Amsterdam is an almost bafflingly charming city. On one hand, its tourist hordes often swell to such a terrible degree that it seems like it should be impossible to enjoy its abundant delights. On the other, it’s Amsterdam, and what with the scenic canals, delightful food and drink, well-organized infrastructure, supreme walkability, efficient metro, scattershot street art, and plentitude of bicycles—let’s just say there’s a vibe. A Dutch vibe. Even in the 21st Century, Amsterdam feels like walking through a Vermeer.

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Speaking of which, just south of Amsterdam’s central spiderweb of canals is a neighborhood called Museumkwartier at the heart of which is the Museumplein—a grassy public square surrounded by (as you may have surmised) the city’s largest and best-known museums. This convenient cluster of cultural offerings makes it easy to experience the city’s most renowned artworks, but while it will and should take up much of your time and focus, there are exciting art opportunities beyond this aptly named plaza that are well worth the extra effort necessary to reach them.

For our purposes, we’ll start at the city’s main core of museums, then work our way further out from there, eventually taking a train an hour south to the Hague. Too many visitors to Amsterdam neglect a jaunt to Den Haag, but in doing so they miss not only some incredible art but also the laid-back repose of the smaller, more tranquil city—a restful place aside from the busy........

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