Amsterdam

The Netherlands' national museum, home to Rembrandt's Night Watch, Vermeer masterpieces and 800 years of Dutch art and history.

The world's largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and letters, tracing the artist's turbulent life and dazzling colour. Book ahead.

The canal-side house where Anne Frank hid and wrote her diary, a moving and essential memorial. Tickets sell out weeks ahead - book online only.

A glide through the UNESCO canal ring followed by a wander through the Jordaan's boutiques, galleries and cosy brown cafes.

Amsterdam's green heart, a sprawling English-style park perfect for a picnic, a cycle or people-watching among the locals.

The world's only floating flower market, a fragrant row of stalls on the Singel canal selling tulip bulbs, blooms and souvenirs.

A picture-perfect open-air village of working 18th-century windmills, wooden houses and craft workshops, an easy half-day trip from the city.

A tiny, always-packed spot famous for its enormous racks of spare ribs and no-frills, hearty Dutch cooking.

A Jordaan corner cafe legendary for what many call the best apple pie in Amsterdam, with whipped cream.

A buzzing indoor food market in a converted tram depot, with stalls serving everything from bitterballen to dim sum.

A quirky, much-loved restaurant covered in photos of mothers, serving classic Dutch comfort food like stamppot and hutspot.

A canal-side institution serving huge sweet and savoury Dutch pancakes in a cosy 17th-century cellar.

A palatial five-star spread across six canal palaces, with a Michelin restaurant, spa and grand garden.

A characterful luxury hotel woven through 25 connected canal houses in the heart of the Nine Streets.

A stylish design hotel in five canal houses with a buzzy lobby restaurant and a prime Herengracht setting.

A smart, tech-forward hotel with compact rooms, a 24-hour canteen and easy transport links to the centre.

A lively, design-led hostel in a former lab building across the free ferry, with private and dorm rooms and a bar.