The city’s beautiful and most popular park welcomes more than ten million visitors a year, and is loved by locals for dog-walking, jogging, or just a breath of fresh-air. The Vondelpark was designed by a father-and-son team of landscape architects in classic English style and was awarded national heritage status. The park now supports around 100 plant species and 127 types of trees.

Amsterdam's gem is the 19th century Museum Square. It is the nexus of Dutch cultural heritage and home of the National Concert Hall (Concertgebouw) and three world-famous museums: the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Van Gogh Museum. The Museumplein has two memorials to the victims of World War II and is often used as a site for national celebrations.

Oud-Zuid (Old South) is one of the wealthiest districts in the city, with wide tree-lined streets and grand houses. After the heady delights of the museums, you could explore the up-market boutiques along the exclusive PC Hooftstraat and Van Baerlestraat, or watch the diamond polishers at work in Coster Diamonds.

De Pijp is now a lively multicultural area, and home to the Albert Cuypmarkt, the city's biggest street market. Described as "the best-known market in Europe", it attracts some 20,000 visitors on weekdays and twice as many on Saturdays. The goods on sale at the 325 stalls range from fish to poultry, cheese to clothes, with prices among the cheapest in Amsterdam.