An Amsterdam canal with houseboats and bicycles

Vegan Amsterdam: The Ultimate Vegan Guide to Amsterdam in 2024

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Vegan Amsterdam: Dutch cuisine may not have the reputation of traditionally being very vegan-friendly but these days the Dutch capital is also a vegan capital of Europe and a great place to visit, alongside cities like Lisbon and Barcelona (in fact, it was number 7 on my list of the 25 most vegan-friendly cities in the World!).

These days, a vegan in Amsterdam in spoilt for choice when it comes to vegan Amsterdam restaurants. The Amsterdam vegan scene is strong; not only is there a vegan-friendly and eco-friendly hotel chain and a wide variety of vegan places to eat in Amsterdam, but the quality of vegan food is one of the highest I’ve experienced in recent years. So prepare yourself for some delicious vegan food!

Okay, let’s carry on with vegan restaurants Amsterdam! Read on to find out where to find the best vegan food Amsterdam has to offer.

Menu

1. Where to stay: vegan hotels Amsterdam
     1a.Best mid-range hotel: Conscious Hotel, Amsterdam
     1a. 5-star hotel: The W Amsterdam
     1b. Boat hotel: Asile Flottant
     1c. Traditional compartment bed (capsule hotel): De Bedstee
     1d. Budget option: eco friendly hostel, Eco Mama
2. Vegan Amsterdam: The best vegan restaurants in Amsterdam
     2a. TerraZen Centre Amsterdam
     2b. Men Impossible Ramen
     2c. h.eart.h
     2d. Koffie ende Koeck
     2e. Other vegan spots: Vegan Junk Food Bar, Meatless District, Dophert, Bonboon, Joe’s Garage, Maoz Vegetarian, Mastino Pizza, Vegabond, Zest for Life, The Meets brunch
3. Where to find vegan versions of traditional Dutch foods
     3a. Vegan hagelslag (Dutch breakfast of sprinkles on toast)
     3b. Vegan roze koek (rose cake)
     3c. Vegan bitterballen (croquettes)
     3d. Vegan stroopwafel Amsterdam
     3e. Vegan pancakes Amsterdam at Happy Pig
     3f. Vegan waffles Amsterdam
     3g. Vegan tompouce (cream-filled layer cake)
     3h. Vegan kroket (croquette) and fries
     3j. Vegan coffee shop Amsterdam
4. Vegan shopping in Amsterdam
     4a. Vegan supermarket Amsterdam: Vegabond
     4b. Vegan shoes Amsterdam
5. What to do in Amsterdam: the best activities & a note on sustainability & overtourism
     5a. Gig on a boat
     5b. Coffee at The Eye
     5c. Amsterdam Light Festival

Where to stay

If you’re looking for a vegan hotel in Amsterdam, you may be disappointed to learn there aren’t any 100% vegan hotels. Amsterdam does, however, have several vegan friendly accommodation options. Here are my favourite places for vegans to stay in Amsterdam.

Best Mid-Range Hotel: Conscious Hotel, Amsterdam

This eco friendly hotel has two locations in Amsterdam and they’re vegan friendly, too! Just let them know in advance you’re vegan and they’ll make sure there are enough vegan options at the breakfast buffet (which is not included in the room rate – it’s an additional €16).

According to one reviewer, the provided toiletries in their bathroom at the Vondelpark location were also vegan, which is excellent news.

The Museum Square location (which I’ve linked to above) is centrally located, while their Vondelpark hotel is a bit outside the centre so best if you want peace and quiet and don’t mind being a bit outside the main part of Amsterdam. They have two further locations in Amsterdam, Westerpark and Amsterdam City Tire Station.

The materials used in the hotel furniture are all recycled or certified, organic cotton towels are provided and food at the breakfast buffet is organic.

Each room has a 40-inch LED TV, free wifi, a work desk and modern bathroom. Some rooms also have bathtubs in the room (see above). The Museum Square location has a garden where you can eat your breakfast, and bicycles available for hire (for a fee).

Click here to check the latest prices.


Best luxury 5-star hotel: W Hotel

If you’re looking for a luxury stay, then I highly recommend the W Amsterdam, which I stayed in free thanks to hotel points.

