Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIgHtS
One of Amsterdam's delights is that it has perhaps more small
specialty museums than any other city its size. From houseboats
to sex, from marijuana to Old Masters, you can find a museum to
suit your interests.
For tips on how to save time otherwise spent in the long
lines of the big three museums—the Anne Frank House, Van
Gogh Museum, and Rijksmuseum—see “Advance Tickets and
Sightseeing Cards” on page 34.
Note that most museums require baggage check (usually free,
often in coin-op lockers where you get your coin back).
The following sights are arranged by neighborhood for handy
sightseeing. When you see a
J
in a listing, it means the sight is
covered in much more depth in one of my walks or self-guided
tours. This is why Amsterdam's most important attractions get
the least coverage in this chapter—we'll explore them later in the
book.
Southwest Amsterdam
sss
Rijksmuseum
—Built to house the nation's great art, the
Rijksmuseum owns several thousand paintings, including an
incomparable collection of Dutch Masters: Rembrandt, Vermeer,
Hals, and Steen. The museum has made it easy for you to focus on
the highlights, because that's all that is on display while most of the
building undergoes several years of renovation (due to wrap up in
2013). You'll be able to wander through a wonderful, concentrated
dose of 17th-century Dutch masterpieces (€10, audioguide-€4,
daily 9:00-18:00, Fri until 20:30, tram #2 or #5 from Central
Station to Hobbemastraat, tel. 020/674-7047 for automated info
or tel. 020/674-7000 for main number, www.rijksmuseum.nl). The
Philips Wing entrance is near the corner of Hobbemastraat and
