Amsterdam

More of the tortured artist’s work is collected here than anywhere in the world, from The Potato Eaters, through Sunflowers, to Wheatfield with Crows. An inspired redesign of the old... — The Telegraph

Rent a bicycle and head to Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, home to the largest collection of work by the influential Dutch Impressionist. — Travel + Leisure

This remarkable light-infused building ... venerates the short, certainly not sweet, but highly productive career of everyone's favorite tortured 19th-century artist. — Fodor's

The Van Gogh Museum is one of Amsterdam’s must-sees. — Lonely Planet

Van Gogh only painted for about a decade, but he left behind a remarkable legacy of paintings and drawings, as well as his left ear. The highlight of the museum is its impressive... — Let's Go

The vast neoclassical brick castle of the Rijksmuseum—is set in gardens leading to Museumplein and onward to the Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw. — Concierge

Most of it is closed, but key paintings and other works from the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age can be viewed in the museum's Philips Wing. — Frommer's

Famed for its 17C paintings, the museum also has other magnificent collections. — Michelin Guide

Netherlands' premier art trove, splashing Rembrandts, Vermeers and 7500 other masterpieces over 1.5km of galleries. — Lonely Planet

One of Europe’s great art museums, the red-brick, neo-Gothic national art museum devotes 14 rooms to more than 400 Dutch masterpieces. — Travel + Leisure

<span class="m_first-letter">T</span>he attic rooms where the Frank family hid during World War II, reached through a door behind a hinged bookcase, are bare of furniture yet almost... — The Telegraph

A visit to the house is a must. — Condé Nast Traveler

The Anne Frank Huis is the Western Canal Belt’s ubersight, drawing almost one million visitors annually. — Lonely Planet

Anne Frank, one of the most famous authors of the 20th century, wrote the inspiring diary of a Jewish girl who was forced to hide with her family here in a hidden apartment from the Nazis. — Fodor's

The Anne Frank House is by far the most popular sight in the entire city, with lines that start at least 30min. before opening and seem to grow throughout the day. The museum itself... — Let's Go

There’s no telling what you’ll find at the Stedelijk Museum’s project space, but it seems to usually be some kind of art. Local artists have the chance to showcase artwork in rotating... — Let's Go

The modern art gallery’s controversial new wing (the exterior looks like a giant bathtub) houses a restaurant, a gift store, and expanded exhibition spaces. — Afar Magazine

Amsterdam's celebrated treasurehouse of modern art, the Stedelijk finally reopened (in September 2012) following a massive refurbishment of this wedding-cake Neo-Renaissance structure. — Fodor's

Built in 1895 to a neo-Renaissance design by AM Weissman, the Stedelijk Museum is the permanent home of the National Museum of Modern Art. — Lonely Planet

Collections contain work from 1850 to the present day, from the classics of modern art like Manet, Picasso and Mondrian to the present day. — Michelin Guide

The museum plans on two large-scale temporary exhibitions each year. — Concierge

An outpost of St Petersburg’s Hermitage museum opened in Amsterdam in 2009 with a star-studded, 30-hour ceremony. — Time Out

It has fast become one of the city’s most popular attractions since its 2009 opening. — Lonely Planet

Hosts fantastic temporary exhibitions, drawn from the collections of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine I. — Michelin Guide

The Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg has been loaning art and historical artifacts to Amsterdam exhibitions for years,. — Condé Nast Traveler

Objects, stories, treasures and works of art from Amsterdam’s long and at times illustrious history, all form part of imaginative displays on the city’s past, present and even future. The... — The Telegraph

For a better understanding of everything you'll see while exploring the city on your own, a visit of 3 to 4 hours to this brilliantly executed museum is more than worthwhile. — Frommer's

Any city that began in the 13th century as a boggy swamp to become the trading powerhouse of the world in the 17th century has a fascinating story to tell, and this museum does it superbly. — Fodor's

Housed in the former city orphanage dating back to 1580, the Amsterdam Museum is a fascinating journey through the city's history, with exhibits ranging from medieval maps to a portrait gallery from the Golden Age. — Travel + Leisure

This modern museum uses paintings, objects, sculptures and documents to recapture the great events in Amsterdam's history. — Michelin Guide

The artist Rembrandt lived in this house towards the end of his life, from 1639 until 1656, when bankruptcy forced him to sell all his possessions at auction. When the house became a... — Travel + Leisure

You almost expect to find the master himself at the Museum het Rembrandthuis , where Rembrandt van Rijn ran the Netherlands’ largest painting studio. — Lonely Planet

