This post will cover a variety of fun activity ideas in Amsterdam throughout the month of June 2023, including several family-friendly, nighttime, and free things to do.
For other ideas, check out our post covering the best things to do in Amsterdam.
Disclosure: While our recommendations are always unbiased, we may receive a small share of sales through some of the links below at no cost to you. See the full text.
The following list provides several fun activities you can enjoy in Amsterdam this June, including concerts, tours, festivities, sporting events, popular summer activities, and more.
For even more fun activities, make sure to check the following posts:
- Free Amsterdam Walking Tours
- Hop on Hop off Bus Tours
- Amsterdam Bike Tours
- Red Light District Tours
- June Weather in Amsterdam
Don’t forget that a lot of the best attractions are actually included and no extra cost with Amsterdam Discount Passes.
1. Go to a Concert
Amsterdam is one of those cities that musical artists love to visit, especially in the summer when it gets warmer.
This June, there are several notable musicians performing in the city. See all the concert listings for June in Amsterdam from StubHub.
Concerts
- Harry Styles | June 4th, 5th, 6th
- Peter Gabriel | June 5th
- Muse | June 7th
- KISS | June 12th
- Slipknot | June 13th
- Beyonce | June 17th, 18th
- Pantera | June 20th
- The Weeknd | June 23rd, 24th
- Maroon 5 | June 25th
Festivals
Open Air Festival | June 3rd, 4th
- Claude
- Astra Club
- DJ Daisey
- Froukje
- and more!
Defqon 1 Festival | June 22nd-25th
- Andy Svge
- Max Enforcer
- Ransomnia & Friends
- And more!
If you’re looking for even more great musical performances to enjoy, check out this list of concerts in Amsterdam.
2. Go to a Football Game
The main European Football season is ending in May, sadly.
But the Women's Champions League Final will be taking place in Eindhoven, about an hour and a half from Amsterdam.
If you're a fan of AFC Ajax, this might be a good time to take a tour of the Johan Cruijff ArenA, the home of this popular team.
This tour is often included at no extra cost with some Amsterdam tourist passes.
3. Take an Amsterdam Canal Cruise
There’s rarely ever a bad time to take a cruise through the canals of Amsterdam, but the summer is an especially nice time of the year for this activity.
You can choose from several different types of excursions including hop on hop off cruises, dinner cruises, evening cruises, and more.
Best of all, there are many ways to save money on tickets!
If you’re interested in exploring the city and seeing it from the water, this is an excellent way to discover Amsterdam.
For more information about all the different options and how to save money on them, please read our post covering the best Amsterdam Canal Cruises.
4. Go on a Food Tour
There’s a lot of great food to eat in this city, but if you’re looking for the best dishes, you may want to consider taking an Amsterdam Food Tour.
As you wander around the city and discover some of the best places and meals to eat, your guide will provide information about the history of Dutch food and its place in Amsterdam’s culture.
This tour includes a stop by the Noordermarkt and the Jordaan in addition to many other locations.
If street food is more your jam, you might enjoy the Dutch Street Food Tour at Amsterdam Market.
Or if you want to try dinner on the water, you could do the Amsterdam 3-Course Dinner Cruise.
5. Save Money With a Tourist Pass
If you’re planning to visit at least 4-5 popular attractions per day while in the city, you could save 50% or more off general admission prices simply by using an Amsterdam discount pass.
Amsterdam tourist attraction discount passes provide access to dozens of activities, museums, tours, historic locations, and more for one flat price.
You'll get skip-the-line privileges at several attractions!
There are multiple passes to choose from which include several fun things to do including the following examples:
- Hop on Hop off Bus Tours
- Hop on Hop off Canal Cruises
- The Heineken Experience
- Rembrandt House Museum
- Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
- The Amsterdam Dungeon
- Van Gogh Museum
- Stedelijk Museum
- Madame Tussauds
- Rijksmuseum
- Body Worlds
- And more!
For additional information on how to use these services and which one will save you the most money, please read our post covering Amsterdam tourist passes.
6. Enjoy Amsterdam's Beer and Wine
With the summer heat setting in, now is the best time to enjoy an ice-cold beer, and there are plenty of great drinks to choose from in this city.
If you’re looking for some help finding the best options, consider taking an Amsterdam Beer Tasting and Brewery Tour. This outing includes multiple samples at several stops including a brewery.
This is a great alternative to the Heineken Experience.
If you want to drink on the water, a Boat Tour with Drinks might fit the bill, or even a Cheese and Drinks Boat Tour.
There's also a Private Champagne Cruise on offer.
7. Celebrate the Holland Festival
Running during the month of June, this performing arts festival will be in full swing for the majority of the month.
In addition to theatre, there will also be opera, dancing, concerts, and even some art exhibits focusing on the performance arts.
