Amsterdam

Canals, bicycles and Golden Age masterpieces.

Amsterdam is best seen from a bicycle or a canal boat: gabled houses along tree-lined canals, Rembrandt and Van Gogh in world-class museums, cosy brown cafés and the tulip fields of spring just outside the city.

Best time to visit: April to May for tulips, or June to September. Language: Dutch (English widely spoken). Currency: Euro (EUR).

Did you know?

Amsterdam has more bicycles than people.
The 17th-century canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, crossed by over 1,500 bridges.
The Rijksmuseum’s most famous painting, Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, is almost four metres high.

Things to do in Amsterdam

Rijksmuseum (History museum): The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history, located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam,
Van Gogh Museum (Art museum): The Van Gogh Museum is a Dutch art museum dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries in the Museum Square in Amsterdam South, close to the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Concertgebouw.
Concertgebouw (Concert hall): The Royal Concertgebouw is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Dam Square (Square, free): Dam Square, also known as the Dam, is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands.
Natura Artis Magistra (Zoo): Natura Artis Magistra, commonly known just as Artis, is a zoo and botanical garden in the centre of Amsterdam.
Rembrandt House Museum (Art museum): The Rembrandt House Museum is a museum located in a former house in the Jodenbreestraat, in the center of Amsterdam.
Westerkerk (Church, free): The Westerkerk is a Reformed church within Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Vondelpark (Park, free): The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
NEMO Science Center (Science museum): NEMO Science Museum is a science centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Museumplein (Square, free): The Museumplein is a public space in the Museumkwartier neighbourhood of the Amsterdam-Zuid borough in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Oude Kerk (Church): The Oude Kerk is a Reformed church in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being the oldest parish church in the city.
Portuguese Synagogue (Synagogue): The Portuguese Synagogue, also known as the Esnoga, or Snoge, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Mr.
Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam (Botanic garden): Hortus Botanicus is a botanical garden in the Plantage district of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Jewish Museum (Museum): The Joods Museum, part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, is a museum in Amsterdam dedicated to Jewish history, culture and religion, in the Netherlands and worldwide.
Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ (Concert hall): Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ is the main concert hall for contemporary classical music on the IJ in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
AFAS Live (Concert hall): AFAS Live is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands, near the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Nieuwmarkt (Square, free): Nieuwmarkt is a square in the centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Rembrandtplein (Square, free): Rembrandtplein is a major square in central Amsterdam, Netherlands, named after Rembrandt van Rijn who owned a house nearby from 1639 to 1656.
Het Scheepvaartmuseum (History museum): The Maritime Museum is a maritime museum in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Church of St Nicholas (Church, free): The Co-cathedral Basilica of Saint Nicholas is located in the Old Centre district of Amsterdam, Netherlands, very close to Amsterdam's main railway station.
Our Lord in the Attic Museum (Church): Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder is a 17th-century canal house, house church, and museum in the city center of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Muntplein (Square, free): The Muntplein is a square in the centre of Amsterdam.
National Monument on Dam Square (Monument, free): The National Monument on Dam Square is a 1956 cenotaph in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Leidseplein (Square, free): Leidseplein is a square in central Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Noorderkerk (Church, free): The Noorderkerk is a 17th-century Protestant church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Eye Filmmuseum (Museum): Eye Filmmuseum is a film archive, museum, and cinema in Amsterdam that preserves and presents both Dutch and foreign films screened in the Netherlands.
Zuiderkerk (Church, free): The Zuiderkerk is a 17th-century Reformed Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands.
Waterlooplein (Square, free): Waterlooplein is a square in the centre of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Cat Cabinet (Museum): The KattenKabinet is an art museum in Amsterdam devoted to works depicting cats.
De Krijtberg (Church, free): De Krijtberg Kerk is a Roman Catholic church in Amsterdam, located at the Singel.
Stopera (Concert hall): The Stopera is a building complex in Amsterdam, Netherlands, housing both the city hall of Amsterdam and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, the principal opera house in Amsterdam that is home of Dutch National Opera, D
