About

About ULTIMATE Amsterdam City Guide

ULTIMATE Amsterdam City Guide is an independent guide for visitors to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We publish 14 curated lists: restaurants, cafés, bars, hotels, sights, arts & culture, parks, walks, shopping, health, property, developments, motoring and getting around. We cover the old centre and the Dam, the canal ring and the Nine Streets, the Jordaan, De Pijp, the Museum Quarter and Oud-Zuid, the Plantage and Oost, and Noord and the IJ, with day trips to Haarlem, the Zaanse Schans, Keukenhof, The Hague, Delft and Utrecht.

Our editor

Jai Michael is Editor-in-Chief of the ULTIMATE City Guides. With more than 25 years in the media industry, he founded ABSOLUTE brighton and London TV, and has worked with leading luxury brands around the world.

How we choose

Every place in our lists has been checked against its own website or an official source such as the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House, I amsterdam, GVB, NS, Schiphol, the Kadaster, the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-law Notaries or The MICHELIN Guide. MICHELIN stars are quoted only from the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Netherlands. We use no ratings, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Before you go

Opening hours, entry rules and timetables change often. Please check directly with each place, and with official sources, before you travel. Prices are in euros (€).

For venues

Run a venue in Amsterdam and spotted something to update? We review our lists regularly and welcome corrections.

