Amsterdam is the city with the most museums in the world! With that many attractions and activities, you will not have to puzzle over what you can do in Amsterdam. A walk along the canals, a visit to one of the most important art spaces in Europe, the Rijksmuseum, the Heineken Experience and the modern Museum of the great painter Van Gogh are only a few of the options.

Discover the most important attractions in Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum is one of the city’s most important art landmarks. It is great in size and displays numerous works of art, like paintings, sculptures, statues, an enormous library and an impressive hall with guns, armor suits, ship miniatures and old time uniforms. Stop by “The Night Watch”, Rembrandt’s famous artwork, a huge and magnificent painting that is guaranteed to captivate you! Admire van Gogh’s portrait and lots of other artworks! Amsterdam’s National Museum is quite big, so you should devote many hours to it in order to have the chance to see the majority of artworks, or relax in its fine and polished café. Outside there is a delightfully decorated garden with flowers and fountains. The wait in line ranges between 20 minutes and 1.5 hours, but there is a way to get inside right away, without having to wait for even a minute!

Suggested visit time: 4+ hours
Open: 09:00-17:00 all year round
Cost: 20€ for adults (ages 18+) and free for minors. Free with the Iamsterdam city card.

 The know it all says: The Rijksmuseum has 80 rooms that cover 1,5km!

Stop by the museum dedicated to the most famous Dutch, Vincent van Gogh. On the outside, it is a breath-taking building, with its stunning, glass door mesmerizing everyone, day or night. But its interior is also not lacking in beauty and design, due to its modern and plain structure. Apart from the world’s largest collection of the artist’s artworks and personal items, the museum also hosts works of other renowned painters, like Manet and Gauguin. We were so enchanted by the power of his paintings and the way he manipulated colors, that we couldn’t turn our eyes away from them! It is very silent inside the museum, despite the crowds of people, while the staff is pretty strict and they do not allow taking photos. The wait for the entrance might last from 30 minutes up to 2 hours. But, there is a way to get inside right away, without having to wait for even a minute!

Suggested visit time: 2-3 hours
Open: Every day 09:00-18:00 & Fridays 09:00-22:00
Cost: 18€ for adults (ages 18+) and free for minors. Free with the Iamsterdam city card.

 The know it all says: Van Gogh sold only one painting in his entire life!

Amsterdam’s most DoDo tourist attraction is the Anne Frank House! A house-museum that overwhelmed us from the second we walked in, with Anne’s story symbolizing the lives of thousands of people that lived in that dark period. Instantly, all the horrible pictures we have seen, heard of or read about the tortures and the Holocaust came flashing through our minds. Pictures, information, diaries, furniture, manuscripts and videos will take you to the everyday life of the people of that time, about how they survived and where they would hide. If you have read the homonymous book, you will be filled with even more awe and emotion, as all the incidents described will start to come to life before you. The downsides are the very narrow spaces and the extremely long wait that might last up to 3 hours (if you visit during winter and it’s raining, you might not take it). The best thing you can do, in order to get inside right away without having to wait in line, is follow our Tips!

Suggested visit time: 1.5-2 hours
Open: April-October: Sunday-Friday 09:00-22:00 & Saturday 09:00-21:00. November-March: Monday-Friday 09:00-21:00, Saturday 09:00-22:00 & Sunday 09:00-19:00.
Cost: 10€ for ages 18+, 5€ for ages 9-18, free for children under 9 years old.

 The know it all says: Anne Frank’s Diary is included in the top 10 of the most read books globally, with more than 30,000,000 copies!

What is more pleasant than exploring the city with the fewest cars in Europe on foot? Crossing its 1,539 bridges and 165 canals? Amsterdam is not like your average metropolitan capital city, as its first priority is the people and their convenience! It is one of the few cities that are fun exploring on foot. This is due to the beauty of the flat, paved streets, the hundreds of bridges, the canals, the small and big parks, the innumerous spots where you can take photos and, of course, the limited car traffic. All of these factors make for the ideal city, offering some amazing images to visitors, as well as citizens! The walks that we took around the city will always be in our minds because of this beauty, but also because of the everlasting rain, something that made them that much more romantic (but also difficult). Walking in the rain…

Suggested visit time: –
Open: Always
Cost: Free

 The know it all says: Τhere are 2,500 houseboats in the canals, some of them being afloat for more than a century!

Amsterdam means cheese, tulips and bikes! Bikes on the road, pavements, bridges, balconies, posts, bikes are everywhere…Everyone is on a bike, from 5 years old to 85! They are honored in this town and you can’t avoid a ride, even if it doesn’t end up being your choice for a permanent means of transport. The streets are flat, while passage and parking are allowed almost everywhere. It’s amazing how much they use them, especially in a city where weather is not on their side, as it rains on most days of the year! With prices ranging between 9€ and 20€ per day, this DoDo is even more affordable for all! You can make your booking Online or go directly to the store! With 881,000 bikes in Amsterdam, it would be a shame if you didn’t get to ride at least one of them and miss this chance, even if it’s only for a few hours!

Suggested visit time: –
Open: Every day 10:00-17:30
Cost: 9-20€ per day

 The know it all says: 30.000 bikes are hauled annually from Amsterdam’s canals!

A “sizzling” street that divides many about whether or not it should be one of the city’s attractions! Others refer to it as a “meat market”, others as the disgrace of the female sex, others as an experience or as a spectacle…But, however anyone might call it, it is the legal “decadent” red light street and has existed in the city center for a few centuries now! It is a street where working women display their charms behind windows, in order to persuade men to pay for some lovin’. It is located on one of the city’s most central streets and gets stuffed every night! Most people visit it just to pass the time while only a few of them actually “buy” the services provided. Walk through the street during day and night, so you can decide for yourself…For us, it made the DoDo list not so much in terms of quality and spectacle, but due to its clandestine, uncommon and unconventional nature!