Its central location, with the ability to walk everywhere, combined with the fact that it’s quiet even though it’s centrally located (it’s just that little bit outside the buzziest, noisiest areas), make it the perfect choice.

The rooms are very modern, with intriguing and unsual decor and each bed features a touchpad controlling the curtains (including a blackout blind) and lights.

The waterfall showers are located in the room itself, so beware that this might not be a suitable place to share a room with a friend or colleague. The shower glass is frosted and my friend and I happily shared, but it could be awkward if you don’t know the person well. Best suited to couples!

The beds are of course luxurious and comfortable (if you want to recreate a hotel bed experience at home, I recommend getting a high quality mattress – check out my vegan mattress guide!).

The W hotel has all the amenities you would expect, including multiple onsite restaurants and a rooftop pool. The roof itself has stunning views of the city but the pool is very thin, making it unsuitable for laps but perfect for summertime drinks.

There’s an indoor pool, located in a spa area, alongside a sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools and hot tub, which guests can use free (but you do need to enquire in advance). I loved it.

There’s a bar adjacent to the pool, which serves coffee in the morning, and a restaurant next to it. Avoid the restaurant as it’s a bbq joint and displays meat in the windows.

The bar has soya milk for coffee and we had our coffee with a view of the pool and beautiful views of the city through floor-to-ceiling windows.

While I didn’t order anything from room service, I looked through the menus (including a menu for dogs!) and they had a fair number of dishes that looked easy to veganise. At most 5 star hotels, they are happy to make you a vegan dish if you ask.

Plus, because it’s so centrally located, it’s easy to get from the W to the best vegan restaurants Amsterdam has.

Click here for the latest prices and availability.


Asile Flottant: a vegan friendly hotel on a boat!

You can’t get more Amsterdam than staying on a boat. Asile Flottant is a collection of 6 boats docked on a canal that have been retrofitted into hotel rooms.

They’re located at de Ceuvel, which is a really cool area worth exploring in its own right (read more about it here).

I attended a gig there, and learned about this eco-friendly area, where they’ve taken a selection of old houseboats and docked some on land in a ‘secret garden’, fitted them out in an eco-friendly manner to be workspaces for social enterprises and created an experiment in sustainability.

If you’ve ever been curious what it would be like to stay on a floating B&B, here’s your chance!

Each hotel-boat comes with a terrace and has its own unique features, such as a bathtub overlooking the machinery or a bed in the wheelhouse.

On-site you’ll find Cafe de Ceuvel, which was vegan friendly when I visited and is now fully vegan (hurray!). This cafe is built out of reused materials and they use vegetables grown themselves.

There’s seating on their terrace or hammocks so when you’re hungry, climb off your houseboat and head over to the cafe!

Located in North Amsterdam, you can take a bus or ferry to cross the water, or catch the metro, to get into the city centre.

Click here for the latest prices and availability.


Traditional Hotel: box bed (capsule hotel), De Bedstee

De Bedstee capsule hotel is a boutique capsule hotel using traditional vintage Dutch ‘box beds’.

If you’ve never seen one of these beds, check out the Wikipedia page here. Perhaps not for the claustrophobic!

But, if you’re looking for an Amsterdam vegan hotel, de Bedstee is the closest you’ll get, as it’s 100% vegetarian and is the closest to a vegan hotel Amsterdam has to offer.

Click here for the latest prices and availability.


Best budget option: eco friendly hostel, Eco Mama

Eco Mama is an eco-friendly hostel located right in the heart of Amsterdam. My friend stayed here and she loved it.

They offer lots of fun upgrades at really affordable prices; for example, she and her partner paid just 3 Euros more for a canal view!

The hostel even sends out guides to guests based on their interest areas, including a vegan guide to the city!

The hostel has a green roof, uses eco friendly and fairtrade products and much of the furniture is made from recycled objects. Plus, there’s an on-site cafe (the Fix) with vegan options.

Click here for the latest prices and availability.

