Amsterdam is a city best explored with a good helping of serendipity, aided by some pre-trip planning. There is so much to do and see, both on and off the beaten path.
Here are the top Amsterdam sights and activities as selected by your fellow travelers
Do and see more in Amsterdam for less with the I amsterdam city card:
Explore Amsterdam with the I amsterdam City Card
This card give you access to all major Amsterdam highlights:
More than 70 museums
City-wide public transport
Free bicycle rental
Free canal cruise
Skip-the-lines
Discounts at restaurants, attractions, concerts
More…
The top 5 museums in the Netherlands, as measured by visitor numbers, are all located in Amsterdam.
Mind you, we quote pre-pandemic, pre-lockdown statistics.
But there’s no reason to assume this list we change any time soon.
Founded in 1838, ARTIS is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands, and one of the oldest zoos of mainland Europe.
Guidebooks rightly refer to it one of the most pleasant city zoos around. The whole place breathes a 19th-century garden atmosphere with winding paths, majestic trees, fascinating sculptures and monumental historical buildings.
As much as possible the over 500 species of animals live in landscaping that resembles their natural habitat.
Almost a quart of Amsterdam consists of water: rivers, lakes, canals, and so on. Small wonder that swimmers are well catered for.
Aside from indoor- and outdoor swimming pools, the city has many wild swimming spots. There are even some “urban beaches.”
Also: we’ll tell you whether and where you can swim in the canals of Amsterdam.
Many guidebooks and travel websites rave about this popular viewpoint in the center of Amsterdam. All claim you’ll be able to see 15 bridges from one location. But is that true?
Each year 5.5 million Amsterdam visitors take a canal cruise, making a boat tour of the canals the city’s most popular tourist attraction.
No visit to Amsterdam — also known as ‘Venice of the North’ — is complete without taking to the water, hands down the best way to see the city.
In fact, many people take more than one cruise: a daytime tour is a good introduction. A romantic candlelight cruise at night creates another lasting impression.
And then there are the many specialty tours: dinner cruises, cheese and wine tastings, combination boat tour and museum entrance… whatever floats your boat.
On August 10, 1943, Anne Frank — hiding in the Achterhuis — wrote, “We’ve all been a little confused this past week, because our dearly beloved Westertoren bells have been carted off to be melted down for the war, so we have no idea of the exact time, either night or day…”
So, whatever happened to the bells of the Westertoren?
The Floating Dutchman was billed as the ‘most splashing way to see Amsterdam.’ But the concept, launched in 2011, fizzled.
Now the bright yellow Splashtours amphibious bus is sailing the waters of the River IJ.