Amsterdam

Waag

The Waag was originally a city gate, but in the 17th century it turned into a waag, a weighing house. A place where several guilds were housed and you could weigh goods in a fair manner for a small fee. Having a weighing house was considered a privilege given only to cities and it was vital if you wanted your city to become a trade center. A noteworthy fact is that the Rembrandt painting ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp’ was a group portrait made in this building.

Blauwbrug

Amsterdam is known for its many canals, which are historical monuments by themselves. One of the most beautiful bridges over the canals is the Blauwbrug, known in English as the Blue Bridge. It’s a bridge over the Amstel canalized river. The bridge was build in 1883 and used to be the gateway into the Jewish neighborhood of Amsterdam. The design of the bridge was inspired by the beautiful bridges over the French Seine.

Beurs van Berlage

Trade has always been an important aspect of Amsterdam. The world’s first stock market was also from Amsterdam. The Beurs van Berlage, named after the architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage, was build as a new trade center and stock exchange in 1898. In modern day it functions as a convention center. A role it suits perfectly as it’s well connected to Amsterdam Central Station. It also has a café where you can sit down and drink a cup of coffee during the day.

Magere Brug

The most famous landmark bridge in Amsterdam, which can also be viewed in the movie Diamonds Are Forever, is probably the Magere Brug. The name literally means the skinny bridge as the original bridge which was build in 1691 was notably quite narrow. The bridge has been replaced and renovated a couple times since then, yet it’s nickname, the skinny bridge, remained. The bridge goes over the Amstel river and is actually one of the hidden gems of Amsterdam. It’s a great place to visit to take pictures of the beautiful canals. At night the bridge shines bright as it’s decorated with many lights.

Magna Plaza

The Magna Plaza is an impressive building in Amsterdam. It’s architecture has a gothic revival style. It was build in 1895 to function as the main post office. Now it functions as a very luxurious shopping mall that’s open every day of the week. The shopping mall is located in the city center, but as it’s behind The Royal Palace shoppers often tend to miss it.

Oost-Indisch Huis

The Oost-Indisch Huis was build as the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company, which was a powerful trade organisation and the first multinational company of the world. The Dutch East India Company was the richest business that has ever existed, with the power to form and rule over colonies, such as Indonesia. They were allowed to make treaties and declare war. It also had a gigantic war and trade fleet, capable of waging entire wars against other European nations, like England, Spain and Portugal, to enforce its commercial business. So the building has a long history it. The building also served as an archive and storage building for the company. Today it’s one of the many buildings of the University of Amsterdam.

De Gooyer

The Netherlands is the country of windmills, so we had to include at least one windmill in our list of monuments. At Meet The Cities our favorite windmill of Amsterdam is De Gooyer, which is the tallest wooden windmill in the Netherlands. The windmill has undergone many renovations since the 16th century and has even been moved around the city. But it stands in it’s current place since 1814. The windmill was used for grinding grains up until the 1960’s. Today the windmill is still being used from time to time, but it doesn’t grind any grain anymore. But it’s still a lovely piece of Holland.

Amsterdam Central Station

Amsterdam Central Station is the second busiest railway station of the Netherlands. The Netherlands has an extensive public transportation network, so you can reach any place in the Netherlands from here. This building is usually the first thing tourists see when they arrive in Amsterdam from Schiphol airport. This station was build in 1889. An amazing feature is that it’s located in the heart of Amsterdam on an artificial Island on the IJ river. This station also has a royal waiting room, build just in case the Dutch King wants to take the train.

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum, which means Imperial Museum in English, is the most important museum of the Netherlands and one of the most visited museums in the world. This national museum is the Dutch counterpart of the Louvre and offers many of the country’s national treasures.

The museum leaves no stone unturned as it takes on Dutch history, historical sculptures, historical weapons and ship models, colonial relics from Asia, paintings like Rembrandt’s Nightwatch, works of Dutch masters like Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen and much more.

At Meet The Cities we believe this museum is a must-visit for travelers to Amsterdam. It’s majestically located on Museum Square (Museumplein) next to the Van Gogh museum.

Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum is an impressive museum dedicated to the life and works of Vincent van Gogh. The museum has a collection of hundreds of his paintings, hundreds of his drawings and hundreds of his personal letters that give an insight into his innovative and powerful art and the psyche of the artist. In the museum a wide range of Van Gogh’s contemporaries and artists that inspired Van Gogh are also represented, like Rodin, Gauguin, Monet, Pissarro and Seurat.

