Museums, Food, and the North Side

Museums

If the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, or Stedelijk are fully booked—which is common—you can shift to smaller museums that are often less crowded and easier to move through.

• Willet-Holthuysen Museum is a canal house on the Herengracht. It shows preserved 19th-century interiors: reception rooms, dining spaces, and a formal garden at the back.

• Maritime Museum Amsterdam focuses on the city’s maritime history. The collection includes maps, navigation instruments, and ship models. Outside floats a full-scale replica of a VOC ship that you can walk through. Ahoy captain! Kids love it!

• Huis Bartolotti is a 17th-century canal house on the Herengracht, preserved with original interiors including a grand staircase, richly decorated reception rooms, and period details that show how merchant families received guests and organised domestic space. It is maintained as a historic house museum and gives a direct view into canal-era residential architecture.

• NEMO Science Museum is a hands-on science museum in a striking green building above the IJ tunnel entrance. Inside are interactive exhibits on physics, energy, chemistry, and technology—meant to be touched, tested, and explored rather than only observed. Kids love it! The rooftop is freely accessible and offers one of the broadest panoramic views over Amsterdam, its harbour, and the surrounding waterfront.

Food (practical version)

Amsterdam has no single local cuisine. Food culture is mixed and international.

A useful tool for finding restaurants is TheFork, which lets you search by area, price, and availability.

One important layer is Indonesian food. It is widely available across the city and reflects the historical connection between the Netherlands and Indonesia. Dishes like rijsttafel are common in everyday restaurants, not just specialty places.

The North: NDSM and the Ferry

Behind Central Station, free ferries cross the IJ river toward NDSM Wharf. The trip takes about 20 minutes and is used daily by both commuters and visitors.

NDSM was originally a shipyard. Large industrial halls and open docks are still present. Today the area is used for studios, events, cafés, and temporary projects, while keeping much of its industrial structure.