5 Hidden Attractions to See in Amsterdam

When you think of Amsterdam, you usually think of three things: cafes, red lights and canals. Young travelers tend to visit the cafes or hike through the red-light district, while older travelers go cycling, canal cruises and various museums. Amsterdam has a lot to offer travelers.

This city is by far one of the most beautiful in the world. Visit some of these quieter and more local places. Amsterdam is found outside the city center in the smaller neighborhoods with their canal-side cafes. Don’t miss a chance to get out of the crowd here.

The Houseboat Museum

Not much of a museum, but this decorated houseboat gives you an exciting insight into how life on the canals is. Built in 1914, the boat was initially used to transport sand, coal and gravel. In the 1960s, it was converted into a houseboat and lived for about 20 years. You go into the boat at the stern, five steps down.

With a size of 23 x 4.5 m, with a good floor space of 80m2, this houseboat is the same size as the average Amsterdam apartment. In the days when the boat was used as a freighter, the skipper lived with his family in the stern. Gives a good insight into the living conditions aboard the ship as they were.

The Tulip Museum

This little place does an exciting job of telling the story of tulips in Holland and the notorious tulip madness. To this day, the tulip has a special place in Dutch culture. In this cozy museum, you will learn more about the history of the flower. The Amsterdam Tulip Museum shows you the unique and exciting history of Tulip.

It seems like you are taking a walk through time and following the tulip on its adventurous journey. No other flower is as mysterious and exciting as the tulip. From there, the tulip began its journey through Europe and finally landed in the hands of the Dutch, who brought her worldwide glory.

Photography Museum Amsterdam

FOAM (Photography Museum Amsterdam) is a photo museum that opened in 2001. The museum houses beautiful pictures and sees very few crowds, although it is located in the central part of the city. It is a must for any photography or art lover.

With around 200,000 visitors per year, FOAM is the most popular photographic museum in the Netherlands. The museum is located in a large canal house and has a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere. The interior is quite modern with large windows overlooking the garden.

Micropia

This “zoo” is home to all sorts of microbes and bacteria. You can wander through the displays, peek through microscopes and learn about all the invisible germs we interact with daily. Micropia, the only museum of microbes, is located in the historical building of Natura Artis Magistra.

However, there is a severe knowledge gap between science and the general public. If there is any general view of the invisible micro-world, it is negative. Micropia puts this expertise to the service of this microscopic world waiting to be discovered. The museum opens up micro-nature which promises to give us so much in the future.

The Torture Museum

This museum is dedicated to the presentation of the punishments to which prisoners in the history of the city were subjected. Ecclesiastical jurists created unusual penalties for the extraordinary crimes of witchcraft and hustlers. The Spanish Inquisition used a sophisticated range of instruments to fight these evil works of the devil.

The Torture Museum offers a vivid picture of this painful past. The international exhibition “Punishments and Judgments in the Middle Ages” comprises more than 40 punitive stones from different parts of Europe, from the Inquisition Chair to the Guillotine. They are illustrated with engravings and described with historical background information.