The museum can be found in the heart of the city at museum square (museumplein). With luxury shopping streets and plenty of bars and restaurants nearby.

Wereldmuseum

The Wereldmuseum Amsterdam (meaning World Museum) is a colorful ethnographic museum where you can meet cultures from around the world. The Dutch used to be explorers and a colonial power with a global presence. The Worldmuseum was originally a colonial museum called the Tropenmuseum where colonial art from around the world was collected, from never before seen cultures. It shows a rich and colorful display of Caribbean, latin American, african and asian cultures. From traditional art to unusual objects. And from historical photo’s and film to musical instruments, traditional outfits and masks. 

The world museum in Amsterdam is the best place to visit if you wish to enrich your journey by soaking in reflective art and the exotic pieces from a diverse range of distant cultures.

Het Scheepvaartmuseum

Het Scheepvaartmuseum, also known as the National Maritime Museum, is a museum soaked in Dutch history. The Netherlands has a long maritime history. During the Dutch golden age no nation had as many ships as the Netherlands and the nation dominated naval warfare and the Asian trade.

The Scheepvaartmuseum is arguably the best museum in Amsterdam if you are interested in the Dutch golden age, in which the Dutch republic laid the foundation for the enlightenment and became the richest nation on earth. If you wish to experience how life was on a Dutch East India Company trade ship, see old world maps, beautiful paintings of legendary officers and their sea battles, ship decorations, old weapons and much more you will be delighted here.

Amsterdam Museum

The Amsterdam Historical Museum is a quite an interactive museum that explores the long history of Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands. For travelers that enjoy immersing themselves in local history and culture this museum quite a gem, as it contains the art collection the city of Amsterdam has been growing since the 16th century.

The Netherlands has been the richest country of the world for several centuries. And Amsterdam used to be one of the three biggest European cities, together with London and Paris. As such the city has been the center stage of many world changing events. As a free haven for controversial thinkers and an international trade hub in the cultural heart of Europe it has had a global influence on freedom, art, philosophy, politics and the very way we do business.

In the Amsterdam Museum the story of Amsterdam both present day and historical Amsterdam is being told based on the four core values of the city: entrepreneurship, freethinking, citizenship and creativity and how it developed over the course of history. The collection contains a wide variety of objects, from paintings to armors, which cover not only the rich Dutch golden age, but also the modern progressive social developments.

The collection is both inspiring and entertaining as you will become familiar with the historical trends of the city. The Amsterdam Museum is certainly one of the best museums to visit if you have an interest in the local european culture and want to dive into the lives and legacy of Amsterdammers.

H’ART Amsterdam

Overlooking the Amstel River you can find the H’ART Museum. This museum was formerly known as the Hermitage Amsterdam, which used to focus primarily on collections about Russian Tsars and their art collections, but they recently changed their focus and broadened their horizons. 

Now the H’ART museum collaborates with the British Museum, Centre Pompidou and the Smithsonian American Art Museum to showcase world famous art collections to Amsterdam. And you can find changing thematic exhibitions on display from various notable world museums. As an example there are currently multiple exhibitions running, including one about the life of Julius Caesar and a display about the history of Amsterdam.

Allard Pierson Museum

The Allard Pierson Museum is the archaeological museum from the University of Amsterdam. Ancient history buffs will love it, as the museum covers ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman relics. You can find anything from statues to sarcophaguses here.

The museum is not as streamlined as some of the bigger museums in Amsterdam, but that doesn’t make its collection less impressive. It’s fun to travel through time and discover how the ancients lived and which artifacts they made.

Joods Historisch Museum

The Jewish Historical Museum is dedicated to the history, culture and religion of the Jewish people. Originally the Jewish people came to the liberal Netherlands as refugees from the oppressive Catholic regimes in South Europe, such as the Spanish inquisition. Despite that Jewish people have often been perceived as outsiders and at times even scapegoats, the industrious Jews have made many important contributions to the mercantile Netherlands and have made a lasting mark on Dutch culture. In this museum you can find exhibitions what it meant to be a Jew in the Netherlands throughout the ages. The museum shows the rich Jewish culture, from historical art to ceremonial objects. The museum aims to give a memorable impression of the heritage the Jewish people have given us.

Museum het Rembrandthuis

Rembrandt is often considered one of the greatest painters in history. The museum het Rembrandthuis is the very house where Rembrandt used to live. Here you can discover how Rembrandt lived as he created his masterpieces. The museum itself is an art piece as it carefully reconstructed the home of Rembrandt and its walls are covered by paintings of Rembrandt himself, his teacher and others. The collection of Rembrandts etchings is virtually complete.

