Take some time outside of the city to experience the world-renowned spring garden flower park Keukenhof in Lisse, southwest of Amsterdam. People come from all over the world to see the incredible variety of flowers in all their splendour when they are in season from March to May. The Tulip Fields take centre stage, naturally, with approximately seven million tulip, daffodil and hyacinth bulbs planted annually in the park.

The Zaanse Schans living museum is another fabulous place to visit on a road trip outside the city. Marvel at traditional Dutch crafts and architecture and visit the town’s six windmills, cheese farm and clog workshop. A great place for families and anyone keen to experience true Dutch history and to relive the traditions and culture of the past. Just 10 miles northwest of the capital, the Zaanse Schans is easily accessible by car. Opening times of the various exhibits vary throughout the year so check ahead to make sure you don’t miss out.

A day trip to Kinderdijk also offers a fantastic opportunity to see original Dutch windmills up close. The area boasts 19 wonderfully preserved examples and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is another excellent day trip for those wanting to step back in time. It’s also only around 12 miles further to Rotterdam, so why not take advantage of our weekend car hire service to drive on to the second-largest city in the Netherlands and carry on exploring?

No visit to Amsterdam is complete without a tour of the incredible canal system. Originally an essential element of the region’s defence and transport infrastructure, the canals have recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. That doesn’t mean you’re only allowed to look at them from a distance though. Get on board a tour boat for an unforgettable trip along the winding waterways – an excellent way to see the sights and soak up some local history on the way. Thousands of people still live on houseboats on these canals, and the Houseboat Museum on Prinsengracht gives you a taste of what life afloat is like.

Back on dry land, there are plenty of art museums and exhibits to take in. The Van Gogh Museum is the most visited in the city and a unique tribute to the work of the Netherlands’ most famous post-impressionist painter. Then there’s the Rembrandt House Museum, the interior of which aims to reproduce the style and atmosphere of the artist’s former residence. It’s not all art, however, as the city is also home to the largest science centre in the Netherlands: NEMO.

The Anne Frank House is another of the city’s treasures and stands as a monument to the victims of World War II. Read extracts from the famous diary as you walk through the cramped and dark secret annex where Anne and her family hid from the Nazis for two years, with little or no connection to the outside world. The original diaries and other artefacts are on display in a museum in the building next door to the main house.

Amsterdam hosts more than 90 festivals each year with themes to suit everyone’s taste. Dance fans in particular will be in heaven over the summer with the urban dance festival, Summer Dance Forever, in August. Valtifest, the wild child of the city’s summer festival programme with innovative music, fashion, arts and acrobatics, hits the city in September. If you're looking for something a little less energetic, there’s also Fashion Week in summer, the Dutch Theatre Festival in September and the International Documentary Film Festival in November.