Destination
Type of Activity
Editors Pick
Read MoreA’DAM Toren
This multipurpose building opened in 2016 and boasts the highest swing in Europe (located on the roof, towering over 300 feet high), a members’ only club, the Sir Adam hotel (siradamhotel.com), and two restaurants: Moon and M’Adam. The former is located on...
Read MoreAmsterdam Museum
This excellent, informative, high-tech museum, occupying a massive 17th-century former orphanage, is a must-visit for those wanting an overview of Amsterdam’s (and, by extension, Holland’s) history. Its expansive collection is organized both chronologically—from the Middle Ages to the present—and by...
Courtesy Anne Frank Huis, AmsterdamRead MoreAnne Frank Huis
The Franks, prominent German Jews who relocated to Amsterdam in 1933, spent almost two years, beginning in 1942, hiding in the attic rooms of this nondescript canal house to escape Nazi persecution. Anne’s diary, found after they were betrayed and...
Read MoreBegijnhof (Beguines’ Court)
There are countless interior courtyards, many with beautifully planted gardens, hiding behind Amsterdam’s 17th-century façades. One of the oldest and most famous is the Begijnhof, believed to have been built in the Middle Ages. Don’t go out of your way...
Read MoreBike Rentals
Admittedly, the image of the Amsterdammer on a bicycle is as clichéd as that of the Gouda girl in a tulip field, but the capital’s citizen are serious about their two-wheel drives. Walking down an Amsterdam street at times, all...
Read MoreConcertgebouw
Completed in 1888, this hall famously has among the world’s best acoustics, rivaled only by those of the Musikverein, in Vienna, and Boston’s Symphony Hall. Holland’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, which plays numerous concerts here throughout the year, is particularly known...
Courtesy I AmsterdamRead MoreEYE Film Institute
One of the first attractions in Amsterdam Noord when it opened in 2012, the EYE Film Institute is located in a dramatic, all white building that was designed by Delugan Meissl architects. The striking structure houses a massive film archive...
Read MoreFoam Fotografiemuseum
Housed in a centuries-old canal house, right on the Keizersgracht, that was remodeled with modern features like chrome detailing and large floor-to-ceiling windows, the Foam showcases photography and multimedia exhibitions, often by up-and-coming artists. It’s within walking distance of the...
Read MoreHeineken Experience
Yes, this is the city’s most over-the-top, Disneyland-esque tourist attraction, and some young visitors come because the price of admission gets you two pints of beer, but if you approach the brewery (which stopped production in 1988) with a sense...
Read MoreHermitage Amsterdam
This collaboration between St. Petersburg’s renowned Hermitage and the city of Amsterdam has a worthy exhibition space, in the 17th-century Amstelhof, one of the city’s most revered buildings. After your visit, stroll back up the Amstel and have lunch or...
Read MoreHortus Botanicus
This gorgeous, serene enclave is located east of central Amsterdam, near the Rembrandthuis and Hermitage. It is one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world, with more than four thousand species of tropical and indigenous trees and plants. During...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Art Highlights
Indagare members can access Indagare's network of excellent guides who specialize in art. For those who would like to explore the city through Rembrandt’s life and work, plan a tour with a specialist that looks at the city through the lens...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Canal Cruises
For first-time visitors, a canal cruise is a must, since it’s easiest to understand the city’s fascinating layout from the deck of a boat. Some 200 vessels cruise the city’s intricate canal systems, and most of the large-boat tour operators...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Jewish History
Indgare members interested in Amsterdam's rich Jewish history can arrange a tour with one of Indagare's excellent guides. The exploration of Jewish life in Amsterdam from the 1600s to the 21st century will include stops at the Anne Frank Huis,...
Courtesy I AmsterdamRead MoreJordaan Neighborhood
One of the prettiest, most authentic neighborhoods in Amsterdam is the Jordaan, located west of the city center near the canal belt. In the ’70s and ’80s, the Jordaan, up to then primarily a district where workers and immigrants lived,...
Read MoreMuseum Van Loon
Those interested in seeing what life was like in 19th-century Amsterdam should head to this double-sized canal house, formerly a private home, dating to 1672. An opulent marble staircase with a copper balustrade connects the handsomely restored period rooms, which...
Courtesy I AmsterdamRead MoreNeighborhood: Amsterdam Noord
A former derelict industrial area on the north side of the IJ river that is reached only by ferry or an underwater tunnel, Amsterdam Noord is one of the city's most up-and-coming areas. Noord first saw signs of change with the opening of...
Photo by Alicia Marucci, courtesy IndagareRead MoreOns Lieve Heer op Solder Museum
Ons Lieve Heer op Solder Museum (Our Lord in the Attic) is located within a 17th-century canal house that has been preserved for travelers to get a glimpse of the Dutch Golden Age. Lying within the house on the top...
Read MoreRed Light District
First-timers in Amsterdam will likely not be able to avoid the city’s (in)famous red-light district, the largest in Europe. The mostly red-lit storefront windows of De Wallen, the area near Oude Kerk, are occupied by sad, barely dressed young women,...
Read MoreRembrandt House Museum
For fans of Holland’s most famous artist, a visit to the Rembrandt House is a must. The master lived in this three-story structure from 1639 until 1658, when his failure to pay his mortgage forced him to move to less...
Read MoreRijksmuseum
Amsterdam’s most celebrated museum was under renovation for nearly a decade, reopening in Spring 2013 to much applause. Its greatest hits, including works by Franz Hals, Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt, are on view in the Philips wing. The museum, which...
Read MoreStedelijk Museum
Like the Rijksmusem, the Stedelijk, the city’s modern art museum, was under renovation until late 2012. The expanded space now faces Amsterdam’s Museumplein and has reinstalled Richard Serra’s sculpture Sight Point, which once decorated the entrance. Stedelijk’s impressive holdings include...
Read MoreTassenmuseum Hendrikje (Museum of Bags and Purses)
With its large array of purses and handbags, this quirky museum right on the canals is a fun stop for fashionistas. The collection, comprising more than 3,500 items, begins in the Middle Ages with leather pouches, moves through a variety...
Read MoreVan Gogh Museum
Visitors to this museum should understand that Van Gogh’s best-known works are not in Amsterdam but in museums around the world: the Musée d’Orsay, in Paris, for instance holds one of his Starry Night paintings (the other is in New...
Read MoreVerzetsmuseum
One of the most moving museums in Amsterdam is the small Verzetsmuseum, or Dutch Resistance Museum, which sits in the old Jewish quarter. Its exhibits trace the history of Amsterdam from 1940-1945, using newscasts, photos and personal stories to illustrate...
Read MoreVondelpark
Amsterdam’s version of Central Park, a 120-acre leafy retreat west of the Museumsplein, is fabulous for biking, walking and enjoying the summer months. Don’t miss lunch or coffee at the ‘T Blauwe Teehuis or at Vertigo, the café at the...
Read MoreWesterkerk
Located on the edge of the Jordaan neighborhood within walking distance of the Anne Frank Huis, the Protestant Westerkerk was finished in 1631. Those without fear of heights—and in good shape—can climb the 279-foot-tall bell tower for expansive city views...
