Amsterdam is called the city of dreams and the embodiment of freedom. Amsterdam offers tourists a variety of sights, and each person here finds something “their own,” unique and inimitable.
In the capital of the Netherlands there are a lot of noteworthy, and you can’t get acquainted with this wonderful city in a hurry. The minimum period is at least 3 days to be able to see all the most interesting.
By the way, having bought the I Amsterdam City Card , you can very well save on visiting attractions (it operates in 80 places) and on public transport services. The duration of the “I Amsterdam City Card” can be different: 24, 48, 72, 96 hours. Depending on the duration of the action, the value of the card also changes.
This article has prepared a selection of such attractions that will reveal the most interesting facets of the capital of the Netherlands. And in order to make it easier to navigate in which order it is better to organize an acquaintance with this city, at the bottom of the page is a map of Amsterdam with attractions in Russian.
Central station
All trains from Schiphol Airport, which accepts travelers from the CIS countries, arrive at the Central Station. Accordingly, it is he who will begin the list of what should be seen in Amsterdam in 3 days.
The central station is located in the central part of the city, on a floating artificial island near the Hey River. It is convenient to get from here to any corner of the Dutch capital, they even say that all roads in Amsterdam lead to the Central Station.
Erected in the last years of the 19th century, the station building is recognized as an interesting city attraction. Two towers rise at its main entrance, on each of them there are hours, moreover, they show different times. The answer is simple: the clock is normal on the right, and it shows local time, and on the left is a weather vane in the form of a dial with an arrow indicating the direction of the wind.
An original feature of the Central Station can be considered a piano installed in the main hall. A place behind the piano is almost always taken: talented people often play here, and guests of Amsterdam stop with pleasure to listen to magical music. At the piano it is customary to make appointments and arrange romantic dates.
On the forecourt there is a modest white building on which there is a sign with the logo “VVV” – this is the main tourist office of Amsterdam. It is open every day from 9:00 to 18:00, and here tourists can take a map of Amsterdam with the attractions marked on it, find out detailed information about excursions, hotels, and public transport routes.
Red light district
Amsterdam Central Station is just a few minutes’ walk from the Red Light District. Perhaps this area, where you can meet the “hottest things” of Amsterdam, is the city’s most famous and popular tourist attraction! Who will refuse to look at the sinners of the free capital of the Netherlands? But before you go to the Red Light District, you can read about it in this article .
Dam Square
If you go straight from the main exit of the Central Station, then in 10 minutes you can be on the main city square Dam.
“Dam” in Dutch means “dam”. The square got such a name because it is located on a dam that appeared here on the Amstel river in 1270. From year to year, it was strengthened and finally transformed into a fairly spacious area. As merchant ships approached here, the square became the commercial center of Amsterdam.
An interesting fact about this attraction: the third part of Dam Square is located below sea level.
Nice narrow streets diverge from the square in all directions, and around its perimeter there are many hotels, restaurants, cafes. For a long time street artists have chosen this place for their performances; here you can even watch whole performances of puppet theaters.
Dam, like every center of the old city of Europe, boasts many attractions. So, in the eastern part in the 1950s, a monument to the victims of the Second World War was erected, which hosts a solemn ceremony on May 4.
Fans of shopping will certainly be interested in the De Bijenkorf convenience store. Its name means nothing more than a hive, and its history completely repeats the history of the dam: from tiny sizes, it gradually grew to modern proportions.
One of the main architectural dominants of the square is the Gothic church of Nieuwecker. Since the end of the twentieth century, services have not been carried out here, but representatives of the royal families are crowned with power, organize organ concerts and other cultural events.
The Royal Palace, also located on Dam Square, is such a famous landmark of Amsterdam that all guests of this city are in a hurry to see it.
Royal Palace
This magnificent building was erected in the 17th century. Since it was built on swampy soft soil, we had to take special care to strengthen the foundation: 13,660 piles 12 m long were driven into the ground, and a powerful slab was laid on them. And walls were already being erected on this plate.
The palace stands out very much against the background of traditional Dutch houses, clinging to each other on the banks of narrow canals. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why it is marked in tourist guides to the Netherlands and the city of Amsterdam as a tourist attraction, which is recommended to be one of the first to see.
The modern Royal Palace is crowned with a dome with a weather vane made in the form of an urban symbol – the ship-kogg. The decoration of the building is mainly made of marble.
