Amsterdam Cruise & Port Guide 2025! Best Kept Secrets, Top Attractions & What to See!

Amsterdam Cruise & Port Guide 2025! Best Kept Secrets, Top Attractions & What to See!

This edition of the Ritzy Travel Guide series were in one of the most pretty capitals in Europe, Amsterdam in Holland. It’s frequently voted one of the most enchanting and picturesque cities you can visit and we can understand why. It’s also one of Europe’s top five favourite cruise ports. In this episode, we’ll uncover the smart way to see it all, show you how to get around from the port to city and which are the BEST attractions to see. We’re going to eat, drink, and celebrate our way around and find out exactly why Amsterdam is one of the top cruise destinations to visit right now! Welcome back to the Ritzy Travel Guide! My name is Bill and it’s great to have you back with us. This particular episode is part of our Cruise Guide series, where we show you some of the top port destinations around the world and how to get the most out of them. We cover ports across the globe, from the Caribbean, to Europe the Far East. There’s something for everyone. This episode is all about Amsterdam, which is getting increasingly popular with cruise companies,
and more ships are going there by the month. Why? Because it’s the type of stop that cruise passengers dream about. It’s full of cobbled streets, golden age canals, and world famous sites, all packed into one unforgettable day. But you’ve got to plan it correctly to get the most out of it. We’ve been to Amsterdam several times over the last few years and logged it for you, so we can show you exactly what there is on offer and what makes sense. As with any ship that stops in town, you could take the cruise organized tour. Nothing wrong with that. But to be honest with you, I think you could get more out of Amsterdam if you planned it yourself, and I’ll guide you around the top sites to see. I’ll also show you some optional private tours that you might want to take, because they’re really quite good. And then later on, we’ll have a Q&A going through all the various questions you might have allowed Amsterdam, the city itself, and arriving there by cruise ship. Now, it’s important to note there are two cruise ports in Amsterdam, and I hope to God you arrive at the correct one, otherwise, you could be far, far away. There’s one out here. It’s called Ijmuiden Now, this is not the best choice, because it’s a long way out. It could take you an hour or more to get to the centre of Amsterdam from here, depending on time of year and traffic The much more convenient one is the one that’s in the centre of Amsterdam. It’s called the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam, or PTA, also sometimes known as Cruiseport, Amsterdam, and it’s located close to Amsterdam Central Station. If you have a choice of cruise lines, pick the one that docks here, you’ll be very pleased you did Right, onto the ship we go and you start off with us arriving in town early in the morning. So, here we go, crack of dawn. I was up at 5 a.m. filming this, and we did pick a cruise that docks right in the heart of the capital, not Ijmuiden, out on the outskirts. And welcome to Amsterdam! Good morning, and look where we are. Could you get any closer? You could almost touch the building’s there. Are we ready for a bit of Amsterdam? Amsterdam is one of those terminals where when you wake up, you do have to draw the curtains because It’s one of those very, very few ports do actually get an apartment staring directly at you! Right, let’s start off by showing those who want to walk into town how to do it. Right, Amsterdam, here we go. Well, walking downtown is going to take you about 20 minutes. I see Norwegian Prima is in town. Look at that nose nudging out the front. It’s all very easy. You just keep following the harbour in a straight line. If you don’t fancy walking, there’s the tram that you could take that has a stop right by the cruise ships. You’ll end up here by the Central Station. It took you about 10 minutes to get here from the cruise terminal. There’s a good chance if you’ve booked an independent tour, it will start here. So that’s how easy it is to walk in Now, let’s show you attraction Number One that you must see in Amsterdam, and that’s the canals, because they’re stunning. What a sparkling first view of Amsterdam! You come off the cruise ship through the central station, and here. Amsterdam and all its glory. This is the Dutch equivalent of Venice in Italy, and there’s 100 kilometers, or 70 miles of them, weaving their way around the city Actually, Amsterdam has more canals than Venice, with over 1,200 bridges connecting to the 90 or so islands that form the city centre. And you’ll come across things such as pretty houseboats. There’s about 2,500 of them on the canals, and some are floating homes or offices or have been converted to shops and cafes. Unlike many capitals, Amsterdam, is flat, it’s compact, and it’s beautifully walkable. And every street corner and every canal tells a story, and walking allows you to pause and soak up the atmosphere and stumble upon hidden gems you wouldn’t
