Art Attractions
- Museumplein plaza, south of the main ring of the canals, is the focus for Amsterdam's best art museum: Rijksmuseum (rijksmuseum.nl), Van Gogh Museum (vangoghmuseum.nl) and Stedelijk Museum (stedelijk.nl). The former, revamped for 10 years and reopened in April 2013, houses a collection of staggering riches, starting with the iconic Night Watch, plenty more Rembrandt, as well as works by Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Jacob van Ruisdael and other artists of the Dutch School. The Van Gogh Museum has a permanent, chronological displays of Vincent's works as well as excellent temporary exhibitions and some of his post-impressionists contemporaries. The Stedelijk collection is unashamedly modern, with works by the Dutch greats including Willem de Kooning and Piet Mondrian, alongside Rosenquist, Warhol and Malevich.
City Squares
- The Dam square sits at the center of modern Amsterdam, a lively plaza packed with pigeons, tourists and street entertainers, as well as a location of the National Memorial, erected to remember the Dutch dead of WW II. The heavy bulk of the Royal Palace, or Koninklijk Palace (paleisamsterdam.nl), dominates the western side of the Dam. Nearby, the Nieuwe Kerk, where Netherlands' royals are customarily inaugurated, holds art exhibitions between the events.Clubs, cafes and other entertainment concentrate around Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein, both in the Grachtengordel, or Canal Ring area that surrounds the oldest part of the city.
Cityscape
- After the art treasure-houses, perhaps the biggest attraction of Amsterdam is simply its urban fabric, an enchanting cityscape of tall-gabled houses, high-pinnacled churches and canals spanned by humpback bridges. Walk, cycle or best of all, take a ride on one of the canal buses (canal.nl) for the variety of views. If you fancy a peek at the historical interiors of a grand bourgeois townhouse, visit Museum Van Loon (museumvanloon.nl) or Museum Willet-Holthuysen (willetholthuysen.nl), while Museum Het Rembrandthuis (www.rembrandthuis.nl) will afford an intimate glimpse of life of the great artist. Take in the atmosphere of Begijnhof (begijnhofamsterdam.nl), an unexpected haven of peace in the middle of the city bustle.
History
- Amsterdam Museum (amsterdammuseum.nl) gives a broad and interestingly presented background to any visitor's explorations of the city's past. Dive deeper into The Netherlands' maritime history at Scheepvaartmuseum (hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl), learn about the heritage of the Jewish community at Joods Historisch Museum (jhm.nl) and discover the complex story of Dutch people during the WW II in the excellent Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam (verzetsmuseum.org). For many tourists, the poignant highlight of their Amsterdam tour is a visit to Anne Frank's House (annefrank.org), where the sad story of the young writer brings the tragic reality of the Holocaust vividly to life.
Thrills and Spills
- Many attractions capitalize on the more hedonistic streak in the city's culture. Take your pick from among the beer, celebrated in a high-tech style at the Heineken Experience (heineken.com), the herbal delights explored at the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum (hashmuseum.com) and the Dutch gin and liqueurs to be sniffed and tasted at the House of Bols (bols.com). In the heart of the Red Light District, the Prostitution Information Centre (pic-amsterdam.com) focuses on the protecting the rights of the sex workers, but also has a mini-museum with a historic brothel room. Tours of the area are offered on Saturdays.