The palace is the official residence of the royal dynasty of the Netherlands, it hosts various official events: receptions of foreign delegations, crowning, accession to the throne, marriage.
In the halls of the palace there is a museum where you can see magnificent sculptures, historical documentation, household items and clothing of the local population of different eras. The paintings of great Dutch painters, including Rembrandt, Pain, Jordaens and Leavens, are also exhibited here for review.
- The museum is open from 12:00 to 17:00 all days of the week, except Mondays. It is also closed during official events, which can be found on the official website of the palace (www.paleisamsterdam.nl/en/).
- On this site you can buy tickets in advance, which entitles you to priority entry. A ticket costs 10 euros, children are free of charge. It should be noted that the “I Amsterdam City Card” and other discount cards are not valid here.
At the entrance to the museum, you can take an audio guide for free and configure it in your own language (available in Russian). In all rooms there are special stands with rooms; when you hover over an audio guide, it gives detailed information.
Nine Street District
What else you need to see in Amsterdam is the area of Nine Streets. This nice quarter is located at the intersection of the three main channels (Herengracht, Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht), very close to Dam Square. This quarter is formed by such streets: Berenstraat, Hartenstraat, Huidenstraat, GathuisMolensteeg, Oude Speigalstraat, Reestraat, Runstraat, Wolvenstraat and WijdeHeisteeg. To make it clear that the street belongs to the famous area, under the sign with its name there is another sign with the inscription “De 9 straatjes”. On the official website (de9straatjes.nl/en/home) you can pre-view and study the map of this quarter and learn a lot of useful things.
In this area there are common points of contact for gourmets, lovers of architecture and museum antiquities, and, of course, shopaholics. The streets are built up with typical low Amsterdam houses, among which it was not possible to find places for large shopping centers. But there are many small shops here, and even if you don’t make any purchases, it’s definitely worth a walk and see the original decorated windows.
Women who are not afraid to attract attention will find original items for themselves in the Donna Fiera store and Sky boutique. The Scout salon offers stylish lingerie, among which there are provocative sexy models. Fans of fashionable novelties should definitely visit the Van Ravenstein boutique, which sells products by contemporary Belgian designers. If you want to find something vintage and colorful, you need to go to the Laura Dols second-hand shop, specializing in clothing in the style of the 1950s.
This quarter there is the legendary Brilmuseum glasses museum-store where you can see, and if you wish, buy vintage glasses and frames of 100 years of age. It is safe to say that many models of this accessory are only here. The Brilmuseum operates on Tuesday-Friday from 11:30 to 17:30 and on Saturday from 11:30 to 17:00.
However, going to the area of Nine Streets is not easy to take a walk and see, namely for shopping, it makes sense to study the list of local shops in advance in order to choose the most interesting for yourself.
Tired of shopping and walking, you can go to a cafe or restaurant. In the Lust cafe with an interior of green shades, visitors are offered hamburgers, salads, fruit cocktails. Nearby is the Van Harte living room, the walls of which are covered with pretty floral wallpapers and the tables are laid in the French style. The Brix Restaurant, which always plays jazz music, serves refined, highly artistic dishes. On the contrary, there is an untitled bar, which serves quite affordable and delicious Chinese snacks.
Beginage Begijnhof
Beginage (now called the Begaijhof) is located in the central part of Amsterdam, inside Singel – the inner of all the ring channels of the city. This is the oldest closed courtyard in the capital of the Netherlands (14th century) located at Begijnhof 30. From the Central Station to the Beginage, you can walk on foot in just 15 minutes, or you can get there by tram number 1, 2, 5.
There are two entrances to the beginage. The first is the gate from Begijnensteeg Lane, built in 1574. Above the front door there is a sculpture of St. Ursula, the patroness of the runners. The second entrance, which is located on the side of Spui Square, was made in 1725.
At the entrance to the Begijnhof, which is a famous attraction not only of Amsterdam, but also of Holland, a poster with a name, photo, detailed plan and a brief history of the architectural complex hangs. This is an excellent source of information for tourists, especially when you consider that group tours with guides are not allowed into this courtyard.
The fact is that a quiet comfortable bungee is not only a historical attraction, but also private property, a place where single ladies live. Tourists who visit this courtyard, closed from street noise and filled with an inspired atmosphere, are asked to remain silent.
The Begijnhof consists of neat, tall, typical Amsterdam-style houses, set around a well-kept courtyard. There are 47 of them.