Photo credits

• The top of the A’DAM Tower and its Lookout, lit at dusk, by Marion Golsteijn, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Amstel Hotel on the river Amstel under a deep blue sky, by Massimo Catarinella, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Cherry trees in blossom in the Amsterdamse Bos, by acediscovery, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Anne Frank House and the museum building on the Prinsengracht, by Dietmar Rabich, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Cuypers Library inside the Rijksmuseum, with its galleries of books and spiral stair, by Frans de Wit from Netherlands, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Royal Palace on the Dam, lit gold at blue hour, by Diego Delso, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The tasting room of Wynand Fockink, its shelves lined with bottles of jenever and liqueur, by Gryffindor, licensed CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Gabled houses around the garden of the Begijnhof, with a statue on the lawn, by Dietmar Rabich, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• De Bijenkorf department store on the Dam, with yellow flags on its roof, by C messier, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• An iron drawbridge over an Amsterdam canal, with bicycles and café terraces, by Dietmar Rabich, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Bitterballen with a pot of mustard on a wooden table, by Andy Li, licensed CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Magere Brug over the Amstel, outlined in lights at night, by Jorge Royan, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• A plate of stroopwafels, thin waffles filled with caramel syrup, by Takeaway, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Brick bridges and gabled houses where two canals meet, in spring sunshine, by Michielverbeek, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Brick bridges and gabled houses where two canals meet, in spring sunshine, by Michielverbeek, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Koninklijk Theater Carré on the Amstel in evening light, by C messier, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• An iron drawbridge over an Amsterdam canal, with bicycles and café terraces, by Dietmar Rabich, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Amsterdam Centraal Station across the water on a clear morning, by Slaunger, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Royal Palace on the Dam, lit gold at blue hour, by Diego Delso, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Concertgebouw at the end of the Museumplein, beneath its golden lyre, by yisris, licensed CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium building on the Van Baerlestraat, by Ceescamel, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Royal Palace on the Dam, lit gold at blue hour, by Diego Delso, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Windmills and green wooden houses at the Zaanse Schans, by DimiTalen, licensed CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Markt in Delft, with gabled houses and church spires, by Ymblanter, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Amsterdam Centraal Station across the water on a clear morning, by Slaunger, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Grote Markt in Haarlem, with the old town hall and café terraces in summer, by This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• A quiet pond edged with lawns and trees in the Vondelpark, by John Salatas, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The bridges of the Reguliersgracht and the Herengracht lit at dusk, their arches reflected in the canal, by Massimo Catarinella, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Gabled 17th-century canal houses along the Keizersgracht under a clear blue sky, by Michielverbeek, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Hotel Okura Amsterdam beside the canal at dusk, with cherry blossom along the bank, by Annevangulik, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The lobby of Hotel Okura Amsterdam, with its sculptural lights and the entrance to Serre, by Annevangulik, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Inside the Portuguese Synagogue, with its brass chandeliers and wooden benches, by Chajm Guski from Germany, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Westerkerk and its tower on the Prinsengracht in summer, by Dietmar Rabich, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Pink tulips in bloom at Keukenhof, by Atamari, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Hotel Okura Amsterdam beside the canal at dusk, with cherry blossom along the bank, by Annevangulik, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Mauritshuis reflected in the Hofvijver, The Hague, by Michielverbeek, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Rijksmuseum seen across the lawns of the Museumplein on a summer afternoon, by C messier, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Canal houses and bridges in Amsterdam, by Michielverbeek, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Alhambra in Granada in the evening light, by Jebulon, licensed Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos Hill, by Giles Laurent, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The pink sand beach of Harbour Island, the Bahamas, by Rüdiger Stehn from Kiel, Deutschland, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open sea, by Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Grand Palace reflected at dawn, by Nawit science, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The golden sand and calm water of Paynes Bay, St. James, by Barry haynes, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Sagrada Família lit up at night, by Maksim Sokolov, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunset, photo: © ULTIMATE International Media.
• The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin against a blue sky, by Berthold Werner, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Royal Pavilion in Brighton under a blue sky, by Qmin, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Romanian Athenaeum in its garden, by Jorge Franganillo, licensed CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Hungarian Parliament lit up at night on the Danube, by Tom Ek, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Bixby Creek Bridge on the Big Sur coast, by Diliff, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• A cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro, by Gzzz, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Burj Khalifa and Business Bay at blue hour, by Robert Bock, licensed CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• A schooner silhouetted against the sunset off Key West, by Joe Parks from Berkeley, CA, licensed CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Aerial view of the white sand spit of Ses Illetes and Llevant, the salt pans and, across the strait, Ibiza and Es Vedrà, by Beni Marull, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Baie des Anges, Nice, by Tobi 87, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Blue domes of Oia above the Santorini caldera, by Norbert Nagel, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Helsinki Cathedral above the South Harbour, by Ввласенко, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Hong Kong Island and the harbour at night from Victoria Peak, by Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The walls of Dalt Vila and the cathedral above the harbour of Ibiza Town, in late sun, by Charles from Port Chester, New York, licensed CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Hagia Sophia and its minarets in golden evening light, by Nserrano, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Las Vegas Strip at dusk, by Dietmar Rabich, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Congress Square, Ljubljana, with the castle on its hill behind, by Petar Milošević, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower lit at dusk across the Thames, by Diliff, licensed CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Downtown Los Angeles at sunset beneath