World City Guide

Key Attractions

Rijksmuseum
The largest and most popular museum in the Netherlands was opened in 1885 and has grown steadily ever since. Today, it is in the midst of the biggest rebuilding programme in its history. Under the title of ‘The Masters’ much of its most famous work, though, is still on show in the impressively designed Phillips Wing and as much of the rest of the collections are being put on display as possible.

Jan Luijenstraat 1
Tel: (020) 674 7047. Fax: (020) 674 7001.
E-mail: info@rijksmuseum.nl
Website: www.rijksmuseum.nl
Transport: Trams 5, 6, 7 or 10.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800 (subject to change with ongoing work).
Admission: ¬9 (concessions available).

Anne Frankhuis (Anne Frank House)
The queues can be horrendous at the small but very popular Anne Frank House, which annually attracts roughly half a million people. It is the historic home where Anne Frank, her family and four other Jewish people hid from the occupying Germans during World War II, after fleeing their native Germany. Finally caught by the Nazis, after two years in hiding, they were taken off to concentration camps, where Anne died. However, her father survived and published her diary, which has been translated into 50 languages. The story of how they were saved by local people for so long sometimes masks the reality that the city’s Jewish population was all but wiped out during the war.

Prinsengracht 263, Westerkerk
Tel: (020) 556 7100. Fax: (020) 620 7999.
E-mail: museumsecretariaat@annefrank.nl
Website: www.annefrank.nl
Transport: Trams 13, 14 or 17.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1900 (Sep-Mar); daily 0900-2100 (Apr-Aug).
Admission: ¬7.50 (concessions available).

Van Gogh Museum
This spacious museum houses a permanent display of 200 paintings, 500 drawings and 700 letters by Van Gogh, as well as works by Toulouse-Lautrec and Gauguin. A new wing is being used to display temporary exhibitions, usually of 19th century art.

Paulus Potterstraat 7
Tel: (020) 570 5200. Fax: (020) 570 5222.
E-mail: info@vangogh.nl
Website: www.vangoghmuseum.nl
Transport: Trams 2, 3, 5, 12 or 16.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800, Fri until 2200.
Admission: ¬10 (concessions available).

Scheepvaartmuseum (Netherlands Maritime Museum)
The highlight of the maritime museum is the newly built reconstruction of an old Dutch East Indiaman that is moored just offshore. The ship may have no engine but it looks impressive and its confined interior is authentic. The museum helps open up the reality of the country’s rich maritime past when the Dutch were major global players and their fleet ventured as far as modern day Indonesia, Goa and Macau.

Katterburgerplein 1
Tel: (020) 523 2222. Fax: (020) 523 2213.
Website: www.scheepvaartmuseum.nl
Transport: Bus 22 or 32.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 1000-1700.
Admission: ¬7.50 (concessions available).

Museum Het Rembrandthuis
This museum, a charming three-storey house, built in the early 17th century, is where Rembrandt lived for nearly 20 years. Recently, a museum wing has been added, with more space for a permanent collection of his work. It is home to a comprehensive collection of 250 of the artist’s etchings and self-portraits. The work of Rembrandt’s teachers and students are also on display, which adds depth and dialogue to Rembrandt’s own work.

Jodenbreestraat 4-6
Tel: (020) 520 0400. Fax: (020) 520 0401.
E-mail: museum@rembrandthuis.nl
Website: www.rembrandthuis.nl
Transport: Trams 4, 9 or 14; metro Nieuwmarkt; boat to Waterlooplein or Zwanenburgerwal.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1300-1700.
Admission: ¬7.50 (concessions available).

Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art
The best collection of modern art in Amsterdam is currently located in a temporary home whilst work continues on Museumplein. The collection includes Dutch and international art from the second half of the 19th century onwards, with works by Picasso, Cézanne, Chagall and Monet, as well as photography, video, film and industrial design. Recent Dutch artists on display include Mondrian, De Kooning and Lichtenstein.

Oosterdokskade 5
Tel: (020) 573 2911. Fax: (020) 675 2716.
E-mail: info@stedelijk.nl
Website: www.stedelijk.nl
Transport: Trams 2, 3, 5, 12 or 16; bus 63.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800, Thu 1000-2100.
Admission: ¬9.

Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Amsterdam Historical Museum)
The Amsterdam Historical Museum shows how this city grew from a small medieval town into a modern city. Housed in a former orphanage that dates back to 1524, the museum is filled with paintings, prints and archaeological finds. One of the most interesting exhibits is an 18th-century coach without wheels. According to council regulations (and to reduce the noise of wheels on the cobbled streets) wealthy Amsterdammers had to travel by sleigh, even in summer. The entrance fee to the museum includes free entry to the Civic Guards Gallery, a glass-roofed ‘street’ between Kalverstraat and the Begijnhof, which is lined with 15 massive portraits of the Amsterdam Civic Guards, dating from the 17th century. However, the Rijksmuseum has the most famous painting of the Civic Guard – Rembrandt’s Nightwatch (see above). The museum’s courtyards are a relaxing place to be on a warm summer’s day with the restaurant offering outside tables.

Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 357
Tel: (020) 523 1822. Fax: (020) 620 7789.
E-mail: info@ahm.amsterdam.nl
Website: www.ahm.nl
Transport: Trams 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 14, 16, 24 or 25.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1700, Sat and Sun 1100-1700.
Admission: ¬6 (concessions available).

Heineken Experience
The award winning Heineken Experience is a self-guided, multimedia delve into the workings of the world’s largest beer exporter. There is plenty of information on the company’s rich history and also the ‘Bottle Ride’, where visitors get to feel what it is like to be a beer bottle during the production process. At the end of the tour, there is, of course, the chance to sample the hallowed brew in the ‘See You Again Bar’. People do come back judging by the fact that in April 2005, they celebrated their one millionth visitor.

Stadhouderskade 78
Tel: (020) 523 9666. Fax: (020) 523 9738.
E-mail: info@heinekenexperience.nl
Website: www.heinekenexperience.nl
Transport: Trams 16, 24 or 25.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800.
Admission: ¬10 (concessions available).

Sub-Culture Museums
Amsterdam is infamous for its Sex Museum, but it also boasts the dubious charms of the Hash Museum and the Torture Museum. The extremely tacky Sex Museum, the only one in Europe, is full of erotica (objets d’art, photos, prints, paintings and videos) dating from the Roman era to about 1960, although somehow manages to be totally devoid of eroticism. The Hash Museum is of interest to those visitors who come to Amsterdam in search of coffee shops and would like to learn a little more about the hallowed weed, while the Torture Museum caters for another sub-group of society altogether. Nevertheless, it is tongue-in-cheek enough to be of interest to all. The three museums are all within walking distance in the city centre. Note the Hash Museum has mooted plans to move 130 Oudezijds Achterburgwal by the end of 2005.

Hash Museum
Oudezijds Achterburgwal 148
Tel: (020) 623 5961.
Website: www.hashmuseum.com
Transport: Trams 4, 9, 14, 16, 24 or 25.
Opening hours: Daily 1100-2200.
Admission: ¬5.70 (concessions available).

Sex Museum
Damrak 18
Tel: (020) 622 8376.
Website: www.sexmuseumamsterdam.com
Transport: A short walk from Centraal Station.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-2330.
Admission: ¬2.50.

Torture Museum
Singel 449
Tel: (020) 320 6642.
Website: www.torturemuseum.com
Transport: A short walk from Centraal Station.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-2200.
Admission: ¬5.

Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace)
The Royal Palace, designed by Jacob van Campen, was built in 1648, as Amsterdam’s city hall. When King Louis Napoleon arrived in Amsterdam, in 1808, he had the city hall turned into a palace. The large collection of Empire-style furniture, chandeliers and clocks date from this period. Although the palace is still the official royal residence, the royal family lives in The Hague. However, Queen Beatrix does host official functions here.

Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 147
Tel: (020) 620 4060. Fax: (020) 623 3819.
E-mail: info@kon-paleisamsterdam.nl
Website: www.koninklijkhuis.nl
Transport: Trams 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17, 24 or 25.
Opening hours: Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat and Sun 1230-1700; guided tours need to be booked two weeks in advance.
Admission: ¬4.50 (concessions available).

NEMO Museum
The funky and modern NEMO Museum is an unmistakable sight on the banks of the IJ. Just a short stroll away from Centraal Station, this museum attempts to defy the crusty image of some traditional museums by offering plenty of hands-on exhibits to stimulate young minds and keep them occupied, as well as provide more information on science and technology for older visitors. This bright, relaxed venue is a good antidote to Amsterdam’s other, perhaps more stuffy museums, especially for younger visitors. The rooftop has a beach area, a surreal place to take in the rays on a sunny day.

Oosterdok 2
Tel: (020) 531 3233 or (900) 919 1100. Fax: (020) 531 3535.
E-mail: info@e-nemo.nl
Website: www.e-nemo.nl
Transport: Bus 22.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1700.
Admission: ¬11 (concessions available).