Amsterdam: The World’s Wealthiest City in the 17th Century, Still Living Off That Legacy

Amsterdam has more bicycles than residents and more canals than Venice. The canal ring (Grachtengordel) was laid out in the 1600s by a city that was the wealthiest trading port in the world, and the merchant houses along the Herengracht and Keizersgracht were built by people who needed to demonstrate that fact through architecture. The UNESCO listing in 2010 recognised what was already obvious: this is one of the best-preserved and most coherently beautiful city centres in Europe. That same fact has made it one of Europe’s most overcrowded summer destinations.

The tourist footprint has grown into something that the city government is actively managing: short-term rental restrictions, cruise ship limits, and campaigns to reduce the stag-party demographic. None of this has dampened the experience significantly, but it does mean the city you visit in 2026 is genuinely trying to be something different from what it was a decade ago.

The Canals

The city fans out from Centraal Station in a half-moon. The four main canals (Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht) form the historic core. The Jordaan, west of the canal ring, is the neighbourhood for brown cafes, galleries, and Saturday markets. Museumplein, south, holds the major museums. De Pijp, around the Albert Cuyp Market, is where the city lives on weekday mornings.

Walking the canal towpaths before 9am is the experience. Renting a sloep (small electric canal boat) and navigating the waterways yourself is the most enjoyable way to see the city from the water.

The Museums

Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht is the most important visit in Amsterdam for understanding 20th-century European history. Tickets must be booked online – all tickets release every Tuesday at 10am CET for visits six weeks later. 80 percent of daily entries sell out within minutes. Check the official site for cancellations. After 5pm tends to be quieter.

Rijksmuseum holds Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, and the Dutch Golden Age collection. Allow at least three hours.

Van Gogh Museum has the world’s largest collection of his work arranged chronologically, from the dark Dutch period through Paris to Arles. The chronological structure tells a complete story.

Eating

The rijsttafel (rice table) is the Dutch-Indonesian dinner format: 12 to 20 small dishes, a legacy of colonial trade. Tempo Doeloe on Utrechtsestraat does the best version in the city.

Fresh herring held by the tail and eaten with raw onion is the correct Amsterdam street food – from any cart or from Stubbe’s Haring near Centraal. Cafe Papeneiland (open since 1642) is the most atmospheric brown cafe for a beer and bitterballen (deep-fried meat croquettes).

Practical Notes

GVB trams and buses now use OVpay contactless card payment; tap your bank card directly or buy from the conductor. Rent a bike; cycling is faster than most modes for central journeys. Watch the tram tracks when cycling – the gap catches tyres.

Spring (late March to May) brings tulips and Keukenhof (35 km south). Autumn has golden canal light and manageable crowds.