Amsterdam, Holland

What to do in Amsterdam, Holland

Tour Amsterdam by Canal

The best view of the city is the one taken from a boat gliding along its canals, which are constructed in a concentric pattern beginning in the city center and winding through every neighborhood. A glass-topped boat takes you right back into the golden age of the 17th century, past gabled houses, bridges, and placid waterways that are illuminated at night. Your guide points out landmarks and recounts anecdotes along the way.

Anne Frank House

This 17th-century canal-side house was the refuge for Anne Frank's family and 4 friends during 2 years of the Nazi Occupation. They hid in the annex from 1942 to 1944, a time spent almost entirely in silence and fear, as recorded in the young girl's diary. They were discovered and dispatched to concentration camps, from which only her father returned. The house is now barren, with only the bookcase that concealed the entrance to the annex remaining.

Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam's most prestigious museum houses the largest collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings in the world. The neo-Renaissance building is vast and impressive, filled with works by all the European masters, including Goya, Rubens, Van Dyck and, of course, Rembrandt, whose "The Night Watch," has its own room. In addition to the priceless paintings, there is a fine collection of prints, Delftware, glassware, furniture, Asiatic art, French and Flemish tapestries, Dutch and German sculpture, and doll houses.

Rembrandt's House

The masterpieces are on display at the Rijksmuseum, but the majority of the great artist's legacy remains in his home. Dim lights and the 3-story house create a warm, intimate setting. Self-portraits and hundreds of his etchings, as well as those of his students, lead you on a creative pilgrimage through his home and studio.

Van Gogh Museum

This museum is a gem, containing a fantastic collection of 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and 700 letters by Van Gogh. The art is displayed chronologically, so you can study the progress from his early searching works to his later intense and driven creations of bold colors and violent strokes. The museum also houses works by his contemporaries, including Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec.

The Hague

Amsterdam is the capital, but The Hague has always been Holland's seat of government and the official residence of the monarchs, though they have not always chosen to live there. In 1248, Count William II of Holland was crowned king in the German city of Aachen, but chose to live at the Binnenhof Palace in what is now The Hague (which celebrated its 750th anniversary in 1998). Only 43 miles from Amsterdam, this is a beautiful and sophisticated city full of parks and elegant homes, and it also holds a prestigious position on the world scene as the site of the International Court of Justice. Also among the city's attractions are a number of fine antique shops and a weekly antiques and curios market throughout the summer.

Zaanse Schans

This windmill village is not an open-air museum, but a living, working place with an authentic and lively atmosphere. At one time, some 10,000 windmills dotted the beautiful lowlands of Holland to distribute water, drain the polders, and grind corn via a natural, non-polluting energy source. Today, about 1,000 remain, with a third in operation, and although windmills are found throughout the countryside, this is the prime location. The charming ambiance has long held sway over foreigners like Peter the Great, who made the village his workplace for a while and Napoleon, who called the area the loveliest he had ever seen.

Haarlem

This city of music and art is just a 15-minute train ride from Amsterdam's Centraal Station, and is the gateway to the reclaimed polder land. Near some of Holland's best beaches and tulip fields, in the heart of an area dotted with elegant manor houses and beautiful villages, Haarlem is also home to 2 of the country's finest museums, the Frans Hals and the Teylers. Once an important cultural center, Haarlem retains an air of dignified affluence and scenic charm.

Tulip Fields

The first tulips were brought to Holland in 1592 by the botanist Carolus Clusius, who planted them at the Hortus Botanicus in Leiden. In short order, tulips became highly popular and their trade was a highly lucrative business, buoyed by the aristocracy's fervor for them. Today, the bulbs are no less popular. The Keukenhof Gardens at Lisse have vast numbers of tulips and other flowers that cut swaths of color across the land. Many other bulb fields dot the region, between Leiden and Haarlem, for which tourism offices provide detailed "Bulb Route" maps. The efficient Dutch have also marked the roads as Bolenstreek (Bulb District).

Red Light District

Most of the history of the Red Light District - the oldest part of Amsterdam - has been glazed over by marketing. The area owes its notoriety to sex, but these days it is a business secondary to souvenir shopping. The 2nd (or 3rd) rate stores full of pranks and trinkets actually bring in 1 billion Dutch florins per year from voyeuring tourists.

Leidseplein

This is, and seems always to have been, the tourist center of Amsterdam, always a-buzz with carefree travelers eating and drinking at sidewalk cafés, enjoying the street entertainers, dancing in the clubs, watching the stage shows, or just soaking in the atmosphere. Vehicles have been banned as far back as the Middle Ages, when carts and wagons had to be left at a cart park beyond the perimeter.

Oude Kerk (Old Church)

The oldest church in the city, it was built in the 13th century and has one of Amsterdam's most famous spires, as well as 47 bells that play on Saturday afternoons. The Gothic building has a vaulted interior containing stained glass scenes made in 1555, and an impressive collection of paintings and other artworks.

Nieuwe Kerk (New Church)

An imposing presence on Dam Square, this church is new only in relation to the Oude Kerk. It is actually the second oldest church in the city, built in the 1400s with a 35-foot pulpit that took 19 years to carve, a gilded organ, stained glass, and the mausoleum of naval hero Admiral Michiel De Ruyter. Today, it is used for special events such as cultural exhibits and the coronation of Queen Beatrix in 1980.

Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace)

Amsterdam was renowned as the richest city in the world when this palace was built in 1648, and its grandeur reflects its pride and position in those days. Originally built as the town hall, it took on its royal role in 1808, when Napoleon crowned his brother Louis as king of Holland. It remains the official royal dwelling although the queen and her family actually live in The Hague. Visitors are welcomed by a sculpture of Atlas carrying the globe atop the façade, and portals richly decorated with frescoes and paintings.

Bloemenmarkt (Flower Market)

The world's only floating flower market laps along the banks of the Singel Canal. Moored barges bursting with color and delicate scents span the length of four blocks, selling blossoms and potted plants at very low prices.

Vondelpark

This enchanting 120-acre park was named after a famous Dutch poet and has ponds, gardens, lakes, playgrounds, cafés, and a band shell. There are many welcoming shade trees and a great deal of open space. Palm readers and musicians, including African drummers, classical quartets, and jazz singers, entertain as you relax, people-watch, and enjoy the oasis of green.

Schreierstoren

This tower, dating from 1482, is the oldest that remains from the original city wall. Its location near the harbor led to its more common moniker of the Wailing Wall, in reference to the tearful wives who came here to bid farewell to husbands who might never return from sea.