All About Amsterdam
Guide Sections
Art & Culture
Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Vermeer and Frans Hals are the Old and Great Masters of Holland. As a result, Amsterdam has some of the finest art museums in Europe. As Amsterdam is the most liberal of cities, the museums are not purely of the conventional kind, but whatever your interest, you should be able to find it at one of the city's museums. The majority of museums are placed within a short range of one another, so you can easily walk from one to the next.
Cinema
Amsterdam has only a few cinemas, but they show a great combination of big Hollywood blockbusters and European movies. The cinemas can be divided into two main categories: popular cinemas (with big movie successes) and filmhuizen (art houses), where art films, documentaries and retrospectives are shown. The Movies, with its extravagant interior, is a great place to visit and view art films.
Theatre & Dance
Amsterdam has a lot of theatrical events, and more in English than in Dutch. The De Parade is the prelude of the theater season, and is a great event at the end of summer with lots of different little shows, food and drink. The most important theater venues are Koninklijk Theater Carré, once home to a circus, now a beautiful theater by the Amstel Canal, with a wide variety of contemporary national and international productions. Amsterdam's dance scene is quite lively. There are two main companies, Nederlands Dans Theater and Het Nationale Ballet. Besides these companies there are a lot of established dancers and companies worth watching.
Museums
Many of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals' finest works are part of the national heritage and housed in the Rijksmuseum. Take your time in this beautiful museum, as it is huge, and the exhibitions and surroundings need your attention for more then just an hour. Rembrandt's paintings are also largely represented in Rembrandthuis. The life and works of Van Gogh are presented in the Van Gogh Museum. For modern art you should definitely visit the exhibitions in the Stedelijk Museum.
Nature & Science
If you're interested in science and interactive entertainment, don't miss Science Center NEMO, a place designed for children with lots of hands-on exhibits and technology. The Scheepvaartmuseum will appeal to anyone who's interested in maritime and nautical experiences. Nature lovers should visit the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, which has over six thousand different kinds of plants.
Historical Museums
In Amsterdam, there are a lot of historical museums. One of the best is Amsterdams Historisch Museum, where you will learn about the city's developments from the thirteenth century to the present day. The popular Anne Frank House has recently been restored and is able to accommodate a lot more people than before.
Music
This city has a lively music scene, with lots of festivals and events and numerous concerts in different venues. There is everything from classic to rock. Tickets for concerts can be bought in advance at the AUB Ticketshop, located centrally on the Leidseplein.
Home to many beautiful venues that offer brilliant acoustics for soloists and orchestras, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, has a regular program of performances in the city. At Beurs van Berlage there are a lot of classical concerts on a regular basis. If you're more into opera, you should go to the Het Muziektheater (Stopera) on Waterlooplein, where the Netherlands Opera is often to be seen.
Local groups and jam sessions can often be heard in the lively city during the night. International stars visit the city to play at different venues. The best places to catch jazz legends in intimate confines are Casablanca and Bimhuis Jazz & Improvisation.
Big international stars such as the Rolling Stones enjoy playing in venues like Paradiso and Melkweg. Besides this there are a lot of rock festivals, eg. Drum Rhythm Festival, which takes place at Westergasfabriek or the Amsterdam Pop Prijs Wanted R & B & Hip Hop Prijs Finals, held at Melkweg.
House, Disco & World Music
The VIP Club on Fridays and Paradisco on Saturday evenings in Paradiso are hip dance evenings where a lot of cool people are to be seen. Techno, house and hip hop music can be heard. Melkweg has dance evenings with hard house and drum and bass. The crowd is diverse but mainly young, and the atmosphere is relaxed.
Gardens & Parks
Amsterdam has some beautiful gardens and parks, the Vondelpark being the most famous park amongst tourists and Amsterdammers. You will also find the Dutch Film Museum here, which has a beautiful terrace where you can spend a whole afternoon sitting, relaxing and watching the strangest people going by. The Amstel Park is located a bit away from the centre, but is a good retreat with rose gardens and a glasshouse. The Amsterdamse Bos is a busy park where you can be as sporty as you like.
If you want a tour around Amsterdam's private gardens, go and inform yourself at the VVV, where they can tell you what's going on in Amsterdam at the particular time you're there.
Sports
Holland is well known for its passion for football, but besides football, the Dutch play a lot of other sports such as hockey, skating and cycling. Amsterdam has many cycling lanes, although you have to watch the traffic, especially the trams that won't stop for you; in comparison to other cities though, the traffic is a lot more accustomed to cyclists on the road. The parks are excellent for outdoor sports: running, skating and cycling. A lot of sports centres are to be found as well, for fitness and sauna, swimming and bowling.
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