7 Best Amsterdam Tourist Attractions
(1) Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum is the most visited museum in the Netherlands. It has thousands of old paintings, documents and other important objects associated with Dutch history. It depicts the art and history of Holland from the Middle Ages to the present. Dutch architect Pierre Kuipers built the current home of the Rijksmuseum on the Museumplin in 1885.
The new Rijksmuseum opened its doors in 2013 after 10 years of extensive restoration. The expansion was further expanded with the opening of the Philips Wing in 2014. The Rijksmuseum has 80 rooms. It is currently able to present around 8000 objects at a given time. The museum hosts several exhibitions at the Phillips Wing every year.
The museum has 4 levels – Level 0 has collections of period 1100–1600; Level 1 has 18th and 19th century collections; At level 2 you will find works of the 17th century; Level 3 includes items from the 20th century. The highlight of the museum is Rembrandt’s The Night Watch which is now located at Level 2.
Rijksmuseum was originally established in the Hague and was transferred to the Dutch capital a few years after its opening. Over the next 60 years, the museum’s collection moved between locations in The Hague and Amsterdam due to some issues. Then the Dutch government decided to build a museum in Amsterdam to permanently house the collection.
The famous Dutch architect Pierre Coupers designed the building. His inspired design was completed in 1885 after a construction of decade. The Rijksmuseum garden hosts great displays of sculpture. Such exhibitions usually take place from spring to autumn.
There is a passage under the museum for pedestrians and cyclists. Visitors can also download the Rijksmuseum app which can guide you through the museum available in different languages.
(2) Anne Frank House
Anne Frank is one of the most popular former locals of Amsterdam. She was born in Germany in 1929. In 1933, The Frank family shifted to Amsterdam. She and her family lived for more than two years at Anne Frank House in Prinsengracht during World War II.
After 2 years the family was betrayed and the Germans discovered the secret annex. Anne and her sister died due to typhus in 1945. Her father Otto Frank survived the war and returned to Amsterdam. Due to his efforts in 1947 Anne’s diary was published as Het Achruthis.
The Anne Frank Stitching Organization was established in 1957 to save the Prinsengracht building. So Anne Frank’s story and message could be preserved. The Anne Frank House was originally opened on 3 May 1960. The original diary and other notebooks of Anne are displayed in the museum.
Visitors can go on a “virtual journey” about people in World War Two in the multimedia space. The museum has been completely renovated after 2 years of work. It includes a new entrance on Westmark and improved academic presentation.
Many people come to Anne Frank House from all over the world during the summer season. From March to October the museum is open every day from 9 am to 10 pm. The Museum Cafe and Museum Bookstore are on campus. The Anne Frank House is partially accessible to the physically disabled and wheelchairs. An audio tour is available in 8 languages.
The quiet atmosphere is preserved in the museum with each visitor having their own headset. Visitors can not take photographs or film at the Anne Frank House. Anne Frank House is now possible only with previously purchased online tickets and timelines. Tickets should only be used during the time period, they are not valid later.
(3) Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum houses the largest collection of works by the world’s most popular artist Vincent Van Gogh complete with the art of his contemporaries. Van Gogh Museum is one of the 25 most popular museums in the world because it has 1.6 million visitors every year.
The Van Gogh Museum was opened in 1973 and had two buildings. Gerrit Rietveld designed its modern main building. In 1999 the museum opened an elliptical exhibition wing designed by Japanese architect Kurakawa Kisho. Both buildings have an open design that emphasizes geometric forms and allows for plenty of natural light in the exhibition space.
The Van Gogh Museum is one of the most crowded museums in the world because people always want to admire Van Gogh’s talent. The collection in the museum includes the works of Vincent van Gogh, more than 500 paintings, the works of other artists, his contemporaries and post pirists.
Van Gogh’s work is divided into five periods by one after another, each symbolling a different period of his life and work: the Netherlands, Paris, Arles, Saint-Rémy and Auvers-sur-Oise. The main center of the Van Gogh Museum’s collection was that of Vinos’ younger brother, Theo Van Gogh.
It remained in the Van Gogh family until 1962, when the artist’s nephew Vincent Willem van Gogh, with the help of the Netherlands government, donated the collection to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation. After then Vincent van Gogh Foundation offered the collection to the Van Gogh Museum on permanent loan.
In addition to Van Gogh’s work, the museum displays the work of his contemporaries, including paintings by Paul Gauguin and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The museum has a research library open to the public and an auditorium for public lectures and films about Van Gogh.
(4) Vondelpark
Vondelpark is Amsterdam’s largest city park, and certainly the most famous park in the Netherlands, welcoming around 10 million visitors each year. Vondalpark is located in the center, south of Lidseplin, and close to the Rijsmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum, and the Van Gogh Museum.
Vondelpark is always loved by locals and tourists and it is always crowded with people for different activities – walking, jogging, roller-skating, listening to music. The main attraction is the 18-meter-tall bronze monument to the Dutch poet Vondel that has been built by Louis Royer.
The park has been in existence for about 150 years now, with many old plane trees, horse chestnuts, Dutch red chestnuts, catalpa and a variety of birch trees. Numerous plants and herbs complement the park’s landscape. Vondelpark is home to many birds – wild ducks, blue herons and many small birds.
