Sights and neighbourhoods
Museums, canals, Dam Square, the Jordaan and Vondelpark.
Amsterdam for Families
To stay sane on your family city break to Amsterdam you’ll need activities, eateries and entertainment that appeal to all family members both little and large .
Canal Cruises in Amsterdam: What You'll See [Video]
You may have read on this site that taking an Amsterdam canal cruise is a great way to get acquainted with the city.
What to do in Amsterdam when you're museum'd out?
Most cities and towns around the world have some kind of museum or another - even if it's just a room in the city hall - but not many people make a habit of visiting the museums where they live.
Things to Do in Amsterdam for Kids
Amsterdam is widely thought of as a party town, and with good reason - from the coffeeshops to the Red Light District , it's not a city that might float to the top of the list as a great destination…
Amsterdam Canal District Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
There are travelers who plan entire itineraries around what places are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Casinos in Amsterdam - Holland Casino and slot parlors
There’s no shortage of things to do in Amsterdam , and one of the choices that isn’t an obvious one is to visit a fancy casino for a bit of gambling.
Amsterdam museums - A guide to all the serious ones and all the weird ones
Amsterdam is definitely a “museum city” even though many of the most famous and popular attractions survive more on novelty value than on the normal tradition of art and history museums.
Urinals in Amsterdam - An unusual tourist attraction, of sorts
One of the many things that makes Amsterdam at least a little unusual is the fact that certain neighborhoods have quite a few free public urinals right out in the open.
Free Amsterdam walking tours are very worthwhile
I’ve long been a proponent of Amsterdam’s ubiquitous one-hour canal cruises as the best way to see a lot of the city in a hurry, and those are still worthwhile themselves, but after experiencing the…
Dam Square - A visitor's guide
Locals usually just call it “The Dam”, which can be confusing at first, but Dam Square is undoubtedly the true center of the city from a historical perspective, as well as from the social…
Nude beaches near Amsterdam
The idea of a “nude beach” always sounds fascinating to people who don’t normally frequent them.
Free things to do in Amsterdam
Amsterdam isn’t as expensive as many major European cities, but it can still wipe out many budget travelers who don’t plan well.
Castles near Amsterdam - Muiderslot Castle
Particularly for visitors from North America, Amsterdam already feels like a museum with its perfectly preserved 17th Century architecture filling the city center, but those wanting to take it a step…
The Jordaan neighborhood spotlighted in video
Not long ago I wrote about an entertaining video on learning key Dutch phrases in two minutes that is part of the collection from Geobeats .
The world's smallest car? Meet the "Canta"
One of the many odd and unexpected treats of any visit to Amsterdam is getting a chance to see (and possibly trip over) what might be the world’s smallest production car.
Rembrandt House Museum
This former home of the famous 17th-Century Dutch painter is one of the more popular museums in Amsterdam, though it’s definitely a notch below the Rijksmuseum , the Van Gogh Museum , and the Anne…
Vondelpark - Amsterdam's central park
By far Amsterdam’s largest and most famous park, Vondelpark is often compared to New York City’s Central Park.
Aalsmeer Flower Auction - a colorful way to spend a morning
If you can drag yourself out of bed early enough, you should definitely consider a morning visit to the famous flower auction in the city of Aalsmeer, which is just south of Schiphol Airport and easy…
The Jordaan - Amsterdam's quiet art district
Every large city has at least one neighborhood that was on the brink of collapse a few decades ago that is now trendy and super expensive.
Ice Skating in Amsterdam for free
Hans Brinker is long gone, but if he weren’t a fictional character from the mid 19th Century he’d probably be spending quite a bit of time at the ice skating rink at Leidseplein these days.
Centraal Station area - Amsterdam Neighborhood Spotlight
The Centraal Station area - cheap sleeps and Amsterdam's wildest nightlife This is part of the 3-part series discussing the main Amsterdam hotel districts so you can quickly decide where you’ll be…
Rembrandtplein - Amsterdam Neighborhood Spotlight
Rembrandtplein - Amsterdam’s glamorous district Of the three main hotel districts in Amsterdam, Rembrandtplein is a stand out in a few important ways.
Leidseplein - Amsterdam Neighborhood Spotlight
Leidseplein - Amsterdam's best entertainment district Leidseplein isn’t quite as fancy as Rembrandtplein , but it’s much more up-market than most of the things near Centraal Station .