The Rijksmuseum has a couple of pieces of such excellent craftsmanship in it, that if you like design, just seeing those can make it worth the visit. The ivory

The Rijksmuseum has a couple of pieces of such excellent craftsmanship in it, that if you like design, just seeing those can make it worth the visit. The ivory-hilted matchlock pistols are some of the most beautiful weaponry I've ever seen. There's some excellent fencing swords in the museum as well. If you like arms, it's worth it just to see them - but I've fenced and like marksmanship, so I've got a bit of a bias. Night Watch is in there too, and it's gigantic and a fun painting. You can cruise the whole museum in a couple hours even while dedicating some time to a few really interesting pieces, and I enjoyed it much. So I'll put in a vote for the Rijksmuseum, I do like it. If you like electronic music, lots of good DJs spin in Amsterdam but you'll have to look up where the party is. The Westerhousefabric district outside of the city has more of a local nightlife scene, as opposed to the hardcore tourism you see in central AMS. If you're by chance going to England after Holland, taking the ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich is an incredible experience. Hoek van Holland is a really, really wonderful little town, with some great cafes, restaurants, and friendly people. The train ride there from AMS is beautiful. Then the ferry is lots of fun if you like boats.