Amsterdam's 17th-century canal ring — a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 165 canals and over 1,500 bridges — was built by the Dutch East India Company's wealth and remains the world's most recognisable urban waterway, best seen by private boat at dusk. The Rijksmuseum's Rembrandt and Vermeer collections are among the finest in any national gallery; the Van Gogh Museum next door offers the world's most comprehensive study of a single painter's troubled genius. The Anne Frank House, always worth the queue, reminds the city of its darker chapter. For luxury travellers, the Canal Ring's merchant houses are now home to some of the world's most intimate boutique hotels, while the Jordaan neighbourhood's brown cafés serve Dutch jenever gin in an atmosphere unchanged since the Golden Age.
- Suggested duration: 3–4 days
- Best time to visit: April to May for tulip season and the King's Day celebrations; September to October for mild weather and museum crowds at their thinnest.