While most of these activities will be ticketed, there will be a few that are entirely free to enjoy.
See what other things you can do for free in Amsterdam.
Check the Holland Festival Programme to see what’s planned for the month of June and find an event to attend.
8. Enjoy Open Garden Days
There are a lot of private canal gardens in Amsterdam, and many of them are off-limits to the public.
Thankfully an event known as Open Garden Days allows you to visit some of them for one low price.
During Amsterdam Open Garden Days, you’ll have the opportunity to visit 25 different gardens from 10 am - 5 pm each day.
Tickets are reasonably priced, and kids up to 12 years of age can accompany their parents or parental guardians free of charge.
The festival runs from June 16th-18th, 2023.
For more details or to purchase tickets, visit the Open Garden Days website.
9. Attend the Bacchus Wine Festival
If you’re looking for a new favorite wine, consider heading out to this festival at the Amsterdamse Bos.
The festival runs over two weekends in June: June 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, and June 9th, 10th, and 11th.
Tickets for this event start at €17.50 and include at least one entrée and a Bacchus wine glass. Some tickets also offer entire bottles of wine and other benefits!
Children under the age of 16 are welcome to join their parents or parental guardians at no additional cost.
For more details about the festival, please visit the Bacchus Wine Festival website.
10. Shop at a Sunday Market
Every Sunday, the marketplaces in Amsterdam offer a variety of interesting goods you may want to pick up while you’re exploring the city.
Here is the current schedule for this event in June 2023:
- Westergas Market | June 4th
- Homeware Market at De Hallen | June 11th
- Museumplein | June 18th
Although you’ll probably want to bring some money along with you, it doesn’t cost a thing to attend these Sunday Market events. Most markets last from 12 pm - 6 pm.
11. Go to a Museum
There are a lot of wonderful museums in Amsterdam, and most of the best locations are actually included with at least one tourist pass.
If you’re interested in visiting more than one museum, you can use one of these passes to ensure you’ll pay one flat price for admission to all of them.
Here are a few of the most noteworthy examples:
- Rijksmuseum
- Stedelijk Museum
- Rembrandt House
- Diamond Museum
- Van Gogh Museum
- Madame Tussauds
- Amsterdam Museum
- Nemo Science Museum
- And more!
If you’re planning to visit 4 or more of these locations, we recommend using one of the following Amsterdam tourist attraction discount passes to save money on tickets.
For more information about these and other attractions, please read our post covering 60+ Museums in Amsterdam.
12. Head to Vondelpark For Free Open Air Theatre
Vondelpark will be hosting a special open-air theatre featuring a variety of musical performances, comedy, dance, and even classical concerts.
Best of all, these performances are all free!
Shows are typically aimed at a family audience, and some are specifically intended for a youth audience.
Visitors can typically expect at least one show every weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Luckily, most hop on hop off bus tours include a stop at Vondelpark, making it easy to get here even if you’re visiting from out of town.
Check the Vondelpark Open Air Theater website for dates and shows.
13. Attend a Unique Classical Music Festival
If you're willing to take the train around 45 minutes from Amsterdam, you'll find the Festival Classique.
World-class musicians put on a program that includes opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, acrobatics, dance, film, and more.
The event is created with an eye towards making it a "total experience", with locations that add to the power of the event.
This year the festival takes place June 16th-18th on a beach in Den Haag (The Hauge).
Visit the Festival Classique website for more information.
14. Take part in Grachtenloop
This night run takes place in Haarlem. The route takes runners past scenic waterways and historic landmarks, and through charming neighborhoods.
There's a 5k, 10k, and a kid's race, and Grachtenloop is open to both pros and casual runners.
There's live music, food and drink, and other entertainment during the day, and DJ and rinks after the races are done.
If you're not up for running, feel free to join the folks on the sidelines cheering everyone on.
To sign up, or learn more about the race, visit the Grachtenloop website.
15. Attend the Amsterdam Roots Festival
This annual arts and music festival brings together folks from a variety of cultures and countries.
They put particular focus on artists from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the African Continent.
Events take place across Amsterdam and include film screenings, workshops, and other cultural events.
The festival takes place June 28th, 29th, and 30th.
For more information, visit the Amsterdam Roots website.
16. Experience the Music of Hans Zimmer
Film buffs will be happy to hear that the composer Hans Zimmer will be performing in Amsterdam in June.
Even if you're not immediately familiar with him by name, chances are you've heard a lot of his work.
Here are a few of the more noteworthy film scores you can expect to hear at this event:
- Inception
- Interstellar
- Gladiator
- The Dark Knight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- And many more!
Purchase Hans Zimmer tickets or learn more.
If you're a fan of these movies and their incredible music, this is one concert you definitely won't want to miss.
The concert will be held on April 10th - 11th, 2023. This is also a great idea for a family activity!
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