Not a traditional "museum" by any stretch, but with Amsterdam being the city boasting the world's…read moremost museums, I can see how the claim is made with places like this. It's a really nice spot, and the guy who runs it is extremely open and friendly with a wealth of information. He truly lives for this! If you arrive before it opens, you'll see people gathered around the door entrance, and you're there wondering what kind of place this really is. Doesn't look big from the outside at all, and looks like a shop more than a museum. Once you get inside the small space, you're greeted with black lighting above which illuminates all of the fluorescent artwork. There are paintings and sculptures with bright colors across the spectrum. Then you walk down these steps into the dark basement and see his special rock collection with the makeup of the rocks highlighted under the black lighting. Reminded me of geology class. Cool place, quick 30 minute experience.

Fluorescence is LIFE…read more Me and my wife did this tour in March 2018. This museum opened my eyes to another world of Fluorescence. Fluorescence is pretty much a living organism. It takes energy, consumes it, produces the brightest colors you would ever see. The vibes in this place are exceptional. The location is very close to the Ann Frank Museum. Its just 5 Euros & they let you use a really trippy bathroom for free. The couple who are the owner are in their 70s but their energy and will to give back to the world, still keeps them coming back to the museum everyday. They do this without the help of a young person or receptionist to handle your reservations. Remember that before, giving a bad review and saying they cancelled your reservation. We did not have reservation but they let us in, because they could. I would advise to call them in advance, they are doing their best in their capacity to handle the online reservations. They not only let us in, but allowed us to stay for as long as we want, despite of the small space and huge crowd. Nik explained in detail, about the physics behind this & inspired me for the rest of the life to explore this amazing world. I have bought a black light even. The pigment he uses, makes his paint way more brighter than you would find anywhere else. Some of the artifacts on the first floor are for sale as well, and can spin your head around. We bought what we could. I forgot my wallet and the lady was kind enough to keep it open extra time, so i could pick it. Although the museum closes at 7 but if you are interested Nik can talk to you the whole day about it.

This festival takes place during the winter holiday season. I had really high expectations as it…read morehas been quite popular for a few years. I was told that there is a free boat tour where people line up in cues to get a ride, you can walk it along the canal edge, or you can do what we did and purchase a ticket online from "Those Dam Boat Guys". Personally, the later is great and well worth it. Our boat was small and gave us an intimate experience because the boat captain told us a little about the artistic lights and were could ask questions or slow down to take pictures. The lights are illuminated after dark which during the winter is quite early in the evening. Some of the lights were small displays and some were pretty magnificent. The whole festival takes less that 2 hours to view and it really is something to see both as a tourist or a local resident. I do suggest that the best viewing is when it is not a rainy evening so that you don't have an obstructed view from the boat.

Float thru an Amsterdam canal at night, drinking a beer and looking at light art?…read more Duh. FIVE STARS!

Touring the original Heineken brewery and learning how their beer is made was a delight. There is a…read moresmall walk-through history exhibit in the old grain silo area that describes Heineken's origins and how the business grew. I appreciated the honest look at the company's humble beginnings. Every great business venture has to start somewhere. The most critical lesson: success is rarely an overnight feat. It takes years of dedication, effort, and learning. Learning not just from your mistakes, but from other people who've gone before you. My experience featured a "Brew You" immersive attraction that puts you in the brew chamber and production line. The bottling line is (not really) transformed into a roller coaster, ending in a taste of the Heineken signature beer. There's a brewery-style bar where you can hang out and enjoy your beer. I opted to go up to the rooftop. You get a few more options for your drink and you get to enjoy views of the Amsterdam skyline. I liked their rooftop and will happily go up there again. I can see it from my hotel.

This brewery tour was so much fun. It was interactive, informational, and educational…read more A really big and spacious campus. We learned all about the history of Heineken, what goes into the process to make the beer, and so much more. At the end of the tour we were treated to complimentary pours. There were fun activities as well as a gift shop. We had a blast.

Fun history of Bols and the distilling of different flavors of alcoholic liqueurs…read more Self-guided tour with audio. After you pay for your ticket at the front desk, you put your jackets and loose items in a locker (free) and pickup an audio tour device and program it for your preferred language (easy). You get a yummy cocktail to savor at the end! And there's a fun gift shop to peruse, where we bought tulip glasses for the purpose of drinking Genever . We enjoyed the Espresso martini and Red Light Negroni at the bar at the end. Both were made skillfully and tasted delicious! The highlight of the experience, honestly, was meeting Lars (aka "Larson") and Julia at the front desk. They were hilarious with each other and delightful with us. They helped us package the 6 tulip glasses in paper within styrofoam boxes for sturdy protection during travel. They are the true stars of this operation.

