Van Gogh Museum

Judged by the long queues of waiting people, one of the top attractions in Amsterdam is the Van Gogh museum. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was born in Holland, although he spent much of his life in Belgium and France. In a period of madness he cut off his own ear, and later committed suicide. On display are about 200 of his paintings, including his famous “Sunflowers” and “Potato Eaters” and many self-portraits (he was too poor to hire a model), hundreds of drawings, letters to his brother Theo and paintings from other artists of that time. Van Gogh Museum.

NEMO Science Center

Built in the shape of a ship by world-famous architect Renzo Piano in 1997, the museum is a must for everyone interested in science and technology. Officially it’s for kids, but all adults I talked to love it. Many parts of the exhibition are hands-on, so that you can do your own experiments with for example electricity and remote controlled ships. NEMO Science Center

Red Light District

A trip to Amsterdam is not complete without a visit to the red light district. Originally set up to serve visiting sailors, it is located near the harbour. Scantily-dressed ladies offer their services to the mainly foreign public. They wait for their customers behind the red-lit windows of their rented rooms and will close the curtains whenever they have a customer. In Holland this is a legal business and the ladies pay tax.

The area also comprises many bars, restaurants, sex shops and coffeeshops that don’t sell coffee, but soft drugs like marihuana (ganja) and hashish. Officially these drugs are illegal, but tolerated in small quantities. (photo: amsterdam.info)

Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House is a reminder of the Second World War (1940-1945), in which 250,000 of the 9 million Dutch people died. Anne was a Jewish girl who, together with her family, hid in this house for two years, until they were betrayed and deported to a Nazi concentration camp. The only family member that survived the war was her father. After the war her diary was found (published as “The Diary of Anne Frank” in more than 50 languages), which describes her life in hiding. Anne Frank House

Windmill: Molen van Sloten

As you probably know, big parts of the Netherlands (which literally means: the low lands) are below sea-level. Windmills were used to drain water from low-lying areas. One windmill that still works is the windmill of Sloten. Inside the mill a scale model of the landscape in 1630, a tour with an explanation (and if you’re lucky a demo) of the workings of windmills and a presentation on the life of Rembrandt, one of Holland’s famous painters. Molen van Sloten

World of Ajax

A must-see for football (soccer) fans is the Ajax stadium. Opened in 1996, it seats more than 50,000 people, protecting them by a sliding roof. The stadium is not only used for Ajax, but also for the Amsterdam Admirals, an American football team, and for pop concerts. See the VIP boxes, touch the grass, have your photo taken at the stand, watch an Ajax video, visit the Ajax museum with old heroes like Johan Cruijff, and buy all kinds of Ajax stuff in the shop. You can also visit a training to see favourite players in action, or go to a match if you can get a ticket. World of Ajax

Heineken Experience

Holland’s most famous beer is of course Heineken, and you can visit a Heineken brewery in Amsterdam. The brewery produced Heineken beer until 1988, when production was moved to Zoeterwoude and the brewery was turned into a museum. Follow the complete brewing process and see how beer is made, learn the history of Heineken and beer-making, and of course taste Heineken beer. Heineken souvenirs are available in the gift-shop. Heineken Experience

Houseboat Museum

Thousands of people in Amsterdam live on houseboats in the canals. Originally they started living on boats because of the housing problem, but now it is more a way of life. Here you can see what life on the canals of Amsterdam is like. Built in 1914 to transport sand, gravel and coal, houseboat “Hendrika Maria” now has a sleeping bunk, livingroom, kitchen and bathroom. You will be surprised by the space available and how comfortable it is. Unlike many other museums you can sit around and touch the interior of the ship. Houseboat Museum

Floating Flower Market

The flower market is the place to go if you want to see Dutch flowers in bulk. The shops are actually barges floating on the canal. Here you will find traditional Dutch flowers like tulips and daffodils. If you want to grow them at home you can: flower bulbs are for sale too. Many shops sell souvenirs like little wooden windmills, refrigerator magnets etc.

