The Atlas Obscura Guide To Amsterdam

66 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Updated June 23, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Amsterdam

Electric Ladyland in full color.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Electric Ladyland: The Museum of Fluorescent Art

The world's only museum devoted to the wonders of fluorescence.

Speciality shop in scientific and pharmaceutical objects.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Nieuwe Spiegelstraat

An Amsterdam street lined with antique shops each one dedicated to a different obscure collection.

"The Cat Boat."

Amsterdam, Netherlands

De Poezenboot (The Cat Boat)

A floating cat sanctuary on an Amsterdam canal.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Torture Museum

Museum preserving torture methods from the past.

Beautiful palms in an equally beautiful building.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam

Established in 1638 to battle the Black Death, Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is a treasure trove of rare flora.

KattenKabinet

Amsterdam, Netherlands

KattenKabinet

Cat art as far as the eye can see.

Cross section of dog skull

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Museum Vrolik

A curious collection dedicated to human and animal anatomy and pathology.

Cuypers Library

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Cuypers Library

This gorgeous reading room houses the oldest and largest art history library in the Netherlands.

See All 66 Things To Do in Amsterdam

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Amsterdam

In't Aepjen

Amsterdam, Netherlands

In't Aepjen

This historic Amsterdam bar used to accept sailor's monkeys as payment.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Café Papeneiland

Famed for its pie, this eatery has a hidden tunnel that allowed Catholics to secretly walk to church during the Reformation.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam Cheese Museum

This cheese shop also houses a museum devoted to Dutch dairy.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Brouwerij’t IJ

This bird-loving brewery is situated in an old municipal bathhouse, nestled beside a 300-year-old windmill.

See all 6 Places to Eat in Amsterdam

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Amsterdam

Forge your own path in this tourist magnet, toward places that are less crowded but no less wondrous.

Explore Amsterdam, Netherlands

Collections 14

Architectural Oddities 8

Museums And Collections 8

Hidden 6

Sacred Spaces 5

Monuments 5

Books 4

History 4

History & Culture 4

Homes 4

Art 4

Animals 4

Unique Restaurants & Bars 3

Places To Stay 2

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Stories About Amsterdam

With about a third of the country below the current sea level, the Netherlands is embracing floating houses and other buildings that can adapt to rising waters.

The Future is Floating for the Netherlands and Other Low-Lying Countries

Houses and other buildings that rise and fall with water levels are becoming more common in Dutch cities.

January 3, 2022

Podcast: Micropia

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

November 30, 2021

This 1618 engraving by Matthaeus Merian the Elder depicts the alchemical universe with the Philosopher's Stone at its center.

How Scholars Cracked a Medieval Alchemist’s Secret Code

Written in a puzzling Latin cipher, it contains his formula for eternal life.

November 11, 2021

The Golden Coach, pictured here moving through The Hague, has inspired conversations about what to do with artifacts of the colonial era.

This Royal Coach Is Forcing a Reckoning With Racism

A gilded royal vehicle in the Netherlands—currently being restored—has sparked conversations about the colonial past.

by Fréderike Geerdink

January 28, 2021

Lists Featuring Amsterdam

The nave has been repurposed to include the reception, restaurants, and guest spaces.

Cube House

8 of the Most Unusual Hotels in the Netherlands

Proof the Dutch can convert nearly anything into a place to stay the night.

Including Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren, Kruisherenhotel , and Cube Houses

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