20 Must-Visit Attractions in Amsterdam

The four 17th-century canals that weave around the city centre are a joy to wander around, tour by boat, and embody the spirit of Amsterdam. Recognised as an UNESCO Heritage Site, the area retains many photogenic fine buildings from Amsterdam’s Golden Age. You can watch the world go by at a choice of many canalside bars and cafes.

See stunning art examples from 1870 to the present at The Stedelijk. Everything from Picasso to Warhol, Monet to Matisse, and Rothko to De Kooning are likely to be on display. Temporary contemporary exhibitions run alongside the examples from the 90,000-strong permanent collection, and there are hands-on installations and activities in the Family Lab. At busy times it’s worth obtaining a Skip-the-Queue ticket.

No doubt Amsterdam’s favourite green space, Vondelpark, spread over an expanse separating the city’s Oud-West and Oud-Zuid neighbourhoods, is ideal for a stroll, bike ride or picnic. As well as its restful lawns, ponds and winding paths, there are cafes, playgrounds and an open-air theatre. It’s also an open-air art gallery, with 69 sculptures, including one designed by Picasso, in its grounds.

You could spend many days visiting the 1.5km of rooms at The Rijksmuseum, undoubtedly the most popular and prominent museum in the Netherlands. The huge collection contains many masterpieces including works by Dutch masters Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh, but also everything from ship models to swords, Delftware to dollhouses. There’s also a free sculpture garden and Michelin-starred restaurant.

The Van Gogh Museum has more than 200 paintings and 500 drawings, the largest collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world, spanning early gloomier works from the Netherlands to the latter, brighter French ones. In 2015 a new extension has enlarged the exhibition space, which is on four levels. There are also works by friends and contemporaries including Gauguin, Monet and Toulouse-Lautrec. The museum gets particularly busy in the middle of the day, and it’s a good idea to book tickets in advance.

Visiting the place Anne and her family hid from the Nazis before being sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, in a secret apartment in de Jordaan, is a powerful experience. At this poignant museum you see her bedroom, with photos of Hollywood stars and her diary, and documents and other possessions, as well as newsreels and interactive exhibits. Tickets are always very much in demand.

Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn moved into this three-storey townhouse near the Zuiderkerk in 1639 and stayed for 19 years. He created some of his most famous works here, and the interiors of the building have been reconstructed faithfully. Locally known as the Museum Het Rembrandthuis, there’s his studio, living room and bedroom, a collection of his curiosities and some of his works.

When you walk into this beautiful, quiet courtyard with its two churches and pretty little houses, leaving the bustle of Spui Square, it is hard to believe there’s such a tranquil space in central Amsterdam. The 14th-century Begijnhof was a kind of convent for Beguines, an order of Catholic unmarried or widowed women. As well as the Begijnhof chapel, there’s an English church, and a wooden house dating from around 1465, and the oldest preserved wooden house in the country.

In 1919, influential Dutch architect Michel de Klerk designed a new, low-income residential complex in the west of Amsterdam. Known as The Ship because of the finished look of the expressionist building, it is now an icon of the Amsterdamse School Architecture movement. Part of the complex is now the Amsterdamse School Museum, and there are daily guided tours of the building.

Opening in 1638, De Hortus Botanicus is one of the world’s oldest botanical gardens. The structures containing the 4000-plus species, greenhouses, conservatories, glass-domed palm house and colonial-era seed house, are an attraction themselves, and children will particularly like the butterfly house. There are plant-themed art shows here also.

Installed in 1987 and the world’s first memorial dedicated to LGBTQI victims of oppression, The Homomonument consists of three 10m pink granite triangles, recalling Nazi persecution, when gay men were required to wear a pink triangle patch. Commemorative and celebratory events are held here throughout the year.

When completed in 1675 this classically-styled building was Europe’s largest synagogue, its need created when thousands of Jewish people arrived to escape the religious conflicts on the Iberian peninsular at the time. Within the attractive Jewish Quarter and inspired by the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, to this day it has no electric light and its wooden barrel-vaulted ceilings and beautiful interior are instead illuminated by more than 1000 candles and the light from 72 windows.

This ever-busy central square contains Amsterdam’s Royal Palace, the National Monument and de Nieuwe Kerk. With origins going back to the 13th century, Dam Square historically held a thriving marketplace and today locals and tourists alike flock to its shops, cafes, bars and sights.

Within the Red Light District nestles this splendid restored 17th century canal house. You can explore living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens preserved from the Dutch Golden Age before climbing the stairs to reveal a marvel, a whole church in the attic, known as Ons’ Heer Lieve op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic). After the Reformation, Catholicism was banned by the Dutch government and so many Catholics had to practise their faith secretly, such as at this hidden church.

The ex-Royal Dutch Shell oil company offices in Amsterdam’s up-and-coming Noord district were in 2016 transformed into this impressive tower with a multiple of attractions, including a nightclub in the basement (Shelter, open 24-hours) and another high up in the tower. A revolving restaurant can be found on the 19th floor, and there’s an interactive exhibition about Amsterdam’s history, and Europe’s highest suspended swing.

Heineken’s historic brewery (which closed in 1988) now houses an interactive museum that takes visitors from the history of the Heineken family through to the brewing and bottling processes, visiting the horse stables, the copper beer tanks and a view of Heineken commercials from around the world.