Things to do in Amsterdam
Amsterdam, with its waterways and centuries-old canal-houses, is one of Europe's prettiest cities. Most attractions are in the city centre, from Dutch artworks at the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, to reminders of Amsterdam's past at the Anne Frank House and the Homomonument. The city is not all heavy-duty history and culture, however, as anyone can see exploring the canals on a Canal Bike Tour.
Anne Frank House
Wartime Jewish refuge
Seeing the secret hiding place in the city-centre Anne Frank House allows
visitors to imagine the terrible circumstances the teenage Jewish diarist
had to endure to survive World War II. Anne died in a Nazi concentration
camp in 1945.
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Cost
€8.50; concessions & 10-17s €4; under 10s free
Opening Hours
Mid Mar-mid Sep daily 9am-9pm (until 10pm Sat & Jul-Aug); mid Sep-mid Mar daily 9am-7pm (until 10pm Sat)
Address
263, Prinsengracht, Amsterdam 1016 GV
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 556 7100/7105
Amsterdam City Archive
City history for all
Located in De Bazel, a vast granite building that originally housed an
investment bank, the Amsterdam City Archive allows visitors to seek out
information and documents from Amsterdam's history. It's a tale that dates
back to around 1200.
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Cost
Free; special exhibitions and tours cost extra
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5pm (from 11am Sun)
Address
32, Vijzelstraat, Amsterdam 1017 HL
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 251 1511
Museum of Bags and Purses
Display of women's accessories
With 3,500 bags, accessories and other items on display, the city centre's
Museum of Bags and Purses charts the history of the women's bag in Western
culture, from the Middle Ages to present day. The museum shop has bags for
sale.
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Cost
€6.50; concessions €5; 13-18s €2.50; under 13 free
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-5pm
Address
573, Herengracht, Amsterdam 1017 CD
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 524 6452
Van Gogh Museum
Homage to Van Gogh
More than 200 paintings by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, and nearly every
sketch, print, etching, and piece of correspondence he ever produced, are
housed here. The city-centre Van Gogh Museum has the world's largest
collection of the artist's work.
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Cost
€12.50; 13-17s €2.50; under 13s free
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-6pm (until 10pm Fri)
Address
7, Paulus Potterstraat, Amsterdam 1070 AJ
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 570 5200
Rijksmuseum
Holland's most prestigious museum
Most of the city-centre's Rijksmuseum is closed for renovation until 2013 but
key artworks and other items from the 17th-century Dutch 'Golden Age'
collections can be viewed in the Philips Wing. They include Rembrandt's
famous painting The Night Watch (1642).
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Cost
€12.50; under 19s free
Opening Hours
Daily 9am-6pm
Address
1, Jan Luijkenstraat, Amsterdam 1071 CJ
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 674 7000
NEMO
Hands-on science and technology
Shaped somewhat like a ship, city-centre NEMO takes visitors on a voyage of
discovery into the world of science and technology. Hands-on exhibits cover
natural science, human behaviour and information and communications
technology. The upper deck becomes a beach in summer.
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Cost
€12.50; under 4s free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5pm (also Mon Jun-Aug)
Address
2, Oosterdok, Amsterdam 1101 VX
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 531 3233
Brouwerij 't IJ
Brewery in a windmill
Housed in the slightly ramshackle De Gooyer windmill in the old harbour,
Brouwerij 't IJ is a proeflokaal (tasting house) with a micro-brewery
attached. Visitors can tour the brewery then settle back to sample some of
its various specialised beers.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 3pm-8pm; brewery visits between 3pm and 4pm
Address
7, Funenkade, Amsterdam 1018 AL
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 320 1786
Homomonument
World's first gay monument
Westermarkt's Homomonument was inspired by a symbol of persecution, the pink
triangle the Nazis forced gay people to wear, which was turned into a badge
of pride. It comprises three rose-toned granite triangles, one projecting
out over the Keizersgracht canal.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
Keizersgracht Canal, Westermarkt, Amsterdam 1016 DH
Nieuwe Kerk
Amsterdam's venerable 'New Church'
Holland's royal inauguration church, the Dam's Nieuwe Kerk was originally
Catholic but passed into Protestant hands in 1578. It contains some
elaborate funerary monuments and is now mainly used as a space for important
exhibitions on a range of themes.
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Cost
Free; exhibitions cost extra
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-6pm (until 10pm Thu during special exhibitions)
Address
Dam Square, Amsterdam 1012 JS
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 638 6909
Central Library
Books on the waterfront
The city's new Central Library opened in 2007 in a light-flooded example of
modern architecture, part of a waterfront development east of Central
Station. The library has books in Dutch, English and other languages and a
multimedia centre.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-10pm
Address
143, Oosterdokskade, Amsterdam 1011 DL
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 523 0900
Skating in Vondelpark
Skating among the trees
Inline skating in Vondelpark is a fast, safe and pleasant way to get around
Amsterdam's large central green oasis. At Rent A Skate, the wheels come
together with protective pads and helmets, and even starter lessons if
needed.
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Cost
€5 for first hour, €2.50 for subsequent hours; €15 per day
Opening Hours
Daily 11am-8pm (suspended in bad weather)
Address
7, Vondelpark, Amsterdam 1075 VR
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 664 5091
Chess at Max Euweplein
Chess moves with giant pieces
Budding grandmasters of any age will appreciate the excitement of playing
chess at Max Euweplein, using a walk-around 'board' and pieces that are one
metre high. Max Euweplein is a busy square and a small crowd always
gathers.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-10pm
Address
Max Euweplein, Amsterdam 1017 MA
Transport
Tram 1, 2, 5, 7, 10 to Leidseplein
Canal Hopper
Innovative canal-boat tour
Touring Amsterdam's canals, River Amstel, IJ waterway and harbour by Canal
Hopper's open-top electric boat affords a different perspective on the city.
Take a fixed or tailor-made tour from the Amstel or Passenger Terminal docks
or use the stopping line.
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Cost
Day ticket €20; under 5s free
Opening Hours
Mid Mar-Nov Fri-Sun 9am-7pm
Address
26, Weteringschans, Amsterdam 1017 SG
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 626 5574
Transport
Amstel: 4, 9, 14 to Rembrandtplein; Passenger Terminal: tram 25, 26 to Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ/Bimhuis
Website
Yellow Bike Tour
Amsterdam by bicycle
The three-hour guided Yellow Bike Tour takes up to a dozen riders to many
well-known places and little-known nooks and crannies in Amsterdam city
centre. Visit places that are not easy to get to on foot in a short
time.
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Cost
€27.50
Opening Hours
Apr-Nov daily 10.30am & 1pm (2pm Sat)
Address
29, Nieuwezijds Kolk, Amsterdam 1012 PV
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 620 6940
Canal Bike Tour
Cycling on the water
Up to four people can follow a Canal Bike Tour around Amsterdam's canals
onboard a pedalo or water bike. These can be rented from three Canal Bike
docks around the centre, including one outside the city-centre Anne Frank
House.
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Cost
€8 per person per hour; 3-4 people €7 per person per hour
Opening Hours
Apr-Oct daily 10am-6pm (until 10pm mid summer); Nov-Mar Sat & Sun 10am-5.30pm
Address
263, Prinsengracht (Outside the Anne Frank House), Amsterdam 1016 GV
Telephone
+31 (0) 20 626 5574
