Sights
De Dam (Dam Square)
Dam Square lies in the historical center of Amsterdam, approximately 750 meters south of the main transportation hub, Centraal Station (Central Station). It is roughly rectangular in shape, stretching about 200 meters from west to east and about 100 meters from north to south. It links the streets Damrak and Rokin, which run along the original course of the Amstel River from Centraal Station to Muntplein (Mint Square) and Munttoren.
The Dam also marks the endpoint of other well-traveled streets, Nieuwendijk, Kalverstraat and Damstraat. A short distance beyond the northeast corner lies the main red-light district, de Wallen.more
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Royal Palace
The Royal Palace in Amsterdam (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam or Paleis op de Dam) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which is at the disposal of Queen Beatrix by Act of Parliament. The palace was built as city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the seventeenth century. The building became the royal palace of king Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House. It is situated in the west side of Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial and next to the Nieuwe Kerk.more
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Nieuwe Kerk
The bishop of Utrecht gave the city of Amsterdam permission to use a second the parish church in 1408 because the Oude Kerk ("Old Church") had grown too small for the growing population of the city. The Nieuwe Kerk was consecrated to St. Mary and St. Catharine.
The church was damaged by the city fires of 1421 and 1452 and burned down almost entirely in 1645, after which it was rebuilt in gothic style. It underwent major renovation in 1892–1914, which added many neo-Gothic details, and was again renovated in 1959–1980. It was the renovation in the 70's that became too expensive for the Dutch Reformed Church, and when they said the church would be closed most of the time to save money on maintenance, it was decided to transfer ownership in 1979 to a newly formed cultural organization called the Nationale Stichting De Nieuwe Kerk.more
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Madam Toussaud
The wax museum in Amsterdam.more
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Kalverstraat
The Kalverstraat is the busiest shopping street of Amsterdam. It is named after the kalvermarkt ("calves market") that was held here until the 17th Century.
The Kalverstraat is the most expensive shopping street in the Netherlands, with rents of 2200 euros per square meter (2007). In 2006 it was the 21st most expensive street in the world measured by rent prices. The Kalverstraat is also the most expensive street in the Dutch version of Monopoly.more
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Red-light district
De Wallen is the largest and best-known red-light district in Amsterdam and a major tourist attraction. It is located in the heart of the oldest part of Amsterdam, covering several blocks south of the church Oude Kerk and crossed by several canals. De Wallen is a network of alleys containing approximately three hundred tiny one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights.
The area also has a number of sex shops, sex theatres, peep shows, a sex museum, a cannabis museum, and a number of coffee shops that sell marijuana.more
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Museumplein
The Museumplein (English: Museum Square) is a square in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The square is called "Museum Square" because four museums are located around the square: the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, and the Diamond Museum. The square was reconstructed in 1999 by Sven-Ingvar Andersson. It is used for (mass) events such as festivals, celebrations, and demonstrations.more
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Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam or simply Rijksmuseum (English: State Museum) is a Dutch national museum in Amsterdam, located on the Museumplein. The museum is dedicated to arts, crafts, and history. It has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and a substantial collection of Asian art. It also displays the stern of the HMS Royal Charles which was captured in the Raid on the Medway, and the Hartog plate.more
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Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum is an art museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, featuring the works of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. It has the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world.more
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Leidseplein
The Leidseplein is a square in central Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Lying in the southwest of the central (canal) district of Amsterdam, the Leidseplein is immediately northeast of the Singelgracht canal. It is situated on the crossroads of the Weteringschans, the Marnixstraat, and the Leidsestraat. The Leidsestraat was originally named for being the road to Leiden. (Compare: Oxford Street, London.) Several other streets in the vicinity of the square also refer back to the city of Leiden, but this is more because these streets cross the area, for example the Lange (Long) and the Korte (Short) Leidsedwarsstraat (Leiden cross Street).
The Leidseplein is one of the busiest centres for nightlife in the city. The square and the surrounding streets are full of bars, restaurants, outdoor cafes, theaters, dance clubs and the like. Street performers are often found on the square. On busy summer nights, tourists may outnumber locals. From mid November until Christmas Leidseplein also has an outdoor ice rink and many carts selling typical Dutch pastries and Poffertjes (small sweet pancakes). Many signs and bar names are in English. more
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Vondelpark
The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares (120 acres) in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located in the stadsdeel Amsterdam Oud-Zuid, west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened in 1865 and originally named the "Nieuwe Park", but later renamed to "Vondelpark", after the 17th century author Joost van den Vondel. Yearly, the park has around 10 million visitors. In the park is a film museum, an open air theatre, a playground, and several horeca facilities. more
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Rembrandtplein
Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Square) is a major square in central Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is named after the famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn.
The square used to be a butter market but developed into a centre for nightlife with the opening of various hotels and cafés. There are bars chock-a-block with people singing along to Dutch folk songs at the top of their voices, and a few large discos. This makes it very popular with tourists as well.
The popularity of Rembrandtplein has arisen along with the café terraces, which are packed during summer. In the middle of the square is a green rectangle of grass with a statue of Rembrandt himself, in front of which there are smaller statues which are a representation of his most famous painting The Night Watch. The biggest building on the square is the former head office of the Amsterdamsche Bank (latterly ABN AMRO), which is currently undergoing renovation.
It is linked to Muntplein by Reguliersbreestraat, down which tram numbers 4, 9 and 14 run (which stop in Rembrandtplein), and to the Blauwbrug (Blue bridge) over the Amstel river by Amstelstraat. Thorbeckeplein, named after Johan Rudolf Thorbecke (1798–1872), is adjacent to the south, leading to Herengracht.
At 7.6 by 15 meters, the biggest LCD-screen in Europe is located at Rembrandtplein. Passers-by can interact with the screen with a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone.
The square borders on the Reguliersdwarsstraat, a street widely known for its popularity in the gay scene. more
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Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht canal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is a museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank, who hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people in hidden rooms at the rear of the building. As well as the preservation of the hiding place — known in Dutch as the Achterhuis — and an exhibition on the life and times of Anne Frank, the museum acts as an exhibition space to highlight all forms of persecution and discrimination. more
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The Jordaan
The Jordaan is a district of the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
The Jordaan is home to many art galleries, particularly for modern art. The neighbourhood is also dotted with speciality shops and restaurants, and markets are held regularly at Noordermarkt, the Westerstraat (the Lapjesmarkt textile market) and Lindengracht.
The most common theory on the origin of the name is as a derivation of the French word jardin, meaning garden: most streets and canals in the Jordaan are named after trees and flowers. Another theory is that the Prinsengracht canal was once nicknamed Jordaan (the Dutch name for the river Jordan), and that the neighbourhood beyond the canal came to be called this as well. more
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Heineken Experience
The Heineken Experience, located in Amsterdam, is an historic brewery and corporate visitor center for the internationally distributed Dutch pilsner, Heineken beer.
The industrial facility was built as the first Heineken brewery in 1867, serving as the company's primary brewing facility until 1988 when a more modern, larger facility was constructed on the outskirts of the city. more
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