A separate attraction of the beginage is house No. 34 (Het Houten Huis) – the oldest building in Amsterdam (1528) and one of the last two wooden structures in this city.
On the south side of the courtyard, in house number 48, an old English church (XV century) is equipped, which has preserved its original tower. By the way, despite the name, Engelse Kerk is a Scottish Presbyterian temple. The church is active; masses are served in it every day.
In houses No. 29 and 30, the Mirakel chapel is located, hidden behind the facade of an ordinary house, but inside it is no different from a Catholic church.
The Begijnhof courtyard remained at the level of ancient streets, that is, a meter lower than the modern streets of Amsterdam. There are a lot of flowers in the courtyard, well-groomed lawns. On one of them – a sculpture of the sad Jesus Christ, on the other – a statue of a runner with a covered head and in monastic clothing.
- You can visit the beginage and see the sights located on its territory any day from 9:00 to 17:00, the entrance is completely free.
- On the official Begijnhof website (begijnhofkapelamsterdam.nl/) you can see the exact schedule of the church and find an explanation of how to get there for the evening mass.
Jordan District
When the walks in the center of Amsterdam, where there are always crowds of tourists, begin to tire, the best thing to do is go to the Jordan area. Quiet, calm, with deserted streets (this should not be scary at all, the truth is very calm here) – it is ideal for relaxing from the bustle. Moreover, it is very close to the sights located in the center: it takes only 15 minutes to walk from the Central Station and Dam Square, about 25 from the Red Light District.
Jordan is a very old quarter of Amsterdam, before the poor lived there. Today it is a picturesque and prestigious area. On the wide streets that formed due to the channels that were once filled up with the purpose of disinfection, houses with old architecture and modern residential complexes are tightly pressed to each other. Here there are small secret courtyards, a park of residential ship houses, and cozy coffee shops on the embankments. During the time spent in this area, hundreds of unique and special photos of Amsterdam sights will appear, the description of which can be found in each guide to the capital of the Netherlands.
Among the attractions of Jordan that you must definitely see is the Western Church. The church building, located on Westermarkt Square, is recognized as the tallest and most convenient for viewing Amsterdam: here you can climb to a height of 84 m and see stunning views of the city. The church also houses the information center of the urban gay community, which issues relevant literary publications and sells souvenirs of a specific theme.
Behind the building of the Western Church, a Gay monument memorial dedicated to representatives of sexual minorities and victims of repression of World War II is installed.
Prinsengracht 267 – at this address is another attraction of the Jordan area. We are talking about the Anne Frank House Museum, which has a rather depressing appearance.
Nearby, at Prinsengracht 112, there is a vibrant colorful flower shop. Inside the store there is a museum of tulips, however, its few exhibits will be curious only to those who are interested in these plants and their selection.
On the colorful promenade of the Egelantiersgracht canal there is a beer-cafe “Cafe ‘t Smalle”. There is no music in this institution with an old-fashioned interior – people come here to sit in silence, not rushing to drink beer, to eat delicious delicacies of local cuisine. In summer, you can swim to the cafe along the canal by boat and sit at a table on a small pier.
Museums
In Amsterdam, at every step there are meetings with the beautiful and the amazing. But there are places where the concentration of the interesting is 1 m² higher than any expectation. We are talking about museums – in this city there are a lot of them and they are completely different. This article will help you choose a museum with the most interesting exhibits .
Vondelpark
You can study the streets of Amsterdam endlessly, but when the metropolitan noise gets tired, Vondelpark is the perfect place to rest, gain energy from nature, and even have sex. Yes, since 2008, Vondela Park has been officially allowed to have sex, but only with the onset of darkness and away from playgrounds for children’s games.
But coming here in most cases is not for this. Here, on well-kept lawns in the shade of trees, people gather for picnics and go in for sports (running, yoga, fitness, tennis), have cool ponds, relax in the sun, ride bicycles (near the main entrance to the park, on Weteringschans, there is a MacBike rental point “Where you can get a bike). People come here to watch the birds: storks, cranes, herons, rooks, parrots.
Vondelpark is quite large to make it easier to navigate, on the official website (www.hetvondelpark.net/Main/Park) you can see a detailed map and find out a lot of useful information about planned events and the facilities located there.
What you can see in the huge Vondelpark:
- Here is the sculpture “Fish”, created and donated by Vondelpark to the famous Pablo Picasso.
