Netherlands Attractions

Anne Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films. The Anne Frank House is a museum dedicated to the Jewish wartime diarist, who hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people in hidden rooms at the rear of the building. As well as the preservation of the hiding place — known in Dutch as the Achterhuis (Secret Annex)— and an exhibition on the life and times of Anne Frank, the museum acts as an exhibition space to highlight all forms of persecution and discrimination. The Achterhuis (Dutch for "back house") or Secret Annex — as it was called in 'The Diary of a Young Girl', an English translation of the diary — is the rear ...

Rijksmuseum (or 'State Museum' in English) is a Dutch national museum in Amsterdam, located on the Museumplein. The museum is dedicated to arts, crafts, and history. It has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and a substantial collection of Asian art. It also displays the stern of the HMS Royal Charles which was captured in the Raid on the Medway, and the Hartog plate. The paintings collection includes works by artists Jacob van Ruysdael, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen and Rembrandt and Rembrandt's pupils.

The Van Gogh Museum is an art museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, featuring the works of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. It has the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world. The main exhibition chronicles the various phases of Van Gogh's artistic life. The permanent collection includes The Potato Eaters, Bedroom in Arles, The Yellow House, Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, nine of the artist's Self-Portraits, and some of his earliest paintings dating back to 1882. The museum also features notable paintings by Van Gogh's contemporaries in the Impressionist and post-Impressionist movements and holds extensive exhibitions on various subjects from 19th Century art history.

Keukenhof ("Kitchen garden"), also known as the Garden of Europe, is situated near Lisse, Netherlands, and is the world's largest flower garden. According to the official website for the Keukenhof Park, approximately 7,000,000 (seven million) flower bulbs are planted annually in the park, which covers an area of 32 hectares. The gardens are easily accessible from the country capital, Amsterdam. Keukenhof is open annually from the last week in March to mid-May. The best time to view the tulips is around mid-April, depending on the weather. The gardens offer a variety of attractions such as boat trips, flower parade and internal flower shows as well as offering a variety of means of getting around the vast gardens such as tours and bike hire.

The Royal Palace in Amsterdam is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which is at the disposal of Queen Beatrix by Act of Parliament. The palace was built as city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the seventeenth century. The building became the royal palace of king Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House. It is situated in the west side of Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial and next to the Nieuwe Kerk. The palace is open to the public. The palace is used by Queen Beatrix for entertaining and official functions during state visits and other official receptions, such as the Queen's New Year receptions. The award ceremonies of the Erasmus Prize, of the Silver Carnation, of the Royal Awards for Painting, and of the Prince Claus Award are also held in the palace.

The Amsterdam Dungeon, in the city of Amsterdam, follows a similar format to the London Dungeon, York Dungeon, Edinburgh Dungeon and Hamburg Dungeon which are owned and operated by the UK-based Merlin Entertainments corporation and attempts to show history through an interactive adventure. Live actors, a ride, shows and special effects simulate historical dark and bleak times. Amsterdam Dungeon Chambers include: Torture Chamber: In the depths of the Dungeon genuine torture instruments from the past are shown in exhibits. Visitors are lined against the wall where the resident ‘torturer’ picks out one of the crowd for him to demonstrate ‘techniques’. VOC: Visitors are entertained in an 18th century dockside bar and told about the press ganging of locals to join the nautical trading firm the Dutch East India Company (VOC). They are then ambushed and for...