This house with its triangular pediment dated 1630 was Rembrandt's home from 1639 to 1659, and it was here that most of his masterpieces were created. — Michelin Guide

No oil paintings on display—go to the Rijksmuseum if that's what you're after—but plenty of his groundbreaking etchings. — Condé Nast Traveler

Flush with success at the height of his popularity, Rembrandt van Rijn bought this massively expensive house in 1639. Twenty years later, after a decline in sales and failure to pay his... — Let's Go

Originally known as the Museum Amstelkring, this place is a well-kept secret. — Time Out

With its elegant gray-and-white facade and spout gable, this appears to be just another lovely 17th-century canal house, and on the lower floors it is. — Fodor's

The Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (“Our Lord in the Attic”) museum commemorates a beautiful Catholic church that was built…in an attic. — Let's Go

Though Amsterdam's been known as a tolerant city for many centuries, after the 1578 Protestant Alteratie (Changeover), Roman Catholics fell into disfavor. — Frommer's

What looks like an ordinary canal house turns out to have an entire Catholic church stashed inside. — Lonely Planet

Originally built for the city's mayor around 1685, this grand canal house is still partly furnished in the style of the time, while other rooms date back to the 18th century. — Travel + Leisure

The grandest and most glittering of Amsterdam’s canal-house museums was occupied by a succession of local notables, the last, Sandrina Holthuysen, dying alone, surrounded by cats in 1895.... — The Telegraph

This sumptuous residence, now part of the Amsterdams Historisch Museum, is named after the widow who bequeathed the property to the city in the late 19th century. — Lonely Planet

Built in the 1680s, this mansion was purchased in the 1850s by the Willet-Holthuysen family. — Time Out

The furniture and artefacts inside give an impression of the life led by merchants in the Dutch "Golden Age". — Michelin Guide

The painter Ferdinand Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt and a famous portrait-painter, was the tenant of this house. — Michelin Guide

A peek indoors at the home of an Amsterdam patrician family. The 17th-century canal-side mansion, one of the most splendid in town, has been magnificently restored, to the last lick of... — The Telegraph

The posh mid-18th-century interior is terrifically grand, and admirers of Louis XIV and XV decor will find much that excites. So will art-lovers. — Time Out

The van Loon family owned this magnificent patrician house between 1884 and 1945. — Frommer's

If you're itching to get behind the doors of one of those stately Golden Age canal houses, Museum Van Loon is your best bet. — Concierge

The 'experience' is spread across four levels and 18 attractions, and includes multiple interactive exhibits, a mini brewery and a 'stable walk.'. — Time Out

A venue for receptions and a museum of beer... the visit includes enormous copper vats and the brewery's former stables (the barrels were delivered by cart), as well as a free glass of beer. — Michelin Guide

On the site of the company’s old brewery, the newly renovated attraction let’s you take a self-guided tour that’s tantamount to brew-worship. — Lonely Planet

Founded by Gerard Heineken in 1864, the Heineken label has become one of the world's most famous (and popular) beers. — Fodor's

The experience unfolds inside former Heineken brewing facilities, which date from 1867. — Frommer's

This impossible-to-overlook example of Dutch Classicism became the new home of the Maritime Museum in the 1970s. — Fodor's

The ship Amsterdam, which holds pride of place amongst the numerous moored vessels, is the jewel in the museum's crown. — Michelin Guide

Five hundred years of maritime history is packed into the elegant Dutch classicist Admiralty Arsenal, built on the water in 1655 to stock and supply the vessels of the Golden Age. I can... — The Telegraph

All the exhibits chronicle the country's abiding ties to the sea through commerce, fishing, yachting, exploration, and war. — Frommer's

If it’s nautical art that floats your boat, then the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum is a must. — Time Out

Its gleaming complex houses four movie theaters, exhibitions, a store, and a restaurant with a sought-after terrace with views. — Frommer's

Devoted to pioneering global filmmakers, but the architecturally curious will enjoy the audacious building. — Condé Nast Traveler

When passengers arrive at Centraal Station their attention is now drawn to the new cinema museum, the EYE. It's impossible to ignore the striking white silhouette of this origami-style... — Michelin Guide

The museum has a large collection of memorabilia including over half a million photos, 20,000 books and a priceless archive of 37,000 films that are screened. — Lonely Planet

Going to Amsterdam's film institute and museum, called the Eye, is fun for the journey alone. — Afar Magazine

From May 14, 1940, to May 5, 1945, the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany. This museum looks at the population's response: who resisted and how. — Fodor's

