Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city designed for moving slowly — which is ironic, given the constant stream of bicycles that will kill you if you step into a bike lane without looking. The canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage site, three concentric semicircles of water lined with seventeenth-century merchant houses whose narrow facades and ornate gables were built to display wealth within the constraints of a per-meter tax. Walking along the Herengracht or Keizersgracht at dusk, when the houses light up and reflect in the still water, is one of Europe’s great free experiences.

The museums are world-class: the Rijksmuseum for Vermeer and Rembrandt, the Van Gogh Museum for an overwhelming immersion in one artist’s genius and torment, the Anne Frank House for a silence that lingers long after you leave. But Amsterdam’s soul is in its neighborhoods — the Jordaan with its brown cafes and hidden courtyards, De Pijp with its Albert Cuyp Market and Surinamese food stalls, the Negen Straatjes nine streets of independent shops connecting the main canals. Rent a bike. It is the only way to understand the city’s rhythm.

When to go: April to May for tulip season and King’s Day celebrations. September for warm days, fewer tourists, and the cultural season reopening.