The OBA Public Library Amsterdam is an institution that aims to promote the free exchange of information in the society of Amsterdam. The OBA has 26 locations scattered throughout the city, with a main location (Central OBA) a few streets to the east of the central station where a fix exhibition can be found, additionally to the temporary exhibitions exposed in each floor of the central building. The admission to the building and access to the exhibitions is free of charge and has a comfortable opening time of 12 hours a day, seven days a week.The children&rsquo;s floor has a permanent collection named The Mouse House, where a model of a fiction literary underground world can be found with more than one hundred figurines of hard-working mice busy on their workshops.

Amsterdam Public Library (OBA)

The EYE film institute is the national museum for film in the Netherlands and is located across the&nbsp;Ij&nbsp;River from the Central station in an astonishing architectural work piece. This institution hosts a permanent exhibition following the technologic advancement and the development of the moving image, to the current context of the seventh art. In addition, they have several temporary exhibitions in their multiple galleries which are curated according to the theme of the season. Admission to the permanent exhibition is free although they charge for the temporary exhibitions as well as for the projections. Prices range from &euro;5 to &euro;16.50. Opening hours are from 10:00 to 19:00 every day of the week.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; In the permanent exhibition different aspects of the development of cinema are exposed, presenting techniques and how these were influential for the principles of cinema, but also technological devices that were created to record moving image. The exhibition is organized in four episodes with different themes and interpretation methods: the panorama, precursors of film,&nbsp;story benches, and&nbsp;set photos.&nbsp;

EYE Film Institute

The He-Hua Buddhist temple in Amsterdam is the largest temple in traditional Chinese palace style in Europe and commemorates the spirit of the Lotus flower, a sacred symbol for Buddhism. Its architecture is due to the community which founded and run it, a cooperation of Chinese Buddhist established in Amsterdam aiming to preserve and extend the Buddhist teachings in the western society. The opening hours are from Monday to Saturday, from 12:00 to 17:00 and on Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00; and admission is free of charge for all visitors.&nbsp; &nbsp; In the center of the temple a statue of Guan Yin Shrine is displayed as a tribute to the icon who helps all in need. On the sides of the statue an image of the legendary protectors of Chinese Buddhism, Wei&nbsp;Tuo&nbsp;and&nbsp;Qie-Lan, are to be found. Additionally, on the walls can be found in Chinese calligraphy the names of the financial contributors that have made the temple&rsquo;s mission possible. In many occasions the swastika is found inside the temple as a symbol of the universality of the Buddhist teachings and&nbsp;the ability to overcome difficulties. Numerous musical instruments are also displayed in the room which are part of different Buddhist rituals. Finally, amidst the clouds of the burning incent statues of the Buddha are repeatedly displayed hundreds of times to symbolize that the teachings of the Buddha, the Dharma, is to be found everywhere.&nbsp;

Buddhist Temple in Chinatown

The Cannabis College of Amsterdam is a public information center about the recreational and medical use of cannabis, as well as educating society about the industrial use of hemp. Additionally, they offer visits to the public to their Cannabis Garden, where they educate the visitors about completely organic indoor growing. The organisation is a non-profit institution that focuses its efforts on activism for the use of medical marihuana, policy reform, and cannabis legalisation. The institution was founded in 1998 and ever since continues to function by the means of donations and sponsors, maintaining the information centre admission free. It opens every day from 11:00 to 19:00 and is run mainly by volunteers.&nbsp; &nbsp; Inside the centre different services are provided additional to the exhibition and tour exposing the history of marihuana production, uses, and culture around these. These services include trainings to&nbsp;coffee shop staff, vaporising, a free access library, and THC test in which the cannabinoids are conducted quality control for safety and personal requirements of each user. The exhibition includes explanations about different derivatives from the Cannabis plant, and focuses on educating the audience and stopping misinformation and paradigms set by the long history of prohibition of the plant. Additionally, it displays fabrics made with hemp, and different artefacts for the various uses of cannabis.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cannabis College

