Top 20 Amsterdam

Van Gogh Museum

If you are looking for a nice place to see the world’s largest collection of the wonderful art creations of Vincent van Gogh, the best place to be is at the Van Gogh Museum. Although dedicated to van Gogh’s works, you can also find some collections of the creations of his contemporaries displayed at the museum. The Van Gogh Museum has been in existence since June 3, 1973 and has been housed in buildings that were designed by Kisho Kurokawa and Gerrit Rietveld. It can be found at the Museum Square, just nearby the Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw.

Rijksmuseum

Another must visit museum located at the Museum District of the city is the Rijksmuseum, also called in English as Imperial Museum. This Dutch national museum was originally established in 1800 in The Hague. It was then transferred to the Royal Palace in Amsterdam in 1808. Later on, the museum was moved to Trippenhuis. The Rijksmuseum displays a collection of around 8,000 items depicting the history and arts of the city.

EYE Film Institute Netherlands

EYE Film Institute Netherlands preserves and displays a collection of 700,000 photographs, 60,000 posters, 20,000 books, and 37,000 film titles of films, both local and foreign, that were screened in the Netherlands. This Dutch museum and archive is situated in the neighborhood of Overhoeks. The most ancient objects displayed in the museum include those materials collected from 1895 during the onset of the Netherland’s film industry.

Anne Frank House

Anne Frank House used to be the residence of Anne Frank, a Jewish wartime writer and diarist. Today, Anne Frank House functions as a biographical museum dedicated to the writer. It was opened on May 3, 1960 and is currently located on the Prinsengracht canal. This third most visited museum in the country hold a permanent exhibition depicting the life of Anne Frank. It also displays all forms of discriminations and persecution used during the time of war. The significant parts of the building like the hiding place of the family are being preserved and maintained well.

Basilica of St. Nicholas, Amsterdam

The Basiliek van de Heilige Nicolaas, also known as Basilica of Saint Nicholas, is the major Catholic Church in Amsterdam. It is situated in the district of Old Centre. It was designed by architect Adrianus Bleijs. The church was built with a combination of various revival designs including Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Barouque. The Basilica of Saint Nicholas was officially called the St. Nicholas inside the Walls.

Efteling

The brilliant city of Amsterdam is not only a great place for visitors to appreciate the wonders of arts and history but also a nice place for the whole family to enjoy a holiday trip that is full of adventure and fun. The Efteling, for instance, is a nice place for this. Efteling is a fantasy- themed amusement park in the country that offers various attractions based on elements from fairy tales, ancient myths and legends, folklore and fables. When the park opened in 1952, it was originally a Fairy Tale Forest and at the same a nature park with children’s playground. It was then developed into a full-sized theme park years later. Aside from being the largest theme park in the country, Efteling is also famous for being known as one of the world’s most ancient theme parks.

Museum of Bags and Purses

Amsterdam is home to the largest of the only three museums in the world specializing in ancient bags, suitcases and purses. The Museum of Bags and Purses or Tassenmuseum Hendrikje houses a vast collection of ancient bags, purses and suitcases that totals up to 4,000 items from the 16th century. This one of a kind museum is not only for women. In fact, one of the most ancients and the most valuable collection being displayed in the museum is a goat-skin belt pouch designed with iron clasps used by men in the 16th century.

Museum Van Loon

Alongside the Keizersgracht rests the Museum Van Loon. It was named after the Van Loon family who used to dwell in the house where the museum is housed. The house was constructed in 1672 and was used as the residence of a number of remarkable families including the artist Ferdinand Bol, Van Loon and Thora van Loon-Egidius. Among the interesting things you can see inside the museum is the fake bedroom door, different Roman sports figures paintings and a bedroom that was painted with Italy’s Romanticism style.

Amsterdam Museum

If you want to learn more about the history of the city, the best place to be is the Amsterdam Museum. Here you can discover how reach and colorful the history of Amsterdam is. Before it was launched as the Amsterdam Museum in 2011, it was originally called the Amsterdams Historisch Museum. It was established in 1975 and in the former city orphanage located in between Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and Kalverstraat.

Vondelpark

Vondelpark is the most popular park in the entire country and the largest of its kind in the city. It is nicely located at the central part of the south side of Leidseplein, just nearby the Stedelijk Museum, Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. Apart from the free concerts as well as dance and music performances at the open-air theatre and bandstand, the city park is also known for its prominent attractions including the Groot Melkhuis, the cast iron music dome, the historical Pavilion and the3 meters high statue of the Dutch poet Vondel.

