Amsterdam attractions

By far the coolest bar in Amsterdam, the Xtracold Icebar is kept at a chilly 14°F (-10°C) and everything from the walls and stools to the cocktail glasses are made entirely out of ice. A visit takes you on a drinking adventure based on Dutch explorers’ 1590s expeditions in search of the Northeast Passage.

Founded by members of Dutch tulip-farming families, the small but informative Amsterdam Tulip Museum traces the history of the nation’s tulip obsession from the height of 17th-century Tulip Mania, when bulbs changed hands for astronomical prices, to today’s multibillion-dollar industry. If you’re looking for unique tulip-themed gifts or rare bulbs, the museum shop is the place to go.

Amsterdam’s oldest and most famous flea market has grown since its start in the 19th century to offer around 300 stalls today. Waterlooplein, which hosts the market Monday to Saturday, has long been at the center of Amsterdam’s bohemian culture and sits in the city’s former Jewish quarter. No two stalls offer the same items, so shoppers can find everything from antiques and second-hand clothes to souvenirs, custom jewelry, and much more.

Amsterdam’s Portuguese Synagogue is one of the most significant sites of Jewish history in the city. Built in the 17th century, the synagogue is part of a complex that houses the rabbinate, a mortuary, and the UNESCO–listed Ets Haim (Tree of Life) library, which is home to a valuable collection of Sephardic Jewish manuscripts. Visitors come to admire the architecture and centuries-old religious treasures, and sometimes to see a candlelit concert.

Our Lord in the Attic Museum (Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder) is a meticulously preserved 17th-century canal house from the Dutch Golden Age in the heart of Amsterdam. Beyond the rich colors and gorgeously furnished rooms, a marvel awaits in the attic: an entire outlaw church where Catholics worshipped in secret as Masses were officially forbidden.

Amsterdam’s 17th-century canals are both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. The historic Amsterdam Canal Ring (Grachtengordel) is also the subject of the aptly named Museum of the Canals (Het Grachtenhuis), housed in an elegant period home along the banks of the Herengracht. Visitors can learn about the development of one of the world’s most famous canal networks, as well as peek inside a characteristic canal house.

One of the most historic zoos in the world, ARTIS has roots dating back to the 1830s. What began with just a few birds and monkeys has grown into a sprawling, sustainability-minded zoological park featuring conservation programs and animal residents ranging from the bat-eared fox to the turquoise dwarf gecko. Visitors can appreciate the world’s stunning biodiversity without ever leaving the Dutch capital.

Built in the 14th century, the New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) remains among the most important churches in Amsterdam, used by the Dutch Royal Family for coronations and weddings. Outside of its royal duties, the neo-Gothic landmark no longer serves as a house of worship. Instead, it’s a cultural venue that hosts organ recitals, as well as exhibitions on art, history, and photography.

Set within four former Ashkenazi synagogues, the Jewish Museum (Joods Museum) is the only museum in the Netherlands dedicated solely to Jewish culture and history. The museum’s collections celebrate past and present Dutch Jewish life, while temporary exhibitions present diverse stories about the Jewish experience. A connected children’s museum explores Jewish culture and traditions in a fun and interactive way suitable for the little ones.

Amsterdam’s Dutch Resistance Museum (Amsterdams Verzetsmuseum) explores how Dutch people resisted the German occupation during World War II through strikes, protests, underground newspapers, and hiding the persecuted. The museum brings the German occupation to life through recreated street scenes, clever dioramas, and more than 130 personal stories.

Located on the Damrak, on the outskirts of Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District, the Sex Museum Amsterdam (Venustempel) is the world’s oldest sex museum, dating back to 1985. Housed in a striking 17th-century building, it chronicles the evolution of human sexuality through the ages via an extensive collection of items relating to sex and eroticism—from explicit loo seats and Roman phalluses to chastity belts.

The Amsterdam outpost of the Madame Tussauds wax museum empire is filled with painstakingly sculpted, life-size look-alikes, from Dutch royalty to internationally known figures in film, music, sports, and politics. Displays evolve with the times, but you can expect to see plenty of familiar faces, from musical icons like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift to movie stars such as George Clooney and Ryan Gosling.

Home to one of the Netherlands' most celebrated collections of modern and contemporary art, the Stedelijk Museum showcases works ranging from Rodin sculptures and impressionist paintings by Matisse and Cezanne to iconic Andy Warhol prints. This long-standing fixture of Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter has helped shape the city’s art scene, including the De Stijl movement, of which it holds one of the largest collections.

The National Holocaust Memorial (Hollandsche Schouwburg), once a grand theater, now functions as a memorial to the many Jews deported from Amsterdam in World War II. After the Nazis occupied the Netherlands, Jewish people were held at the theater before being taken to transit camps and eventually concentration and extermination camps. It’s now the memorial component of the National Holocaust Museum.

Combining theater and special effects to bring centuries of gruesome history to life, the Amsterdam Dungeon is far from your typical museum experience. Expect a light-hearted spin on macabre subject matter, whether you’re being taunted by the Grim Reaper or learning how Amsterdam fared during the Bubonic Plague. Dungeon shows are also known for their appropriately spooky ambience. If you suffer from claustrophobia, give this one a miss.

Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ acclaimed—but somewhat macabre—exhibitions on the human body have traveled the world since 1995, attracting more than 40 million visitors before finding a permanent home in Amsterdam. Body Worlds is von Hagen’s flagship exhibition, displaying an impressive selection of real human and animal bodies preserved by his self-developed plastination technique.

A visit to Amsterdam’s Museum Van Loon offers a fascinating glimpse into 19th-century aristocratic life. Originally built in 1672, the canal house sits along the Emperor’s Canal (Keizersgracht) in the heart of the UNESCO–listed Canal Ring (Grachtengordel) and is characteristic of the era’s waterfront mansions, complete with a formal garden. Purchased by the wealthy Van Loon family in 1884, it’s now a museum filled with their collection of antique furniture, prized heirlooms, artworks, and family portraits.

The Netherlands is known for its many windmills, and the De Gooyer Windmill, as its tallest, is one of the country’s most famous. This National Monument is one of the few remaining wooden windmills within the city of Amsterdam, and was moved to its current location in the early 19th century. While you can’t enter the structure, it’s probably the easiest windmill to see without visiting Zaanse Schans or Keukenhof.

Amsterdam’s 19th-century Royal Concertgebouw (Concert Hall) boasts neoclassical architecture, three performance spaces, and an annual program of concerts and cultural events. Renowned for its acoustics, the hall has hosted many legendary performers over the years and is home to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

While Amsterdam, the “Venice of the North,” is famous for its winding canals, the Dutch capital is also home to over 1,200 bridges. The oldest dates back to the mid-17th century, while the newest, quarter-century-old Python Bridge, is bright red and shaped like a snake. You can supposedly see 15 of these bridges at once (or, more realistically, closer to seven) from the corners of Reguliersgracht and Herengracht canals, the so-called Bridge of 15 Bridges vantage point.

If you’ve visited one of the many Ripley’s Believe It or Not! attractions around the world, then you know exactly what to expect: the unexpected. The self-styled odditorium is known for its astonishing artifacts, bizarre stories, and quirky interactive exhibitions. At Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Amsterdam, highlights include a gigantic robot made of car parts, a shrunken head from the Amazon rain forest, and the world’s longest fingernails.

Running through the center of the city, from Amsterdam Central Station to Dam Square, this popular thoroughfare is abuzz with hotels, restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops. While the Damrak was once a canal, today the body of water at the old stock exchange is all that remains; the gabled houses here are among Amsterdam’s most picturesque.

Set along the banks of the Herengracht canal in the historic heart of Amsterdam, Museum Willet-Holthuysen affords a glimpse into a bygone era. Named after its 19th-century owners, Abraham Willet and Louisa Holthuysen, the striking 17th-century building remains filled with their exquisite collection of art, antique furniture, and decorative pieces. Now managed by the Amsterdam Museum, the Willet-Holthuysen is renowned for its fine paintings and French-style garden.

Amsterdam has been nicknamed the “City of Diamonds,” and the Diamond Museum Amsterdam is here to tell visitors why that is. Founded by the diamond polisher Ben Meier (who once polished a diamond watch for Queen Juliana of the Royal House of the Netherlands), the wide-ranging museum explores the gemstone’s billions-year-old roots, cutting and polishing techniques, and Amsterdam’s history as a world-renowned diamond capital. Expect to see plenty of sparkling rocks, both real and replica.

Microscopic organisms take their turn in the spotlight—or, rather, under the microscope—at Micropia, the first museum in the world devoted entirely to microbes. Part of Amsterdam’s ARTIS Park, Micropia’s main goal is to enlighten visitors on the positive role microbes play in daily life. The interactive exhibits offer engaging activities for both young and old and will challenge the worldviews of even the biggest germophobe.

The Wereldmuseum, or World Museum, is a merging of two separate anthropological collections—Amsterdam’s former Tropenmuseum and Rotterdam’s own Wereldmuseum—that reopened to much fanfare in 2023. Occupying a monumental 20th-century building at the entrance to the sprawling Oosterpark, the Amsterdam branch of the museum affords a fresh perspective on Dutch colonialism, providing an insight into world cultures from four different continents.

Amsterdam’s Museum Het Schip is dedicated to the early 20th century Amsterdam School style of architecture. Located inside the Het Schip–a massive social housing project designed by Michel de Klerk that resembles the outline of a ship–the Museum tells the history of the building through the social and political context that led to its need.

Hailed by many as Amsterdam’s most beautiful market, Albert Cuyp Market has welcomed shoppers since 1905, when it started as a collection of street traders. Named after the 17th-century painter, today's market features around 260 stalls piled high with food, clothes, and more. It also boasts the title of Europe’s biggest market, making it a must-visit when in the Dutch capital.

Built to protect Amsterdam and other coastal towns from sea flooding, the Enclosing Dike (Afsluitdijk) is an amazing feat of Dutch engineering. Stretching 20 miles (32 kilometers) across the water, Afsluitdijk is both a dam and a motorway connecting the province of Noord-Holland with Friesland. The damming of the sea also created a freshwater lake called Ijsselmeer, which has become a hot spot for water sports.

Famed for its namesake blue-and-white pottery and for being the birthplace of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, Delft is ringed by scenic canals and offers a much more tranquil atmosphere than nearby Amsterdam. The quaint Dutch town is also notable for its medieval buildings and its lively market, which is the perfect place to people-watch and enjoy a traditional stroopwafel (caramel-smothered waffle).