Overview
Amsterdam is No. 7 in Euromonitor International's Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025. The capital of the Netherlands grew rich in the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age, when merchants built the ring of canals and gabled houses that still defines the centre. The Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.
The city is compact, flat and easy to explore on foot or by bike. Its museums hold world-famous collections of Dutch art, and neighbourhoods such as the Jordaan and De Pijp are known for their cafés, markets and small shops. The city has introduced measures to manage visitor numbers in the busiest areas, so plan and book ahead.
Best time to go
April and May bring tulip season (the famous Keukenhof gardens are outside the city, near Lisse) and King's Day on 27 April, when the city turns orange. June to August is warm and busy.
September and October are often pleasant and a little quieter. Winter is cold, damp and dark early, but the museums are less crowded and the Amsterdam Light Festival lights up the canals.
Top sights
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1
Rijksmuseum In our Top 100 Museums
The national museum of the Netherlands is home to Rembrandt's The Night Watch, Vermeer's The Milkmaid and a vast collection of Dutch Golden Age art and history.
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2
Van Gogh Museum In our Top 100 Museums
It holds the world's largest collection of Vincent van Gogh's paintings, drawings and letters, including Sunflowers and The Potato Eaters. Timed tickets are sold online only.
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3
Anne Frank House In our Top Landmarks
The canal house on the Prinsengracht where Anne Frank and her family hid during the Second World War. Tickets are released online in advance and sell out quickly.
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4
The Canal Ring
Walk or take a boat along the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, lined with merchants' houses and hundreds of bridges.
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5
The Jordaan
A former working-class district of narrow streets, small canals, hidden courtyard almshouses (hofjes) and brown cafés, with markets at the Noordermarkt and Lindengracht.
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6
Vondelpark
The city's best-loved park, near the Museumplein, is busy with cyclists, joggers and picnickers on sunny days.
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7
Begijnhof
A quiet medieval courtyard off the busy Spui, surrounded by historic houses, including one of the oldest wooden houses in the city. Visitors are asked to keep noise down, as residents still live here.
Getting there
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is about 15 km south-west of the centre. Frequent trains take around 15–20 minutes to Amsterdam Centraal.
International trains, including Eurostar services from London and Brussels and ICE trains from Germany, arrive at Amsterdam Centraal.
Getting around
GVB trams, metro lines, buses and free ferries across the IJ river cover the city. You can pay by tapping a contactless bank card or phone when you check in and out (OVpay); remember to tap out, or you may be charged a higher fare.
Cycling is the local way to get around. Rent a bike if you are confident in traffic, and when you are on foot, stay out of the red bike lanes.
Practical tips
- Currency
- Euro (EUR). Cards are accepted almost everywhere, and some places are card-only.
- Language
- Dutch. English is spoken very widely.
- Safety
- Amsterdam is generally safe. Watch for pickpockets around Centraal station and in crowded areas, and for fast-moving bikes. The emergency number is 112.
- Visa & entry
- The Netherlands is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.
- Power
- 230 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and F.
Official information: I amsterdam (official city guide). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.
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