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Photo by Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Another interesting museum that can also be found in the Museum Square of Amsterdam is the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam or simply Stedelijk. This museum is also known as the Municipal Museum Amsterdam. The Stedelijk keeps and exhibits contemporary art and design from the 20th to the 21st centuries. The museum highlights the modern and contemporary arts and designs of a couple of remarkable artists including Gilbert & George, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, Wassily Kandinsky, Marlene Dumas, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karel Appel, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Lucio Fontana, and Vincent van Gogh. Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is housed in a 19th century structure that was designed by Adriaan Willem Weissman.

Dam Square

When someone tells you that you are standing at a town square in the historical center of the city, you must be at the Dam Square. Surrounding the Dam Square are a number of remarkable structures and events venues making it one of the most important and popular spots in the entire country. This roughly rectangular city square stretches around a hundred meters from south to north and approximately 200 meters from east to west. The Dam Square links Rokin Street and Damrak Street. It is roughly rectangular in shape, stretching about 200 meters from west to east and about 100 meters from north to south. Among the notable buildings surrounding the square are the National Monument, the neoclassical Royal Palace, 15th-century New Church, the Wax Museum of Madame Tussaud.

Rembrandt House Museum

The Rembrandt House Museum is an art museum and a historic house dedicated to the painter named Rembrandt who used to dwell and work in the house from 1639 to 1656. This 17th century museum displays a collection of the works of Rembrandt, his etchings, as well as the painting works of his contemporaries. The museum also preserves some of the world’s most important objects.

Blauwe Theehuis

The Blue Tea House, locally known as the Blauwe Theehuism, is a Modernist pavilion that was built in 1937. This ring-shaped building is located in the Vondelpark. It is famous for its unusual building shape that looks like a flying saucer. The Blauwe Theehuism was originally a tea house and it was then used as a venue for theatre performances during events like weddings and festivals years later.

Amsterdam Dungeon

If there is one prominent thing common among places like London, Berlin and Hamburg, that would be their dungeon. Amsterdam also has its own version of the dungeon. The city calls it the Amsterdam Dungeon. Among the things you can enjoy at the Amsterdam Dungeon are the adventure ride, shows and live actors. Because the Amsterdam Dungeon is also managed and owned by UK-based Merlin Entertainments, it is also equally interactive, entertaining and magnificent as those dungeons found in the above mentioned places. The exhibits at the Torture Chamber, the short film Council of Blood, the Ship’s Doctor Display, the    Labyrinth of Lost Amsterdam, and The Great Plague are just among the most popular attractions anyone can enjoy at the Amsterdam Dungeon.

Joods Historisch Museum

The Joods Historisch Museum, known in English as the Jewish Historical Museum is one of the parts of the Jewish Cultural Quarter. This museum is dedicated to the culture, religion and history of the Jewish that dwell in Amsterdam and in other places in the world. The Joods Historisch Museum is the only museum in the entire country that is especially dedicated to the Jewish history.

Natura Artis Magistra

Natura Artis Magistra, or simply Artis, is a city zoo. Its name can be translated in English as “Nature is the teacher of art and science”. The Artis is the most ancient zoo in the country. It is also known as among the oldest of its kind in the entire mainland Europe. Aside from the traditional zoo, Artis has also a planetarium, an arboretum and an aquarium. Artis is likewise considered as a unique cultural heritage because of the 27 monumental buildings found in the area. The Natura Artis Magistra also prides itself for its beautiful library which has a vast collection of items and facts related to the history of botany and zoology.

Oude Kerk, Amsterdam

The Oude Kerk, Amsterdam is an 800-year-old ancient church in the city. It is not only the most ancient parish church in Amsterdam but it is also the oldest building ever built in the city. It was built in 1213 and was consecrated by the Utrecht bishop in 1306 with its patron saint, Saint Nicolas. In 1578, the Oude Kerk had undergone a restoration process. Upon the completion of the refurbishment, the former parish church was converted into a Calvinist church. It is located in the former De Wallen. The Oude Kerk’s roof is known as the greatest medieval wooden vault in the whole Europe. It rests in an area that measures 36,000 square feet or 3,300 square meters.

Heineken Experience

The Heineken Experience is a corporate visitor center as well as a historic brewery of the Heineken beer in the city of Amsterdam. The facility was built in 1867. It was the first Heineken brewery. It also served as the primary brewing facility of Dutch pilsner until 1988.

Royal Palace of Amsterdam

One of the three major palaces in the Netherlands is located in the city of Amsterdam. It is called the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, also known as Paleis op de Dam or Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam. The Royal Palace of Amsterdam was founded to serve as a city hall in the Dutch Golden Age. It was also once King Louis Napoleon’s royal palace and then later became the Dutch Royal House. The Royal Palace of Amsterdam is located adjacent to the Nieuwe Kerk and on the western end of the Dam Square.