Prior to the 19th century, this land on the southern quarter of the Canal Belt of Amsterdam was largely uninhabited. In 1864 a group of distinguished citizens of Amsterdam formed a committee to explore the public park. They raised money to buy 8 hectares of land and commissioned landscape architect Jan Na David Jocher to design the park.
The park was opened to the public in 1865 as a horse riding and strolling park called Nieve Park. The name Vondelpark came from a statue of Dutch poet van den Vondel when it was located in the park in 1867. Then the committee soon organized money and expanded the park to a 45 hectare site in 1877.
Maintenance of the park had become very expensive in the mid 20th century. Then its owners decided to donate their land to the municipality of Amsterdam. The government later converted Vondelpark into a public space, allowing visitors to enter the grounds for free.
(5) Dam Square, Amsterdam
Dam Square is the most popular place in Amsterdam. It is located in the city center close to Amsterdam Central Station. Today it connects the main arterial roads to Damrak and Rokin and also provides access to the major shopping streets of Kalverstraat and Nieuwendijk.
Dam Square was built in the 13th century when a dam was built around the Amstel River to protect the Zuiderzee sea from flooding the city. During the sixties, the square was famous for its dam square hippies. These days it is one of the main tourist destinations. In the summer months, Mimmer and other street performers pose to surprise unexpected viewers.
The Royal Palace is the main attraction in the Dam Square. In front of the Royal Palace you will see Hotel Krasnapolsky. Other famous attractions in Dam Square are Madame Tussauds, the world famous wax work museum, the New Church and Beurs van Berlage.
On the northwest side of the dam there is an ice cream shop with outdoor seating, a branch of the H&M clothes shop and an ABN AMRO bank with ATM machines. Nieuwendijk Shopping Street runs north parallel to Damrak.
On the south side of Dam Square is the phallic National Memorial Statue. A memorial ceremony is held every year on 4 May at the Chowk. There is a large tourist souvenir shop on the southeast flank. On the upper floor is the stylish and high-class Hotel TwentySeven, a 5-star design hotel.
Dam Square is a busy focal point for many visitors and shoppers. The street performers stand on square stone boulders, tourists take photographs and watch pigeons rattle repeatedly. For a few days around Easter, in summer and even on the New Year, Dam Square hosts a fair with a large Ferris wheel.
(6) Royal Palace Amsterdam
The Royal Palace in Amsterdam is a grand building located on Dam Square next to Nieuwe Kerk and is regularly open to public visitors. Jacob van Campen designed this building and opened in 1655 as the town hall of Amsterdam.
It is 79 meters wide and 55 meters high at the top of its tower. The palace is open to the public when not in official use – it is worth a visit to see the impressive Citizen Hall. This 30 meter high room is particularly striking as a stream of sunlight from the windows.
It has marble floors with 3 large circular maps, each 6 meters in diameter and the eastern and western hemispheres as well as the night sky. The hall also contains some great sculptures, with a 6-meter-high atlas that holds the world on its shoulders.
Many rooms are open for travel around the civic hall which have original furniture from the early period. Main attractions of the royal palace are the throne room, the Apartments, the former Burgomasters Council Chamber and Moses Hall. In 1808 it became a royal palace and the abridged residence of Louis Bonaparte (Napoleon’s brother).
When you enter the Palace you can still see the original work of the building. Most of the time, The Royal Palace is open for the public. Visitors can admire marble floors, magnificent paintings, delicate sculptures, huge chandeliers, and an annual exhibition.
The exhibitions and interior at the Royal Palace are definitely worth seeing. You can see the time around you or book a one-hour tour. Guided tours make your trip more interesting and informative but you have to contact the organization to make a reservation two weeks in advance.
(7) Bloemenmarkt, Amsterdam
When the market was first built, hundreds of boats full of flowers and plants sailed to Bloemenmarkt to sell their cargo. Amsterdam’s Flower Market is a famous icon on the Singel Canal, in the heart of the city’s UNESCO-listed canal ring.
Since 1883, it located in the center of Amsterdam, on the banks of Singel, between the Könsingplin and Müntplin sections and is one of the places where you just should go. Here, you can browse 15 scented stalls on houseboats that are permanently on Singel.
The modern market actually includes fixed barges, but no spectacle. Each barge has a glasshouse, such as a smaller version of a greenhouse found throughout the country, which ensures that Holland is an international hotspot for flowers throughout the year.
The flower market caters for all kinds of flowers and small plants, including a variety of tulips, a variety of seeds, and horticultural items. Known as the “flower shop of the world”, Holland is most known for its beautiful tulips, hence the most popular souvenir is the tulip bulb.
Tourists will find many unique Dutch souvenirs in this beautiful floating market. It is a great place to pick up Dutch tulip bulbs in a plethora of colors and varieties, as well as many other types of bulbs, seeds, chopped blooms and houseplants.
Grab a ship or a souvenir at home in one of the many shops for fans fond of T-shirts, mugs, clogs, Dutch cheese, and other fun and cheap gifts. Be it tulips, narcissus, snowboards, carnations, violets, peons or orchids, you are sure to find your favorite in the Flower Market, no matter what time of year. What’s more, vendors also offer houseplants, herbs, seeds and bulbs.