Museum Vrolik

Museum Vrolik is located in the Academic Medical Center of Amsterdam. The museum shows what humans look like on the inside, with the central themes being normal and unusual developments of the human body. Brains, embryo’s, siamese twins, skeletons, animals, nerve tissue. If you are interested in the human anatomy and weird deformations and you are not easily disturbed, then this spooky museum is a fascinating place to see.

Science Center NEMO

Science Center NEMO is a fun, playful and educational science museum aimed at children and families. It’s a very popular museum in the Netherlands and often the destination of school trips as it gives visitors the opportunity to see and discover all kinds of aspects of science. This science fair-like museum is very interactive and allows visitors to do all kinds of experiments. The museum is housed in an unique boat-shaped building and offers a great roof terrace with possibly one of the best views over Amsterdam.

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is an art and design museum in the classic sense. The seamlessly designed museum has a collection of present day and classic modern art. The collections that are exhibited are constantly changing. The museum has an extensive collection of paintings, photos, posters, jewelry and sculptures. The museum challenges the visitor with conversation provoking art, with a collection that contains works from Dumas, Matisse, Mondriaan and Picasso.

FOAM

FOAM is a prominent photography museum where a platform is given to photography in all it’s facets. You can find historical, art, news and fashion photographs here. This trendy museum is one of the most visited photography museums in the world and demonstrates both thematic modern day and historical photo collections. Both notable names and newly scouted upcoming photographers are given a platform. The museum also has a gallery called Foam Editions where you can buy artistic works.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Schiphol airport is the largest airport of The Netherlands, it has six runways and is one of the busiest airports in Europe. Measured in market share it ranks 3th in Europe with over 63 million passengers in 2016. These numbers make sense when you consider that there are 108 airlines at Schiphol which make it possible to fly directly to 322 destinations worldwide. Schiphol is also an attractive airport for leisure as it has a total of 349 spots to shop, eat and drink and to relax and enjoy.

When Amsterdam is your final destination and you travel by airplane then you have probably chosen to fly to Schiphol as it is only 9 km (5.6 mi) southwest of Amsterdam. From Schiphol airport you can choose between several options to get into Amsterdam:

Taking the train
One convenient and inexpensive method to reach the inner city of Amsterdam is by train. The Schiphol train station is situated below Schiphol Plaza, which is the central hall of the airport with many shops, restaurants and other facilities. From the train station at Schiphol airport you can travel directly to Amsterdam Central Station.

To get on the train you need to buy a single-use chipcard or an OV-chipkaart (which is the Dutch public transport card). These are available from the yellow NS (Dutch Railways) ticket machines. After you have purchased the ticket and you want to go to the train station, you have to check in by swiping your card on the yellow card readers. These are located at the top of the escalators and lifts in Schiphol Plaza. And when you arrive at the train station of your destination you have to check out at the same type of yellow card reader on the train station.

It should be noted that trains to the city center of Amsterdam run 24 hours a day and that it is also very easy to reach other parts of the country from Schiphol as well. Even at night are trains to cities like Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Delft and Leiden available. During day time can almost all train stations in the country be reached with at most a single change of trains. It is also possible to take a train from Schiphol to other major cities in Europe like Brussels and Paris. The international train tickets from Thalys, ICE International, CityNightLine and Eurostar can be bought at the Nederlandse Spoorwegen Hispeed desks.

Taking the bus
Another option is to travel by bus. There is a network of direct bus lines connecting Schiphol airport to the surrounding towns and cities. The busses arrive and depart directly in front of the Arrival and Departure Halls at Schiphol Plaza. Most visitors that want to take the bus choose the Amsterdam Airport Express (bus 397) which departs every 15 minutes from bus platform B9 and takes you to the Museumplein, Rijksmuseum or Leidseplein in Amsterdam city center. And from here it’s very easy to get to your hotel.

If you wish a little more comfort and are willing to pay a little extra then you should consider the Schiphol Hotel Shuttle. This is a shuttle bus service that can bring you to your hotel in Amsterdam. The shuttle busses depart from Arrival Hall 4.

Taking the taxi
If you want to travel in comfort from Schiphol airport you could take your private taxi. After a long flight the chauffeur will drive you directly to your destination. In this case you won’t have to go drag your suitcases around in the city. Outside in front of Schiphol Plaza is a taxi rank where are plenty of shared- and private taxis available. There are not only taxi cars available, but also taxi vans. This is ideal when you travel with a group. All official taxis in The Netherlands are metered and will issue a printed receipt. Most chauffeurs also speak English.

