Amsterdam is a lively city that many in North America use as a gateway to the European continent. A short 6 hour flight from New York, it’s no wonder the city is always full of tourists year round!
View of Amsterdam from A’Dam Lookout
Amsterdam Centraal Train Station
It’s nearly impossible to avoid the Amsterdam Centraal Train Station because it is strategically located in the center of the city along the Amstel River. A magnificent building that provides access to all of Amsterdam’s public transportation, including the metro, tram system, intercity and sprinter trains, as well the free ferry across the river, Centraal Station is a great starting reference point for getting around the city during your visit!
Dam Square
A short walk from Centraal Station is Dam Square, a picturesque European central square home to the Royal Palace of Amsterdam and the National Monument. Furthermore, you can find the Madame Tussauds Amsterdam museum and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum around Dam Square.
Dam Square – Royal Palace of Amsterdam
Canals of Amsterdam
What most people associate Amsterdam with is without a doubt canals. Boasting 165 canals that traverse 75 kilometers (46 miles) of waterways throughout the city, canals played an integral part in the development of Amsterdam from the 12th century to the modern era. Originally built to manage the population increases and transportation of goods throughout the city, the entire country of the Netherlands have come to rely on the use of canals, dams and dikes to manage water levels in the low lands of the European continent.
Homemade Stroopwafel Tour
Another famous invention from the Netherlands are stroopwafels! It’s pretty hard to visit Amsterdam and not stop in at least one stroopwafel shop. You can typically watch a stroopwafel being made from scratch and enjoy a warm and gooey syrupy treat! If you’re really ambitious, plan yourself a Homemade Stroopwafel Tour and bounce from one bakery to another in a quest to taste them all!
Anne Frank House
Amsterdam is also home to one of the most well known and somber tales of the Holocaust – the story of Anne Frank. Anne Frank and her family moved to Amsterdam from Germany before World War II started and eventually hide, with 3 others, in the annex to her father’s warehouse in Central Amsterdam before being discovered and arrested in 1943. Her diary tells us the story of survival and courage from the perspective of a 13-year-old girl.
Tickets for the Anne Frank House are extremely difficult to obtain and go on sale 6 weeks before the visit date, so please plan accordingly. We learned that this means tickets go on sale for the entire week 6 weeks prior, not 6 weeks to the day as many other reservations are typically made, so please keep that in mind when setting yourself a reminder!
Anne Frank Huis
Secret Annex
Vondelpark
You might think Amsterdam is just all canals and stroopwafel bakeries, but think again! Amsterdam has plenty of large parks and fields for you to stroll through on a sunny day! Vondelpark is the largest park in Amsterdam and well worth the visit to avoid the touristy center of the city and even enjoy a nice beer or two.
A’Dam Lookout
A’Dam Lookout may not be historically important, like many of the other places on this list, but it does provide an excellent opportunity to view Amsterdam from a unique vantage point! Located just across the river from the Amsterdam Centraal Station, via a short free ferry ride, A’Dam Lookout provides a magnificent 180° view of the city. Additionally, options are available for lunch or dinner atop the lookout, a swing that will let you dangle over the edge, as well as the This is Holland experience.
Heineken Experience
Who hasn’t had a Heineken? Did you know Heineken is from the Netherlands and their very first brewery was located in the city right on a canal? Well believe it or not, one of the largest and most popular beers in the world traces its origins to Amsterdam! Today, this location is just a museum that demonstrates the beer making process used by Heineken as well as the history of the beer maker in the country. If you are 18+ I would highly recommend sticking to the end, you won’t be disappointed! The Heineken Experience is also near the Museumplein so why not swing by for a beer (or two)!
The Heineken Experience
Museumplein
The Museumplein, or Museum Square, is a part of Amsterdam that is home to several artistic museums and exhibitions. Here, you can find the works of Van Gogh, the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum as well as a large green open space to relax and digest all there is to see.
Bloemenmarkt
The Netherlands is known as the Silicon Valley of the flower industry. The country exports roughly 1.7 billion cut flowers every year and the favorable climate and advanced agricultural techniques of the Dutch make this all pretty obvious when you visit Amsterdam. There’s no better place to get your hands on some flowers or planter seeds than the Bloemenmarkt in Amsterdam. Located a mere 800m down the main strip in the city, this market is a beautiful row of stalls filled with every tulip imaginable. Oh and what’s better, they can ship worldwide!
Interested in tulips? Be sure to check out the Keukenhof Botanical Gardens during your time in the Netherlands. You will not be disappointed!
Rembrandt House Museum
If the museums at the Museumplein didn’t fully quench your artistic thirst, or if you are not a big art fan but know the Dutch have produced several significant artists, then check out Rembrandt’s house in Amsterdam. Not so much an art museum as it is a story of Rembrandt’s life in the Netherlands, here you have the opportunity to walk through life in Amsterdam in the 1600’s as many of Rembrandt’s most famous works were portraits of his neighbors or sights from the neighborhood. Don’t miss out on some of the museum’s interactive content, including how oil paints and etchings were produced in this era.
Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam
The last place on this list is the Verzetsmuseum or the Museum of World War II Dutch Resistance. The Netherlands fell to Nazi Germany in May 1940 and most of the country would remain under occupation until May 1945. During this time the Dutch people sought ways to undermine their German occupiers, hide and protect as many jews as possible, and even escape to England in an attempt to join the war effort on the side of the allies. At Verzetsmuseum, you will learn of the struggles and successes of the Netherlands during the war.
Other Notable Places of Interest:
Our Lord in the Attic Museum (Former Hidden Catholic Church)