Attraction
Rijksmuseum
The national museum of the Netherlands, housed in Pierre Cuypers's 1885 building and home to Rembrandt's Night Watch and Vermeer's Milkmaid.
There are far more things to do in Amsterdam than its compact size suggests. The 17th-century canal ring, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is lined with gabled merchant houses and crossed by hundreds of bridges, and within walking distance sit major museums such as the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. Beyond the centre, neighbourhoods each have their own character: the Jordaan for small shops and brown cafés, De Pijp for the Albert Cuyp Market and lively restaurants, Oud-West and Oost for local life, and Noord across the IJ for creative venues and waterside views.
The food scene ranges from Dutch classics such as apple pie, pancakes, herring and fries to Indonesian rijsttafel, a legacy of colonial history, and several Michelin-starred kitchens. Evenings revolve around canal-side bars, centuries-old tasting rooms and well-known music venues. Three to four days is enough for the main museums, a canal cruise and a few neighbourhoods, with an extra day for a trip into the countryside to see windmills and polders.
Attraction
The national museum of the Netherlands, housed in Pierre Cuypers's 1885 building and home to Rembrandt's Night Watch and Vermeer's Milkmaid.
Attraction
The museum holding the largest collection of work by Vincent van Gogh, with paintings, drawings and letters in a building by Gerrit Rietveld.
Attraction
The canal house on the Prinsengracht where Anne Frank and seven others hid during the Second World War, now a museum about her life and diary.
Attraction
The 17th-century former city hall on Dam Square, designed by Jacob van Campen and now used by the Dutch royal family for state occasions.
Attraction
Amsterdam's best-known park, 47 hectares of lawns, ponds and paths that opened in 1865 and is named after the poet Joost van den Vondel.
Attraction
Amsterdam's museum of modern and contemporary art and design, set in an 1895 building with a white 2012 extension nicknamed the Bathtub.
Café
A corner café on the Noordermarkt in the Jordaan, best known for its tall Dutch apple pie served with whipped cream.
Café
A spacious grand café between Muntplein and the Muziektheater, open since 1990, with a balcony and waterside terrace over the Amstel.
Café
A pancake restaurant in a 17th-century canal warehouse on the Prinsengracht, serving more than 75 sweet and savoury pancakes since 1973.
Café
A one-product bakery on the Rokin that sells a single cookie: warm dark chocolate dough with a white chocolate centre.
Café
A New Zealand-style brunch café with Brazilian influences in De Pijp, serving all-day brunch, in-house baking and speciality coffee.
Café
A speciality coffee bar on Weteringstraat, close to the Rijksmuseum, serving coffee roasted at the company's own roastery and bakery.
Hotel
A grand riverside hotel at Muntplein, opened in 1896, with 107 rooms and suites, a pool and spa, and several restaurants overlooking the Amstel.
Hotel
A five-star hotel by the Amstel canal in De Pijp, opened in 1971, with Ciel Bleu on its 23rd floor and several Japanese restaurants.
Hotel
A five-star boutique hotel in a historic building on the Keizersgracht, home to the two-Michelin-star restaurant Vinkeles.
Hotel
A family-run four-star hotel in 17th-century buildings on the Singel, with 91 rooms and two suites in the heart of the canal ring.
Hotel
A design hotel in the 1921 Lloyd building in the Eastern Docklands, with 136 rooms, the Breman Brasserie and a lobby bar.
Hotel
A contemporary boutique hotel at the start of Albert Cuypstraat, near Museumplein and De Pijp, with the IZAKAYA Asian kitchen and bar.
Bar
A concert venue in a 19th-century former church near Leidseplein, open since 1968 and known as Amsterdam's pop temple.
Bar
A music and culture venue in a former milk factory beside Leidseplein, open since 1970 with several concert halls, a cinema and an expo space.
Bar
A brown café on the Spui that has served drinks since 1670, with old gin and liqueur barrels behind the bar and a terrace on the…
Bar
The tasting room of Brouwerij 't IJ beneath the De Gooyer windmill, pouring the brewery's own organic and craft beers since the brewery began in 1985.
Bar
A sky bar and terrace on the 11th floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton beside Central Station, with cocktails, DJs and views over the city.
Bar
A historic tasting room and distillery in the Pijlsteeg alley behind Dam Square, serving jenever and liqueurs in a building dating from 1679.
Restaurant
The Rijksmuseum's own Michelin-starred restaurant, led by Joris Bijdendijk and serving the cuisine of the Low Countries with Dutch produce.
Restaurant
A two-Michelin-star restaurant on the 23rd floor of Hotel Okura, serving creative tasting menus with views over the city.
Restaurant
A Michelin-starred farm-to-table restaurant in a glasshouse in Park Frankendael, cooking with produce grown on site since 2001.
Restaurant
A modern Indonesian restaurant near Vondelpark known for its rijsttafel, a spread of many small dishes served with rice.
Restaurant
A traditional Dutch restaurant on the Rozengracht, opened in 1990, with walls covered in photographs of mothers and mismatched crockery.
Restaurant
A no-reservations grill café on Kerkstraat, open since 1971 and known for its spare ribs, served classic or smoked, in a lively, informal room.
Thing to do
A long-running street market on Albert Cuypstraat in De Pijp, with around 300 stalls selling food, fabrics and household goods six days a week.
Thing to do
An observation deck on floors 20 and 21 of the A'DAM Tower in Noord, with views over the IJ and old centre and a swing over…
Thing to do
A self-guided visitor experience inside Heineken's original 1867 brewery on Stadhouderskade, covering brewing, the brand's history and a tasting.
Thing to do
An indoor food hall inside De Hallen, a converted tram depot in Oud-West, with around 19 food stands and three bars under one roof.
Thing to do
Amsterdam's main classical concert hall, opened in 1888 on Museumplein and home of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Tour operator
A small-boat canal tour company with public tours for up to ten people and private trips, where guests can bring their own food and drinks.
Tour operator
A canal cruise company sailing since 1956, with a fleet of electric boats and departures from Central Station, the Rijksmuseum, Leidseplein and the Anne Frank House.
Tour operator
Small-group food tours run by Eating Europe in the Jordaan and De Pijp, including a combined food and canal tour and a stroopwafel workshop.
Tour operator
A family-run company founded in 1990 that offers guided bike tours of Amsterdam and the countryside, plus bike rental near Central Station.
Tour operator
A bike tour company running since 1999, offering city rides, countryside tours through Waterland and e-bike trips to the Zaanse Schans windmills.
Three to four days covers the main museums, a canal cruise and a few neighbourhoods; add a day for a countryside trip to see windmills and villages
The canal ring and the Jordaan put most sights within walking distance, De Pijp and the Museum Quarter suit food and museum lovers, and Oost and Noord are calmer and often better value
Trains run frequently from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal in about 15 to 20 minutes, and also serve Amsterdam Zuid; buses and taxis are available too
Accommodation is the biggest cost and is pricey in summer, but museum passes, cycling, markets and cheap snacks such as fries and pancakes help keep a budget under control
Amsterdam is generally safe; watch for pickpockets in crowded areas and on trams, take care in cycle lanes, and keep valuables close in the busiest nightlife streets