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The city is a haven for good food and good fun, but it is Amsterdam's unique cultural environment
that attracts numerous travelers from around the world. Amsterdam is a city with an edge. It mixes the old with the new,
Calvinism with the sexual revolution, conservatism with laissez-faire and
yet it retains the practical sensibility that is the hallmark of Dutch society.
Many travelers connecting to other destinations in Europe via Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, often take the opportunity to spend a day
exploring Amsterdam. Be warned, the city is at its best at night
and it has too many interesting attractions to wedge into a short daytime visit.
Amsterdam has numerous tourist attractions and
attempting to see all of them all could while away your time and money.
However, some of the attractions are of minor importance and others are
incredibly touristy. Of the remainder, some are tacky, unusual, humorous (like the
Sex Museum and the Erotic Museum (think Red Light District)), or niche
attractions that appeal only to a few. The best places to visit in
Amsterdam, however, are relatively close
together and the city is easy tour on foot or using public transportation. In our
recounting of the best places to visit in Amsterdam, we focus on twelve
of the city’s many attractions including two fascinating ones covered on this page that are “must sees” - the
Anne
Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum!
Our other "best places to visit in Amsterdam" can be found in the menu at
the right edge of this page. We should note that the relatively new
Heineken Experience claims to be
the most popular attraction in town, but we think that title is actually
held by the bars and other venues in the town's
Red Light District.
Guide to the Best Places to Visit in
Amsterdam
The Anne Frank House (267 Prinsengracht) is one of the leading tourist
attractions in Amsterdam. When you approach the house from Prisengracht, you
will wonder where the Anne Frank House is located – the photographs and
images that most of us associate with the Anne Frank Huis are of the back of
the Annex and not visible from the street.
The front of the house, which serves as the entrance, is where the business
once owned by Otto Frank was located, while the back part of the property, called the
Secret Annex, is where the family lived in hiding.
 Visiting
the Anne Frank House
is a sobering experience that is made even more melancholy by the knowledge
that Anne Frank's died from typhoid shortly before her concentration camp was
liberated near the end of World War II. Some say she died of a broken heart,
mistakenly believing her entire family had preceded her in death.
Her mother died in Auschwitz, a concentration camp where she,
her husband Otto and her daughters were originally imprisoned.
Margot and Anne were later transferred to Bergen-Belsen where both died.
Margot, succumbed to the same epidemic as Anne, preceding her in death by
several weeks. Her father Otto Frank was liberated from Auschwitz d and was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust.
As you walk from room to room at the Anne Frank House, you will begin to
feel that you are an observer watching the unfolding of a terror-filled story.
Touring the house, reading the placards, and watching the short films takes
about an hour. You will be mentally exhausted by the time you finish. There
is a comfortable cafeteria offering food and beverages just before the exit.
Arrive near opening or closing times, as the crowds during the rest of the
day (even in off-season) can be significant and the wait lengthy.
The building is small and the rooms can be very crowded during peak hours in
the summer.
Visiting the Anne Frank Huis is not for the infirm or physically challenged.
There are many, long steep stairways and narrow corridors to contend with
that reflect the “hidden” nature of this sanctuary. There is only one
route through the house and most visitors, riveted by the displays, take
their time while learning the significance of this tribute to bravery in the
face of repression.
For detailed information on visiting, see the Anne Frank House
Museum's official
website. In addition to practical information for your
visit, it provides a detailed history of Anne Frank's life.
The compact Van Gogh Museum is the "crown jewel" of Amsterdam's
fantastic art museums and is the
second most popular attraction in the city.
The museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh's
paintings, is located in close proximity to the Rijksmuseum on the Museumplein.
You can walk to the Museumplein from the Dam in about thirty minutes or
arrive in ten minutes by hopping a local streetcar. (See our section on
Transportation for
information on the efficient public transportation network in
Amsterdam.)
You should not miss the chance to see the amazing history of artistic
accomplishments contained in this collection.
Van Gogh’s works are displayed chronologically and the progression through
his keynote color
palettes and
techniques is astounding, showing the artist’s talent for innovation and his
fearless attitude towards change.
As his painting techniques evolved through Van Gogh's life, they appear to
reflect various stages of his dementia. All of Van Gogh's works
displayed in the Museum are outstanding. The range of style is so diverse
that it is difficult to understand how these paintings were created by the
same artist. Perhaps there were several talented personalities inside of
Vincent van Gogh.
The Museum is usually packed with visitors, but the display rooms are
large and handle the crowds well.
There is platform seating in the center of
most rooms for those who want to study the works and for those who are just
plain tired of walking.
The official website of Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum can be found
here.
The website has an excellent biography of
Van Gogh and photographs of many of his most famous paintings. There
is a lot to see here and you might want to use the website to find your
favorites and their locations before your visit.
For More of The Best Places To Visit in Amsterdam:
Click
Here -
for the Rijksmuseum, The Dam, the Royal Palace, the Red Light District and
the Heineken Experience.
Or
Here - for the Flower Market, Canal Boat Rides, the Stedelijk Museum, Nemo
Science Center, Rembrandt House and the Hermitage Amsterdam.
Or Choose our section on Things Travelers Need to Know about
Visiting Amsterdam. This is the section where we cover travel tips such as transportation, lodging, drinking age
(including the "smoking" age), dining
tips, lodging, shopping, weather, day trips and more.
More Photos
For more photos of the sights in Amsterdam,
click here
Or
Return to the
Best Places to Visit in the Netherlands
If you need information about another travel destination, try
our
Destination Guide Index
or Googling the web.
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