Anne Frank House

Visit here for an eerie sensation of what it was like for the Frank Family to hide in an attic during World War II. The original furnishings were destroyed by the Nazis, but the place is haunted by the ghosts of Anne and her family. Excellent, but small display of historical information. If you haven’t read the “Diary of Anne Frank,” get a copy here, available in many languages.

Cannabis College

The Cannabis College, on the Oudezijdes Achterburghwal, in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, is a clearing house and archive of accurate cannabis related information. Focusing on the thousands of uses of cannabis (besides recreation), the volunteers here are extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of this amazing plant. There are displays with hundreds of samples of cannabis related products including clothes, cosmetics, food, and much more. There are two electronically controlled vaporizers for you to try this healthier method of cannabis ingestion.

Downstairs there’s a working indoor marijuana garden, complete with growers on hand to answer your growing related questions. There is a €2.50 donation to view the garden, otherwise the rest of the College is free to browse. We encourage all who visit to donate something to this worthy cause.

Rembrandthuis Museum

The master of Dutch painting lived here from 1639 to 1660, teaching lessons in the attic, living on the ground floors with his wife and son. The displays of his art here are well worth the visit and include self-portraits, nude studies and religious scenes and some landscapes.

Stedelijk Museum

The Stedelijk Musuem was originally built in 1890 to house a collection of art given to the city by Sophia de Bruyn. In 1938 it was turned into the National Museum of Modern Art and has exhibits by such masters as Picasso, Mondriaan, Cezanne, Monet and Matisse. Exhibits are also displayed of new art including sculptures, paintings, prints, drawings, video, photography, etc.


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Van Gogh Museum

The world’s largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings, drawings and over 900 letters Vincent wrote during his lifetime are housed in this modern building opened in 1973. An extensive addition to the museum was completed the summer of 1999. Other exhibits are shown as well, usually dealing with his contemporaries’ artwork.

Amsterdam Tips

1. Must do’s: Get a good map with an index, rent a bike, visit a museum, take a canal boat cruise, see the Vondelpark, see a classical or jazz concert at the Concertgebouw, explore the Leidseplein’s many restaurants, pubs and music venues, have a beer at the Rembrandtplein and watch the passing show, check out the posters for events of interest, try some Indonesian food (or Dutch food if you prefer less spice). Take a walk through the Red Light District and see what they left out of that sex education class in junior high. If you’ve ever smoked marijuana, or always wanted to try, just visit any establishment that calls itself a coffeeshop (not a cafe), and ask to see the menu (hippies need not be reminded, that’s why they came!). Visit the countryside to see the farms, flowers, windmills and dikes.

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Bicycle Riding

What a cool way to spend a day, zipping through Amsterdam at another pace, in another dimension from the foot traffic (of which there is a lot)! Amsterdam is blessed with bike lanes everywhere, with their own traffic lights and signage (in Dutch), alongside the car and tram lanes. Usually it’s much quicker to ride your bike through town than any other way of transportation. Renting a bike is easy, at Central Station or from the many places in town that rent bikes privately. Just lock it up tight and pray, bikes are stolen with amazing speed in Amsterdam!