Amsterdam City Guide

This is your free Amsterdam City Guide!  Famous for it canals, museums and tulips, Amsterdam is an attractive city to visit at all times of the year.  Despite the infamous coffee shops and red-light district, it’s also a family destination and is great for couples of any age. Here are our personal recommendations…

WHAT TO DO IN AMSTERDAM

Anne Frank House – When you’re on holiday having a great time, it might not seem like the kind of place you’d want to visit and there’s no doubt that it’s upsetting.  The fact that the building still remains though and the fact that Anne Frank’s story of hiding from the Nazis here is still as powerful today as it ever was, make this a must-see museum in Amsterdam.  It’s at 267 Prinsengracht, just around the corner from Westermarkt. Read more, opening times, admission prices, pics & map…

The Canals – They’re the real star of Amsterdam and we spent hours just walking the canal paths. Each canal has similarities to the next, but they’re all different.  Walking along the cobbled paths, you get to see some stunning buildings and get a taste of what life in Amsterdam is like.  Watch out for the bikes though, they have no mercy if you’re on the bike path!  There are loads of canal cruises you can do to get your bearings, but we preferred just to walk. Read more, pics, links & map…

The Rembrandt House Museum (Rembrandthuis) -  The painter wasn’t originally from Amsterdam but lived and worked in this house for 20 years.  It’s a fascinating insight into how he lived at the time and has been restored to how it would have been when he lived there thanks to records that were kept when his belongings were sold off.  Inside, you see all the main rooms including his studio and it’s well worth a visit.  Its at Jodenbreestraat 4 near the Waterlooplein.  Read more, hours, admission prices & map…

The Amsterdam

The Van Gogh Museum – There are more than 200 Van Gogh’s spread over two buildings here. If you like his paintings, you’ll enjoy a trip here but when it’s busy, it’s sometimes hard to see all the paintings.  You’ll find it alongside two other museums on the Museumplein.  The entrance is at Paulus Potterstraat 7. Read more, ticket prices, opening hours & map… 

House Boat Museum – Every canal you walk along has house boats. If you want to see what a traditional house boat is like inside, take a trip to this museum.  It’s basically laid out as it would be if someone lived there! It’s at 296 Prinsengracht.  Read more, opening hours, pics & map…

The Amsterdam – This 3 masted sailing ship is a replica of the original which lasted only a year after its launch in 1748 for the Dutch East India company.  If you have kids who love films like “Pirates of the Caribbean”, they’ll enjoy a trip here as you get to explore the full ship.  It’s moored in the harbour neat to the Central Station.  Read more, pics, links & map…

Vondelpark – Vondelpark is the city’s largest park and on a nice day, it’s a great place to escape.  There are loads of play areas for kids, and it’s lovely to walk around.  It’s also a great place to see some of Amsterdam’s wild bright green Parakeets which began breeding here in the 1970s.  The park is just south of Leidseplein.  Read more, pics, links & map…

Red Light District – Bizarrely this is a tourist attraction these days.  The Red Light area is near to Central Station just off the main tram route through the city centre.  It’s not somewhere we wanted to spend a lot of time, but we were curious to see what it was like.  The area is very busy at night and there are restaurants, bars, clubs and of course the famous red-lit windows with scantily clad women stood in them.  Not one for the kids though!

OUR TOP TIP IN AMSTERDAM

Take a trip to the flower market – It’s a sea of colour in all seasons.  You can buy your tulips as souvenirs or just browse around and smell the flower fragrances.  There is no pressure to buy anything, so you can just spend time looking at what’s available.  If you do want to buy though, the stall holders are all very knowledgable and are happy to help – most speak excellent English.  The market is on the Singel canal between Koningsplein and Muntplein.  Read more, pics, links & map… 

The Flower Market

MORE THINGS TO DO IN AMSTERDAM

One of the best ways to see all that Amsterdam has to offer is to take one of the many organised tours.  There’s something for everyone from canal tours to tulips and windmill excursions.  The dinner cruises are very popular too.  Check out our Amsterdam Tours & Activities pages for latest prices and traveller reviews.  Currently, the most popular activities are…
Amsterdam Canals Dinner Cruise  
Keukenhof Gardens & Tulip Fields Tour 
I Amsterdam Card  
Amsterdam Canals Candlelight Cruise      

RECOMMENDED HOTEL

We stayed at the Inntel Amsterdam Centre Hotel (Formerly the Golden Tulip Hotel) in Amsterdam centre when we last went and we’d thoroughly recommend it.  It’s a modern hotel, rather than a period one, but the rooms were attractive and comfortable and the location is perfect, just off the main shopping streets and near to the station and the sights.  There are more accomodation options here:  Amsterdam hostels

GETTING AROUND AMSTERDAM

The centre of Amsterdam is quite compact and it’s easy to walk around.  The tram system is very good, but we managed without having to use them.  Another option is the Amsterdam Hop-on Hop-off Canal Bus which stops at the main tourist locations and gives you a canal trip at the same time! 

The cheapest and fastest way to get from the airport (Schiphol) is to catch the train to Central Station.  We used the automated machines at the airport station to buy our tickets and the trains into Amsterdam run very frequently.

TRAVEL TIP

When calling home from a KPN payphone, don’t choose the credit card option!  We got charged almost 50 Euros for a 5 minute call and had to write dozens of letters to get the money back.

MORE ON AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam Hotels – From Hotels.com
Great Rates on Amsterdam Hotels - Up to 30% off from Expedia.co.uk
Amsterdam Tours – See our “Tours & Activities pages”
Iamsterdam – Official Amsterdam website.
Amsterdam Hotspots – Info on clubs, eating, drinking and smoking.
Hostels Amsterdam – Amsterdam hotels and city guide
Amsterdam Travel Insurance - Comprehensive protection in the Netherlands