likely come across if you were on transport. There you are, you couldn’t get more Dutch than that, could you? Canals with a boat on it and a windmill in the background. Fun fact for you, it’s been estimated there are 850,000 bicycles going around Amsterdam per year. Yup, it’s one of the most cycled cities or capitals in the world. Ooh, hang on, careful, not to be run down, got to be watching yourself around here! Now we’ve got dogs in bicycles! Oh, my God, the dogs almost got chucked out! Hello, dogs. Hello, hello, hello, dogs. In Holland, must come across a Gouda cheese shop. I’m liking the sound of that one. Red pesto and green pesto.. It’ll make a really, really good pasta for us. Yeah. Not trying the goat and lavender? got some samples, in we go. Any sampling shop has my vote Cumin, garlic. Even beer flavor. Feeling like a coffee, I think maybe we should go to a coffee shop, but you’ve got to be careful how you say that in Amsterdam, because ‘coffee shop’ has a completely different meaning, shall we say might want to go and look up what a coffee shop sometimes means in Amsterdam! But this wasn’t a coffee shop This is a very famous waffle outlet. I tell you what, it’s got an amazing smell coming out of there. Look at the decoration inside it, isn’t that gorgeous? Okay, curiosity’s got the better of me. I’m going in to see what they’re selling. It’s beautifully done, so ornate Look at this old cash register, isn’t that amazing So you’re heating it up? Yup Ah, no calories in that at all, then! More than enough! More than enough for a daily allowance. Perfect. You’ve got sucked into a stroopwafel Yes. Well, they have been making stroopwafels for over 100 years. 1898. Syrup, look at that. Look at oozing out there. Look. Smell-a-vision! Very thin, so making it almost healthy. She pumped in the caramel. I saw I was there. Coming up shortly, we’re going to show you some out of town alternatives. But first, let’s show you some tours you might like to go on inside Amsterdam itself. Feeling in need of a drink? Heineken beer is Dutch, and you can visit the Heineken Experience. It’s one of Amsterdam’s most popular and lively attractions, and housed in the original 19th century brewery, offering a behind the scenes look at how Heinineken is brewed. You’ll walk through copper brew kettles. The Heineken experience is fun and engaging, with modern digital exhibits, tasting sessions, and immersive installations. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, you could go to the Lookout. This is a swing right at the top of a high building. Here it is. It’s one of Amsterdam’s more thrilling modern attractions, and it’s located just across the water from the cruise ship terminal. You could take a little ferry to get there, offering 360 degree panoramic views of the capital. It’s not really for the fainthearted, because your suspended 100 meters over the edge of the building as they sway back and forth with the entire city beneath. Not for you?! Well, luckily, there are plenty more sedate things to do, such as palaces and museums. Let’s take a look at some of those. Our favourite cultural stop is the Rijksmuseum. You could say it’s the the Crown jewel of Dutch art and history and one of the most iconic museums in the world. It’s located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Museumplein houses over 8,000 masterpieces spanning 800 years. The museum’s most famous work is Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’, an enormous dramatic painting, as well as being a who’s who of Dutch masters, including Vermeer’s famous ‘Milkmaid.’ Want some more history? Then you can visit the Royal Palace, which is in Dam Square giving the capital its name. I think you’ll be blown away by its grandeur. We certainly were. It was originally built in the 17th century as the town hall of Amsterdam. It was one of the wealthiest and most powerful cities in the world. Next up, we have the Anne Frank Museum. It’s one of the most moving and historically significant museums in Europe It’s housed in the actual building where Anne Frank, her family and others hid from Nazi persecution during World War II. Visitors can walk through the secret atticts and the hidden space where Anne wrote her famous diary. The preserved rooms, the personal belongings, and the original diary pages help bring history to life. It’s a powerful and emotional experience. Not far from the Rijksmuseum is the Van Gogh Museum It’s home to the world’s largest collection of Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpieces. And, of course, there is the Red Light District of Amsterdam. It’s a slightly contentious subject. If you want, you can cover your ears at this point. Not saying you should or shouldn’t go there, that’s totally up to you. On one occasion, we ported at Amsterdam, we were on Virgin Voyages. Well, it seemed like half the ship were headed in the direction of the red light district. So, in case for research purposes, you want to know where it is? It’s here! And Amsterdam’s red