Most Romantic Date Nights in Amsterdam

If you live in Amsterdam and are looking for a romantic date night, we’ve got you! While Amsterdam isn’t known for being the most romantic city in Europe, it truly is a romantic city at heart! With all of the canals, parks for cute picnics and museums to stroll through holding hands, you can find many romantic date nights in Amsterdam.

Below we have listed out our top 15 move romantic date nights in Amsterdam ! Some of them we have enjoyed more than others (cough cough, biking in Amsterdam is tough 🙂 ) but there is an array of ideas below to suit everyone!

1. Take a Canal Boat Tour – Private tour or on your own

This is top of the list because there are so many different ways you can cruise the Amsterdam Canals. There are less romantic options such as going on a big tour with 50+ other people, or you can go expensive and book a private tour! We actually loved renting/driving our own boat and bringing snacks and drinks on ourselves. It saved some money & we had special time alone on the canal!

2. Go to the scenic Pathé Tuschinski movie theater

For those days where it’s rainy and you don’t want to just sit on the couch, going to the movies is a great date idea! This movie theater is absolutely stunning and plays the most recent movies. If you aren’t up for an actual movie, at least pop inside to marvel at the interior of the theater!

3. Explore Amsterdam (and outside the city) on bike

If you are up for a “thrill”, you can rent bikes and ride around the city of Amsterdam! Biking in the surrounding area of Amsterdam isn’t too difficult, there are set bike paths and outside of Amsterdam is gorgeous. Biking within the heart of the city isn’t for the faint of heart! Make sure to pay attention to pedestrians and stay to the right to let the speedy people bike by!

4. Picnic in Vondelpark

Also one of our favorite things to do in Amsterdam! Vondelpark is like the Central Park of Amsterdam – large, gorgeous, and so many things to do/places to relax. There are restaurants inside the park if you don’t want to bring food for a picnic! However, we recommend grabbing some wine, meat & cheese, and bread and popping a squat in the grass to enjoy time with each other. Bring a little blanket to sit on and lay down if you want the ultimate relaxing picnic in Vondelpark!

5. Museum Van Loon

Museum Van Loon is a museum located in a canalside house alongside the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In one of the most beautiful houses in the city, visitors can catch a glimpse of the living culture of the Amsterdam Van Loon family! There is also a private garden to see, which is breathtaking and very romantic!

6. Mediamatic

If you and your significant other are into museums, art, interactive exhibits, then this is a great date night idea for you! Mediamatic has been developing installations that explore the boundaries of art, culture and media in various locations throughout Amsterdam. They also have a waterside bar and plant-based restaurant as well!

7. Visit Bimhuis for Jazz music

Jazz…. one of the most romantic genres of music. Bimhuis is a concert hall for jazz and improvised music that hosts an average of 150 performances per year! Grab a bite to eat somewhere nearby and head to this prime jazzclub for some music and dancing!

8. Dinner at one of the 23 Michelin-starred restaurants

Amsterdam has many Michelin star restaurants around the city, 23 to be exact (as of 2022)! Going to a Michelin-rated restaurant is a treat in itself so it’s great that Amsterdam has so many choices! You can find Dutch cuisine, Mediterranean inspired dishes, and Asian inspired menus. One of the most popular restaurants is De Kas (Charlie and I are still trying to get a reservation!) – so if you want to head to one of these restaurants on a date night, we suggest booking ahead of time!

9. Sit at a cafe on the water and people watch

This romantic date night is sweet and simple. There are many restaurants and cafes along the canals in Amsterdam for you to choose from! Hold hands and walk along the water until you find a spot that suits you. Sit, relax, have an espresso or glass of wine and people watch until your heart is content! (Trust us, the people watching in Amsterdam is top notch!)

10. Go out dancing until the sun comes up

Amsterdam has a big club scene, so if your body can handle it, take your partner out dancing all night! There are venues, dance festivals and club nights to suit every taste! We have not tried all of the different nightclubs in Amsterdam (and likely won’t, I mean we are in our 30s, our body just can’t handle it!) but here is a good list of the best clubs in Amsterdam!

11. Go to Amsterdam Noord and brewery hop

Moving from Charlotte, NC to Amsterdam means that we immediately looked for the breweries this city had to offer. Thank goodness there are a lot of breweries in Amsterdam to hop between! There are places to find craft beer both within the city center of Amsterdam as well as in the surrounding areas. You can take the free ferry from Amsterdam Centraal to Amsterdam Noord (bring your bike if you don’t want to walk too much). Once you are across the IJ, there are a few breweries to check out. One of our favorites is Oedipus Brewery – make sure to add that to the list of your places to stop!

12. Get competitive at TonTon Club

Who says you can’t be an adult and still play kid games? In the TonTon Club, you will find arcade games, food and drinks all together! Table top games and some beer? Count us in! All three of the TonTon Clubs have board games, table top games (think air hockey, table tennis), and arcade games. Grab your partner, and get ready for a nostalgic game night together, mixed with some booze!

13. Splurge on blissful relaxation at a luxury hotel

If you are into treating yourself, there are so many luxury hotels that have great relaxation spas! Soho House Amsterdam is a great spot to relax on their rooftop pool or head to the luxury Cowshed Spa for a therapeutic massage. You can also check out the W Hotel, Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam, Andaz Amsterdam, Prinsengracht and more. If you want a slightly less expensive way to pamper yourself, check out Rituals Body & Spa – they offer facials and massages at an affordable rate!

14. Get butterflies in your stomach on the ADAM Lookout Swing

The ADAM Lookout is a great spot for drinks and even dancing, but they also have a swing overlooking the city of Amsterdam! The swing is machine operated and you are strapped in as it extends over the railing (if you are scared of heights, I don’t recommend!) On the rooftop with the swing is a bar area where you can get a drink, relax and soak in the vast landscape views. This is also a great group date night experience as well!

15. Guided Canoe Adventure in Waterland

This is slightly outside of Amsterdam, but perfect for a romantic date! This adventure is approximately 5 hours long – you will get picked up from a meeting point in Amsterdam and take a ~10-15 bus to a local village. From there you might be able to see some quaint Dutch houses before hopping into a Canoe for some paddling! Halfway through the tour, you will stop for a picnic and then paddle back to the village you started in. Check out the tour on Viator, there are likely other tours as well if you choose to do some research!

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The list above is not all inclusive of the date night spots in Amsterdam! There are so many others that need to be explored (Charlie and I will continue to go on romantic date nights in Amsterdam and will post more once we have lived here longer!)

If you are looking for a cute weekend away with your significant other, Charlie and I went to Zwolle and had a wonderful time! Take a look at our Zwolle itinerary, just 1.5 hours away from Amsterdam!