Vegan Amsterdam: the best vegan restaurants in Amsterdam

So, you’re going to Amsterdam and wondering “is Amsterdam vegan friendly?” The answer is yes! There are more than 60 fully vegan cafes in Amsterdam, not to mention restaurants with vegan options, vegan shops and more.

If you’re searching for the top vegan restaurant Amsterdam has to offer, I’m here for you – with so many choices, it can tricky to choose or to know where to find traditional vegan dishes, which is why I put together this vegan Amsterdam guide.

While Amsterdam might not traditionally be thought of as a vegan capital, that’s changing. I went to Amsterdam recently for a Dutch friend’s wedding and decided to stay a week to explore Dutch vegan cuisine more fully.

I didn’t know what to expect of their vegan food. Amsterdam blew me away, frankly! The overall quality of the vegan meals I had there (including at my friend’s wedding at the Grand Sofitel) was some of the best in past few years of vegan travels.

The Amsterdam vegan restaurant scene is strong. So, how to choose? I did extensive research before my trip (and thankfully got really helpful tips from a local vegan friend!) and tested Amsterdam vegan restaurants thoroughly (some days I even ate 4 or 5 meals) to bring you this list.

Below, you’ll find what are in my opinion the best vegan places in Amsterdam. Below the list, you’ll find a few additional places that I either didn’t get a chance to visit, or heard mixed reviews about and opted not to visit (I’ve noted these).

Whether you’re looking for the very best vegan restaurant in Amsterdam, healthy restaurants in Amsterdam, raw Amsterdam spots or just vegan cupcakes in Amsterdam, you’ll find it with this Amsterdam vegetarian restaurant guide.

These are the very best vegan Amsterdam spots!

TerraZen Centre

Sint Jacobsstraat 19HS, 1012 NC Amsterdam
Facebook
Prices: €€

What to get: fried tempeh sushi (a crunchy, flavourful masterpiece)

TerraZen Amsterdam is a Caribbean-Japanese fusion restaurant located in the central part of the city. This vegan Amsterdam restaurant is one of the few located right in the heart of the city, and if you’re looking for vegan Amsterdam Centraal food, it’s only a 5 minute walk from the station.

Caribbean and Japanese might sound like an unusual combination — it’s because the couple who own it are a husband and wife team and the wife is Japanese while the husband is from the Caribbean.

Ready for a taste adventure? Get the sushi with the fried tempeh. If you’re looking for vegan sushi in Amsterdam, THIS is the place to go.

They have two types of sushi on the menu currently so be sure to ask for the one made with fried tempeh. Hands down the most exciting and tastiest sushi I’ve had in the last few years.

While you can get an avocado maki anywhere, it gets a little boring and samey. This, on the other hand, is a texture explosion.

The fried tempeh sushi is crunchy and comes with fried tempeh, avocado, lettuce and an amazing, flavourful sauce. I’ve heard mixed things about some of the other dishes but my local vegan friend recommended the fried tempeh sushi and it didn’t disappoint!

I’m not even a big fan of tempeh normally but I loved this sushi. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a vegan lunch in Amsterdam centre.

The TerraZen vegan Amsterdam menu is unusual. When you walk into this colourful vegan Amsterdam centrum restaurant, the first thing you’ll notice are the bright murals on the walls and the chalkboard menu on one wall of the restaurant.

This is the only menu (I also couldn’t find a full menu online). Embrace the uniqueness of the restaurant. And don’t forget to try the fried tempeh sushi!

Click here to see TerraZen’s page.


Men Impossible

Hazenstraat 19H, 1016 SM Amsterdam
Website | Facebook
Prices: from €15-18 (lunch menu, ramen course only), or
34 dinner menu (starters, ramen, dessert and tea/water)

What to get: the hand-pulled vegan ramen and a selection of starters

Men Impossible is the best vegan restaurant in Amsterdam for ramen. It’s one of the most special vegan places in Amsterdam. I’ve never been to a restaurant like this anywhere else.

YOU MUST HAVE RESERVATIONS (they don’t take any walk-in customers at all!) but it’s so unusual, it’s absolutely worth booking your spot as far in advance as possible!

Men Impossible is a tiny little hole in the wall ramen place, which has only one big table in the restaurant, seating around 18 people.

