Throughout the years Amsterdam has established a reputation as one of Europe’s foremost cities in terms of architecture and design. This reputation is not only due to the picturesque 17th-Century rings of canals, but also to the modern architecture developing naturally between the facades of historical buildings. Amsterdam, a frequent destination for architectural hobbyists, is not a very large city, but the popular sites of interest are all easily accessible and represent a variety of architectural styles: Classicism, Historicism, Art Deco and Functionalism.

The Dutch capital is also an important art centre where world-famous artists such as Van Gogh and Rembrandt created exceptional pieces of art. Nowadays, their works may be seen in the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum (State Museum) and the Rembrandthuis (The Rembrant House Museum).

The majority of Vincent Van Gogh’s works have never left the Netherlands and more than 200 paintings and 500 drawings are on permanent display in the Van Gogh Museum, which was designed by Gerrit Rietveld. Van Gogh’s artwork is presented unadorned and divided into stages according to the chronology of their creation and the location where the artist resided when painting. The second floor hosts colourful paintings that Van Gogh produced during his stay in the south of France. There, among multiple riveting masterpieces, you will also find the famous 'Sunflowers'. The museum also displays works by other artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Gauguin, who were contemporaries of Van Gogh. Changing exhibitions highlight the different points in the artistic development of the painters.