The Big Guns

Rijksmuseum. The country’s premier neo-gothic treasure gleams inside and out post decade-long nip/tuck, with 8,000+ artworks + artifacts tracing Dutch history. Museumstraat 1 / Museum Qtr / T: 7, 10 Spiegelgracht / 020 674 7000 / 9am-5pm daily / rijksmuseum.nl

Stedelijk Museum. The 130,000 sq ft ‘bathtub’ is home to Amsterdam’s top contempo art collection, plus fab exhibits. Museumplein 10 / Museum Qtr / T: 2, 5 Van Baerlestraat / 020 573 2911 / 10am-6pm Tue-sun, till 10pm Thu / stedelijk.nl

Van Gogh Museum. Superlative collection of sunflowers + more by the world’s most famous mad one-eared painter. Paulus Potterstraat 7 / Museum Qtr / T: 2, 5 Van Baerlestraat / 020 570 5200 / from 9am daily, till 10pm Fri / vangoghmuseum.nl

Anne Frank House. Where little Anne and her family hid from the Nazis during World War 2 – a visit is a harrowing but important lesson in both human cruelty and tenacity. Prinsengracht 263 / Canal Ring / T: 13, 14, 17 Westermarkt / 020 556 7105 / 9am-7pm daily (9pm Sat) in winter, 9am-9pm daily (10pm Sat) in summer, till 10pm Jul-aug / annefrank.org

Hermitage Amsterdam. Beautiful C.17th classicist former geriatric home now housing perma and temp exhibs from the incredible vaults of the St Petersburg mothership. Amstel 51 / Centre / T: 9, 14 Waterlooplein / 020 530 7488 / 10am-5pm daily / hermitage.nl / have a beer at Eetcafé de Magere Brug / Amstel 81 / 020 221 3400 / magerebrug.nl / by the namesake skinny bridge for a fantastic canal perspective

Scheepsvaartmuseum. 500 years of Dutch maritime history neatly condensed, plus an awesome replica of a VOC boat. Kattenburgerplein 1 / walk from Centraal Station / 020 523 222 / daily / hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl