Singel 122
1015 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands
020 4820008

Amsterdam, one of Europe's smaller but densely populated capitals, has many attractions for visitors. The town's most famous sight is the system of canals, which spreads over the whole city centre.

Museums

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is the national museum of the Netherlands.
The Van Gogh Museum specialises in works by Vincent van Gogh.
The Stedelijk Museum specialises in modern art.
The Rembrandt House Museum specialises in works by Rembrandt van Rijn.
The Anne Frank House, Prinsengracht 263.

Singel 5
1012 VC Amsterdam, Netherlands
020 6207307
hotelliberty.nl

The main central shopping streets run in a line from near Central Station to the Leidseplein: Nieuwendijk, Kalverstraat, Heiligeweg, Leidsestraat. The emphasis is on clothes & fashion, but there are plenty of other shops. Amsterdam’s only upmarket shopping street is the P.C. Hooftstraat (near the Rijksmuseum).

Other concentrations of shops in the centre are Haarlemmerstraat / Haarlemmerdijk, Utrechtsestraat, Spiegelstraat (art/antiques), and around Nieuwmarkt. There is a concentration of Chinese shops at Zeedijk / Nieuwmarkt, but it is not a real Chinatown.

Architecture

Idyllic Canals & Houses with Hoists

Amsterdam has one of the largest historic city centers in Europe, with about 7,000 registered historic buildings. The street pattern has been largely unchanged since the 19th century — there was no major bombing during World War II. The center consists of 90 islands linked by 400 bridges, some of them beautifully lit at night.