved the guitars and vinyl records in the room that allowed you to enjoy the music that you love.
If you have been following our travels for a while, you will know that as we are triathletes and distance runners and we like to stay active during our travels. One of the easiest ways for us to do this when we are travelling is to take a local bike tour of the city that we are visiting. For over 50s travellers visiting Amsterdam, we recommend Mike’s Bike Tours, which provides so much more than just a bike and a ride around the city.
On this tour you get really entrenched in the funky culture that is unique to Amsterdam and we loved it every minute of it. Our guide led us through all the iconic sights of Amsterdam including Museumsplein, Vondelpark, the Jordaan District, the Skinny Bridge, Canal Belt, the Old Church, and the Red Light District, and many more.
Speaking of that, the Wallen, which is what Amsterdam natives call the Rosse Buurt, and what visitors like us call the Red Light District, it’s one of the oldest parts of the city and incredibly fascinating to see for over 50s travellers.
It’s full of interesting shops, pubs, amazing restaurants, leaning gabled houses, and the most charming canals in the city. Yes it is also the central district for prostitution in Amsterdam, but as a fellow travelling companion said, it is the adult only Disneyland of Europe. We recommend that you are brave enough to make it part of your itinerary, as you may be surprised how ‘over 50 friendly” this area can be.
Amsterdam is a great destination for active over 50’s travellers, but it’s also a place to indulge your culinary senses.
To ensure that we got a taste of all the cities best food options in three days, we signed up for two amazing food tours that we highly recommend for over 50 travellers visiting Amsterdam.
The first was the Hungry Birds Sunday Experience Food Tour. As much is closed on Sunday mornings in Amsterdam, this tour 5 hour tour takes you on a intimate journey to try the kinds of food that only the locals eat, and believe us, they eat very well! Don’t miss the local kroketten and frites!
The other food tour we recommend is the Amsterdam Food & Canals Food Tour, that is a 4 hour guided walk through the unique cultural and historical sights of Amsterdam and a an hour-long, private boat trip through Amsterdam’s world heritage canals.
Both food tours provided the equivalent to a very substantial meal in the form of many smaller delicious Dutch tastings from plenty of authentic foodie stops through the streets and along the canals of Amsterdam.
The bike and two food tours was a really great way to see the highlights of Amsterdam in three days. If you’re travelling over 50 and looking for a European destination provides beautiful sights, divine food and healthy activities, we recommend that you add Amsterdam to your travel bucket list!
Our Travel Recommendations For Over 50’s Travellers
Aeonian Nomads Top 5 Must Do’s
Experience the amazing culinary scene on a Food Tour
Get lost exploring Amsterdam amazing canals
Be Brave, visit the red light district
Explore Amsterdam by bike
Try the local “Cookies”
Aeonian Nomads Hotel Recommendations
Sir Adam Hotel
www.sirhotels.com/en/adam
Aeonian Nomads Tour Recommendations
Hungry Birds Food Tours
www.hungrybirds.nl
Eating Europe Food Tours
www.eatingeurope.com/amsterdam