light District is known locally as De Wallen It’s located in the city center near the Old Church and is one of the oldest parts of the capital. The area also includes adult theatres, museums, bars, nightlife, there’s also a museum, the Sex Museum, Amsterdam. It’s one of the world’s oldest sex museums. It explores the history of human sexuality throughout the ages. Quite quirky, quite cheeky, apparently. So I’ve been told back to the beautiful canals, and after a day walking from one end of the capital to the other, you might want to take the weight off your feet, and a ‘Booze Cruise’ is a fun diversion. Well, it’s not compulsory to drink alcohol, as they do serve soft drinks too, and there are several competing companies offering food and drink sightseeing boats. And if the weather is nice, do take an open top one, as the views will be even better. The Dutch speak great English, so you’ll likely get a fun and entertaining guide, telling you all about the sights as you drift by. Mind you, after a potent drink or two, anything sounds vaguely plausible and interesting! We’ve done a couple of these open top food and drinks trips, and they are great. And if you have an overnight cruise stop, then take an evening boat trip. After the lights have gone down, it will seem even more magical. By the way, if you’re enjoying this video, please do give it a THUMBS UP, give it a LIKE, as it let’s just know we’re on the right track and we’ll try to put out more of this type of material. Right, let’s head out of town, and there are three destinations we would really recommend. We’ve done them all, so let’s go through them. Just outside, is the really cute Edam. That’s famous for what? Well, cheese of course! Good morning from Edam. What a beautiful little spot. We’re walking into town The Edam cheese market is one of the Netherlands most charming and traditional cultural events. And it’s a must see if you’re visiting in summer and want an authentic taste of Dutch history. And these festivals recreate the historic cheese markets that were once central to Dutch life Think of these as a theatrical reenactment of how cheese was traded centuries ago. You’ll see everybody in Dutch costumes, including porters and farmers and traders and cheese inspectors, and they have an open air market, where large rounds of Edam cheese are brought in, both by boat and on wooden carts. Beautiful sight with the water and the town in full colour. And Edam is known for its mild, semi hard cheese. These are iconic red wax coated balls that you can recognise around the world. And during the market, you can taste a variety of these, including aged and flavoured versions that are not often imported. Well, we couldn’t come to Edam without buying some. Bill, do you know what, this is a great because all the action takes, the trading takes place here! Now, if you’re planning to visit, check the local tourism sites, or Edam’s website, for exactly the dates, it’s on, and it happens various weeks throughout the summer There’s a good chance when you’re there, one of these might be on. It’s a free event, it doesn’t cost you anything once you get there you just need to pay for the tour to get yourself from Amsterdam To there. And later on, I’ll give you the link for the tour we tried, so if you want to book it, you know how to do that. By the way, Ritzy Travel Guide is on Instagram and Facebook If you enjoy following us around in real time In between filming for YouTube, you can follow us on both of these. You’ll see what we get up to, the countries we visit and behind the scenes. The channel name is the same as here, Ritzy Travel Guide. There is the link up at the top and I’ll also put the address in the description box for this video. So follow along with us on Facebook and Instagram and we’ll see you in those. Now, another one of these beautiful tours you can go on takes you to see the windmills and the beautiful towns of Marken and Volendam. We suggest both of these tours. First off, let’s start with the windmills at Zaanse Schans Here we go. Is’t this scene so quaint? Just what you think of when Holland comes to mind. Our tour started from the Amsterdam Central Railway Station. Here is the start point. It’s a 5 to 10 minutes walk from the cruise ship terminal. Zaanse Schans is just 20 minutes from Amsterdam, and you feel as though you’re right back in the 1700s. It’s like a sights and sounds museum, but for real And these are authentic working mills, many of them over 200 years old. Back in the 18th century, over 600 windmills powered this region, driving the Dutch Golden Age. And today you can go inside several of them, such as we did here. It really takes you back. This one was grinding nuts to make oil. Hundreds of years old, they’ve been making it this way. You can imagine yourself here just four or 500 years ago. It hasn’t changed. It looks exactly like this. You can smell centuries of production inside. Keep your fingers away you wouldn’t want to get your hands stuck in there, would you! Right, up, up up, we go into the inner workings of the windmill. It was very