Netherlands Travel Guide:

Best Places to Visit in Amsterdam

Amsterdam - a Popular Place

Amsterdam is an attractive, tourist friendly destination.  In part, Amsterdam’s popularity comes from a centrally located airport that provides easy air and train connections to other major European cities.  Equally important, Amsterdam is a haven for good food, good fun and a cultural environment that attracts younger travelers from all over the world. This is a city with an edge to it.  It mixes the old with the new, Calvinism with the sexual revolution, conservatism with laissez-faire and yet it retains a practicality that is the hallmark of  Dutch society.

For most visitors Amsterdam is their only stop in the Netherlands as they continue on to Paris or Copenhagen without a look at the rest of this interesting country.  Many "through" travelers take the opportunity to visit Amsterdam because of its festive atmosphere (it is one of the few towns in Europe where hotel prices are higher on the weekends than during the week).  The town is full of good nightclubs, excellent beer, and if you have a desire to use marijuana, you can do it legally. If so inclined, buy your weed in a "coffee shop", as they are licensed for the transactions and are reputed to have good quality product.

Amsterdam has numerous tourist attractions and attempting to see all of them all could while away your time and money.  Most of the attractions are minor, many are uninteresting and some are downright tacky.  Others are  tacky, unusual (like the Sex Museum and the Erotic Museum (think Red Light District)) and extremely touristy.  However none of this seems to keeps the crowds from visiting. In our recounting of the best places to visit in Amsterdam,  we focus on just seven of the city’s many attractions including two that are “must sees” - the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum!

Unfortunately, some of the city's top attractions are undergoing renovations during  2008 and 2009.  Always check locally for the most up-to-date information.  We provide the address of the official websites of all the major attractions to help you keep current.

If you are not in a rush to get to some other place in Europe, Amsterdam is best seen by walking, riding the streetcars and the occasional use of a canal boat. A stroll  reveals more about the heart and soul of this city than you can experience any other way. If you are short on time, take public transportation.

We have created a new street map of Amsterdam showing the locations of the Best Places to visit in Amsterdam.  It is based on Google Maps and can be viewed as a map, satellite image or a hybrid of the two.  Click the "hybrid button" on the map, select the Dam, zoom in close and you can see images of people milling around.

Stop in the transport ticket office next to the Information Center (just across from the Centraal Train Station) and buy a Nationale Strippenkaart with 15 strips/tickets for approximately six and a half Euros. You can also buy a Strippenkaart from the bus or tram driver, at a slightly greater expense.  See this official site for more information on the Strip ticket.  (GVB is the public transport company of Amsterdam.)  

• Each strip of the Strippenkaart represents a zone in the transportation system.  Each journey costs a base strip and an additional strip for each zone you will travel. 

  • Have the strips validated on the streetcar or bus, either by the conductor (just tell them where you are going) or use one of the yellow colored ticket validating machines.

  •  If you use the self-validating option, there will be a map posted in the vehicle that will show you destinations by zone, allowing you determine the appropriate number of strips. Add the number of strips to one base strip and fold the ticket for validation at that number of strips below the last validation (it's easier to let the conductor help you with this task).

• Most of tourist Amsterdam is found in one zone (ticket validations last one hour) which would require two strips (the zone and the base strip). 

• The Strippenkaart is usually the most economical way to travel in the city and the tickets can be used on buses or trams throughout the country, if you do not use them up touring Amsterdam.

Amsterdam has a number of good restaurants.

• If you like steak, try one of the many Argentinean steak houses (steak in pepper sauce is a popular  entree). 

• One of the Amsterdamers' favorite cuisines is the Indonesian Ristafel (rice table) and a number of fantastic Indonesian restaurants can be found in the city.  

• If you have a taste for Falafel, Amsterdam has some of the best this side of the Middle East. We recommend the Maoz shops.  They are small and crowded, but worth the wait.

There is no shortage of hotels in Amsterdam.  Pricing can be higher on weekends.

• Major hotels are clustered around the Dam, the Centraal Train Station and the Museumplein.  Smaller independent hotels can be found along many of the city's canals.

When you tire of the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam, you might want to take a walk in the Vondelpark at the edge of the tourist area of the city.

Finally, bring or buy an Umbrella; rain seems to be common in Amsterdam regardless of the season.

 

Amsterdam features a number of interesting clock towers. Take a look at the two of the best.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Netherlands, visit

Netherlands Country Facts

Netherlands Travel Information

Best Places to Visit in The Netherlands

 

Besides being picturesque, the canals in Amsterdam are used for transportation.  Some boats cater to tourists while others function as waterbuses.

• Anne Frank Huis (Anne Frank House) (1) 

  • The Anne Frank House (267 Prinsengracht) is the most popular tourist attraction in Amsterdam.

  • Visiting  is a sad experience, made even more melancholy by the knowledge of Anne Frank's  death shortly before her concentration camp was liberated near the end of World War II. Visiting this museum is heart wrenching.  Some say she died of a broken heart, mistakenly believing her entire family had preceded her in death.  As you walk from room to room,  you will begin to feel that you are an observer watching the unfolding of a horrible 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. 

  • The Anne Frank Huis visit is not for the infirm or physically challenged.  There are many, long steep stairways and narrow corridors to contend with - a reflection of 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.

  • The front of the house, where you enter, is the location of the business that was owned by Otto Frank while the back part of the property, called the Secret Annex, is where the family lived in hiding. 

