This is one of the two major sights in Amsterdam, featuring the Netherlands collection of art. Although the museum was founded in the late 18th century in the Hague and transferred to Amsterdam in 1808, its strongest point is 17th century Holland art, especially paintings by artists of the caliber of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer, although there are many startling Middle Age masterpieces. However, you are by no means limited to the Holland art, stunning though it may be: paintings by other European artists (those not originally brought to France for exhibition there and acquired later), Oriental art, and the decorative arts also feature prominently on the list. Rembrandt, van Ruisdael, van Heemskerck, Frans Hals, Paulus Potter, Jan Steen, Vermeer, de Hooch, Terborch, Gerard Dou, Fra Angelico, Tiepolo, Goya, Rubens, Van Dyck, and later Dutch artists of The Hague school and the Amsterdam impressionist movement – this is only an incomplete list of the treasures you will find inside the museum’s walls.

Today, the Rijksmuseum justly ranks with the Louvre, the Uffizi, the National Gallery in London, and the Hermitage as a major European center for decorative arts. Difficult to see how it could not, with about 260 rooms where artistic treasures are tucked into every single corner. This is also the largest museum in the Netherlands, attracting well over a million visitors each year. The numbers now, however, are likely to be much more limited, due to the fact that the major part of the Rijksmuseum was due to close for refurbishments in the late fall of 2003, and the works were supposed to last several years.

When the museum works, its opening hours are daily from 10 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon, and the cost of admission 8.50 adults, free for children under 18.

The Rijksmuseum houses an unrivaled collection of Dutch art. When we were there, much of the museum was under re-construction; however, The Dutch Masterpieces were on display. These masterpieces offer a unique view of the wealthy and powerful of the 17th century.

Of course, the most famous painting of the Rijksmuseum is The Nightwatch. This showpiece of Dutch art is a vast canvas by Rembrandt, commissioned as a group portrait of a militia company. During WWII, the large painting was hidden in caves. Its current name owes to the darkened varnish, but the painting actually depicts the group in broad daylight.

If you go, here are some paintings to look for, in addition to The Nightwatch. Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. There is a book by the same name, by Tracy Chevalier, that is very much worth reading. Also, by Vermeer, The Kitchen Maid. To me, it's an in-the-moment scene. It is also mentioned in the book "Girl with a Pearl Earring." Look, also, for a painting called The Threatened Swan, which my husband nicknamed, AFLAC! Then there's the Piss Watcher by Jan Steen of a physician who "reads" urine to see if a woman is pregnant. Who said a museum can't be fun?!

Of course, exploring the museum’s 200-and-something rooms is not an easy task, and I could not even dream of compiling a list of what is a must-see, especially since only a small portion of the exhibits the Rijksmuseum owns is displayed to the public at any given time, so you never know what can be found when the exposition is changed. But this should give you a rough idea to start with… 1. The Shooting Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, painted in the year 1642, which is universally known as The Night Watch, by Rembrandt.

2. The Jewish Bride, by Rembrandt (1665)
3. The Syndics, by Rembrandt as well, but painted a little bit earlier – in 1662
4. Rembrandt’s Mother, by Gerard Dou (1630)
5. Night-School, a classic example of late period work by Gerard Dou – in shades and candle-light
6. The Kitchen-Maid, by Johannes Vermeer (painted approximately in the year 1658)
7. The Little Street, again by Vermeer – dating back to the same year as the previous one
8. Vermeer’s Young Woman Reading a Letter – painted over two years from 1662 to 1663
9. The Letter, painted by Johannes Vermeer in 1666;
10. At least a couple of paintings and genre pieces by Gerard Terborch
11. Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede, by Jacob van Ruisdael
12. Portrait of Nicolaes Hasselaer, by Frans Hals, painted in the 1630s – a rather sad, but revealing picture
13. The Merry Toper, oil on canvas portrait by Frans Hals, created approximately between 1628 and 1630
14. Portrait of a Woman at the Spinning Wheel, another oil on canvas, but this time painted by Maerten van Heemskerck, who used to work in a manner resembling that of the Italian Renaissance;
15. Orpheus Charming the Beasts, which is the most celebrated work by Paulus Potter

Both the people who know Amsterdam as well as the palm of their hand and those who have barely spent a couple of days there seem to have a point to debate: which one is the pivotal museum of the city – the Van Gogh Museum or the Rijksmuseum? Without entering the debate, I would like to try and impartially offer my view on both (in two different pieces, of course).

