Gabi Kirellos delves the depths of Amsterdam to find the most unique activities that tourists don’t know about.

The Red Light District, the coffee shops, the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Dam Square, the canal cruises, and the endless rows of bicycles lining Amsterdam’s bridges have become iconic symbols of the Dutch capital. These are the attractions that dominate travel guides, social media feeds, and first-time visitor itineraries, and it is easy to understand why.

Amsterdam remains one of the most visited urban destinations in Europe, attracting millions of travelers every year. In 2025 alone, the city recorded 23.7 million tourist overnight stays, with projections showing visitor numbers continuing to grow through 2026 and beyond despite ongoing efforts to reduce overtourism.

With so many people flocking to the city each year, it is only natural that the same famous attractions appear in almost every travel guide. For many visitors, they remain essential experiences.

But if you are not a first-time visitor to this canal-lined city, there is another side of Amsterdam waiting beyond the obvious. Hidden museums, unusual cultural experiences, secret courtyards, quirky attractions, and lesser-known neighborhoods reveal a version of Amsterdam that many tourists never discover.

This list explores 10 unique things to do in Amsterdam for travellers looking to experience the city beyond its most famous postcards.

Bartolotti House, Amsterdam

Bartolotti House

If you want to step inside the world of Amsterdam’s Golden Age elite, few places feel as immersive as Bartolotti House.

Built around 1620 for the wealthy merchant Willem Bartolotti van den Heuvel, the mansion remains one of the best-preserved canal houses in the city and is widely considered among the most beautiful along the Herengracht.

Designed in the Dutch Renaissance style, most likely by celebrated architect Hendrick de Keyser, the house immediately stands out thanks to its richly decorated façade, dramatic reception hall, grand staircases, period furnishings, and lavish Rococo interiors.

Unlike traditional museums, Bartolotti House feels remarkably intimate, allowing visitors to wander through elegant rooms that reveal how Amsterdam’s merchant aristocracy lived, entertained guests, and displayed their immense wealth during the Dutch Golden Age.

• Admission: Adults €11, Students €6, Visitors aged 17 and under free
• Address: Herengracht 170, 1016 BP Amsterdam, Netherlands

Oudekerksplein

Oudekerksplein is one of the most unusual places in Amsterdam because it captures the city’s contradictions better than almost anywhere else. At its center stands the Oude Kerk, the oldest surviving building in Amsterdam, originally founded in the early 13th century and consecrated in 1306.

Surrounding this centuries-old Gothic church is the heart of De Wallen, Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District, where neon-lit windows, cafés, and nightlife exist alongside one of the city’s most important historical landmarks.

The square itself was originally a cemetery before being cleared in 1655 to create the public space seen today. Visitors can also spot the bronze statue “Belle,” dedicated to sex workers around the world, making Oudekerksplein one of Amsterdam’s most symbolic and thought-provoking locations.

• Admission: Free to enter the square. Oude Kerk admission starts from approximately €13.50 for adults; prices may vary depending on exhibitions
• Address: Oudekerksplein, 1012 GX Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Nearby Highlights: Oude Kerk, Belle Statue, Red Light District, Zeedijk, and Nieuwmarkt

NDSM wharf, Amsterdam

NDSM Wharf

Once an industrial shipyard hidden across the IJ River, NDSM Wharf has transformed into one of Amsterdam’s most creative and unconventional districts. What was once a working dockyard is now a sprawling cultural hotspot filled with enormous street art murals, artist studios, shipping-container cafés, waterside terraces, creative workspaces, vintage markets, and event venues.

The area feels dramatically different from Amsterdam’s historic center, replacing canal houses and crowded tourist streets with an edgy, post-industrial atmosphere that attracts artists, musicians, and creative entrepreneurs. Visitors can explore the famous STRAAT Museum, the world’s largest street art and graffiti museum, wander through constantly changing outdoor artworks, attend festivals, or simply enjoy panoramic views of Amsterdam’s skyline from the waterfront. It is one of the city’s most distinctive urban regeneration success stories.

• Admission: Free to explore the wharf. STRAAT Museum tickets start from approximately €19.50 for adults; prices may vary.
  • Address: NDSM-Plein 28, 1033 WB Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • Access: Free ferry from Amsterdam Central Station to NDSM Wharf (approximately 15 minutes).
  • Nearby Highlights: STRAAT Museum, IJ-Hallen Flea Market, Pllek, NDSM Kunststad, and waterfront event spaces 

The National Holocaust Names Monument      

The National Holocaust Names Monument is one of Amsterdam’s most powerful and emotionally moving memorials, dedicated to the more than 102,000 Dutch Holocaust victims who were deported and murdered during World War II.

Designed by internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, the monument opened in 2021 and consists of four large Hebrew letters that together spell the word “In Memory.” Surrounding brick walls carry the names, dates of birth, and ages of every known Dutch victim with no marked grave, creating an overwhelming visual reminder of the scale of the tragedy.

Located in Amsterdam’s historic Jewish Quarter near several major Holocaust-related sites, the monument offers visitors a deeply personal way to reflect on one of the darkest chapters in Dutch and European history.

