Oh, Amsterdam. I could spend days just wandering around the city, looking at your canals, houses and boats while fueling with pancakes every so often.

Canal Boat Tour

But, Amsterdam, you are so busy. NPR recently ran a story called In Amsterdam, Even the Tourists Say There Are Too Many Tourists and it is spot on. The crush of people near Centraal Station was a bit much for my claustrophobic-in-crowds travel buddies. So we sought out quieter parts of the city.

Rijksmuseum

We spent hours in the Rijksmuseum and got to view art by the likes of Van Gogh and Rembrandt.

Vondel Park

And we walked through leafy Vondel Park, where we caught a free outdoor concert and drank beer sitting under huge trees.

Amsterdam is definitely busy, but the water, design, history and art made navigating the crowds worthwhile.