Suggested visit time: 1-1.5 hours
Open: Always
Cost: Free

 The know it all says: The blue lights that you can see outside some rooms are for those in search for…something different!

With an impressive appearance, looking like an anchored ship (what else?), Science Center NEMO awaits you to embark on a journey to the world of science and technology! It is an excellent, interactive science center, highly educational and entertaining with themes appealing to every age! In the center you can learn a lot and also take part in experiments about science, chemistry and engineering, observe natural phenomena and be informed about issues regarding medicine, anthropology, technology, the environment and many more! On its roof you will find a terrace with interactive energy themes, as well as a restaurant/café where you can relax and enjoy a marvelous panoramic view of the city, even when NEMO is closed. The only disadvantage is the really high attendance, so it would be best to visit it in the morning, at the opening of the center. If you have children, or would love to be children again, at least for a while, the NEMO Science Center is an once in a lifetime experience that no-one should miss while visiting Amsterdam!

Suggested visit time: 3-4 hours
Open: Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-17:30
Cost: 17.5€ for ages 4+, free for children under 4 years old! Free for the terrace and the center’s restaurant. Free with the Iamsterdam city card.

 The know it all says: NEMO’s collection includes 17,000 technological items!

The word experience is totally justified, as this one is a well rounded experience about beer! This is one of the most interactive venues that we have ever visited! It is not just an old factory where you go and learn about Heineken’s history, it is a place where you get to learn its secrets, from production to consumption. It includes lots of halls with all kinds of thematic units and many activities for every age. The Heineken Experience is divided in two parts, the guided tour and the individual tour. The first one includes information on the raw materials, seeing the boilers and beer-tasting tests. The second part is the most exciting, as you can take photos, record videos and join contests and games. A very pleasant surprise was the lesson for the right way to serve beer, in which of course we excelled! Enjoy the beers that they offer and engage in this unique experience, either you are with friends or with your family.

Suggested visit time: 2-3 hours
Open: Monday-Thursday 10:00-19:30 & Friday-Sunday 10:00-21:00. July-August, every day 10:00-21:00. Entrance is permitted until 2 hours before closing.
Cost: 21€ from the ticket office, 17€ for Online booking. 25% Discount with the Iamsterdam city card.

 The know it all says: Heineken’s first attempt to reach America went under… Literally! The reason is that the shipment traveled with the Titanic!

The city offers a great spot from which you can admire 15 bridges at the same time and appreciate their reflections on the canal’s water! From the same spot you can also see the most illuminated canal with 7 bridges in a row. A scenery so picturesque and romantic that you must not miss…The best time to visit them is at sunset and up until the time that they get lit up, so that they unveil their true beauty! The combination of the old, lit bridges, the canals, the boats and the reflections compose an unforgettable picture! After all, this is the time that enamored couples choose to take the cruise and pass by the illuminated spot, exchanging vows of love, sealed with a kiss…

Suggested visit time: 30 minutes-1 hour
Open: Always
Cost: Free

 The know it all says: Amsterdam is the second city in the world among those with the most bridges (1,539)!

The “I Amsterdam” sign has been the city’s trademark for a few years now. A smart, original pun that the Dutch deployed and made it into a unique attraction! The most famous one, 24m in length and 2m in height, is at the Rijksmuseum. It’s perfect for taking lots of pictures on it, under it, next to it, lying, sitting, resting on it…all poses work and with all the letters! Of course, the difficult part is that dozens of other people will be trying the same as you, making your task of snapping a great photo a bit hard! We advise that you don’t go on weekends, because you won’t even find a centimeter of free space to take a photo! Ideally, you should visit it on a weekday, pretty early in the morning (around 7-8) or on a rainy day, so that you find the smallest crowd possible.

Suggested visit time: 30-45 minutes
Open: Always
Cost: Free

 The know it all says: 8,000 photographs per day are dedicated to the city’s slogan-attraction!

We recommend this museum because cheese is the Netherlands’ no.1 product (along with tulips)! It is more like a cheese shop than a museum! But inside you can find lots of clues about its history and origins, as well as see pictures and tools that were formerly used in the production of cheese. A special gastronomical and tasting experience that is totally free! Like the foodies we are, we tried lots and lots of cheese varieties that kept our mouths open…Cheeses with peppers, truffle, cured meats, spices, hard cheeses, soft cheeses, smoked, blue, green, yellow…Cheese, cheese, cheese! Of course, with all those savory tastes that you’re going to try, we doubt that you will manage not to buy something! Either you love cheese or not, this is an experience that you shouldn’t ignore, since you are in its land! It’s worth mentioning that aside from cheese, you will also find lots of dips to go with it!

Suggested visit time: 30 minutes-1 hour
Open: Monday-Sunday 09:00-21:00
Cost: Free

 The know it all says: In the Netherlands, 700,000(!) tons of cheese are produced each year. This is 70 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower!

Vondelpark could be described as a large, green oasis inside the city of Amsterdam! It starts at the museums’ area and stretches over a 2-kilometer distance. You can cross it by bike, on foot, you can relax, spend a few carefree hours and exercise. You can also take a picnic or lie on the grass reading your book! The park is all green, clean and tidy with lots of colorful flowers, ponds, trees, ducks and tons of benches. The best time to visit it is during spring or summer and…any other day that it doesn’t rain! What left an impression on us was the lost and found “space” at the entrance, where anyone can leave whatever lost they find in the park, like tickets, dolls, shoes, keys and many more! It’s a truly charming park and is well worth spending a few relaxing hours in!

Suggested visit time: 2-3 hours
Open: Always
Cost: Free

 The know it all says: While walking through the park, you will come across a sculpture created by Picasso!

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