hotels in Amsterdam

Museums in Amsterdam

• Allard Pierson Museum - Amsterdam's only specialist archeological collection, now owned by the University; The museum contains Egyptian, Greek, Cypriot, Roman, Etruscan and Coptic artefacts; Tuesday to Friday 10 00 - 17 00 hrs; Saturday and Sunday 13 00 - 17 00 hrs; Closed on Mondays and on some holidays. Old Historical Museum - The collection consists of paintings, prints, marquettes, objects and archelogical finds and shows how Amsterdam grew from a small medieval town to a world famous centre; The is almost constantly a temporary exhibition in the museum; Mon-Fri 10 00 am - 5 00 pm Sat-Sun 11 00 am - 5 00 pm Closed on 1 January, 30 April and 25 December. Anne Frank House - in the center of Amsterdam is the hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary during World War II; The original of the diary is on display as part of the Anne Frank House's permanent exhibition; Daily from 9 AM – 7 PM From April through August from 9 AM – 9 PM January 1st from 12 noon – 7 PM May 4th from 9 AM – 7 PM December 16th from 9 AM – 5 PM December 25th from 12 noon – 5 PM December 31th from 9 AM – 5 PM. The Jewish museum - a number of artefacts and information regarding the role of religion and tradition, the links with Israel, the persecution of Jews during the Second World War, personal life stories and the mutual influence of Jewish and Dutch culture; 11 am - 5 pm (closed on Yom Kippur). Rijksmuseum - a familiar Amsterdam landmark and possesses an unrivalled collection of Dutch art, from early religious works to the masterpieces of the Golden Age; daily from 10am to 5pm. Houseboat Museum - An accurate portrail of life on the canals, with a variety of diferent boats set up to resemble houses on the water; March - October: tuesday through Sunday 11 am - 5 pm November - February: Friday-Saturday-Sunday 11 am - 5 pm Easter Monday also open. Van Gogh Museum - houses some 200 paintings and 550 sketches showing Van Gogh in all his moods; These combined with hundreds of letters by Van Gogh to Theo, and selected works by his friends and contemporaries; Museum: daily 10am - 6pm Closed 1 January. Stedelijk Museum - Along with all big names of modern painting movements as Impressionists, Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism and it has a unique collection of 29 paintings by Casimir Malevich, an equally exceptional collection of De Stijl and Cobra movement, superb Dutch photography collection, a very good collection of design and furniture, and interesting collection of European and American trends in art since 1950 as works of Matisse, Picasso, Newman en Rauschenberg, Warhol completed with Italian Arte Povera and German modern painting.

Exhibitions / Art galeries Amsterdam

• PAN. Allard Pierson Museum. Beurs van Berlage. Old Historical Museum. Anne Frank House.

Cultural activities in Amsterdam

• Holland Festival. Uitmarkt. De Parade. Queensday. Gay Pride.

Historic monuments in Amsterdam

• The Begijnhof: A late-medieval enclosed courtyard with the houses of beguines, women living in a semi-religious community
• The Jordaan: Built around 1650 along with the canal ring, The Jordaan was built not for the wealthy merchants, but for a long time it was considered the typical working-class area of Amsterdam, and included some notorious slums, however it was probably the first example of "gentrification" in the Netherlands (although of course it predates the term)
• Magere Brug: A traditional Dutch style draw bridge, over 300 years old and still nearly in it's original capacity
• Oude Kerk: Built in 1306 and located on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal, in the red-light district, it is the oldest of the five main churches in the historic centre; you can go up the tower on Saturdays & Sundays,April to September , every half-hour
• Het Houten Huys: Built in the 15th century, featuring a gothic timber frame and enchanting decoration; it is one of the 2 wooden houses left in the city
• Van Gogh Museum: This museum features the works of Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, and is home to the largest collection of his drawings and paintings in the world

Shopping in Amsterdam

• Kalverstraat, busiest shopping street in the centre hosts international and Dutch brands. P.C. Hooftstraat, the city’s most fashionable high street. Magna Plaza, behind the Royal Palace and the Dam Square. Bijenkorf, the country’s most beloved department store for 135 years. Kalvertoren, modern mall built out of historical buildings provides three levels of shopping.

Day trip

• 1_Alkmaar cheese market and windmills: In 750 year old Alkmaar you will learn about a time-honoured Dutch tradition: taste-testing and weighing of cheese.
• 2_Delft Blue, the Hague and Madurodam: Visit Delft, a well preserved old Dutch town, the Hague, the seat of the Dutch Government and return to Amsterdam via Scheveningen with its spacious promenades and silver sand beaches, which attracts many sun lovers.
• 3_Excursion Grand Holland: Visiting Aalsmeer -centre of horticulture, Delft- with its famous Delft Blue pottery, Rotterdam and later The Hague for a city sight seeing tour.
• 4_Volendam and Marken: Volendam, an old picturesque fishing village and Marken, both connected to the mainland by a dike. The local residents of both villages still wear the traditional costumes.
• 5_Windmills and Edam: This excursion is to “De Zaanse Schans” a small 40 house community. There used to be 700 windmills here at the turn of the 18th century. Nowadays there are only 5 left. The houses are made of green timber, have steep roofs and white windows. A visit will be paid to a windmill and a wooden shoe factory. Before returning to Amsterdam through typical Dutch scenery, we visit the medieval town of Edam.

Group activities

• 1_Artis Zoo: Artis has as a mission to inform its visitors about the natural living environment of the animals and also to assist with the protection of threatened species.
• 2_Madame Tussaud’s: Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. Stand face to face with Kylie Minogue, pose with royalty, take a trip through the city’s Golden Age, or maybe even become the next idol!
• 3_Pedal boat: Pedal through the canals of Amsterdam in a pedal boat a mix between a boat and a bicycle!
• 4_Museum Tram & Pancakes: A genuine old tram with wooden benches, clanging bells and a friendly conductor travels back and forth between the buzzing city of Amsterdam and a pancake house in the forest.
• 5_Tropenmuseum: In the Tropenmuseum (Museum of the Tropics), you can walk down a street in a North African city, stroll through an Indian village or an Arab market, rest in a Normandic tent and much more. There’s even a Children’s Museum, where only children between 6 and 12 years old are allowed.