Amsterdam Travel Guide

Photo: Eric Hood/iStockphoto

"Amsterdam is a city, but it is also a country by itself, a small nation inside a larger one" wrote Geert Mak in his revered chronicle about the Dutch capital. For many visitors, Amsterdam will not only seem quite different from the rest of the Netherlands, but anywhere else in the world. Unlike other major European cities, Amsterdam is not defined by its palaces or estates but by domestic architecture. It's not ancient (by European standards); the joy is in the detail. Elaborate gables and witty gable stones denoting the trade of a previous owner; floating houseboats and hidden hofjes along its 160 man-made canals. Even street names tell stories, whether of Golden Age painters in the Pijp or naval heroes farther west.

Hotels

Amsterdam Hotels

A city renowned for its canals, artistic culture, and classic 17th-century architecture, Amsterdam offers a multitude of lodging options capable of transporting...read more

Restaurants

Amsterdam Restaurants

Until a decade or two ago, it seemed that eating in Amsterdam was tinged more with the flavor of Calvinism than with any culinary influence. All too often...read more

Things To Do

Things To Do in Amsterdam

Explore the best sights, entertainment, and shopping with our top choices and insider tips.

Hotels

Amsterdam Experiences

  • Top Amsterdam Experiences

    According to 19th-century French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans, Amsterdam is "A dream, an orgy of houses and water," and it's no less true 100 years... Read more

  • If You Like

    Some would use the word "cheap," but selective spending is a better way to describe consumption in the Lowlands. It's no wonder Amsterdam has... Read more

  • Top Reasons to Go to Amsterdam

    Golden Age canals: Hop aboard to glide past mansions shimmering on a summer's day or under bridges twinkling with fairy lights at night. Amsterdam... Read more

  • Amsterdam with Kids

    For each racy adult attraction Amsterdam offers, a dozen deserve a PG—Pure Goodness the entire family can enjoy. It's not for nothing that... Read more

  • Cheap Things to Do in Amsterdam

    Regardless of the fluctuating dollar-to-euro exchange rate, the Netherlands is an expensive country to visit. Besides flowers, cheese, and wine... Read more

  • Amsterdam Today

    "Amster-damaged." "Good girls go to heaven, bad girls to Amsterdam." Slogans on gift-store T-shirts are testament that, more than anything else... Read more

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