The chef is also the server and host and he’s the only person in the restaurant; he does absolutely everything himself!

There are also no options on the menu. Basically, you can choose from the types of ramen (there are 5 different sauces) and then you can choose which array of starters you want (he’ll recommend what to get). I got a small selection of every starter (6 when I was there).

You can have tea or water. It’s extra if you want an alcoholic beverage.

He cooks everything fresh, and makes hand pulled ramen noodles based on how many customers are coming that night (that’s why reservations are required). BE SURE TO BOOK THIS ONE BEFORE YOUR TRIP!

Click here to make a reservation (reservations are required!).


H/eart.h

Albert Cuypstraat 208 H, 1073 BM Amsterdam
Website | Facebook
Mains €15 – 19 

What to get: handmade vegan pasta

H/eart.h is a vegetarian concept store and healthy restaurant in Amsterdam that I heard was really good. Around 95% of the menu is vegan and it looks really tasty, with options such as handmade tagliatelle and vegan tiramisu. I was planning to go, but it was closed when I tried to go.

They’re open for dinner every day but lunch only Friday-Sunday, so check the opening hours (and preferably book a table in advance)!

Click here to book a table.


Shopfront of Vegabond

Koffie ende Koeck

Haarlemmerweg 175, 1051 LA Amsterdam
Website | Facebook

This completely vegan cake place (the name means coffee and cake) was recommended to me multiple times, and everyone said the vegan cake was phenomenal.

They also serve light lunches, e.g. sandwiches. Unfortunately, I never made it — it’s a little out of the way and I didn’t end up going west. However, if rumours are true this is the place to go if you want exceptional vegan cake in Amsterdam.


Other vegan places Amsterdam

The vegan spots outlined above are all places I’d recommend highly based on both my experience and my extensive research before my trip.

I spent countless hours reading restaurant reviews and speaking to local friends to curate a list of what I believe to be the best vegan places in Amsterdam. That list didn’t disappoint!

There are far more choices now for Amsterdam vegan food, with many new spots opening since my last visit, so I’ve added the most highly rated ones plus some vegan places I wanted to visit but didn’t get to.

Bonboon

Oh, how I wanted to visit this vegan restaurant on the waterfront. It opened while I was in Amsterdam, so I hadn’t seen any reviews, but the harbour views looked spectacular, and the menu looked so good, too. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to try it, but you should if you want dinner with a view.

Vegan JunkFood Bar Amsterdam

A classic vegan spot in Amsterdam, Vegan Junk Food Bar serves – you guessed it – vegan junk food. And they now have multiple locations! Since vegan meats aren’t my favourite I didn’t visit but go here if you want to try vegan bitterballen, a Dutch specialty (meat-based croquettes).

I have tried their branch in Barcelona, which is good (albeit a little pricey, compared to Barcelona prices).

If you’re looking for Amsterdam healthy food, this isn’t the place (check out one of the healthy cafes Amsterdam boasts, like H.eart.h) but if you’re after one of the vegan hotspots Amsterdam has, then the Amsterdan vegan food (junk food) you’ll find here is very popular.

Meatless District

Another popular restaurant in the vegan scene in Amsterdam is Meatless District (I’ve heard mixed reviews so please report back on your experience!). It has two locations in the city, so they must be doing something right!

Joe’s Garage

I was so intrigued by the idea of this place, a once-a-week vegan dinner run in a squat, and wanted to go but timing didn’t work out.

There aren’t many (any?) other places in Amsterdam where you can get a 3-course meal for 4 Euros. Amsterdam restaurants tend to be expensive, so head here for a budget vegan meal in what’s presumably a very interesting venue.

Maoz Vegan

Falafel on the mind? Unfortunately one of the best spots for hummus in Amsterdam closed (Hummus House), but you won’t go falafel-less as there are several branches of Maoz falafel in Amsterdam.

If you’re looking for cheap vegan Amsterdam food, it’s affordable too. This falafel chain serves up falafel wraps and is open late.

