Amsterdam neighborhoods

The most elegant area within the city center, Grachtengordel South features opulent residences, mansion-lined streets, and a hot nightlife scene. The area boasts both Rembrandtsplein (the city's one-time butter market) and Leidseplein (a former horse and buggy drop-off point). Both squares have been reborn as hot spots for bars, clubs, restaurants, and no small number of tourist traps.

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An expansive area in the center of town, two minutes from the Dam and the Old Center, the Grachtengordel West features gorgeous 17th century canal houses, Westermarkt, the Homomonument, the Westerkerk (Amsterdam's grandest church and the final resting place of Rembrandt), and Anne Frank's House.

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Located west of Grachtengordel West, the Jordaan attracted the city's first immigrants in the 17th century. This was a period of incredible prosperity in Amsterdam. The Jordaan, then located outside of the city limits, wasn't subject to strict zoning and development regulations. The Jordaan's then-distance from Amsterdam proper is clear today in the architectural contrast it provides. In the early 20th century, the Jordaan became a working-class neighborhood and many buildings fell into sad disrepair. Since the 1980s, the area has seen extensive renovation. Due to its relatively inexpensive rents, it has experienced rebirth as an arty "alternative" neighborhood.

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The most popular area of town outside the city center, the Museumplein is a pleasing, 19th-century residential area crowded with museums and parks. Museums here include the Rijksmuseum, which possesses an impressive collection of Dutch paintings from the 15th through the 17th centuries (including an enormous Rembrandt collection), the Van Gogh Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum, which features modern and contemporary works. The other big attraction of the area of the Vondelpark, which was celebrated in the 1970s as a sex, drugs, and rocknroll playground. Today the commercial district of Museumplein is upscale, full of pricey little boutiques and shops.

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The Old Center is home to the Red Light District and most of the main tourist attractions, with the notable exception of Amsterdam's most important museums. Dam Square, the Royal Palace, Nieuwmarkt, startlingly graphic storefronts, and a seemingly endless supply of "coffeeshops" keep the area packed with eager -- and often gawking -- tourists. This is Amsterdam's touristy nerve-center. It's dirty, chaotic, crowded, and, for some, enthralling.

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De Pijp may sit just to the east of Museumplein but it is very different from the Museumplein in temperament and culture. While Museumplein is upscale, De Pijp is scrappy. Once Amsterdam's very first suburb, the neighborhood is home today to large numbers of immigrants from Suriname, Morocco, and Turkey. De Pijp is also the site of the Albert Cuyp Market, which is not merely Amsterdam's largest and best-known public market, but also the largest public market in all of Europe. Don't miss De Pijp's Sarphatipark, a lovely green oasis of a park plopped down in the center of the neighborhood.

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The Plantagebuurt is a quiet, green neighborhood, ten minutes from the center of town. It features several museums (including the Rembrandt House Museum) and a zoo in addition to a difficult history. A Jewish neighborhood from the 16th century until World War II, the Plantagebuurt was once bustling with factories and commerce. Its location, completely surrounded by canals, allowed German forces during World War II to isolate the area and create a Jewish ghetto. Following the war, many of the tragically deserted homes were dismantled for wood to provide heat against the cold winter. The area was renovated in the 1970s. Today only the synagogue and the Jewish Museum remind visitors of the neighborhood's troubled past.

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Amsterdam's (in)famous Red Light District is a short walk from Centraal Station and lies within the "Old Center," the oldest part of town. True, the area is home to hundreds of red windows for "women of the night", live sex shows and marijuana peddling coffee shops. But it's hardly a dangerous free-for all. There is a heavy police presence throughout the neighborhood and cameras on many corners.

As night falls, the narrow streets become increasingly crowded (and increasingly noisy) with happy-go-lucky tourists out for a fun night. Perhaps ironically, the Red Light District also boast some traditional attractions, such as the Oude Kerk (The Old Church), cool shops, and many affordable hotels.

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