This commercial museum has its origins as a liquor distillery and adjacent bar established in 1679 during the VOC era of splendour in Amsterdam. Ever since the foundation of the distillery it served as tasting location for visitors and customers. Along the years the collection expanded and now it displays the traditions of distillation of the brand&acute;s liquors, and the production systems of the traditional local based liquor with world acclaimed reputation. The tasting tavern is preserved in its original style dating back to the seventeenth century and it is an interactive museum where the traditional centenary recipes can be tasted.&nbsp; &nbsp; Among the artefacts displayed, a variety of containers used for the distillation processes are as well as for packaging are included. The bar itself remains as a silent witness to the success story of the Jenever and its grandiose reputation built on market success.&nbsp;

Jenever distillery Wynand Fockink

This gallery&nbsp;of the old portraits of wealthy Amsterdam citizens, managed by the Amsterdam Museum gallery, is free an easily accessible. You may enter it from Amsterdam central commercial street &ndash; Kalverstraat, during your visit to the&nbsp;Amsterdam Museum&nbsp;(formerly Amsterdam Historical Museum) walking through the gate at St. Luciensteeg or from the quiet courtyard of&nbsp;Begijnhof.The exhibit is not big, but it leaves a lasting impression. Here are the wealthy citizens of the city, who traditionally belonged to the Civic Guard and spent their free times on a shooting range practicing their musket shooting abilities. Usually, this was primarily a social occasion - to meet, talk and drink beer. On another portrait the hospital governors are represented during their meeting wile on another stately portrait you may see their wives, as the members of the charity society. These portraits were commissioned each year to commemorate civic guard service and charity work. Each of the citizens had to pay for its presence on the painting. A usually high fee, in a natural way, eliminated less important citizens from these group representations.Great master painters as Hals or Rembrandt, were competing for the group portrait orders and Rembrandt's most famous monumental &ldquo;Night Watch&rdquo; (now at the&nbsp;Rijksmuseum) was in fact the group portrait of the city musketeers, painted to decorate the wall of Amsterdam biggest shooting range De Doelen (Dutch for &lsquo;Targets&rsquo;).The Civic Guards Gallery exhibits also several modern portraits of contemporary Dutch celebrities - Ajax football players, Dutch famous ballet choreographers, boxing fighters, but also ordinary Amsterdam citizens, Moroccan immigrants, policemen.At the end of the gallery, a huge wooden figure of Goliath with two smaller sculptures of David and a Goliath&rsquo;s shield bearer are standing. These antique, created in the middle of 17th C. figures, were before ages an attraction in an Amsterdam amusement park, thus they were never meant as art. Here, at the Civic Guards Gallery, they look like gone astray from the nearby&nbsp;Madame Tussauds.

Civic Guard Gallery

The&nbsp;Begijnhof&nbsp;is an enclosed courtyard dating from the early 14th century. Nothing survived of the earliest dwellings, but the Begijnhof, which is cut off from Amsterdam's traffic noise, still retains a sanctified atmosphere. The Begijnhof was originally built as a sactuary for the Begijntjes, a Catholic sisterhood who lived like nuns, although they took no monastic vows.The beautiful houses overlook its well-kept green garden, include the Amsterdam's oldest surviving house&nbsp;Het Houten Huis&nbsp;dating from around 1420. On the adjoining walls, there is a fascinating collection of wall plaques with biblical theme. Southern fringe of the square is dominated by the&nbsp;Engelse Kerk&nbsp;(English Church) which dates from the 15 century and possesses its original medieval tower.Houses in Begijnhof are still occupied by single women,&nbsp;so please respect their privacy and be quiet.The Begijnhof Chapel (No. 29 and 30), a clandestine church, was completed in 1680. It contains many reminders of the Catholic past.