Vegabond vegan store and lunchroom, Amsterdam

Margo’s Amsterdam

I’ll definitely head here for breakfast next time I’m in town. This centrally located vegan bakery opens at 8am during the week and 9am at the weekend, and is just a 15-minute walk from Centraal station. It’s takeaway only as far as I can tell.

Their specialty is flaky vegan croissants, and they also make pain au chocolat, danishes, tahini cinnamon buns, and a variety of savoury sandwiches if you want a savoury breakfast or lunch.

Saint-Jean

Another 100% vegan bakery bakery option I’ll be trying: they make the most beautiful-looking cruffins (croissant-muffin hybrid), brioche and babka.

 

Vegan brunch at The Meets, Amsterdam

The Meets

I loved this place when I visited in spite of its limited vegan options at the time — and they’ve now gone fully vegan! How cool is that?

Though they are no longer open for breakfast, I really enjoyed the vegan brunch I had here (I wrote at the time “avocado toast is so widely available it might seem boring, but theirs had a twist — it was served on very high quality sourdough and came with a side of roasted tomatoes and garlicky spinach that went so well with the avocado toast I began to wonder why everyone doesn’t serve them together.”)

If you’re looking for a trendy Amsterdam vegan breakfast in the hipster De Pijp area, then I recommend The Meets.

Like much of the food I had in Amsterdam, it seemed as though they’d put lots of thought into sourcing top quality for every vegetable, which makes a huge difference to flavour.

The Old Soul: Top of my list for next time I visit is this 100% vegan Surinamese soul food restaurant. I’ve never tried Surinamese food and I’d love to.

Morris en Bella: fine dining restaurant gone vegan

Vegan Sushi Bar: 100% vegan sushi restaurant with 2 locations

Mr. Blou I Love You: vegan street food stall

Trevi’s: vegan Italian restaurant

De Patchka: vegan Japanese & Korean takeaway

SOIL: homemade vegan comfort food

Little Plant Pantry: zero waste shop & vegan cafe

The Sunny Burger Co: this place seems to have so many positive reviews and happy customers; one even ranked it in the top 5 burgers of their life

Flower Burger: a chain from Italy which specialises in vegan burgers with colourful buns

Madre: vegan Mexican eatery

Where to find vegan versions of traditional Dutch foods

Hagelslag: Dutch breakfast of toast with sprinkles (hagelslag)

I know what you’re thinking — this sounds like the breakfast of a schoolchild who loves Coco Pops.

But believe it or not, it’s a traditional Dutch breakfast for adults and children alike.

The Dutch are the world’s biggest consumer of sprinkles, a fact which is obvious as soon as you enter any supermarket in Amsterdam. The selection of sprinkles for toast, and various other toast accoutrements, is tremendous.

There is usually an entire aisle (not all vegan) devoted to toast toppings, including Nutella and similar spreads, jams, sprinkles in every variety and flavour imaginable and some sort of pressed coconut topping. However, toast with sprinkles is a breakfast usually consumed at home and not found in restaurants.

I haven’t found any restaurants that serve vegan sprinkles on toast apart from Beter & Leuk which sadly closed (let me know if you know of one!) so you’ll have to make it yourself, either once you’re home or if you have a kitchen in your apartment/hostel, while you’re here.

Find vegan hagelslag/sprinkles thanks to Vegan Wiki, and vegan margarine, then just make toast and top with vegan butter and the sprinkles.


Vegan roze koek at Beter & Leuk, Amsterdam

Vegan roze koek (pink cake)

Theehuis de Roos (a vegetarian cafe in a spiritual centre) is the only place I’ve seen vegan roze koek on the menu in Amsterdam since Bataat closed.

If you’re keen on eating vegan in Amsterdam and trying some traditional dishes, don’t miss trying roze koek. Roze koek is a small, round and flat covered in pink fondant icing.

Every supermarket seems to carry them but not in vegan form (and the supermarket versions did not look very nice). 


Vegan bitterballen (croquettes) at Soil Vegan Cafe or Vegan Junk Food Bar 

Bitterballen are another Dutch specialty, usually a meat-based fried ball (it was described to me as sort of similar to a croquette) but in Amsterdam vegan cafes Vegan JunkFood Bar Amsterdam you can find not one but three vegan versions.

