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The city is a haven for good food, good fun
and its unique cultural environment attracts numerous travelers, but especially
"twenty-somethings" from around the world. Amsterdam is a city with an edge to it. It mixes the old with the new,
Calvinism with the sexual revolution, conservatism with laissez-faire and
yet it retains the practical sensibility that is the hallmark of Dutch society.
Many travelers passing through Amsterdam's airport on the way
to other destinations in Europe. often take the opportunity to spend a day or two
exploring what Amsterdam has to offer.
The reality is that Amsterdam has numerous tourist
attractions and attempting to see all of them all could while away your time
and money. However, some of the attractions are of minor importance and
others are
uninteresting. Of the remainder, some are tacky, unusual, humorous (like the Sex Museum and
the Erotic Museum (think Red Light District)), or extremely touristy.
However none of this seems to keep the crowds from visiting.
In our
recounting of the best places to visit in Amsterdam, we focus on twelve
of the city’s many attractions including two fascinating ones covered on this page that are “must sees” - the
Anne
Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum!
We should note that the relatively new
Heineken Experience claims to be
the most popular attraction in town, but we think that title is actually
held by the bars and other venues in the town's
Red Light District.
Guide to the Best Places to Visit in
Amsterdam
The Anne Frank House (267 Prinsengracht) is the most popular tourist
attraction in Amsterdam. When you approach the house from Prisengracht, you
will wonder where the Anne Frank House is located – the photographs and
images that most of us associate with the Anne Frank Huis are of the back of
the Annex and not visible from the street.
 Visiting is a sobering experience, made even more melancholy by the knowledge of
Anne Frank's death from typhoid shortly before her concentration camp was liberated near
the end of World War II. Some say
she died of a broken heart, mistakenly believing her entire family had
preceded her in death. Her sister Margot, who was in the same camp as Anne,
died several weeks before her of the same epidemic. Her mother died in
Auschwitz, where she and her daughters were originally sent. Later
Margot and Anne were transferred to Bergen-belsen.
As you walk from room to room, you will begin to
feel that you are an observer watching the unfolding of a horrible story.
Touring the house, reading the placards, and watching the short films takes
about an hour. You will be mentally exhausted by the time you finish. There
is a comfortable cafeteria offering food and beverages just before the exit.
Arrive near opening or closing times, as the crowds during the rest of the
day (even in off-season) can be significant and the wait lengthy.
The building is small and the rooms can be very crowded during peak hours in
the summer.
Visiting the Anne Frank Huis is not for the infirm or physically challenged.
There are many, long steep stairways and narrow corridors to contend with -
a reflection of the “hidden” nature of this sanctuary. There is only one
route through the house and most visitors, riveted by the displays, take
their time while learning the significance of this tribute to bravery in the
face of repression.
The front of the house, which is the entrance, is the location of the business
that was once owned by Otto Frank, while the back part of the property, called the
Secret Annex, is where the family lived in hiding.
For detailed information on visiting, please visit the Anne Frank House
Museum's official
website.
The compact Van Gogh museum wears the Crown of Amsterdam's art museums and is the
second most popular attraction in the city. You should not miss the chance
to see the amazing works in this collection.
The museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh's
paintings, is located in close proximity to the Rijksmuseum on the Museumplein.
You can walk to the Museumplein from the Dam in about thirty minutes or
arrive in ten minutes by hopping a local streetcar.
Van Gogh’s works are displayed chronologically and the progression through
palettes and
techniques is astounding, showing the artist’s talent for innovation and his
fearless attitude towards change. As his painting techniques evolve through
Van Gogh's life, they appear to reflect various stages of his dementia.
All of Van Gogh's works displayed in the Museum are outstanding. The
range of style is so diverse that it is difficult to understand how these
paintings were created by the same artist. Perhaps there were several
personalities inside of Vincent.
The building is usually packed with visitors, but the display rooms are
large and handle the crowds well.
If you want to study his works, there is platform seating in the center of
most rooms for those who desire an extended viewing (or those who are just
plain tired of walking).
The official website of the Van Gogh Museum can be found
here.
For More of The Best Places To Visit in Amsterdam:
Click
here
for the Rijksmuseum, The Dam, the Royal Palace, the Red Light District and
the Heineken Experience.
Or
here for the Flower Market, Canal Boat Rides, the Stedelijk Museum, Nemo
Science Center, Rembrandt House and the Hermitage Amsterdam.
Or
Choose our section on Things Travelers Need to Know for
Visiting Amsterdam. In it we cover travel tips such as transportation, lodging, drinking age
(including the "smoking" age), dining
tips, lodging, shopping, weather, day trips and more.
More Photos
For more photos of the sights in Amsterdam,
click here
Or
Return to the
Best Places to Visit in the Netherlands
If you need to find information about another travel destination, try
Googling our site.
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