July 24th, 2023 at 06:11 am
Top Tourist Sites to Visit in Amsterdam, Netherlands
The fan-shaped web that dominates the Amsterdam map is likely one of the first things you’ll see if you do. This web is actually the city’s system of canals that connect several of its neighborhoods to the IJ River’s curve. These canals have been essential to the growth of this port city and the establishment of Amsterdam as a major trading center because it is one of Europe’s catch basin zones.
These canals are so deeply ingrained in Amsterdam’s identity that they quickly come to mind. But there is undoubtedly more to Amsterdam than its canals. To put it mildly, there are a plethora of fascinating sights in between. Here are some of the top destinations and activities.
Canal Cruises
1. Amsterdam Canal Cruise
These fabled streams are listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Beginning in the early 17th century, construction began. They have several functions, including water management, navigation, and defense. The intricate canal system had three main canals that branched off into approximately 100 kilometers of smaller canals, over 90 islands, and more than a thousand bridges.
The canals are now primarily used for tourist activities like cruises. You can travel back in time to the Dutch Golden Age by boat. The merchant homes and churches that line the canals, the stunning bridges, the Westerkerk, and the Anne Frank House are just a few of the picturesque views. While cruising the Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht canals, you may see the city’s top attractions.
2. Dine and Cruise
If taking in the scenery from a boat isn’t enough, how about indulging in some delectable food while you go? Some tour operators and travel businesses provide dining and cruising experiences.
Museums
3. Van Gogh Museum
The largest Van Gogh collection in the world is currently housed in the Amsterdam-based Van Gogh Museum, which was first opened in 1973. Along with other well-known museums, the museum is situated in Amsterdam Zuid (South)’s Museum District.
As you look at the artist’s creations and find some of his personal belongings, such as hundreds of letters, you will come to know him better. The museum has more than 200 paintings, 400 drawings, and sketches, including his numerous self-portraits and the well-known “Sunflowers” and “The Bedroom.” Along with his own works, it exhibits the work of Van Gogh’s contemporaries Monet and Gauguin.
4. Rijksmuseum
The largest and most popular museum in the Netherlands is the Rijksmuseum. It is recognized as a national museum and has a strong emphasis on both art and history. It is situated next to other notable museums including the Van Gogh Museum at Museum Square in Amsterdam Zuid (South).
When it was first founded in Hague in the late 18th century, the museum’s history may be traced back to that time. Before settling in its current location in the late 19th century, it underwent two relocations. The museum displays almost 8,000 pieces, including more than 5,000 paintings, to tell the story of 800 years of Dutch history and art, particularly during the Dutch Golden Age. Rembrandt’s Night Watch and Vermeer’s Milkmaid are two well-known masterpieces.
5. Anne Frank House
The events in Anne Frank’s story take place during World War II, a time when the Nazi Party oppressed and isolated Jews. She kept her diary in a chamber she named the Secret Annex in a canal home along the Prinsengracht, one of Amsterdam’s three well-known canals.
Later, a museum was created there in order to preserve this house. The museum opened to the public in 1960. The Secret Annex, where Anne Frank and her family sought safety, is a feature of the museum’s permanent display of her life.
6. Jewish Cultural Quarter
At the height of the Inquisition in the 16th century, Jews from Spain and Portugal began to flow into the city. The Nazi authority once more persecuted Jews during World War II, and those residing in Amsterdam were not exempt.
The existence of Jewish structures, monuments, and synagogues in the old Jewish Quarter now serves as a reminder of the suffering endured by the Jewish people through those terrible times in history.
The National Holocaust Memorial, the Children’s Museum, the Portuguese Synagogue, Hollandsche Schouwburg, and the Jewish Historical Museum are some of the noteworthy locations in the Jewish Cultural Quarter. Both Waterlooplein and the Plantage Middenlaan region have these attractions.
7. Red Light Secrets Museum
If you enjoy unconventional and alternative travel, you might want to check out Red Light Secrets, which is allegedly the only museum of its kind in the entire globe. The museum is housed in a 17th-century brothel in the center of Amsterdam’s Red Light District, in the De Wallen neighborhood of Old Town.
8. Rembrandt House Museum
The Rembrandt House Museum is another historical treasure in the heart of Amsterdam, close to the Old Town core and the former Jewish Quarter.
Its beginnings may constitute found in 1911 when renowned Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn lived and worked at this museum. Between 1639 and 1658, he made numerous of the paintings, sketches, and etchings that are on display at the tastefully renovated and well-preserved 17th-century home turned museum. The museum also uses a vintage press to show the traditional etching process.
9. Moco Museum
The Moco Museum is an independent, privately-owned museum that is situated in the Museum District on the same block as the Van Gogh Museum. By showcasing the works of modernist and contemporary artists like Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, JR, KAWS, Andy Warhol, and others, the museum hopes to appeal to a younger audience.
The Logchies couple, who are curators and art collectors, currently own the early 20th-century townhouse that houses the museum.
10. Stedelijk Museum
Along with the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum is another museum that showcases and exhibits modern and contemporary art. Both are situated in the Museum District. Stedelijk also incorporates works of art in design.
The historic 19th-century building and the modern wing were combined to create the museum’s distinctive structure.
Since its inception in 1874, the museum has promoted modern art by showcasing and exhibiting works in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, installation, photography, industrial design, graphic design, and more! Be inspired by the creations of modern painters like Warhol, Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, Pollock, and Jeff Koons, among others.
Guided Amsterdam City Tours
11. Anne Frank Tour
This trip will give you a glimpse into her life, from her upbringing in Amsterdam Zuid to the Holocaust, if her coming-of-age tale set during World War II won your heart.
The English-speaking tour guide will provide anecdotes and stories about each stop while escorting you to locations where she spent her childhood days. Thus, her school and the shop where she purchased her journal. As you travel through the neighborhood, where the homes and other buildings vividly resemble colonial design, you will also get to learn about the cutting-edge concepts of urban planning.
12. Van Gogh Tour
Are you a fan of Van Gogh? Or have you ever wondered what the tales were that inspired his paintings? This trip gives you a glimpse into Van Gogh’s life during his two years in the Nuenen Village. Where he received inspiration to create more than 500 paintings and sketches.
Visit some of the locations that served as his inspiration for his paintings and served as subjects. You can learn more at the Van Gogh Museum. This museum has the largest collection of his works.
13. Red Light District Tour
Amsterdam is renowned for its frankness. The city is fairly progressive, especially when it comes to legalizing prostitutes. A bronze relief on the ground in Amsterdam’s Red Light District’s Oudekerksplein
The Red Light District had its origins in the Middle Ages when De Wallen was a bustling town center. It is renowned for its brothels and bars that cater to sailors, tourists, and locals. You will be led through its hidden nooks and lanes on this tour.
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