educational. Then we were offered to go onto the roof, up a rickety rackety ladder, to the top of the mill to see it from up there, and to get a great sweeping view across the entire village. that cog runs that cog and that cog runs… the top cog and then drives the big cog! You could feel the whole structure rumble. Careful, don’t lean out. Obvious thing to say, don’t lean out. You get wacked as you come out here, don’t you? They have all types of windmills, some for drinks, or chocolates, souvenirs, arts and crafts. Guaranteed you will get your photo and videos for your social media. It’s very cute but I’ve got a tip for you here. I would come in summer or the warmer months because it can get blustery in winter. And that’s particularly true for the next two stops we made to Marken and Volendam. Here we go. First off, Volendam You can get here from Amsterdam buy land in a coach or train, or buy water. We came by boat, as it’s rather fun. See what I mean? It’s really, very pretty, even more so in warm, sunny weather. Hint, hint, come in summer. Now, Edam is right next to Volendam So if you’re a real maestro at planning, and the stars align, you could do both together And there are some nice activities you can get up to in Volendam It’s famous for its fisheries and it’s cheese. And you can get tastings of both Edam and Gouda Look at those. Yum! We booked a tour that include visits to a few places, and these included both cheese and waffle tasting. I see the word “Cheese Factory!’ We’re about to have a lovely cheese tasting session. you might as well have a tour that includes an element
of getting your taste buds into gear? Why not? Cheese tasting coming up. Well, tastes nice, very refreshing, very, unusual. Gingery flavour to it. That one’s fantastic. I think I am officially in heaven. There is just endless cheese tasting. You take the cheese and then they got a
balsamic glaze, which you put on the top there. That is a heavenly combination of mature cheese
for the balsamic glaze on top. What have you got in your haul? Well, huge amount of cheese, truffle cheese, ginger cheese. Dip. Balsamic glaze. Never expect me to come out of a cheese shop empty handed. It won’t happen. You do have a very soft spot for cheese. I do. I’ve eaten so much cheese is absolutely ridiculous. I’ve never seen you eat so much cheese before. What happened? I’m quite full now. I think I ate at least an entire packet of cheese while I was in that testing. You went absolutely gangbusters. My year’s ration, in one stop. Trouble is… Bad, bad You! Bad, bad, bad you! Straight to the gym… for the next week! So I may need to go hit the gym and row for an hour.. Well… row to the next port, I’m thinking. Or I will never get into that dress. She’s already worrying about it. She’s already plotting and scheming how many days she’s going to spend in the gym. For once, I didn’t eat the most! I feel stroop waffles coming up. Those nice syrupy, sweet, Dutch delicacies. Here we go. It smells like caramel. It does. I think it pieced to be front row on this one. Closer to the smell. Yes. It smells like butter and sugar. It does. This could be the best little underground dungeon we’ve been to for a while! Hundreds of years worth of cooking.. And it was more stroop waffles and more caramel and thousands more calories. And being in the very front row, first dibs at tasting some. Let’s be honest, why else are you there? Next, another ferry trip between Volendam and nearby Marken Again, beautiful waterfront cafes, and also some clogmaking workshops. Right, who’s up for a clog factory visit? You know, those old clomped wooden, heavy, traditional Dutch shoes that nobody really wears because they’re
damn uncomfortable, but you think you ought to. Let’s go and have a look. And the little shop and factory felt like we were in a fairy story or a Christmas village. We sat through a short demo, learning about it all, but also realizing we would never have the skills to do this ourself before we headed out for some retail therapy. There you go, get your euros out. This is 1st generation Crocs! Yes, I think they copied it, didn’t they? Good point. They’re very, very solid, aren’t they, I mean, look at that. I mean, look at it, Bill. It is a pair of Crocs! Quite heavy, aren’t they? Put some holes in it. Huge, heavy klompen. Present buying time. All these three towns are absolutely beautiful, we really would recommend them if you’re
looking for some out of town ideas. Here are the two tours we took. We like them both, and I will lead the links down in description below if you have the urge to try them out for yourself. Both give you an opportunity to see beautiful countryside and an alternative to Amsterdam itself. Now, at the beginning of the video, I said, we’re going to go through a Q&A. Let’s do that now, because often we get a lot of questions about how to do it,
