UltimateCity Guide Amsterdam
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Stories from Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Amsterdam City Guide, in one place.

Culture

Arts + Culture

All of Arts & Culture

Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh across the square, the Concertgebouw at its end: a city where art and music are part of daily life.

The Cuypers Library inside the Rijksmuseum, with its galleries of books and spiral stairArts + CultureArts & Culture in AmsterdamMuseums, music, theatre and film

Areas

Amsterdam by neighbourhood

From the Dam to Noord, each area has its own guide: the canal ring and its Golden Bend, the brown cafés of the Jordaan, the markets of De Pijp and the museums of Zuid.

The Royal Palace on the Dam, lit gold at blue hourNeighbourhood guideThe old centre & the DamThe Royal Palace and the BegijnhofBrick bridges and gabled houses where two canals meet, in spring sunshineNeighbourhood guideThe canal ring & Nine StreetsThe Golden Bend and the Nine StreetsThe Westerkerk tower above the Prinsengracht in the JordaanNeighbourhood guideThe JordaanLittle canals and brown cafésHotel Okura Amsterdam beside the canal at dusk, with cherry blossom along the bankNeighbourhood guideDe PijpMarkets and restaurantsThe Rijksmuseum seen across the lawns of the Museumplein on a summer afternoonNeighbourhood guideThe Museum Quarter & Oud-ZuidRembrandt, Van Gogh and the Concertgebouw

On two wheels

Amsterdam is a city for walking and cycling: keep out of the red cycle lanes on foot, and look both ways before you cross.

  1. Neighbourhood guideThe Plantage & OostZoo, gardens and docks
  2. Neighbourhood guideNoord & the IJAcross the water

Practical

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: entry, the train from Schiphol, cashless trams, booking the big museums, and three days for a classic first visit.

Amsterdam Centraal Station across the water on a clear morningBefore you goAmsterdam essentialsEntry, tickets, etiquette and getting aroundThe departures hall at Amsterdam Airport SchipholGetting aroundGetting aroundSchiphol, the trams and the ferriesThe bridges of the Reguliersgracht and the Herengracht lit at dusk, their arches reflected in the canalItineraryThree days in AmsterdamThe classic first visitWaldorf Astoria Amsterdam on the HerengrachtLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe lobby lounge of De L’Europe Amsterdam, with grasscloth walls and a fiddle-leaf figItineraryThe Gold weekendDe L’Europe, Flore and Ciel Bleu
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Waldorf Astoria and Vinkeles

Our advice

Book the big museums before you fly

Anne Frank House tickets are sold only online, released every Tuesday at 10am CET for six weeks later. The Rijksmuseum asks every visitor to book a start time, and the Van Gogh Museum sells time slots on its own website. Amsterdam essentials

Day trips

Beyond Amsterdam

Haarlem, the Zaanse Schans, Keukenhof, The Hague, Delft and Utrecht, all within reach for the day by train: Frans Hals, windmills, tulips, Vermeer and the Dom.

The Grote Markt in Haarlem, with the old town hall and café terraces in summerBeyond AmsterdamHaarlemFrans Hals and the TeylersWindmills and green wooden houses at the Zaanse SchansBeyond AmsterdamZaanse SchansWindmills on the ZaanPink tulips in bloom at KeukenhofBeyond AmsterdamKeukenhofThe tulip gardensThe Mauritshuis reflected in the Hofvijver, The HagueBeyond AmsterdamThe Hague & DelftVermeer countryThe Dom Tower above the Oudegracht in autumn, UtrechtBeyond AmsterdamUtrechtThe Dom and the Oudegracht

Our advice

Keukenhof is spring only

Keukenhof opens from 18 March to 9 May 2027. Go early on a weekday, and buy tickets on its own website. Keukenhof

In depth

In depth: Amsterdam, from the canals to the Golden Age

The water, the painters, eating, the grand hotels, rail and where to buy: the stories behind the city.

The Magere Brug over the Amstel, outlined in lights at nightAmsterdam Light FestivalChristmas in AmsterdamLight art on the canals, 26 November – 17 JanuaryA grey heron waiting on a boat by a canal in AmsterdamIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild AmsterdamHerons, kingfishers and Highland cattleThe back storyCity of the paintersRembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh

On the canals

The canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage site, inscribed in 2010: walk it at dusk, when the bridges are outlined in lights.

  1. The back storyEating in AmsterdamTwenty starred tables and the rijsttafel
  2. The back storyThe grand hotelsCanal palaces and the Amstel

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