What to do & what to see in Amsterdam: a city adventure in Europe

You might be wondering: why should I travel to Amsterdam? The truth is, there are plenty of reasons to visit the Netherlands' peculiar capital city. It has incredible scenery, a lively ambiance, and a selection of adventurous activities. Plus, Amsterdam vacations are suited to everyone’s tastes: from families to friends, just married couples to hen or stag parties -- it's hard to beat that.

So, prepare to take a stroll across panoramic canals, ride a bike across the city with buddies, or hop on a candlelit cruise with your partner. If you're an art lover, don't worry. There are so many places that can truly satisfy the thirst for impressive art, like museums and galleries that attract thousands of tourists to the capital city. Oh, and don't forget about the lively nightlife: restaurants, cafes, bars, and a famous club scene are all waiting for you to explore them. But most of all, whoever visits Amsterdam is guaranteed to have a unique experience.

The lovely canals are the main attraction for visitors, thanks to their picture-perfect sceneries. You can explore the canals by cruise, and luckily, there are plenty of various tours that have different themes: from cocktail tours to pizza cruises.

For more than seventy years, the Dutch National Opera has impressed visitors with its contents and with its building. Enter a grand and charming place where history is the master of storytelling, and discover this captivating museum. Besides this, you can also explore the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank Museum, and so many others.

The shiny nightlife of Amsterdam is full of surprises: so, get ready to uncover DJs, clubs, and dance festivals. But let's start with the canal cruises. Because no trip to this capital city would be full without taking a canal voyage. The canals of the city are famous all over the world, as the streets they race on the side can be enjoyed in the comfort of a yacht as you cruise along and take instagrammable pictures. You can dive deep into the amazing architecture and why not, during the evenings, on romantic cruises under the moonlight and the mystical street lights of Amsterdam?

If you feel fancy and romantic, why not book a wine and dinner cruise? Enjoy a 4-course meal and can embark on an out-of-this-world two-hour trip down the city’s aqueducts. Moreover, you can book a traditional day canal trip if you feel like it and get a guide with you to help you spot all the best locations and places there are to see. What's more, these are tours that are made on a daily basis, every hour of the day, so you have plenty of opportunities to book one beforehand.

One of the best museums in Amsterdam is Madame Tussauds. It can be found right in Amsterdam’s city center - Dam Square. It's a world-famous wax museum where you can see hundreds of mannequins imitating stars that date from the Golden Age of Dutch history to the contemporary scene. And expect to see extremely realistic waxwork but don't be afraid.

Or maybe you love comic books - then you must visit the museums' section dedicated to Marvel Comics! It's absolutely insane and you can see the Thore, Captain America, and all your favorite superheroes close-up. Music, sports, and film celebs include Elvis, Charlie Chaplin, and Davide Beckham. But there are also figures from history like Dalai Lama or Einstein.

The National Maritime Museum

One of the most visited museums in Amsterdam (with more than 400,000 visitors in a year) is the National Maritime Museum. This is one of the most popular attractions and you will not forget the building and everything inside, as it is purely spectacular. With a rich maritime history, it was built in 1656 and now houses a lot of artifacts related to sailing and shipping. You can see their weapons, scale models, world maps, and even a copy of Maximilianus Transylvanus De Moluccis Insulis, a work that relates to Magellan's journey around the world. There's also a model of the 18th-century ship, the Amsterdam, moored outside the museum, a cute restaurant, and a gift shop for awesome souvenirs.

The Van Gogh Museum

One of the most visited museums in Europe has been open since 1973. It attracts more than 1 million tourists a year and it's located at the Museum Square, Van Gogh museum has also the biggest collection of Van Gogh's work on the globe, so if you're a fan of his art, it's imperious that you visit it at least once in a lifetime.

The large collection contains many of the artist's unsold creations, offering guests a memorable experience of glimpsing some of his rarest artworks of Van Gogh. But you can also see Van Gogh’s most famous paintings and drawings, including his well-known Sunflowers painting from 1889, a famous self-portrait, and the Wheatfield paintings.

The museum is open daily, and you can take audio tours or private tours. Also within the museum is a café for visitors to enjoy a hot meal and a gift shop, where you can purchase everything from official Van Gogh books to bangles.