Favorite experiences in Amsterdam

updated 3:58 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2006

Cruising the Canals: Save yourself inches of shoe leather by hopping aboard a glass-topped canal boat for a cruise through Amsterdam's beautiful canals, from where you get the best possible view of all those gabled Golden Age merchants' houses. Just ignore anyone who tells you it's a tourist trap -- it is a tourist trap, I suppose, but it got that way by being justifiably popular.

Viewing Old Masters at the Rijksmuseum: Unfortunately, most of the museum is closed for refurbishment through 2008. But in the sole wing that remains open, the Philips Wing, the Rijksmuseum has assembled The Masterpieces, highlights from its collection of 17th-century Dutch Golden Age, ah, masterpieces, among them Rembrandt's classic The Night Watch.

Visiting with Vincent: At the Van Gogh Museum, where the world's largest collection of Vincent's works is housed in perpetuity, you can trace the artistic and psychological development of this great, tragic painter.

Remembering Anne Frank: The clear and haunting words of a young Jewish girl trying to survive and to grow up in unimaginable circumstances have moved millions since they were first published in the aftermath of World War II. They speak both for her and, in a way, for all those whose voices were never heard. It's a melancholy but unforgettable experience to spend a reflective moment in the Anne Frankhuis, amid the stark surroundings of Anne's hideaway from the Nazi terror.

Treating Your Ears to the Concertgebouw: Take in a classical music concert at one of the world's most acoustically perfect halls, home to the famed Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and prime stop for visiting philharmonics (the musicians are sometimes pretty good, too).

Going Tiptoe Through the Tulips: Join in with four centuries of Dutch tradition and go overboard for a flower that, though its natural home is among the mountain-fringed plains of Turkey and Iran, has become synonymous with Holland. In spring you'll find them everywhere, but sharp promotion (and at least a seed of truth) has it that the best place to pick up a bunch of tulips from Amsterdam is from the Flower Market on Singel.

Biking the City: If you want to pass for an authentic Amsterdammer, find a bicycle that's so ancient, rusted, and worn that no self-respecting thief would waste a second of their valuable time trying to steal it (ah, but they will). Then, charge like Custer at Little Bighorn into the ruckus of trams, cars, buses, and other bikes. Better yet, rent a bike that's in somewhat better condition -- and go carefully.

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Hunting for Antiques: Five hundred and more years of Amsterdam history, including a guaranteed piece of the city's 17th-century Golden Age, is there for the wrapping in the Spiegelgracht antiques quarter. And all you need to acquire it is a fistful of euros or some flexible plastic.

Shopping for a Steal at a Street Market: You'll have to get up pretty early and be pretty slick to hoodwink a Dutch street trader and score a genuine kill at the Waterlooplein flea market or the Albert Cuyp street market. But bargains have been sighted at both, and local color is guaranteed.

Riding a Canal Bike: Amsterdam natives -- and even some long-term expats who ought to know better but who are trying to pass themselves off as Amsterdam natives -- scoff long and loud at this. Let them. Pedal yourself through the water for an hour or two on your own private tour-boat and at your own speed, to view the canals in style (not much style, I'll admit).

Skating the Canals: When the canals freeze over -- and sadly it doesn't happen every winter -- you'll find few Amsterdammers to argue with the proposition that God is a Dutchman. The chance to go around on the ice is one of the few things that can pry the locals off of their bikes. Strap on a pair of long-bladed Noren skates and join them in their favorite winter outdoor activity.

Shuttling Across the Harbor on the IJ Ferry: The short passage by ferryboat back and forth across the IJ channel between Centraal Station and Amsterdam Noord (North) is a great little cruise and provides a good view of the harbor. What's more, the ferries on the shortest routes are free.

Crossing Bridges When you Come to Them: Amsterdam has more bridges and more canals than Venice -- a city that Italians are proud to call "the Amsterdam of the South." Find out what makes Italians so humble by crossing as many of the 1,200 bridges over the untroubled waters of Amsterdam's canals as you can reasonably fit in. The views are great.

Living the "Américain" Dream: Join tout Amsterdam for coffee, tea, and gâteau in the stunning Art Nouveau ambience of the American Hotel's Café Américain. The service has improved somewhat since a post-war Dutch writer described the waiters as "unemployed knife throwers."

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