Local before arrival
On your first visit to Amsterdam, there’s one thing you must experience: a boat trip through the canals. You will pass by historic canal houses, different houseboats, and under countless bridges on your way up the Amstel, the river that gave Amsterdam its name. Barges still occasionally use the river, and when they do the locks open and drawbridges lift, including the Magere Brug, or “skinny bridge.” Even Amsterdam natives pause to witness this rare show.