Secret courtyard of Begijnhof

The Amsterdam Flower Market is the only floating flower market in the world, and one of the most fragrant places of interest of Amsterdam - in all seasons. This unique market exists since 1862. The flower stalls stand on the houseboats and evoke the old days when the market was daily supplied by boat.The flower market of Amsterdam is a particularly colorful place in the city. You will find there all sorts of tulips, narcissus, geraniums and many other types of flowers. At the Amsterdam Flower Market you can either buy bouquets, single flowers or bulbs. The bulbs are ready for export, so you can enjoy them at home too.If you&rsquo;re coming to Amsterdam on December, you&rsquo;ll see the flower market also sells green Christmas trees of all sorts and varieties.And if you are looking for cute typical Dutch souvenirs to bring back home with you, every shop at the Amsterdam Flower Market has some such as clogs, wooden tulips or cheeseThe Amsterdam Flower Market is opened from Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 17:30 and Sunday from 11:30 to 17:30.

Flower Market

The Amsterdam City Archives are since 2007 located in De&nbsp;Bazel&nbsp;building in Amsterdam and store the history of the city of Amsterdam. In total 50 kilometres of visual material and archives are kept in the building. Besides, the Amsterdam City Archives have an information centre where people can ask questions regarding research and the archives. Moreover, visitors can search in the archive and image bank for pictures and information. Currently, visitors can find two exhibitions about the persecution of the Jews in the Second World War at the archives. Another exhibition is about the writer Jacob van&nbsp;Lennep, who was also a&nbsp;philantropist&nbsp;and drove various projects in Amsterdam.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; The Amsterdam City Archives are free of admission, but for the exhibitions children between 13-18 years old pay 4 Euros entrance while adults pay 6 Euros. Children under 12 years old and members of&nbsp;the museum card, friends' city archive, city pass Amsterdam, Rembrandt Association and I Amsterdam City Card do not have to pay any entrance fee.

City archive

Amsterdam is a picturesque maze of narrow streets, winding waterways and bridges galore, often referred to as the Venice of the North. One particular location in the city allows you to take in all three aspects at once: the Bridge of 15 Bridges. Make your way to the intersection of Reguliersgracht and Herengracht. Stand on the side with the odd numbers. Then, look in every direction &ndash; forward, backward, left and right. As the name implies, you'll see the 15 bridges. Once it is dark, this spot is exceptionally peaceful and romantic. The bridges are lit up, which creates a lovely setting. Whenever you decide to go, morning, noon or night, be sure to incorporate the Bridge of 15 Bridges into your walking tour itinerary.

Bridge of 15 bridges

Diamond cutting has a long history in Amsterdam and nowhere does this history become more alive that in the huge Gassan Diamond factory. Visitors are offered free tours and those are truly dazzling experiences. You will learn all about the different shapes and cuts, you can see the actual diamonds being cut and you can sit in private rooms where the sales people of Gassan will show you real big stones from real close. And then of course there are a multitude of shops that offer bling in all kinds of price ranges, from a hello kitty trinket to the newest and shiniest Rolex.&nbsp;

Gassan Diamond Factory

Brouwerij 't IJ is a small&nbsp;brewery&nbsp;in&nbsp;Amsterdam. It is located in a former&nbsp;bath house&nbsp;named&nbsp;Funen, next to the&nbsp;De Gooyer&nbsp;windmill. The brewery was opened by Kaspar Peterson, a former musician, in October 1985 and was one of several small breweries that opened in cities around the Netherlands in response to consumers' dissatisfaction with beer brewed by the larger companies. It brews eight standard beers and three seasonal beers, besides limited edition beers.Although the tours are a few euros, the cafe and location of the brewery are worth a visit. The brewery hosts tours and tastings, and has a pub with an outdoor terrace. The tour takes about 20 minutes and costs &euro;6.00 per person, which includes a free beer of choice. With a limited number of twenty places, tickets tend to sell out fast, so be quick to grab some if you are keen to join.The brewery's logo features an&nbsp;ostrich, with an egg, and a distant windmill. The brewery is named after the nearby&nbsp;IJ waterbody.This was the very last stop of this free tour, I hope you enjoyed this experience and either if you decide to stop for a drink at the cafe or go for a walk along the river, have a great day and enjoy your stay in Amsterdam!

Beer Brewery ´t IJ

Amsterdam is a vibrant city known world-wide because of its Heritage. The cultural background of the city is priceless, just as all the heritage attractions visited during this tour! Immerse yourself in an adventure discovering the hidden (free) gems of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam Heritage for Free

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