Even a month is too short to really comprehend and familiarize yourself with Amsterdam. To help you get a head start on your vacation in the most beautiful city in the Netherlands, here’s a list of the most important attractions:
The pride of Amsterdam, the pride of the Netherlands. The Rijksmuseum – built in 1876 based on a design by architect P.J.H. Cuypers – is the largest art museum in the country, displaying beautiful masterpieces by Rembrandt (the Nightwatch!), Vermeer, Ruysdael, and Frans Hals. You can also gaze to your heart’s content at Delft blue china, sculptures, medieval religious works of art, Chinese porcelain, interiors from the 19th century, and a fantastic collection of prints. There’s no need to go into more detail: you really shouldn’t leave Amsterdam until you’ve seen the Rijksmuseum.
Jan Luijkenstraat 1, Amsterdam
If you’d like to learn about the history of Amsterdam, spend a day or an afternoon in the big Amsterdam Historic Museum. Experience a fascinating voyage of discovery through seven centuries of city history; wander through halls and courtyards showcasing paintings, prints, porcelain, glass, and archeological finds. And of course, Amsterdam is also all about Ajax, which explains the museum’s permanent exhibition about the famous soccer club.
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 359, Amsterdam
One of the most famous people who ever lived in Amsterdam is Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who wrote in a diary while she lived in hiding during the Second World War, which would later give the entire world an intimate glimpse of her tragic adventure. So that she herself – and the horrors of the war – would never be forgotten, the Anne Frank House displays quotes from her diary, photos, films, and objects that bring the events that unfolded at this location vividly to life.
Prinsengracht 267, Amsterdam
One of the most beautiful historic buildings in Amsterdam houses the Royal Institute for the Tropics (KIT), which includes the Tropenmuseum. This exceptional museum/study center holds various exhibitions featuring a range of peoples from all over the world.
Linnaeusstraat 2, Amsterdam
CoBrA (1948-1951) stands for Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam and is the name of the European movement that unleashed a veritable revolution in the world of art between 1948 and 1951 by creating works that were unpremeditated and all the more imaginative as a result. The Cobra Museum exhibits permanent key works by the artists representative of this school of art, such as Karel Appel, Constant, and Corneille. A wide range of temporary exhibits featuring modern and contemporary art is also displayed there.
Sandbergplein 1-3, Amstelveen
Have you always wanted to see celebrities up close and personal? The Amsterdam wax museum takes you on a trip through time and space to see everyone – from well-known Dutchmen, members of the royal house, and notorious pop stars to movie legends and Grand Master painters.
Dam 20, Amsterdam
More than 200 paintings, about 500 drawings, countless Japanese prints, and over 700 letters. And this means – inevitably – that the Van Gogh Museum holds the world’s largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). The museum also has a collection of works by other 19th-century sculptors and painters, such as Van Gogh’s contemporaries: Toulouse-Lautrec, Gaugin, Monet, Bernard, and Monticelli. Definitely worth a visit!
Paulus Potterstraat 7, Amsterdam
An exceptional experience awaits you in the Diamond Museum, where ten themes sketch out the fascinating history of the centuries in which the bond between Amsterdam and the diamond has developed since 1586. As such, Amsterdam is the biggest diamond city in the world. The museum’s collection features diamonds of all shapes and sizes: from the world’s smallest diamond (cannot be seen with the naked eye) to its biggest, the Golden Jubilee (545 carats).
Paulus Potterstraat 8, Amsterdam
Please note! The Amsterdam Museum of Modern Art (Stedelijk Museum) will be closed for renovations until the end of 2009.