Jordaan & the West
On Realeneiland's eastern shore, the Zandhoek is a photogenic stretch of waterfront. It's now a modern yacht harbour, but back in the 17th century it was…
Must-see attractions in Amsterdam
Southern Canal Ring
Flowers are not treats, but essentials in Amsterdam. Ever since 1860, this famous flower market has been located at the spot where nurserymen and women,…
Southern Canal Ring
The spiky spires of this neo-Gothic church are an unmissable landmark amid rows of handsome Singel homes. Officially known as the St Franciscus…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Run by the University of Amsterdam and named for its first professor of archaeology, Allard Pierson (1831–96), this museum contains a rich archaeological…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Part of the Amsterdam Museum – consider it the free ‘teaser' – this gallery fills a laneway next to the museum’s entrance. It displays 15 grand posed…
Southern Canal Ring
This museum is located in the grand 17th-century canal house of the marvellously single-minded pipe collector who gathered this unexpectedly fascinating…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Brouwerij De Prael offers engaging behind-the-scenes tours of its brewery. Tours depart on the hour and last 40 minutes, followed by a sample (or four)…
OBA: Centrale Bibliotheek Amsterdam
Amsterdam
This being Amsterdam, it has one of the coolest libraries you can imagine, built in 2007 and spread over multiple light, bright floors. The basement is…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
One of two churches located in the Begijnhof, the Engelse Kerk was built around 1392. It was eventually rented out to the local community of English and…
Amsterdam
Adding to the lush greenness of the Plantage area, the city's oldest park is a small, lovely, willow-shaded spot for lazing by the Nieuwe Herengracht. It…
Jordaan & the West
Pretty as a Golden Age painting, the Brewers Canal took its name from the many breweries located here in the 16th and 17th centuries. Goods such as…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Contained within the Begijnhof and dating from 1671, this is a 'clandestine' chapel where the Beguines were forced to worship after the Calvinists took…
Jordaan & the West
Just north of Westerpark over the train tracks, this remarkable 1921-completed housing project is a flagship of the Amsterdam School of architecture…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This nonprofit centre offers visitors tips and tricks for having a positive smoking experience and provides the low-down on local cannabis laws. There are…
Southern Canal Ring
Built in 1884, this highly decorated stone bridge replaced an old, blue (hence the name) wooden crossing that had connected these shores of the Amstel…
Jordaan & the West
Boundary-pushing photography is the focus of this gallery in the Western Islands, which hosts rotating exhibitions by emerging and established…
Southern Canal Ring
This grand 17th-century canal-house museum has a covetable collection of arm candy. More than 5000 bags can be found here, including a medieval pouch,…
Amsterdam
St Antoniesbreestraat was once a busy street, but it lost many of its old buildings during the metro's construction. The Pintohuis remains, however. It…
Amsterdam
These lovely, landscaped gardens are the grounds of a former country estate; the mansion, Frankendael House, is still standing and there are walking paths…
Amsterdam
A private house, the 1904 Villa Alsberg has been converted into the 'Modern Contemporary' (Moco) museum by a couple who are private collectors and…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Inside a former brothel in a 17th-century canal house, this museum fills a gap by showing curious visitors what a Red Light room looks like and answering…
Amsterdam Noord
Soviet Project 611 submarine B-80, dating from 1952, was built in Severodvinsk, Russia, and previously moored in the Dutch Navy port of Den Helder in…
Amsterdam
Formerly a Jewish cemetery, this area was bought by the city in 1956, when it was turned into a park. It has a wilder, more rambling feel than Amsterdam's…
Amsterdam
This 18th-century grain mill is the sole survivor of five windmills that once stood in this part of town. It was moved to its current spot in 1814, fully…
Amsterdam
A cut above regular park statuary is Picasso's soaring, approximately 6m-high abstract work Figure découpée l’Oiseau (Bird Cut Out), better known locally…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Guides lead intriguing tours up into the 67m-high tower of the Oude Kerk. Tours last 30 minutes and depart every half hour. Prepare for lots of narrow…
Jordaan & the West
Eco-urban Westerpark – with grassy expanses of lawns (packed in summer with picnickers, sun worshippers and families), tree-shaded walkways and cycleways,…
Amsterdam
This artificial beach is a fantastic escape on a sunny day, with a water-sports centre, Surfcenter IJburg, for hiring SUPs and windsurfers. It's the only…
Amsterdam
The Van Gogh Museum's library has a wealth of reference material – some 35,000 books and articles – for serious study.
Electrische Museumtramlijn Amsterdam
Amsterdam
A handsome red-brick building, the former Haarlemmermeer Station is now the starting point for the tram museum, which is not a static experience but a…
Amsterdam
The extensive bling on display at the small, low-tech Diamond Museum is all clever recreations. You get a lot of background on the history of the trade…
Western Canal Ring
A whimsical example of Dutch Renaissance style, this 1622 canal house designed by Hendrick de Keyser and his son Pieter has a beautiful step gable with…
Southern Canal Ring
In 1796, following the French-installed government’s proclamation of religious freedom, De Duif became the Netherlands’ first Catholic church to be built…
Amsterdam
This graceful tower looks monumental rather than functional, but it was originally built to strengthen Amsterdam's eastern defences in 1512. Positioned on…
Jordaan & the West
Near the Prinsengracht's northern end, this imposing Calvinist church was completed in 1623 for the 'common' people in the Jordaan. (The upper classes…
Jordaan & the West
This shady little square is named for Johnny Jordaan (the pseudonym of Johannes Hendricus van Musscher), a popular musician in the mid-1900s who sang the…
De Pijp
Look up as you pass Ceintuurbaan 251: on the elaborately carved wooden gables of the 1884 neo-Gothic mansion here you'll see two cheeky lime-green goblin…
Southern Canal Ring
Looking more like a country house than a church, the pinewood Amstelkerk was erected in 1668 as a noodkerk (makeshift church) under the direction of the…
Amsterdam
Mari Andriessen's Dockworker statue (1952), a monumental, aghast-looking figure, was commissioned to commemorate the general strike that began among…
Southern Canal Ring
When kitties go to the great sofa in the sky, most doting owners comfort themselves with a photo on the mantel; wealthy financier Bob Meijer founded an…
