Amsterdam has more than one hundred kilometers of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. The most exciting feature of the canals are the houseboats. By origin houseboats were a way to deal with the Amsterdam housing shortage, however, nowadays they are still in high demand. Some of the houseboats once were cargo vessels and are now converted into houseboats, other boats were built specifically for this purpose. In Amsterdam, you find these houseboats along the canals and the Amstel river and in the former Amsterdam docklands. 

De Wallen or De Walletjes is the largest and best known red-light district in Amsterdam. It consists of a network of alleys containing approximately three hundred one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights. These "kamers" are the most visible and typical kind of red light district sex work in Amsterdam and are a large tourist attraction. De Wallen, together with the prostitution areas Singelgebied and Ruysdaelkade, form the Rosse Buurt (red light areas) of Amsterdam. Of these De Wallen is the oldest and largest area. The area also has a number of sex shops, sex theatres, peep shows, a sex museum, a cannabis museum, and a number of coffee shops that sell marijuana.

The Royal Palace in Amsterdam is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. It was built as a city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The building became the royal palace of King Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House. The palace is located on the west side of Dam Square in the center of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial and next to the Nieuwe Kerk. Most of the year, the Royal Palace is open for visitors with audioguide or pre-booked group tours. It's closed for the special royal events.

Dam Square is a town square in Amsterdam. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the most well-known and important locations in the city and the country. On the west end of the square is the Royal Palace, formerly a city hall. Beside it are the 15th-century Gothic Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. The National Monument, a white stone pillar erected in 1956 to memorialize the victims of World War II, can be found on the opposite side of the square. Also overlooking the plaza is the upscale department store De Bijenkorf. These various attractions have turned the Dam into a tourist zone.

The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw. The museum has on display 8,000 objects of art and history, from their total collection of 1 million objects from the years 1200–2000, among which are some masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer. The museum also has a small Asian collection, which is on display in the Asian pavilion.

The Rembrandt House Museum is a historic house and art museum. Painter Rembrandt lived and worked in the house. He purchased the house in 1639 and lived there until he went bankrupt in 1656 when all his belongings went on auction. The auction list enabled the reconstructions of all his belongings which are also on display in the house. The 17th-century interior has been reconstructed. The collection contains Rembrandt's etchings and paintings of his contemporaries. 

The Basilica of Saint Nicholas is located in the Old Centre district. It is the city's major Catholic church. The basilica has a collection of religious murals. Above the high altar is the crown of Maximilian I, which is a symbol seen throughout Amsterdam. Inside the newly renovated church, there is a 19th-century Sauer Organ, on which concerts are given and mass is accompanied.

The Anne Frank House is a writer's house and biographical museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. The building is located on a canal called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk. During World War II, Anne Frank hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people in hidden rooms at the rear of the 17th-century canal house, known as the Secret Annex. Anne Frank did not survive the war, but in 1947 her wartime diary was published. In 1957, the Anne Frank Foundation was established to protect the property from developers who wanted to demolish the block. The museum opened on 3 May 1960. It preserves the hiding place, has a permanent exhibition on the life and times of Anne Frank, and has an exhibition space about all forms of persecution and discrimination.

Amsterdam Centraal is the largest railway station in Amsterdam. It was designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers, who is also known for his design of the Rijksmuseum, and first opened in 1889. It features a Gothic/Renaissance Revival style building and a cast iron platform roof spanning approximately 40 meters. It's the main transportation hub of the city, linking the railway, the metro of Amsterdam and the city buses.