As Vegan Junk Food Bar, there’s the traditional Dutch version (but in vegan form), a mac & cheese ball, and peanut “chicken” balls. Now with multiple locations around the city, you can choose the Vegan Junk Food Bar closest to you.

Soil Vegan Cafe Amsterdam specialises in homemade soul food and they do a delicious-looking mushroom bitterballen.


Vegan stroopwafel in Amsterdam

So, you want vegan stroopwafels. Amsterdam is famous for it, so I don’t blame you! If you go into the supermarket you’ll see shelves upon shelves of the crispy little waffles, with layers of caramel sandwiched between.

You can find them at some health food shops, or head to Queen’s Stroopwafels, which serves vegan versions in both fresh and packaged forms. 


Vegan pancakes at Happy Pig, Amsterdam

Vegan pancakes in Amsterdam at Happy Pig

Best: vegan breakfast Amsterdam

If you’re looking for the best vegan brunch in Amsterdam, pancakes (pannenkoeken) are a traditional Dutch dish (though not necessarily eaten for breakfast).

Pancakes Amsterdam has a few branches and now make vegan versions of traditional Dutch pancakes. Another place with vegan options, which I visited, is Happy Pig pancake shop. They’re not vegan or vegetarian but offer vegan pancake options (and some reviewers on Happycow have complained about the bacon smell in the shop, although it didn’t smell when I was in).

These are thin Dutch-style pancakes (akin to crepes), not like the fluffy American kind, and you can choose from various vegan fillings, marked on the menu. It’s takeaway and I took mine to eat while strolling along the canal.


Vegan waffles

Want to get vegan brunch? Amsterdam has a waffle spot perfect for brunch. If you’re looking for vegan waffles, Amsterdam waffle house Heart Garden (formerly Wicked Waffles) has them. This place is not completely vegetarian or vegan, but they have a vegan waffle option!


Vegan tompouce

A friend on Instagram alerted me to tompouce, a traditional Dutch pastry layered with cream and most definitely not vegan in its standard form. I tried to hunt it down when I was in Amsterdam without success, but was later informed it’s a seasonal dish, usually made for King’s Day, so seek it out if you’re in Amsterdam in early January.

Margo’s vegan cafe do a vegan tompouce for King’s Day. Arnold Cornelis, a bakery with some vegan options, also sell a vegan tompouce, seemingly year round.


Vegan kroket (croquette) and fries

If you want to try vegan kroket, then vegan-friendly fry shop Heertje Friet has vegan krokets on the menu, plus homemade fries with a selection of vegan sauces (marked on the menu), including vegan mayonnaise, curry ketchup or peanut sauce.


Vegan coffeeshop in Amsterdam

I hate to be the bearer of bad news if you’re looking for THAT kind of Amsterdam vegan coffee shop, but there aren’t any but you might find a vegan option at at least one spot.

Vegalife vegan shop, Amsterdam

Vegan shopping

If you’re looking for a vegan shop, Amsterdam has several. Whether you’re looking for shoes, food or fashion, here they are.

Vegabond vegan store and lunchroom, Amsterdam

Vegan supermarket Amsterdam: Little Plant Pantry

Little Plant Pantry opened after my visit to Amsterdam, and is a zero waste whole foods store selling the essentials for a plant based diet, plus local artisanmade products including soaps and cosmetics plus a selection of prepared foods.

If you’re looking for a bigger store for a more traditional supermarket experience, Ekoplaza is a chain of organic stores (akin to Whole Foods), or you can find vegan products in big supermarket chains, such as Albert Heijn.


Dogo vegan shoes, Amsterdam

Vegan shoes Amsterdam

VegaLife: an all vegan store selling a selection of shoes, but also t-shirts, belts, books and a small snack and bodycare section.

(Note: the picture of shoes above was taken in Dogo, which makes vegan shoes, but unfortunately no longer has a store in Amsterdam.)

What to do in Amsterdam: the best activities & sustainability

Overtourism & sustainability

Amsterdam has been experiencing overtourism in recent years (after a brief lull in travel during the pandemic) and the tourism board are actively encouraging travellers who just want to party to stay away. Instead, they’re encouraging visitors who come to experience life like a local..