Micropia (Museum): Micropia is a museum in Amsterdam based on the idea of distributing information about microbes, which are often associated with illness and disease despite their essential function in the daily functioning of human life.
Beurs van Berlage (Concert hall): The Beurs van Berlage is a building on the Damrak, in the centre of Amsterdam.
Paradiso (Concert hall): Paradiso is a music venue and cultural centre located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Heineken Experience (Museum): The Heineken Experience, located in Amsterdam, is a historic brewery and corporate visitor centre for the internationally distributed Dutch pilsner, Heineken beer.
Noordermarkt (Square, free): The Noordermarkt is a square in the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Amsterdamse Bos (Park, free): The Amsterdamse Bos is a large urban forest and landscape park south-west of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Dutch Resistance Museum (History museum): The Resistance Museum is a museum located in the Plantage neighbourhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Melkweg (Concert hall): Melkweg is a music venue and cultural center on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Westermoskee (Mosque, free): Westermoskee is a mosque located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Mozes en Aäronkerk (Church, free): The Moses and Aaron Church in the Waterlooplein neighborhood of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is officially the Roman Catholic Church of St.
Museum Van Loon (Museum): Museum Van Loon is a museum located in a canalside house alongside the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Oosterkerk (Church, free): The Oosterkerk is a 17th-Century Dutch Reformed church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam (Theatre): The Stadsschouwburg of Amsterdam is a theatre building on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Vondelkerk (Church, free): The Vondel Church is a church building located on Vondelstraat in Amsterdam-West.
Carré Theatre (Theatre, hidden gem): The Royal Theater Carré is a Neo-Renaissance theatre in Amsterdam, located near the river Amstel.
Amsterdam municipal archive (Museum, hidden gem): The Amsterdam City Archives preserves documents pertaining to the history of Amsterdam and provides information about the city.
Koningsplein (Square, free, hidden gem): Koningsplein is a square in Amsterdam.
Oosterpark (Park, free, hidden gem): The Oosterpark is the first large park laid out by the municipality of Amsterdam.
Diamond Museum Amsterdam (Museum, hidden gem): The Diamond Museum Amsterdam is a museum located at the Museumplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Sarphatipark (Park, free, hidden gem): The Sarphatipark is a public urban park located in the stadsdeel Amsterdam Oud-Zuid in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Markenplein (Square, free, hidden gem): Markenplein is the name of a square in the centre of Amsterdam.
National Holocaust Museum (Museum, hidden gem): The Dutch National Holocaust Museum is the first official museum on the Holocaust in the Netherlands.
Amstelkerk (Church, free, hidden gem): The Amstelkerk is a Reformed church building in central Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Museum Geelvinck-Hinlopen (Art museum, hidden gem): Museum Geelvinck was situated from its opening 1991 till the end of 2015 in a canal-side mansion, the Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Bimhuis (Concert hall, hidden gem): The Bimhuis is a concert hall for jazz and improvised music in Amsterdam.
De Schreeuw (Memorial, free, hidden gem): De Schreeuw is a sculpture in the Oosterpark in Amsterdam that commemorates the assassinated Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh.
Blauwe moskee (Mosque, free, hidden gem): The Blue Mosque is a mosque and cultural center in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, the Netherlands.
De Kleine Komedie (Theatre, hidden gem): De Kleine Komedie is today the oldest theatre in Amsterdam, dating from 1788.
De Appel (Museum, hidden gem): de Appel is a contemporary arts centre, located in Amsterdam.
Nieuwe Kerk (Church): The Nieuwe Kerk is a 15th-century church in Amsterdam located on Dam Square, next to the Royal Palace.
Amsterdam Museum (Museum): The Amsterdam Museum, known until 2010 as the Amsterdam Historical Museum, is an Amsterdam-based museum dedicated to the city's past and present.
Museum Willet-Holthuysen (Museum): Museum Willet-Holthuysen is a located on the Herengracht in Amsterdam.
Bijbels Museum (Museum): The Bijbels Museum is a nomadic museum that was, up until July 2020, located in the Cromhouthuizen on the Herengracht in Amsterdam.
Moco Museum (Art museum, hidden gem): The Moco Museum is an independent art museum with locations in Amsterdam, Barcelona, and London, dedicated to exhibiting modern and contemporary art.
De Papegaai (Church, free, hidden gem): De Papegaai is the lesser of the two parochial churches in the St Nicholas Roman Catholic parish in Amsterdam.

Where to eat and drink in Amsterdam

Foodhallen, Oud-West: Indoor food market in a former tram depot.
Moeders, Oud-West: Traditional Dutch cooking among photos of mothers.
Rijks, Museumplein: Michelin-starred Dutch cooking at the Rijksmuseum.
Café ’t Smalle, Jordaan: Classic 1786 brown café with a canal-side terrace.
Kama Handroll Bar, Utrechtsestraat: Handrolls made to order at the counter.

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