- In 2010, the city municipality equipped the park with a unique playground called “Towers”. It consists of two tall structures with slides, nets and ladders for climbing.
- The building of the 18th century houses the Museum of Cinema, in which, along with archive films, modern digital works are shown. In the summer months, film screenings take place on the street.
The park is located in the southwest of Amsterdam. From the Central Station, take bus number 170 or 172 to the Leidseplein stop, and then walk another 15 minutes.
Zoo Artis Royal Zoo
At Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, the oldest zoo in the Netherlands, Artis Royal Zoo, has existed since 1838.
The Artis Zoo is home to 6,000 animal species. There are dwarf donkeys, alpine mountain goats, llamas, alpacas, huge anteaters, aguarachai, camels. Penguins and lemurs easily walk around the tracks, although it is undesirable to touch the latter, since they make very unpleasant sounds to protect them. It is very interesting to watch the ants who built their anthill in a large glass aquarium, and also to watch the large butterflies drinking juice from the fruits laid out for them. All inhabitants of the zoo can be photographed and filmed on video.
There is also a Zeiss planetarium on the territory of Artis, where you can listen to a free 30-minute lecture on the evolution of the Earth in English or Dutch or visit an unusual journey through the star systems of our Galaxy. The Micropia Geological Museum is very interesting and entertaining about viruses and bacteria, accompanying the story with photographs and videos.
- Artis Royal Zoo is open for visits daily according to the following schedule: in November – February from 9:00 to 17:00, in March – October from 9:00 to 18:00. In June – August, on Saturdays, the zoo is open from 9:00 until sunset.
- It should be noted that the ticket offices stop working an hour before the zoo closes. By the way, you can buy tickets online at the zoo website (www.artis.nl/en/) through a mobile application, which will save you from standing in lines.
- Admission price for adults 23 euros, for children from 3 to 9 years old – 19.5 euros. You can also visit Artis Royal Zoo with the I Amsterdam City Card.
Near the zoo there is a stop of Plantage Kerklaan public transport, which can be reached by bus number 56, tram number 9, 10, 14 or Artis Express. You can also walk to the zoo from Waterlooplein metro station.
A walk along the canals of Amsterdam
Seeing Amsterdam on foot, of course, is interesting. But, joining one of the canal excursions, you can see breathtaking views and take completely unexpected photos of Amsterdam’s sights. There are 165 canals here, their total length is about 75 km, and they divide the city into 90 islands. Churches, bridges, traditional residential buildings of the XVII century, standing on beautiful narrow streets – all this from small pleasure boats and boats is seen quite differently than during walking.
Not far from the Central Station is located pier No. 5 (Damrak Street), where tourist river buses stop. Excursions lasting 1 hour pass from 9:00 to 19:00, the beginning – every 15 minutes.
Ticket Price:
- for adults 15.5 euros,
- for children from 3 to 12 years old – 7.75 euros.
From the pier located at Stadhouderskade 30, trams leave from 10:00 every 30 minutes. They offer cruises lasting 1 hour 15 minutes, tickets for adults will cost 15 euros, for children – 7.5.
Tickets can be bought at the box office on the pier or on the website of the carrier company, which will be cheaper. But it turns out much cheaper if you purchase combi tickets for excursions on canals and visits to museums. For example:
- a combined ticket to the Heineken Experience Museum and a canal tour saves you 7 euros;
- a combi ticket to the Rijksmuseum and a canal tour saves 5 euros;
- a combined ticket to Madame Tussauds and a canal tour saves 7.5 euros.
Evening water cruises are very convenient, and romantic, to combine with dinner. Can choose:
- Dinner Cruise and a full dinner on board (from 89 euros per person),
- and you can prefer Pizza Cruise and be satisfied with pizza with drinks (39 euros).
Tickets for such cruises are always best booked in advance (explorer.amsterdam.ticketbar.eu/ru/home/).
By paying 250 euros, you can book a boat for your company for up to 12 people only for 2 hours.
Prices on the page are for November 2018.
Coffee Shops
There are tourists who visit the Netherlands not to see the sights of Amsterdam and other cities, but only because light drugs are officially allowed in this country. And even in the quietest quarters of Amsterdam there are legal places where hashish and marijuana are sold – these are coffee shops, of which there are several hundred in the city and each of them has its own menu. Those who are interested in this topic can read more about it here .
All the sights, museums and coffee shops mentioned in the article are marked on the map in Russian.
Video: “Eagle and Tails” in Amstredam.