I enjoy distillery tours when I travel. I browsed the list of attractions that accept the I…read moreAmsterdam card and came across Bols Amsterdam. It's located near Museumplein by all of the major museums which was so convenient. I was interested in doing a cocktail class with the tour, but wasn't sure if I could book the class with the I Amsterdam card. I sent an email through the website and a DM on Instagram and no one responded, which was disappointing. When I arrived, I inquired about it. They offered to let me upgrade my ticket, but I declined. Once I got checked in, I received a vial of a mystery flavored genever to taste at the end of the tour. The tour is self guided and it is truly a sensory experience. The tour starts with the history of Bols, then goes into the process of making genever. There are interactive elements throughout. It was really cool to see Lucas Bols' original recipe book from 1820. Towards the end of the tour, I tried the mystery genever in the sensory booth. I don't remember the flavor, but it was red and it was sweet. The sensory booth contains a camera that records your reaction as you're tasting it. At the end of the tour, guests are able to enjoy a complimentary cocktail. The bar area was really cool. They have a flair booth where you can learn how to spin and throw cocktail bottles. They also had house music playing which created a fun vibe. The bartender that made my drink was Serchan (pronounced "Sar-John"). He was so nice and let me sample a couple of genevers. I ordered the First Aid cocktail. It was citrus forward and refreshing! He also printed out a receipt with the cocktail recipe. I threw some cash in the tip jar and learned that they accept cash in any currency! This was a fun experience! Any activity where I can have a delicious cocktail and learn something new is right up my alley.

Overall rating: 4.6 Visiting from NYC…read more Wow, such a cool place! I was killing some time waiting to check-in to my hotel. Two floors, very digestible. They have an activity paired with each exhibit which is cool. I didn't understand it, but it was cool to watch others. Everyone was very friendly and informative. I learned a lot, but can't say I retained any knowledge. I highly recommend. Great solo, friends, on a date, any occasion.

My major in university was Microbiology and Immunology, so when I found out that there was a museum…read moreall about microorganisms in Amsterdam, of course I just had to go! A MUSEUM ABOUT MICROBIOLOGY, HOW COOL IS THAT?! The exhibits I particularly enjoyed were the Petri plates displaying colorful cultures and the glass sculptures of various microorganisms. We were in there for a couple of hours, but I could have easily stayed for another hour. Adult tickets were €17.50, although I got the student price of €10 since I still had a valid student ID. It was annoying how you had to select the date and time you wanted to go, although when we wanted to change the date due to a change in plans, it was no problem. Micropia is one of the more unique museums I have been to, and I loved it! Highly recommended! [Yelp collections: Europe 2024; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Museums and Art Galleries]

This place is fascinating! I definitely recommend taking the time and effort to come here if you're…read morein the area. Bear in mind that it's located in the hospital and is a bit of a drive. Also: pay for parking upstairs. You must pre-pay before leaving the car park. I found out the hard way!

If you're looking for an amazing live band to dance to, this is the place. It's almost like it's a…read moremini-concert. Extremely talented group of people here.

It was a cool spot to check live music. I actually didn't find many like it that played Jazz/Blues…read more One issue, I saw that they offered rum for 5 euros, I asked for a rum and coke and they were like that will be 8 euros. I was like damn, I thought it was 5 euros, the bartender said, you asked for a coke, that's why it's extra. Ok, I got screwed there!

Paradiso had a very cool atmosphere as it was built inside the church. Get tickets before for a…read morelower fee. We paid €20 on a Friday night and it wasn't crazy fun of a crowd. It was latin night where the salsa was fun but there weren't that many people.

This place is right along the river behind the Hard Rock Cafe. It's hard to miss this enormous…read morechurch looking building. My one gripe, which I expected because I've been to Amsterdam before, is the 4 euro membership charge for concerts. I'm sure it's well known among locals but beware that your ticket price will not be the only charge. The inside of this venue is beautiful. We were there to see Kevin Devine. He was playing in the smaller room upstairs. They had a full bar and a very intimate feel. Sound and lighting was great. Always an awesome time when I get to see KD.

CLOSED. Sign's gone. Sad to have missed it. Anywhere else…read morehave decent pinball in Amsterdam?

It is a small arcade with a decent selection of games and machines. Even boardgames. Best of all -…read morethey have 5-6 pinballmachines. Even they latest - Wrestlemania. You change money for tokens - €1 for 1 token or €5 for 6. So the pins are 1 per credit. It gets crazy at times when herds of drunk people floods in. But on a Saturday night around midnight it was still pretty calm for being an arcade. They serve food and drinks (soda and great selection of bottled beer). Don't mind the neighborhood, you are perfectly safe to go here.

This was a great, life-affirming experience. The people whose bodies are featured all donated them,…read morewhich was good to know. (It's not the case for some other exhibits.) The exhibit features plastinated human bodies and organs and is organized by system. It really puts things in perspective--it is absolutely WILD to see how many blood vessels are in your feet, for example. Alongside the bodies and organs themselves are clear descriptions that include information about them--for instance, we can see a comparison of a healthy brain next to one that is affected by dementia. We can see what a joint replacement looks like inside the body. You can see the difference between a smoker's lungs and a non-smoker's lungs, the difference between a healthy liver and one with cirrhosis, and what the insides of arteries look like. It's really wild, and woven throughout are reminders of how our bodies and our choices can contribute to our happiness,

To call this "distasteful" would be an understatement. Controversy surrounds this freak show,…read moreparticularly with regard to questionable sourcing of human bodies, which are disrespectfully dusplayed often in odd positions and circumstances, with a few items placed to support claims that this has been done in the name of education. I highly doubt family members of "explosion man" or "drawer man" would appreciate the bodies of their loved ones being hacked up and displayed for the world to marvel at.