Amsterdam
Beyond the canals. The neighbourhoods locals actually live in.
Plan my Amsterdam tripAmsterdam is smaller than you think
That's its secret. Most visitors spend their time in a tiny triangle between Central Station, the Rijksmuseum, and the Anne Frank House. The locals spend their time everywhere else — in De Pijp's street markets, in Amsterdam-Noord's post-industrial creative spaces, in the Jordaan's back streets that have nothing to do with the tourist drag.
The city rewards curiosity and punishes guidebooks. Our local guides know which neighbourhoods to walk through at which time of day, which restaurants are worth the hype and which ones are just Instagram traps, and how to see the canals without feeling like you're on a school trip.
5 things you won't
find in a guidebook
A former shipyard in Amsterdam-Noord that became the city's creative hub. Street art, artist studios, a flea market on weekends, and a view of the IJ waterway that feels nothing like the postcard city. Free ferry from Central Station, 15 minutes.
The Albert Cuypmarkt is the largest street market in the Netherlands and one of the few tourist attractions that's actually used by locals too. Get there before 10am. Try the stroopwafels fresh from the griddle. Then explore the streets behind it — the restaurants here are better and cheaper than anywhere near the museum quarter.
A craft brewery inside a working windmill. Yes, really. The tasting room is tiny, the beer is excellent, and the setting is absurd in the best way. Go on a weekday afternoon to avoid the crowds.
Every tourist walks the main path. Every local knows the park's back sections — the rose garden, the secluded benches by the pond, the open-air theatre in summer. The park is a neighbourhood park first and a tourist attraction second. Treat it that way.
Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands has some of the best contemporary architecture in Europe, and almost no tourists. The whale-shaped ARCAM building, Java Island's housing experiments, and Mediamatic's greenhouse restaurant all in a one-hour walk.
The people who
know this city
Every Sotto itinerary is reviewed by a local who actually lives here. Not a travel blogger. Not an AI. Someone who walks these streets every day and cares deeply about showing the city at its best.
"Amsterdam has one of the most interesting contemporary architecture scenes in Europe. Nobody ever comes here to see it. I want to fix that."
Noor is a Dutch architect who has lived in De Pijp for seven years after studying in Rotterdam and working in Copenhagen. She covers Amsterdam's urban design and architecture for a Dutch cultural platform, and has a particular obsession with the city's hidden courtyards — she's documented over forty of them.
"I moved here from Antwerp thinking it couldn't be as good. Five years later I'm still finding new restaurants every week."
Lars left Belgium for Amsterdam in 2020 and now writes about the city's food and music scene for a European lifestyle magazine. His restaurant recommendations tend toward small, chef-driven spots that haven't been discovered by the influencer circuit yet — though some of them find them eventually.
"I grew up here. I still discover something new every month. The city never gets boring if you know how to look."
Eva was born and raised in Amsterdam-Noord, back when it was still mostly a working-class neighbourhood. She watched it transform, knows its history, and knows which parts of the transformation are worth celebrating and which ones aren't. She'll give you cycling routes that make the city feel like it belongs to you.
Sunday in De Pijp
How locals spend a perfect Amsterdam Sunday
Get the full guideAlbert Cuypmarkt opens at 9am on Sundays. Go early — before the tour groups arrive, while the vendors are still setting up and the light is still low over the street. Get a herring from the fish stall (this is non-negotiable, according to Lars). Get a stroopwafel. Walk slowly.
After the market, the streets behind it — Eerste van der Helststraat, the quieter parts of Ferdinand Bolstraat — are where the neighbourhood restaurants are. Most of them don't open until noon. Walk, look in windows, notice the architecture. De Pijp was built for workers in the 1890s; it feels different from the old centre.
Take the free Noord-Zuidlijn ferry from Centraal to Amsterdam-Noord in the afternoon. NDSM is a 12-minute walk from the ferry stop. Get there by 3pm, when the weekend market winds down and the light on the IJ hits the waterfront at the perfect angle.
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