Amsterdam

Located close to the museum district, Vondelpark with its 45 ha (110 acres) offers an ideal recreational... area for all those who need a break from art and culture. Here, in what was once the heart of the European hippy movement, you can lie down on the grass, unwrap your picnic food, jog, cycle or even ride a horse. Music festivals, concerts and theatre performances are organised here in the summer months, and the many entertainers and artistes and the small cafés make time go by in a flash. If you are looking for a bit of peace and quiet, you can stroll along idyllic pathways past pools, pavilions and rose-beds while listening to the birds singing in the little wood. more

In 1973, the world's greatest collection of works by the famous Dutch impressionist found a home in a... light, white building of curving walls designed by Gerrit Rietveld. In addition to some 200 paintings, 600 drawings, and watercolours by the master, the exchange of letters between the artist and his brother Theo is also on display here. Long queues form in front of the paintings all year round, but anybody who stands in front of the early "Potato Eater" or the world-famous "Sunflowers" will regard the time as well spent. Space has also been made for other painters contemporary with Van Gogh, so the visitor can also admire works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin and Adolphe Monticelli. more

This museum located in a former post office will inform you about the masterpieces from the Amsterdam... School, an architectural movement, the designs of which by Michel de Klerk and others at the beginning of the 20th century became the template for social housing. The name "Het Schip" (The Ship) refers to an expressionist apartment block with a total of 102 flats which are unusual due to their relatively high windows. The building complex became famous as an example of Amsterdam School architecture which made its breakthrough with this design. The main characteristic of "The Ship" is the external shape which gives it its name. The brick construction and numerous details such as the small pointed towers, informal façades and projecting oriels have a very playful effect despite its huge size. The plan was to build apartments for the workers in the nearby port and rail complexes. For a few years now Het Schip has been one of the 1,000 most famous buildings in the world from the last century. more