If you wish is it possible, but not necessary, to pre-order a taxi. This can be arranged by calling the Schiphol Transfer Assistance (STA) at +31 20 601 3400, or to visit them in Arrival hall 4.

Renting a car
If you like the experience of driving yourself in The Netherlands it is a very good option to rent a car that you can pick up at Schiphol airport. This choice is especially convenient for people who also plan to explore other cities in Netherlands. Many car rental companies have a desk at Schiphol airport where you can check which options they have readily available for you. Some examples of car rental companies that have a desk at Schiphol airport are: Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. Most of these companies have a recent car fleet and have these cars ready in the parking garage of Schiphol, which is accessible via a covered walkway.

It also possible and more convenient to pre-order your desired car in advance. The advantage of booking well in advance instead at an airport desk is that you will have a wider choice of available cars and that the price is probably lower. Making use of a car rental comparison website will also help reducing the price, because you can easily compare different car rental companies and see which one has your favorite car at the most favorable price.

The city of Amsterdam also has plenty of places available where you can park your car, such as at the P+R transferium garages where you can park your car at reduced rates.

P+R Transferium locations Amsterdam

The best way to park in Amsterdam is by using the Park and Ride facilities. The reason why this is the best way to park your car is because it’s very cheap, the P+R locations are well connected with public transportation and your car will be safe from tourists on bikes. The parking rates for your car there are extremely low. You will however be required to buy a public transportation ticket for each person. With this public transportation ticket you can make one trip to the city center and one trip back to the P+R location.

P+R parking rates (in 2018) excluding the public transportation tickets are:
– When entering P+R on weekdays before 10:00 am : €8 for the first 24 hours, then €1 for subsequent 24 hour periods
– When entering P+R on weekdays after 10:00 am : €1 per 24 hours
– When entering P+R in the weekend : €1 per 24 hours

As you can park for 1 euro a day we at Meet The Cities strongly recommend making use of the P+R facilities in Amsterdam.

Street parking

In Amsterdam there are quite a few parking spots in the streets, but we do not recommend parking in the streets of Amsterdam as this can be quite pricey. Traffic wardens can also be rather unforgiving towards wrongly parked cars. The entire touristic center of Amsterdam is located within the A10 ring road of Amsterdam. The entire area within the ring road is a paid parking area, where you need to buy a parking ticket at a ticket machine. In 2018 the parking fees are around 3 to 5 euros per hour in the center of Amsterdam.

Parking garages in Amsterdam city center

Parking in Amsterdam generally costs the most in the city center, but the prices get lower as you move further away from the center. In the most centrally located parking garages rates could be over €5,00 per hour for a short stay. When you buy a night- or day ticket the prices are generally a bit lower.

Parking garages outside of Amsterdam city center

The parking garages that are not in the city center are much cheaper to park your car in. Because of the extensive public transportation network of Amsterdam it is easy and convenient to get to the city center from there. So if you travel to Amsterdam you could save money by parking in one of these garages and taking the tram to the inner city.

The public transportation chip card

Most public transportation in the Netherlands uses the ov-chipkaart (public transport chip card) as a payment method. Rechargeable cards are available at vending machines at train and metro stations, selected newsstands and supermarkets.

To use the ov-chipkaart you need to put some credit on it before travelling. Credit can be put on the card at vending machines on all train stations. When you start your journey you need to check-in by holding your card in front of a scanner. And when you end your journey you need to check-out by holding your card in front of a scanner.

Busses and trams have scanners inside of the vehicle. The scanners of metros and trains are located on the metro and train stations, but they do differ from each other, so you need to pay attention which scanner you use when checking in and out. It is important to check out, because if you don’t the wrong amount will be charged from your card, which is usually a higher amount. If you need help there are tickets and service points which can provide help.

If you don’t travel a lot with public transportation it might be more convenient to buy a single-journey ticket which are available at the ticket machines or at the conductor stands in the bus and tram.

Planning your journey

There are several websites that allow you to look up when the busses, trams and trains in Amsterdam arrive and depart. These websites are incredibly useful when planning your journey. So at Meet The Cities we made a list of the most convenient websites to use to look up these times.

Timetables for public transport within the city can be found at gvb.nl.
Timetables for public transport out of the city can be found at 9292.nl.
Timetables for international train trips to and from Amsterdam can be found at nsinternational.nl.