Wooden Shoes

Also available at the flower market are wooden shoes (clogs), once popular for their strength, good ventilation and ease of use. My own grandfather wore clogs when working on the land, but since his generation almost nobody wears them anymore. Wooden Shoes

Waterlooplein Market

My favourite market is the Waterlooplein market, where you can find new as well as second-hand merchandise. Clothes, antiques, furniture, books, souvenirs and accessories from all over the world are for sale. I bought my original 70-ties boots and a police coat here.

Queen's Day

Amsterdam’s most famous event is Queen’s Day on April 30. The Queen’s birthday is actually in January when it is too cold to celebrate outside, so we still use the birthday of the previous Queen, Juliana. On this day parts of Amsterdam turn into open-air markets with people selling their leftover stuff, and there will be live music, street parties and food. Many people will wear orange (Van Oranje is the family name of the royal family). It will be very crowded and transport will be overloaded, but the atmosphere is great.

Summer Activities

Summer in Amsterdam sees many outdoor activities. As soon as the temperature starts rising around Easter (end of March, beginning of April), people will sit on the terraces that pop up everywhere and enjoy the sunshine. Performances and music festivals will be organised regularly, some of them for free, which makes this a great time to get some culture.

Find out what's on at I Amsterdam.

Cycling

The easiest way to get around Amsterdam is by bicycle. Almost every Dutchman has one (that unfortunately gets stolen regularly) and even the police ride mountain bikes here. Amsterdam has many separate bicycle lanes that provide for safe travel, although the centre can be quite challenging because of the trams that always have priority over other traffic.

Canal Boat Trip

A trip by canal boat is a must if you want to explore old Amsterdam and the harbour. You’ll see many beautiful old bridges, traditional merchants’ houses with their different gables and real Amsterdam streetlife. When it gets dark (as early as 4 p.m. in winter) this area of Amsterdam looks like a fairytale with its illuminated bridges and houses.

If you want to find your own way around and you have strong legs, you can rent a canal bike.

Dutch Food (1)

Dutch food is heavy and not very exciting, but there are a few things you should try. Amsterdam’s most favourite snack is herring. Herring is eaten raw and has only been treated with salt to conserve it. A good herring is soft and creamy and really delicious. The typical Dutch way to eat it is to take the herring between thumb and index finger, lift it up and bite off pieces.

Another favourite snack is “patat” or fries with mayonnaise, of which the Belgian variant made of real potatoes (instead of dough) is the best.

Dutch Food (2)

Typical Dutch is “uit de muur eten” (eating from the wall). These walls have little chambers containing meaty snacks. The little door to a chamber can be opened if enough money is inserted. The quality of the snacks is usually not great, but it is cheap and fills you up.

Luckily Amsterdam has people of many nationalities who brought their own food. Indonesian, Chinese, Turkish and Italian food for example are widely available.

Drinks

Amsterdam has over 1000 pubs. My favourite type is the brown café, which usually has an interior of painted or smoke-stained wood. The café may have a central reading table with newspapers and magazines, but most areas will be dimly lit and allow for an intimate atmosphere. Some brown café’s sell only drinks, others will also provide food. My favourite is Café de Schutter with its ceiling decorated with used teabags. Guests will throw their bags up after use, but it takes some practise to let them stick.

For beer-lovers there is the “proeflokaal”, where sometimes more than a hundred types of beer can be sampled. Some strong beers like Duvel from Belgium have an alcohol percentage of 8 or 9%, so be careful. The Dutch drink “jenever” is similar to whiskey, but not popular among young people.

Toilet Facilities

In the past walls of many buildings were damaged by men relieving themselves, but no more. One piece of street furniture that you will see in the centre of Amsterdam is the public toilet. Public toilets are works of art and there are many different types to admire. Most of them don’t have doors, but don’t be shy to use them, everybody does (well, men at least).