Jam-packed with world class attractions, friendly cafes, and centuries of history, Amsterdam is a real delight. This isn’t just where you’ll find paintings by legendary artists, many of them lived and worked right in these streets. The classic architecture is well preserved, the modern buildings bold and some of the lesser-sung neighbourhoods are real gems. Time to tick off those must-see sights and unearth some surprises too with our guide.
Centuries of canvas
Many of the Old Masters called Amsterdam home, or spent time here during their lives, so it’s only fitting that the city is replete with sensational repositories of painting. Start at the Rijksmuseum, the city’s premier gallery, with thousands of pieces spanning centuries. Walk from Rembrandt – the seminal The Night Watch - to Vermeer, Van Gogh to Franz Hals. It’s not just paintings either, with some wonderful curios such as a collection of antique dollhouses, all incredibly ornate.
Enter the Van Gogh Museum for the largest collection of the Dutch post-Impressionist’s work in the world. If you prefer contemporary art, the Moco Museum, also situated in Museum Square, features exhibitions from many world famous modern artists from Warhol to Banksy and Daniel Arsham. The exhibits change regularly so it’s recommended you check the website before attending to see whose work is on display, while alternatively you can learn about the influential De Stijl movement at the Stedelijk Museum.
Memorable houses
Amsterdam’s history is written in its buildings, not least in the houses of the artists and other key figures. The most visited is Anne Frank’s house on Prinsengracht, the place where she and her family hid from the Nazi invaders. You can see where she wrote her famous diary, and the museum here is thought-provoking and sensitive. Book ahead to get timed entry – the queues can be huge.
If you’ve already been wowed by Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, you can visit where he painted it. Rembrandthuis on Jodenbreestraat is where he lived and worked, creating some of his most seminal pieces.
As you explore the city, you’ll see houses and buildings of seemingly impossible narrowness – this is because houses here used to be taxed based on the size of their frontage. Look out for the one-metre wide house on Singel, and the city’s smallest house on Oude Hoogstraat.
Summer in the Netherlands
When the sun comes out, Amsterdam is glorious. People line the streets at the city’s countless cafes and the canals gleam. Many descend on Vondelpark, once the preserve of the rich but now open to all. It’s the city’s finest park and large enough for you to find a quiet picnic area. Walk over the bridge between pretty landscaped lawns and watch the wildfowl at play or cycle around the edge of the park to take it all in the Dutch way.
With Amsterdam car hire you can also get out of the city, whether it’s to marvel at the plethora of famous windmills or to wander the tulip-filled fields. Drive south-west on the A4 and, in an hour or so, you’ll be in Delft, and close to The Hague.
It’s like a miniature Amsterdam, with its own canals, but perhaps even more beguiling thanks to its intimate size. It’s known for its pottery, Delftware, which you can shop for here, and for being the birthplace of artist Johannes Vermeer, who never left. The town is chock-full of medieval buildings, which look particularly beautiful in the lamplight of the evening. The Markt square is one of the most impressive in Europe, and doubtless you’ll be in the company of other day-trippers from Amsterdam.
When you hire a car in Amsterdam the luxury of all these sights, sounds and new experiences are all just a short car journey away.
