Everyone I’ve ever met from the Netherlands is both really lovely and really cool. It turns out Amsterdam as a city is no different. The city boasts renowned historical figures in art and literature. There is a museum on every street, devoted to the wildest things. Cyclists glide on their upright bikes through especially dedicated bike lanes. Amsterdam is quaint, yet cool. And it’s only an hour by plane from London!
With so much to see in Amsterdam, I invested in an I Amsterdam card. It allows free entry to everywhere on this itinerary except Anne Frank’s House. The card also allows free public transport, but I found myself travelling everywhere by foot because it enabled me to take in the beautiful, tall houses that border the canals.
Because there’s so much to see and do, I decided to concentrate on the art and culture side to Amsterdam. (Sorry, Sex, Weed and Torture Museums, you’ll have to wait until next time!) This 3-day itinerary visits Amsterdam’s most iconic tourist sites, focusing on the city’s impressive art and culture scene.
Canal Cruise
Hands down my favourite part of my time in Amsterdam was the canal cruise through Amsterdam’s many canals. It was a great way to start my three days in the city and familiarise myself with the landscape.
As our boat pulled up, I rushed to get a window seat. I was able to view the city from a different, lower perspective. From the level of the river, the tall, gingerbread-like houses that line Amsterdam’s streets looked even taller and skinnier.
Thankfully, it being the middle of winter, the boat was heated. As we cruised along Amsterdam’s main canals, I gazed out the window and listened to the audio commentary. It was a cosy, informative and authentic way to start my stay in Amsterdam.
Rembrandt’s House
Having acquainted myself with the layout of Amsterdam’s canals and city centre, it was time to head to one of the riverside houses. Amsterdam is associated with many renowned figures, and Rembrandt is one of the most famous. The house where he lived in the 17th century has been restored and is now a museum dedicated to his life.
The house is prime real estate, situated right on the canals. It’s beautifully laid out, and visiting was another of my highlights in Amsterdam. From the kitchen to the candlelit office to the art studio in the attic, the house gave a real sense of how the artist lived.
Amsterdam Light Festival
Every winter, Amsterdam holds a Light Festival, where glowing installations pop up around the city centre. I was lucky enough to visit Amsterdam while the exhibition was on. Having eaten a simple supper of soup and traditional Dutch Kaasstengels, I wrapped up warm and headed out into the night.
We walked down Herengracht to catch sight of a few of the installations. I liked ‘Absorbed by Light’, three white figures illuminated by the light from their phones. I also enjoyed ‘Light a Wish’, consisting of many giant, glowing dandelion seeds twirling above the canal. My favourite was the depiction of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’, suspended in glowing tubes. Though it was the middle of winter, the night was lit by these beautiful light installations reflected in the canals.
Anne Frank’s House
Visiting Anne Frank’s house was one of the things I was most looking forward to in Amsterdam. When I first read her diary as a child, I was impressed that she wrote with the intention of her work being read one day. It shaped my understanding of narration and self-conscious writing.
Even in winter, the house books up quickly, so we booked a month in advance for an early entry. It was still really busy, and I clambered through the secret door into the annexe in a long, snaking queue of people.
When Otto Frank returned to Amsterdam after the war, he didn’t want to put back any furniture. The annexe is thus like a skeleton of the house it was when the Frank family and their companions hid there. All that remains now are the pictures and magazine clippings Anne had stuck on the walls of her bedroom. It’s a harrowing reminder that she attempted to live a normal teenage life despite her nightmarish situation.
Rijksmuseum
Though I missed the famous I Amsterdam sign by a matter of weeks, to be honest the view of the grand, red-brick Rijksmuseum on its own was more than enough for me. It being winter, the usual pond outside had been transformed into a skating rink. I’d just learnt (on my canal cruise actually!) that the Netherlands boasts the best skaters in the world, so rink made the scene even more iconic.
The inside of the Rijksmuseum is just as beautiful as the outside. It’s also massive, so we chose a few highlights to see. These included: Van Gogh’s self-portrait, the Gallery of Honour and, of course, Rembrandt’s famous ‘Night Watch’. There was a disappointing lack of Jon Snow and Castle Black depicted (I’m kidding), but Rembrandt’s use of light and shadow in the Dutch Baroque painting was entrancing.
Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art
Right next door to the Rijksmuseum, still located in the Museum Quarter, is Amsterdam’s modern art museum. Normally I would refrain from visiting two galleries in the same day for fear of art saturation overload. However, these two museums are vastly different.
I spent most of my time on the mezzanine between exhibits, which was an exhibit in itself. The floor, walls and ceilings are covered with hundreds of giant words, some in English, some in Dutch. Designed by Barbara Kruger, the immersive artwork features quotes about the meaning of modern life and how others perceive us. It completely captivated me.
Van Gogh Museum
I began my final day in Amsterdam celebrating another renowned Dutch person. Van Gogh is undoubtedly one of the most influential artists in the world, especially of the Impressionist era. I had seen a couple of his paintings at the Rijksmuseum, but nothing could prepare me for how virtuosic his works were.
The gallery is laid out really well, transporting you through Van Gogh’s pretty tragic life by era as you move further through the museum. I really felt that I understood the journey he went on with his art, from his love of farming peasants to his progress in Paris. He churned out masterpiece after masterpiece at the most miserable time of his life, and is now one of the world’s most well known artists. If that’s not virtuosity, I don’t know what is!
Bloemenmarkt
Along with museums, cheese and canals, Amsterdam is famous for its tulips. The best place to see these in the city centre is at the Bloemenmarkt, which is where I headed after leaving the Van Gogh Museum. The Bloemenmarkt is the world’s only floating flower market. Stretching over 250m on barges along the canal, the market harks back to the days when flowers would arrive from the countryside by boat.
Because it was winter, and tulip season doesn’t begin until the end of March, most tulips were only available to buy as seeds or bulbs. However, they are such icons of Amsterdam that the market still had impressive tulip displays, despite the season. Every stall had beautifully colourful arrangements of incredibly realistic fake tulips. They were so realistic that it took me snapping photos at three stores before I worked out they were made of plastic! Nevertheless, I enjoyed getting the impression of how the beautiful the Bloemenmarkt would be in spring.
Botanical Gardens
In keeping with the floral theme, we next headed to Amsterdam’s Botanical Gardens. Though it was winter and the flowerbeds were quite bare, the greenhouses were an oasis of verdant warmth. I enjoyed walking along the balcony suspended above the lush greenery, and tracing hidden paths through the overgrowth. The dense plants muffled the sounds of other visitors, so I felt cocooned in the teeming foliage. After being surrounded by the tall houses that line Amsterdam’s central canals, the gardens provided a much-needed burst of green to end my trip.
Though my time in Amsterdam was short, I definitely explored a lot of this quaint yet cool city. While I know Amsterdam has plenty more to offer, I’m confident I ticked off the most important cultural sites and iconic Amsterdam experiences during these three days.
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