    • When you approach the house from Prisengracht, you will wonder where the Anne Frank House is located – the pictures that most of us associate with the Anne Frank Huis are of the back of the  Annex and not visible from the street.

    • For detailed information on visiting, please visit the Anne Frank House Museum's official website.

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• The Van Gogh Museum (2) 

  • The Van Gogh museum wears the Crown of Amsterdam's art museums and is the second most popular attraction in the city. You should not miss the chance to see the amazing works in this collection

  • 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 on a local streetcar.

  • Van Gogh’s works are displayed chronologically and the progression through palettes and techniques is astounding, showing the artist’s talent for innovation and his fearless attitude towards change. As his painting techniques evolve through Van Gogh's life, they appear to reflect various stages of his dementia. 

    • All of the work displayed in the Van Gogh Museum is outstanding.  The range of style is so profound that it is  difficult to understand how these paintings were created by the same artist. 

  • The building is usually packed with visitors, but the display rooms are large and handle the crowd well. 

    • If you want to take more time, there is platform seating in the center of most rooms for those who desire an extended viewing (or those who are just plain tired of walking).

  • The official website of the Van Gogh Museum can be found here.

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• The Rijksmuseum (3)   

  • The Rijksmuseum, also located at the Museumplein is undergoing major renovations and most of the facility will remain closed until the “new” Rijksmuseum reopens during the 2012-2013 timeframe. 

  • In order to make the best of a bad situation discovered during the renovation (environmental problems) the museum staff has moved some of its collection to an exhibition space in the redesigned Phillips Wing of the Museum. In an exhibit called The Masterpieces, you will find the highlights of the  museum's Dutch Golden Age collection. 

    • The exhibit combines a number of works by the Dutch Masters, with pottery, furniture, statuary and other examples of the beaux-arts.  

    • The display areas feel cramped and the order of presentation is bewildering.  The show seems forced and is underwhelming for the fee being charged. 

    • Unless you want to see Rembrandt’s Night Watch, you might consider skipping the Rijksmuseum.

    • See the Rijksmuseum official website for information on visiting.

     

• The Dam and Royal Palace (4)   

  • The Dam is a short walk from the train station.  It is a large, unremarkable square that features an equally unremarkable building that is now a Royal Palace and was formerly the Town Hall.  The Royal Palace has been closed for renovations and will reopen in early 2009 for tours.  See the Dutch Royal House website  for more information on this historical building.

  • The Dam’s popularity is that it is “the place to meet” in Amsterdam and is always crowded.  Keep an eye out for interesting street performers in this area. In addition, an extended, very popular shopping area starts just south of the Dam along Kalver Straat.

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• The Red Light District 

  • The main road from the Centraal Station to the Dam is the Damrak.  Between the Damrak and the canal Achterburg, in an area surrounding the Oude Kerk you will find Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District. 

    • It is one of the few places you will visit where you might happen to look up and see what looks like a department store window filled with compartments and women modeling lingerie in them – well, that’s not actually what is being sold. 

    • If you think you would like a walk on the seamy side, perhaps the red light district is for you. (Avoid the area in the late evening as druggies seem to dominate the streets.)

    • While we are on the subject, you can find one of Amsterdam's two sex museums at Damrak 18 just a block or so from the Central Train Station.

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• The Flower Market (Bloemenmarkt) (5)  

  • If you walk to or from the Dam to the Museum Plein,  the Singel Canal between Vijzelstraat and Leidsestraat is home the Flower Market, a place that adds a definite touch of color to this somewhat drab city. 

    • There are a few interesting non-flower shops on the street, principally one the sells Christmas ornaments all year long and does a land office business.

  •  At the east end of the Flower Market (the Munt Plein recognizable by the unusual clock tower), you will find a Maoz Falafel shop.  Maoz has several shops around the city (one on the Damrak as you leave the train station) and has the best falafel this side of the Middle East (limited seating but great food for a small price).

   

• Canal Boat Rides (6)   

  • A fleet of glass-covered boats ply the canals of Amsterdam.  The rides are more expensive than public transportation but the canals have a magnetic pull for most tourists. 

  • You can buy various types of tickets, including one that lets you stop and explore, returning to another boat later to continue your journey.  Yet another canal boat connects to the Museum Plein. Canal boats in Amsterdam run like buses and there are many locations to access the boats.

  • The boats are popular with tourist but the reality of Amsterdam’s canals is that they are not especially scenic. Most architecture that can be seen from the canals is not especially noteworthy, but how many times are you going to get to take a canal ride in one of the world's interesting cities? 

  
  

• The Stedelijk Museum facility at the Museumplein (Museum Square) is closed. The Sedelijk will re-open in a new building on the Museumplein in December 2009. Parts of its collection (but not the classic modern work for which it is so well known) are on display at a temporary Museum call the Stedelijk CS located near the Centraal Station in the Post CS building.  Exhibitions will be held in the temporary building until October 2008.

  • For information on visiting, see the Stedelijk's official website.




• The Nemo Science Center (the hulking green boat-shaped building atop a tunnel in the harbor) is a great place to visit if you are traveling with children.  It is not everyday that you will run into a exhibition whose major rule is "forbidden not to touch".  We suspect the exhibits will interest parents as well as anyone enthusiastic about science and technology.

  • See Nemo's official website for information on current exhibits and the particulars on visiting.

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Museum brochure cover courtesy of Anne Frank House, Amsterdam

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