Fodor's Expert Review Amsterdam Museum

Any city that began as a boggy swamp in the 13th century and went on to become a worldwide mercantile powerhouse by the 17th is going to have a fascinating story to tell, and this museum showcases it superbly. It's housed in a rambling amalgamation of buildings, once a convent, which was used as Amsterdam's Civic Orphanage. Before visiting the actual museum, walk past the entrance and check out the glassed Schuttersgalerij (Civil Guards Gallery) lined with huge portraits of city militias—if you've seen Rembrandt's The Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum, you can compare. Some 21st-century renditions of civil guard paintings have been added to the Amsterdam Museum collection, notably one featuring the "Maid of Amsterdam," with a joint in one hand and Rembrandt's face tattooed on her chest.