National Holocaust Names Monument

• • Admission: Free
    • Address: Weesperstraat 101, 1018 VN Amsterdam, Netherlands
    • Nearby Highlights: Hollandsche Schouwburg, Jewish Museum, Portuguese Synagogue, and the former Jewish Quarter

Beth Haim Cemetery

Hidden in the quiet town of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel just south of Amsterdam, Beth Haim is one of the most remarkable historical sites in the Netherlands and remains the country’s oldest Jewish cemetery. Founded in 1614 by Amsterdam’s Portuguese Sephardic Jewish community, the cemetery contains more than 28,000 graves spread across nearly four hectares of land.

Visitors can wander among elaborate marble tombstones engraved in Portuguese, Hebrew, and Dutch, many featuring unusually detailed carvings rarely seen in Jewish cemeteries. The site serves as the final resting place of prominent rabbis, diplomats, merchants, and scholars, including Menasseh ben Israel, the influential rabbi and close associate of Rembrandt. Preserved largely in its original state, Beth Haim offers a powerful glimpse into centuries of Jewish history in the Netherlands.

• Admission: Free
  • Address: Kerkstraat 10, 1191 JB Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Netherlands

Micropia Museum

If you think museums sound predictable, Micropia will completely change that perception. Located next to Amsterdam’s famous ARTIS Royal Zoo, Micropia is widely recognized as the world’s first museum dedicated entirely to microbes, revealing the invisible organisms that exist on your skin, in your body, in food, and throughout the natural world.

Rather than displaying traditional artifacts, the museum uses live microbes, laboratory equipment, microscopes, interactive exhibits, and real scientific research to make an unseen universe visible to visitors. You can scan your body to discover which microbes live on you, watch scientists at work in laboratory spaces, and learn how microorganisms influence everything from health and digestion to climate and food production. It is one of Amsterdam’s most unusual and fascinating museum experiences.

• Admission: Adults (13+) from approximately €17.00 online (€18.00 at the counter); students €10.50; children 0–12 free. Prices may vary
  • Address: Plantage Kerklaan 38–40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Nearby Highlights: ARTIS Royal Zoo, ARTIS-Groote Museum, and Amsterdam’s historic Plantage district

Red Light Secrets

Few attractions explain Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District as openly as Red Light Secrets, the world’s only museum dedicated entirely to prostitution. Located inside a former 17th-century brothel in the heart of De Wallen, the museum offers visitors a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of the city’s most misunderstood industries.

Rather than focusing on shock value, the experience explores the realities of sex work through personal stories, reconstructed rooms, audio testimonies from current and former workers, and interactive exhibits that challenge common stereotypes. One of the most memorable parts of the visit allows guests to sit behind one of the district’s iconic windows and experience the neighborhood from the perspective of a sex worker. The museum is strictly for visitors aged 16 and older.

• Admission: Tickets start from approximately €14.50–€16.50 depending on booking platform and date; advance online booking is recommended
• Address: Oudezijds Achterburgwal 60H, 1012 DP Amsterdam, Netherlands

Pizzeria San Marco

This quirky waterside pizzeria has become famous for its unusual “sail-in” service. Located inside a former watchtower on the Amstelkanaal, the restaurant allows visitors arriving by boat to order pizza directly from a window facing the water, making it one of the most distinctive dining experiences in the city.

The canal-side setting, surrounded by houseboats, cyclists, and passing vessels, gives the restaurant a uniquely Amsterdam atmosphere that feels worlds away from the crowded city center.

Alongside classic Italian pizzas, the menu includes pastas, salads, antipasti, beer, and wine. It remains a favorite stop for both locals and boaters looking to enjoy a meal directly from Amsterdam’s waterways.

• Admission: Pizzas generally start from around €11, with most specialty pizzas costing between €13.50 and €15.00
  • Address: Amstelkade 148A, 1078 AW Amsterdam, Netherlands

Paradiso

Few venues are as closely tied to Amsterdam’s cultural identity as Paradiso. Housed inside a striking former 19th-century church near Leidseplein, Paradiso opened as a cultural venue in 1968 and quickly became one of Europe’s most legendary music spaces. Often nicknamed Amsterdam’s “Pop Temple,” the venue still retains its stained-glass windows, balconies, and church architecture, creating an atmosphere unlike almost any other concert hall in the world.

Over the decades, artists including David Bowie, Prince, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and Lady Gaga have performed here. Today, Paradiso hosts everything from indie rock and electronic music to cultural events, club nights, and emerging artists, making it one of the most important live music venues in the Netherlands.

• Admission: Ticket prices vary depending on the concert or event; most events require a Paradiso membership in addition to the ticket
  • Address: Weteringschans 6–8, 1017 SG Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Capacity: Approximately 1,500 people in the main hall

Kattenkabinet

Cat lovers may find their favorite Amsterdam museum is not dedicated to art, history, or science, but to felines. KattenKabinet (The Cat Cabinet) is one of the city’s most unusual museums, occupying an elegant 17th-century canal house on the Herengracht.

The museum was founded in 1990 by Bob Meijer in memory of his beloved cat, John Pierpont Morgan, and houses a surprisingly impressive collection of cat-themed paintings, sculptures, posters, photographs, and decorative objects. Works by renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Rembrandt-inspired pieces appear alongside quirky contemporary creations.

Beyond the collection itself, visitors can admire the beautifully preserved period rooms and often encounter real resident cats wandering freely through the museum, adding to its charm and character.

• Admission: Adults €12.50; Students €7.50; Children (under 12) €6.00. Prices may change, so check the official website before visiting
  • Address: Herengracht 497, 1017 BT Amsterdam, Netherlands