how to get from the port, how to see everything. So let’s go through these one by one. First off, Question 1: where do cruise ships dock in Amsterdam? Well, we went through that at the beginning. Please, please, please do check. Whether yours is the cruise that’s going to Ijmuiden I’m not saying it will ruin your day, but it’s far better if you go to the PTA, which docks right downtown. It’s much easier, particularly if you’re on a cruise, which is doing an overnighter and these are being introduced
quite a lot by cruise cruise lines now. They say, we’ll arrive doing one day, stay overnight, and leave on day two. If you’re at Ijmuiden it really makes the
whole thing much more of a flog. Try, if possible, to pick the port right in town. Question two: do I need to book a shore excursion, or can I explore Amsterdam on my own? Well, Amsterdam really is a very straightforward port to walk, I would recommend it if you’re able-bodied,
doing so, you’re going to get the best out of it. Question three, can you give us a link to the tours that we go on? Here we are. These are the various tours we took Firstly, the the one to Edam We got this from GetYourGuide. The one we took is the first one on the list, but there are several other options. You can pick and choose at your will and leisure. Find the one that suits you best. There’s also the tour to the windmills. That’s a lot of fun. We enjoyed that one. Now, you can combine some of these into an all in one day package. If you want, you might see the windmills separately, or you can link it in with that tour to Marken and Volendam Now, next question, question four. We get asked this quite often. Is the Red Light District safe? What about the famous coffee shops and
the cannabis outlets you see around the streets? Yes, Amsterdam is considered a safe place. It doesn’t matter that parts of it in the red light district. In fact, the parts which are in a red light district are historic. And they’re actually quite pretty. You want to go down those streets because they’re really, very scenic. Just keep your eyes to one side! You don’t have to look at the red light district, if you don’t want to ILikewise, the cannabis shops, it is legalised in Amsterdam. You don’t have to go in them. Question five. What’s the weather like in Amsterdam? Well, unpredictable. It’s probably the word. I’m not being unreasonable. I’m not being unfair. The Dutch would tell you exactly the same themself If you can, really do try to pick the spring, summer, or the early part of autumn, because that’s when you’re going to get the best weather. Not to say, you can’t go out of those seasons but you could be unlucky with the weather. Here were a couple of snaps. When we went in February and March, it was a fair gale! But if I were you, I would pick the summer months. Is English widely spoken? Yes, it is. The Dutch are incredibly good at English It’s one of the better capitals in Europe, in fact, around the world, at speaking English. Now let’s go back to the scoreboard. We showed you right at the beginning of the video. For all our cuisestops, we rank on a variety of factors. Here they are. Well, I’d say Amsterdam does very well. There’s so much choice both inside the capital itself and those towns, which are about an easy one hour journey away. The Dutch cuisine is not as famous as some of its European neighbours, such as as France or Spain and Italy,
but they are excellent for food tasting it. and very happy to do it. Loads of choice, loads of variety. Now: Ease of Access and how to get in from the port, we’re going to give it a 9… if you picked the correct port and not Ijmuiden. It’s just a few minutes stroll in. Very walkable. There’s a tram nearby, if you want to take that. And the final score: was Holland a hit or a miss? Well, there’s a tossup between an eight or a nine. I’m’m holding back because the weather is a factor. It’s a relatively shortish season that’s the best time to go to Amsterdam, spring, summer, a little bit of autumn. Personally, I wouldn’t come deep into winter. It will often be wet. But I’m giving it an 8, a very strong 8, almost a 9. Amsterdam is absolutely a hit. Now, don’t forget to check our other CRUISE GUIDES to major cities and capitals around the world. We are increasing our coverage of these month by month and you can find those in our Ritzy Travel Guide playlist And over coming months, I’ll be uploading even more Cuise Guides, such as one to Monte Carlo, Majorca in Spain, Malta, Costa Rica, Athens in Greece, that’s a beautiful one, and Colombia, just to name a few. Also, we have a huge catalogue of Cruise Ship Reviews Reviewing the ships, and the cruise lines themself. Everything from family cruises to luxury, please do take a look at those. And overcoming months, we’ve got five cruise lines that we’re going to be going on, all totally different. So lots to look forward to. Please do remember to be subscribed to our channel. It’s free subscription doesn’t cost you anything. It just lets you know when these new videos come out. Thank you so much for joining us on the Ritzy Travel Guide. It’s been an absolute pleasure having you with us. Here is the playlist with all our Cruise and Port Guides and here’s one of our latest videos for our cruise ship reviews. And we’ll see you right now in one of those!

