15 of the Best Things To Do in Amsterdam Near the Anne Frank House

If you aren’t able to get into the Anne Frank House during your visit, there are still ways to pay your respects. One of the closest nearby attractions to the house, Amsterdam’s Westerkerk (Western Church) was not only frequently mentioned in Anne Frank’s diaries—she could see the tower (the tallest in Amsterdam) from the attic, and wrote about the sounds of the bells. It’s also now home to a memorial statue of the 13-year-old diarist. A popular spot to visit on walking tours, the 17th-century church is also the final resting place of Dutch artist Rembrandt.

A boat trip around Amsterdam’s Canal Ring (Grachtengordel) is one of the best ways to tick off all the places to visit near the Anne Frank House, and it’s the perfect way to get around Amsterdam without having to brave queues or crowds. Some canal cruises even include pick-up from right outside the Anne Frank House or neighboring Westerkerk. Many also include snacks, drinks, and a guide, so you can learn about the city as you go.

Amsterdam’s Cheese Museum is pretty much what it says on the door—an entire museum dedicated to Dutch cheese, situated just across the canal from the Anne Frank House. Perfect for cheese lovers, the museum offers tastings, along with exhibitions and videos about the 600-year traditions behind cheesemaking in the Netherlands. While you can visit yourself, some Jordaan food tours also visit the cheese museum or offer cheese tastings.

Just around the corner from the Anne Frank House, Westerkerk, and the Homomonument is Maison Descartes, a now privately owned home where the famous French philosopher and mathematician lived for a summer in 1634. A popular spot on walking tours, there’s a plaque outside the residence commemorating Descartes, who moved to the Netherlands—then a place of religious tolerance—so he could live, think, and work freely.

Just a 5-minute walk from the house itself, the Houseboat Museum (Woonboot Museum) isn’t just one of the best attractions near Anne Frank House, it’s also one of Amsterdam’s quirkiest. Located inside a fully furnished houseboat, the Hendrika Maria, the Houseboat Museum is also decked out with photographs, models, and displays about life on the canals. Enjoy the museum with a self-guided audio tour, or pass by on a canal cruise instead.

The Anne Frank House is located in the heart of Jordaan, a 17th-century working-class neighborhood now known as one of Amsterdam’s hippest hangouts. A popular spot for walking tours, this laid-back leafy suburb has a much more relaxed and local vibe than more tourist-heavy highlights such as Dam Square and the Red Light District (De Wallen).

One of the top sights in Amsterdam’s Jewish Cultural Quarter, the Jewish Historical Museum (Joods Historisch Museum) dives deeper into Jewish history and culture, making it an ideal precursor or follow-up to visiting the Anne Frank House. Set across four converted synagogues, the museum also has a separate children’s museum for those traveling with kids. Enjoy entry to the Jewish Historical Museum and the Portuguese Synagogue along with an audio guide and map of the neighborhood with a prebooked entrance ticket. (Plus, it’s situated just a 10-minute bike ride away from the house itself.)

Situated just a 10-minute walk away from the Anne Frank House, the Nine Streets (De Negen Straatjes) is arguably Amsterdam’s coolest shopping, drinking, and dining district—the perfect place to grab a bite before or after visiting the museum. If visiting trendy cafés and boutiques isn’t your scene, you can also visit the Nine Streets (and more) as part of a personalizable walking tour or cruise past on a boat trip.

Café Papeneiland is one of Amsterdam’s best-known “brown cafés”—pubs known for their brown walls, traditional decor, and welcoming atmosphere. A popular spot on Amsterdam food tours, Café Papeneiland is now best known for its apple pie (known locally as apple tart), although the 17th-century pub once had a double life as a clandestine underground entryway to a secret Catholic church.

Now that you’ve really gotten a taste for Amsterdam’s cuisine, try your hand at cooking some dishes of your own—and what is more Dutch than cooking Dutch pancakes in a Dutch canal house? Led by a local chef, this small-group cooking class focuses entirely on traditional foods, from the aforementioned pancakes to soused herring and apple pie. The class includes a three-course meal (including food you’ve made yourself) with coffee and wine, all enjoyed in an Amstel-facing home just an 8-minute bike ride or 30-minute walk away from the Anne Frank House.

If you fancy some more unusual spots to explore near the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam’s Hofjes will be right up your alley—literally. Part of the city’s culture since the Middle Ages, these charming courtyard gardens are usually accessed by hidden passageways between the old buildings. Commonly included on guided Amsterdam bike tours, which departs a 10-minute walk away from the Anne Frank House, Jordaan is home to some of the best hofje in the city, including Karthuizerhof and Zon’s Hofje.

Every Monday and Saturday, the square outside the 17th-century Noorderkerk—the aptly named Noordermarkt—hosts a small but quirky market, where you can browse for everything from antiques to snacks and souvenirs. A popular stop on this Amsterdam historical tour, which departs within easy cycling distance of the Anne Frank House, the square outside the cross-shaped church was also known as a place of resistance; the organizers of the February Strike—a general strike in defense of persecuted Dutch Jews and anti-Jewish measures—held illicit meetings there in 1941.

The Amsterdam Tulip Museum may be small, but it’s also sweet—and probably far more interesting than most people would give it credit. A short walk from the Anne Frank House museum, the Tulip Museum delves deep into the secrets, scandals, and history behind the Netherlands’ favorite flower, from 17th-century tulip mania to the modern-day love affair. Entrance to the Tulip Museum is included with an Amsterdam Go City pass.

After exploring Amsterdam’s best sights and neighborhoods on the ground (or water), take in the entire city from above—22 floors above, to be precise. Located on the top of the A’dam Tower in Amsterdam-Noord (about a 10-minute bike ride or 30-minute walk from the Anne Frank House), the A’dam Lookout observation deck affords 360-degree views of the Old Centre, canals, and many notable Amsterdam attractions. Purchase a fast-track ticket to skip the lines, leaving plenty of time to soak up the views, check out some of the interactive exhibits, and test your nerves on Over the Edge, the self-proclaimed “Europe’s highest swing” that lets you swing out some 328 feet (100 meters) over the city. You can also book one of the many canal cruises that pass by A’dam Tower to combine your visit with other Amsterdam attractions.

Right next door to the A’dam Lookout, This Is Holland continues the theme of fresh perspectives with its 5D Flight Experience—a flight simulator that takes you on a virtual, soaring tour of the Netherlands. The 9-minute ride truly makes it feel like you’re flying, showing zooming videos of the tulip-filled countryside, beaches, major cities, and other Dutch vistas to give a true overview of the country. Book your ticket in advance to avoid any disappointment during your trip.