This museum shows, in no uncertain terms, how much courage it takes to actively resist an adversary so ruthless that you can't trust neighbours, friends or even family. — Lonely Planet

Daily wartime existence is brought to life ... highlighting the issues faced by the Dutch population: raids, Nazi propaganda, the Resistance and manufacturing forged papers. — Michelin Guide

Take a trip back in time to Holland's dark World War II days, during the Nazi occupation (1940-45). — Frommer's

The Verzetsmuseum is one of Amsterdam's most illuminating museums and quite possibly its most moving. — Time Out

From the outside, it is somewhat hard to believe that these ponderous premises were declaimed by poet and diplomat Constantijn Huygens as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". — Fodor's

William of Orange, King of the United Provinces in 1814, made it his residence. Nowadays the Queen only makes occasional appearances here. — Michelin Guide

Commissioned as a town hall in 1648, this building became a palace in the 19th century. — Lonely Planet

One of the Dam's heavier features is the solid, neoclassical facade of the Royal Palace (1648-55). — Frommer's

The Jewish Historical Museum is full of religious items, photographs and paintings detailing the rich history of Jews and Judaism in the Netherlands throughout the centuries. — Time Out

The local nickname for Amsterdam is ‘Mokum’, from the Yiddish for ‘place’ or ‘haven’. For centuries before World War II, the city was home to one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in... — The Telegraph

This museum occupies four synagogues from the 17th and 18th Centuries ... it seeks to convey different elements of Jewish history. — Michelin Guide

Investigates Jewish life in Holland from myriad perspectives. — Condé Nast Traveler

The Joods Historisch Museum, is a beautifully restored complex of four Ashkenazic synagogues from the 17th and 18th centuries. — Lonely Planet

Attractions range from the giant "bubbles" on the ground floor to experiments in the wonder lab and interactive exhibitions like Teen Facts. Kids love it. — Fodor's

Resembling an enormous green hull facing the IJ river, Nemo is the work of Renzo Piano, architect of the Pompidou Centre in Paris. This science museum houses a collection of well-designed... — Michelin Guide

Perched atop the entrance to the IJ Tunnel is NEMO, the largest museum of science and technology in the Netherlands. — Lonely Planet

Nemo opened in 1998 and has gone from strength to strength as a truly kid-friendly science museum. — Time Out

A fount of science and technology, NEMO is housed in a swooping modern building in the Eastern Dock, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. — Frommer's

In a palatial building that is part of the Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (Dutch Royal Institute of the Tropics), this immense museum provides an anthropological look at the world’s... — Let's Go

A tropical surprise without leaving Amsterdam. In a magnificent open space, you can wonder trough the permanent exhibition of art and culture from around the world. In addition, the... — On the Grid

The Tropenmuseum houses a three-storey collection of colonial artefacts, presented with insight, imagination and a fair amount of multimedia. — Lonely Planet

One of the city's most intriguing museums belongs to the Royal Institute for the Tropics, a foundation devoted to studying the cultures of tropical areas around the world. — Frommer's

The interiors of this museum and its library are really beautiful—a mosaic of polished wood and marble surfaces. — Afar Magazine

Laid out in grand style in 1838, Artis Royal Zoo (the ‘royal’ refers to its charter, not its inhabitants) is the oldest public zoo in continental Europe. Its park-like, 19th-century... — The Telegraph

Artis was continental Europe's first zoo and is the world's third oldest... a good family day out. — Fodor's

The zoo is home to some 6000 animals (nearly 1200 species)... a geological museum (Geologisch Museum) provides an overview of the history of the planet. — Michelin Guide

The oldest zoo on the European continent, Artis has an alphabet soup of wildlife: alligators, birds, chimps and so on up to zebras. — Lonely Planet

If you're at a loss for what to do with the kids, Artis is a safe bet -- more than a million visitors a year agree. — Frommer's

This excellent photography museum, located in a renovated canal house, holds regular exhibitions of works by shutter-button maestros like August Sander. — Time Out

A small, smartly curated museum with global clout (and worth at least an hour's visit), Foam specializes in conceptual exhibits from both power-house photographers and emerging talents. — Concierge

Exhibits change monthly and are often focused on social themes. — Condé Nast Traveler

In a city stuck in the past, this is one of the best places to find quality modern art in the medium of photography. This four level museum proves it has depth beyond by showcasing works... — Let's Go

Photography is hot in Amsterdam at the moment, and FOAM offers not only international blockbuster exhibitions by the likes of Diane Arbus and Richard Avedon, but also smaller shows by... — The Telegraph