What can you do? If you’re reading this article, you may have booked your trip already, but if not consider the following options:

  • Travel in the off season (I always recommend avoiding travel during peak travel season in most major cities anyway–it’s far more enjoyable!). I went in December and there were few crowds; the weather may be a little colder but it was still warm enough to explore wrapped up in a coat, I got to see the light festival, which only happens in winter, and I didn’t need to bother packing sunscreen
  • Stay in/explore areas outside the city centre (I have some suggestions below–a lot of veggie restaurants are outside the centre anyway). There’s more to Amsterdam than the Red Light District
  • Avoid unregulated holiday apartments, which city officials say deplete available housing for city residents and cause safety and noise concerns
  • Lastly, educate yourself on the issue and decide for yourself what you can do. I enjoyed this post by a former Amsterdam resident on the issue.

Apart from the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House, here are a few ideas of more unusual activities to do in Amsterdam.

Secret gig on a boat, Amsterdam

Gig on a boat

This secret gig on a boat (Airbnb experiences) was one of my favourite parts of my trip.

It was my first time using Airbnb experiences and it was amazing!

First, it’s slightly misleading saying it’s on a boat…it’s actually on a stationary boat (they’ve formed an eco park with a bunch of old, disused canal boats at a place called de Ceuvel (where the boat hotel Asile Flottant I listed at the beginning of the article is located), which are on dry land but overlooking the water, so you do get a sense of the water). However, in spite of that, I had an amazing time!

There are different musicians every time and you don’t know who will be perfoming live music (probably all local musicians) but the night I went was so good! It’s £26 per person and when I went you got drinks (beer, wine or tea) on the boat too.

It *is* a little tricky to reach from the centre though, but very doable and well worth the journey.


amsterdam eye film institute

Coffee at The Eye

Get the free ferry across the water from Centraal station to The Eye film museum for a coffee or drink.

The journey on the ferry only lasts around 5 minutes but it’s worth it for the views. Then, go to the Eye Film Museum (2 mins walk from the ferry terminal) and go to the cafe inside. Bonus points if you do it at sunset!

It has amazing 180 degree views of the water and the city! My friend recommended I go there so I waited until there was a day without (or with fewer!) clouds and watched the sunset there. It was so beautiful!


amsterdam light show

Amsterdam Light Festival

A reason to visit Amsterdam during winter (apart from being more sustainable in terms of overtourism) the Amsterdam Light Festival. Wander the canals at night to see the (free!) light displays. So pretty!

The light sculptures reflected in the water are stunning, and the festival is completely free. You can follow the trail and learn more about the artists and the works on their website.

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Planning your vegan travels? Check out all my vegan travel guides and vegan travel planning tips!

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9 thoughts on “Vegan Amsterdam: The Ultimate Vegan Guide to Amsterdam in 2024”

  1. I’ve visited Amsterdam a few time and loved the place, but was never blown away by the vegan food I got there. If I’d have had this guide, I’d have eaten my around the city very happily indeed!

    Reply
  2. Hi Caitlin,

    Thanks for an awesome article, found it very informative as we are going to be spending a year in Amsterdam next year.

    Can I ask why did you say ‘Avoid unregulated holiday apartments’, and does this include places that are listed on sites like Huurda?

    Regards,

    John & Sandy

    Reply
  3. Currently planning my trip to Amsterdam and the amount of vegan food available makes me very excited! :)

    When checking the restaurants recommended here, I found out that sadly a lot of them have permanently closed… Just a little heads up, as the guide is titled “in 2024”. ;)

    Reply

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Caitlin Galer-Unti

Hi, I’m Caitlin and I’ve been vegan since 2008 and vegetarian my whole life. Since going vegan, I’ve lived in 4 countries and travelled to over 30! I’ve also published two bestselling vegan books (The Essential Vegan Travel Guide and The Barcelona Vegan Guide) and had my work featured in The New York Times, Vegetarian Food & Living and Vegan Life magazine. I’ve veganised my life and I’m here to help you design your life around your vegan values. 

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