This compact European capital is a cultural juggernaut

Seven Wonders of Amsterdam

During the 17th century, Amsterdam was the most influential trading hub in Europe. Today, it’s a compact cultural juggernaut that offers everything from world-class art and museums to traditional bars and UNESCO-listed canals.

1 Wander the Canal Belt

Dodge flying Dutchmen (and women) on dainty bicycles and pause to watch canal boats slip under the many arched bridges on Amsterdam’s iconic network of waterways. Built during the 17th century to repurpose urban space, the old town’s Canal Belt is UNESCO-listed and spans more than 100 kilometres. Step inside Museum van Loon to see the well-preserved canal house once owned by one of the founders of the Dutch East India Company. The collection includes family portraits, silver and porcelain. See museumvanloon.nl

2 Get lost in the Rijksmuseum

Tick off the Netherlands’ answer to Mona Lisa at this museum boasting more than 1 million artefacts, which was built in neo-gothic style in the 1800s. The Night Watch by Rembrandt depicts Amsterdam’s civic guard and commands its own room. Works by other Dutch greats, including Vermeer, grace the halls here, but don’t miss views of the Cuypers Library from the gallery above. The oldest art literature library in the Netherlands features towering bookshelves, a large skylight and its 450,000 objects can be studied by appointment. See rijksmuseum.nl

3 Drink at a bruin bar

With their cosy, dark wood interiors, brass fittings and endearing wear-and-tear, Amsterdam’s oldest drinking holes serve more than just beer and bitterballen. Many of the city’s traditional “brown cafes” have been used as vital gathering places for Amsterdam’s colourful inhabitants for centuries. Cafe Chris in the Jordaan has been pouring since 1624. It’s so old that the flush mechanism for the toilet is located in the common area of the bar rather than in the cubicle.

4 Visit the Oud Kerke

Rembrandt’s wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, and prominent Dutch composer Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck are among 60,000 people buried under this 700-year-old church-turned-creative hub in Amsterdam’s historic Red Light District. The oldest building in Amsterdam functions as a space for contemporary art, often with an interactive or audiovisual element. Its heritage medieval stained-glass windows, 25-metre-high spiral staircases and baroque organ form the canvas for some of the city’s most edgy art. See oudekerk.nl

5 Stand in Dam Square

A dam built in the 13th century on the Amstel River to prevent the then fishing settlement from flooding gave Amsterdam its name. Today, it’s the cultural heartbeat of the city and home to a number of landmarks, including the 17th-century neoclassical Royal Palace Amsterdam. Book a ticket to view its Citizen’s Hall, which features a six-metre statue of the Greek god Atlas holding up a globe and a marble floor inlaid with world maps that depict Amsterdam as the centre of the universe, a reference to its global trade power during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. See paleisamsterdam.nl

6 See modern art at Moco Museum

Had enough of the old masters? A few footsteps from the Van Gogh Museum is this compact collection of contemporary art with pop culture prevalence, albeit presented in a historic villa dating back to 1904. As well as a permanent Banksy exhibition, this multi-level townhouse displays an Elmo chair by American artist KAWS and iconic works from Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Damien Hirst, alongside influencer-worthy digital and immersive art. See mocomuseum.com

7 Drop in on Rembrandt

Like many people in the 17th century, Dutch baroque painter Rembrandt is said to have slept sitting up. His box bed, designed for an upright position to supposedly aid digestion, can be viewed among other personal objects and etchings from his art studio in the Rembrandt House Museum in the centre of Amsterdam. The artist lived here between 1639 and 1658, and created many of his masterpieces onsite. See rembrandthuis.nl

The writer travelled at her own expense.