the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains, by Alek Leckszas, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Metrópolis building at the start of the Gran Vía, by Diego Delso, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• La Seu, Palma’s Gothic cathedral, and the Almudaina above the old sea wall, seen from the Parc de la Mar, by Enric, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• An aerial view of a small island ringed by reef in the Maldives, by Luka Peternel, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Valletta’s honey-coloured skyline, with the dome of the Carmelite church and the spire of St Paul’s, above the harbour at sunset, by Olga Prystai, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Yachts in Puerto Banús, by kallerna, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Turquoise water below the pine-topped cliffs at Cala Macarella, Menorca, by Markus Trienke, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, by Robbschultz69, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Monaco from above, Port Hercule and Monte-Carlo below the mountains, by Spike, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Taj Mahal Palace and the Gateway of India from the harbour, by iMahesh, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Sunset at the Naples Pier, by pmarkham, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The New York City skyline from Top of the Rock, by Dillan Payne, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Eiffel Tower seen from the Trocadéro in Paris, by Chabe01, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Millennium Bridge over the Morača, by Desemeus, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, by Berthold Werner, edit by Böhringer, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peak, by Kabelleger / David Gubler, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Church of St John at Kaneo above Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia, by kallerna, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Golden Gate Bridge seen from Battery Spencer, by Christoph Strässler, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Sebilj fountain and the square of Baščaršija, by Yukof, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Lujiazui skyline lit up at night across the Huangpu River, by King of Hearts, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The towers of the Central Business District lit up at night, reflected in Marina Bay, by Bijay Chaurasia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Matterhorn in winter above Zermatt, by JoachimKohler-HB, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Warrior on a Horse fountain in Macedonia Square, Skopje, lit at night, by Diego Delso, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, under a pink evening sky, by Jose Ligero Loarte, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• A caparisoned elephant in the Esala Perahera procession, Kandy, by Daniel Liabeuf, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Gros Piton and Petit Piton, the twin volcanic spires of the UNESCO-listed Pitons, by xiquinhosilva, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Longtail boats on West Railay beach beneath the limestone cliffs, by Krzysztof Golik, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The restored Pyramid of Tirana under a blue sky, by BBB2021, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Rolling green hills and a farmhouse near Pienza in the Val d’Orcia, by Tom Ek, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Calatrava’s Hemisfèric lit at twilight, reflected in its pool, by Diliff, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The tiled roof of St Stephen’s Cathedral and the rooftops of central Vienna, by Dietmar Rabich, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• St Mark's Church and its tiled roof on St Mark's Square, Zagreb's Upper Town, by Jorge Láscar from Australia, licensed CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The top of the A’DAM Tower and its Lookout, lit at dusk, by Marion Golsteijn, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Yellow-and-blue NS trains under the glass roof of Amsterdam Centraal, by Gijsz, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Hotel Okura Amsterdam beside the canal at dusk, with cherry blossom along the bank, by Annevangulik, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The lobby of Hotel Okura Amsterdam, with its sculptural lights and the entrance to Serre, by Annevangulik, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• A quiet pond edged with lawns and trees in the Vondelpark, by John Salatas, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Hotel Okura Amsterdam beside the canal at dusk, with cherry blossom along the bank, by Annevangulik, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Het Scheepvaartmuseum, the former naval storehouse, standing in the water, by Ainali, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The tasting room of Wynand Fockink, its shelves lined with bottles of jenever and liqueur, by Gryffindor, licensed CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Brick bridges and gabled houses where two canals meet, in spring sunshine, by Michielverbeek, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Brick bridges and gabled houses where two canals meet, in spring sunshine, by Michielverbeek, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The sushi counter of Yamazato at Hotel Okura, looking onto the garden, by Photo Republic, licensed CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Rijksmuseum seen across the lawns of the Museumplein on a summer afternoon, by C messier, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Cuypers Library inside the Rijksmuseum, with its galleries of books and spiral stair, by Frans de Wit from Netherlands, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Het Scheepvaartmuseum, the former naval storehouse, standing in the water, by Ainali, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The departures hall at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, by Ymblanter, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• De Bijenkorf department store on the Dam, with yellow flags on its roof, by C messier, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Stedelijk Museum at dusk: the 19th-century building and its white modern wing, by John Lewis Marshall, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• A plate of stroopwafels, thin waffles filled with caramel syrup, by Takeaway, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Amsterdam Centraal Station across the water on a clear morning, by Slaunger, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Art Deco façade of the Tuschinski theatre, by Thomas Laconis, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Dom Tower above the Oudegracht in autumn, Utrecht, by Michielverbeek, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Van Gogh Museum on the Museumplein, its curved exhibition wing under a blue sky, by Sebastian Koppehel, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• A quiet pond edged with lawns and trees in the Vondelpark, by John Salatas, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Brick bridges and gabled houses where two canals meet, in spring sunshine, by Michielverbeek, licensed CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Westerkerk and its tower on the Prinsengracht in summer, by Dietmar Rabich, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The round former gasholder of the Westergas, in the Westerpark, by arch, licensed Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The bridges of the Reguliersgracht lit at dusk, their arches reflected in the canal, by Massimo Catarinella, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Magere Brug over the Amstel, outlined in lights at night, by Jorge Royan, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• The sushi counter of Yamazato at Hotel Okura, looking onto the garden, by Photo Republic, licensed CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Windmills and green wooden houses at the Zaanse Schans, by DimiTalen, licensed CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.