The Amsterdam Rijksmuseum

Over 200 rooms dedicated to the best examples of mainly Holland art, with masterpieces from other European countries and even Asia and the East, the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum has got to be one of the first stops one makes when arriving in Amsterdam.

The museum’s highlights include "The Shooting Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch," painted in the year 1642, which is universally known as "The Night Watch", by Rembrandt (the central painting for the Dutch Golden Age). Also by Rembrandt, there are "The Jewish Bride" (painted approximately in the year 1665) and "The Syndics" (created in the year 1662). Gerard Dou is represented primarily by "Rembrandt's Mother" (approximately 1630 - and, yes, it is difficult to get away from Rembrandt in Amsterdam), and "Night-School." I will make a second tip on the museum with the list of must-see paintings, but now back to the establishment itself.

The present Neo-Gothic building dates back to 1885, and was commissioned to the architect called Petrus Josephus Hubertus Cuypers (1827-1921). Today, there are five departments in the Rijksmuseum: Painting, Print Room, Sculpture and Decorative Arts, Dutch History, and Asiatic Art. The museum was actually founded in The Hague in year 1798 as the National Art Gallery, and only subsequently moved to Amsterdam by King Louis Napoleon, in 1808.

Should you arrive when the full exposition is already open, the admission fee is 8.50 euro for adults and free for children under 18.

The Rijksmuseum is the classic art museum in Amsterdam, but currently it is undergoing a massive and expensive reconstruction that is scheduled to last until 2008 (one of the unfortunate tasks is the removal of asbestos within the building).

For now, at least many of its "Golden Age" masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals will still be available to be admired by visitors in the Philips Wing. Normally the museum would be an essential part of your visit in the city, but you may or may not want to go to see such a limited selection of artworks, albeit a very impressive selection of Dutch and Flemish "greatest hits" such as "The Night Watch" by Rembrandt. It is near the Van Gogh Museum, so you can easily overload on art if you want to.

The current Rijksmuseum opened in 1885 in a grandiose neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance building designed by architect P.J.H. Cuypers, who also designed the Centraal Station. The exteriors feature towers, tiled murals and red brick walls. Be sure to take a look at the exterior while seeing its glimmering image in the reflecting pool on the Museumplein (Museum Square). The grassy plaza is a pleasant place for a stroll, as all the locals walking their dogs will attest to. The museum is open daily from 9am to 6pm.

I remember my first visit here in 1991 and I was mesmerized by not only the great range of Dutch art from the 15th to the 19th Centuries, but by an acoustic buzz created by the onslaught of the visitors and their constant chatter. Will this audio sensation still be there in the museum in 2008? The office of Cruz and Ortiz from Spain is in charge of the revamped museum design, while Van Hoogevest Architects are the restoration architect. The new and improved Rijksmuseum will have restored and new underground galleries, an auditorium and other large facilities for visiting groups, expanded storage space, and attractive public courtyards.

If you have time to kill before your flight or are stuck on a layover at Schiphol Airport, seek out the small spinoff of the Rijksmuseum. It is a pleasant little oasis of art and beats hanging around the smoky casino inside Schiphol. The two-dozen or so works of art on display are usually minor works, but culled and prominently displayed in one of the world’s busiest airports they can be fully appreciated in a way that would be impossible when surrounded by the legendary masterpieces of the main museum. The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is open every day from 7am (astonishingly early!) to 8pm, and unlike the main museum, admittance is free. It is located between the E and F gate piers, and there is a small shop with Dutch Masters-themed souvenirs for your getaway purchase. There is no place to store your luggage, so you will have to drag them up the stairs to the small viewing level.