Visiting Amsterdam on a cruise in 2025 or 2026? Here’s your complete guide to the Amsterdam Cruise Port (Passenger Terminal Amsterdam & Ijmuiden) and the best things to do in Amsterdam on a cruise stop. Whether you want Amsterdam shore excursions, canal cruises, Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, walking tours, or day trips to windmills, cheese villages, and more – this video has you covered.

We’ll show you:
✅ How to get from the Amsterdam cruise port to the city center
✅ Best ways to explore Amsterdam in one day (walking, biking, tram, or tour)
✅ Must-see sights: Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, Dam Square, Red Light District, Canal Cruises & A’dam Lookout
✅ Shore excursions to Edam, Volendam, Marken & Zaanse Schans
✅ Local tips for dining, shopping & getting around safely

⚓ Ports covered:

Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) – the main cruise port

Ijmuiden Cruise Port – further out, with extra transport tips

The tours we recommend:
Tour Link 1: https://gyg.me/ujcUy6PK
Tour Link 2: https://gyg.me/j5qTMMXh

In this video, we also cover: Amsterdam coffee shops, Heineken Experience, Rijksmuseum, Royal Palace, windmills, clog making, cheese tasting, and more.

🔎 Keywords: Amsterdam cruise port, Amsterdam shore excursions, Cruise to Amsterdam, Amsterdam in one day, Cruise excursions Amsterdam, Amsterdam canal cruise, Day trips from Amsterdam for cruise passengers.

Hi, welcome to Ritzy Travel Guide, my name is Bill, we are here bringing you our latest travel reviews from around the globe! We’ll be travelling right around the world on cruise ships, all inclusive resorts, tropical destinations… and the deals of the day.

In this video :

00:00 – Intro
02:11 – Amsterdam has 2 ports – Ijmuiden & PTA
03:40 – How to get from Port to City
04:07 – Central Station and Tour Desk
04:19 – Attraction 1
05:59 – Food Tasting!
07:53 – The Heineken Experience
08:20 – Attraction 2
08:59 – The Rijksmuseum
09:34 – The Grand Palace
09:53 – Anne Frank House Museum
10:21 – Van Gogh Museum & Art Gallery
10:32 – Red Light District – De Wallen
11:26 – Attraction 3
12:20 – Out of Town Excursions & Tours
12:39 – Edam & the Cheese Festival
14:37 – Ritzy Travel Guide on Social Media
15-08 : Zaanse Schans Windmill Village
17:22 – Attraction 4
17:32 – Volendam
20:28 – Boat ferry trip to Marken
20:38 – Clog Factory
21:31 – The Tours we took
21:54 – Q&A on Amsterdam
25:32 – Verdict – Is Amsterdam a hit?
25:59 – Our Ports of Call Guide Series
26:26 – Our Cruise Ship Reviews

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ABOUT ME:
Hi, my name is Bill. The aim of this channel is to give interesting, and helpful insights into travel. We do not sell vacations. The information provided in this video, and all other videos on our channel, is for general entertainment purposes only. While I strive to offer helpful travel tips and advice, I am not a professional, and the content should not be considered as professional or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional, travel, or legal advisor before making decisions related to travel, legal matters, or any specific circumstances. I am not responsible for any actions or outcomes resulting from the use of the information provided in this video. Please contact your travel agent, hotel, representative, or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.