This sort of enormous green hull, turned towards the IJ river, is the work of Renzo Piano, architect of the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Completed in 1997, the building houses Amsterdam's science and technology museum. Children will be thrilled to participate in a series of experiments (chemistry, virtual stock exchange, steering an oil tanker) and the exhibits are explained in four languages: Dutch, English, German and French. Not to be missed is the fine view over the city from the roof.

This statue stands on one of the locks which punctuate the Spaarndam dyke. It is dedicated to Hans Brinker, a true hero of Spaarndam who, so the story goes, succeeded in saving the town from a flood having spent the whole night with his finger in a fissure that had appeared in the protection dyke. A children's book is the origin of this tale: Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates, by the American M. Mapes Dodge (1873).

This fine 17th Century town house hosts temporary exhibitions for the Kattenkabinet, a museum dedicated to the cat as represented in art. The works on show bear witness to the inspiration this small feline has afforded to artists down the centuries.

Leading the way into the town through two turrets, this gate dating from the end of the 15C also served as a watergate.