Taking the tram in Amsterdam

The quickest way to travel in Amsterdam, besides biking, is by taking the tram. Almost all hotels and landmark locations on this website can easily be reached by tram. The network of tram stops in Amsterdam is so extensive that almost any destination can be reached with it.

Most tram lines depart from (and go to) Amsterdam Central Station, which has a tram station on the east and west side, but if you have a public transportation chip card then you can step into the tram at any tram stop within the city.

Trains to Amsterdam

Many international travelers visit Amsterdam by train. The NS, which is the Dutch Railways, is the main train company in The Netherlands. Most of their trains can be recognized by their bright yellow color. The Netherlands has a very extensive and efficient railway system. So different parts of Amsterdam, including the city center and the airport, are easily accessible by train.

There are several train companies in Europe that offer tickets for traveling to the Netherlands from abroad. Amsterdam also has a direct train connection to Germany, Brussels and Paris. If you wish you can be in Paris in a matter of hours. When you stay in Amsterdam you could even do a city trip in Paris as you can be there within three and a half hours.

If you wish to travel by train to the Netherlands or – the other way around – from Amsterdam to Paris then there are several train companies that allow you to buy international train tickets for your journey.

Ticket providers are NS International (Dutch Railways), Thalys (from France) and Bahn (from Germany).

Taking the bus within and to Amsterdam

The city of Amsterdam has an extensive bus network which connects all neighborhoods and areas of the city. Most bus lines are connected to Amsterdam Central Station. If you wish to travel to a surrounding city, like the charming fishers village of Volendam, then the bus is also an easy way to travel.

The main bus companies that operate in Amsterdam and the metropolitan area are Connexxion, EBS and GVB.

When you arrive at Schiphol Airport then you can be in the center of Amsterdam, at Amsterdam Leidseplein, in 30 minutes. The Amsterdam Airport Express that offers such trips are provided by the bus company Connexxion. If you wish to be delivered directly to your hotel then you can take the Connexxion Schiphol Hotel Shuttle, which offers transports between Schiphol Airport and over 170 hotels in the city in an 8-person van.

A convenient way to travel from Germany, Belgium, Italy and elsewhere within Europe to Amsterdam is by bus. Companies like Eurolines offers scheduled coach services to and from more than 500 destinations in Europe. So at Meet The Cities we do recommend this bus company for such journeys.

Ferry across the river IJ in Amsterdam (pont)

Amsterdam is split up in two halves by the river IJ. The river IJ goes all the way to the North Sea. If you wish to traverse the river then you can take the free ferry connection, which is available for pedestrians, cyclist and mopeds.

The most popular lines can be found behind Amsterdam Central Station. These lines go to the Buiksloterweg, NDSM Wharf and the IJplein.

Metro in Amsterdam (subway)

The metro is especially useful when you want to get from the city center to outlying districts like the business district at the World Trade Center in the South Axis, Amstelveen, Bijlmer and Diemen. These destinations can be of interest to the business traveler, but are less useful to the regular tourist.

Currently there are four metro lines in Amsterdam. All metro lines are connected to three metro stations that are located in the center of the city, which are Central Station, Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein.

There is a new metro line under construction, which is the North-South Line, which, as the name implies, will connect the north and the south of the city. This will add two new metro stations to the city center that will be conveniently located for tourists. These will be the Rokin and the Vijzelgracht metro station.

Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht

The Andaz hotel is an excellent award winning designer hotel that is dressed to impress and takes luxury to a whole new level. It has an elegant and inspiring design that gives off a distinctly Dutch impression.

The Andaz hotel is an art piece by itself, with a lobby where you can sit in tulip chairs, has large bell lamps and beautifully decorated walls. Throughout the hotel you will find video art on the walls. The open and cozy restaurant offers seasonal dishes and has a view into the lush garden of the hotel. It is also possible to relax and enjoy a sauna or massage at the Spa.

The hotel is conveniently located in the canal ring of Amsterdam, within walking distance of the vibrant restaurant and nightlife center of the Leidseplein, the lively shopping district at the Spui square and the stores at the Nine Streets. If you walk slightly further you arrive at the luxury shopping street of the P.C. Hooftstraat and the cultural Museum square, where the Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum are located.

The hotel caters to all your needs. Guests who wish to travel can make use of the free complimentary bikes. The minibar at your room is complimentary as well. Of course the hotel also has free wifi and free television. There are free newspapers available. You can borrow a book from it’s library. The hotel also offers a 24 hour room service, a parking service, dry cleaning and laundry service, a babysitting service and more.