AMSTERDAM - Old Amsterdam is so beautiful, especially when you’re looking at the 12th and 13th century doll-house homes, cathedrals and museums from the seat of a canal tour boat.

The slow motion tour I’m taking aboard a Blue Tour Boat reminds me that Amsterdam remains one of the world’s great living museums. But as the canal we are following spills out into the IJ River, I suddenly find myself propelled into the future — the ancient eye candy I’ve been admiring has been replaced by sleek, cutting edge architecture that is both surprising and visually stunning.

The most impressive of the modern collection that suddenly comes into view is a stark white building standing on the shore that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.

“That’s our new EYE,” says my Dutch friend Henny while pointing to the impressive building that, since 2012, houses the Film Institute of the Netherlands — a storehouse of Holland’s cinematic history which dates back to 1895. In the EYE is stored over 37,000 Dutch films as well as 60,000 posters, 700,000 photographs and 20,000 books that came from the creative minds of Dutch artists over the decades.

Above: The sleek-looking Eye Museum is a good example of Amsterdam's new look.

The Austrian company charged with the design of EYE says the “building is a reference to the cinema-going experience as a game of light, space and movement.” The EYE’s sloping roof apparently refers to cinematography and the gleaming facade reflects light in constantly changing conditions.

Whatever, it’s pretty EYE-catching to the tourists surrounding me who can’t stop taking photographs of the structure located in what’s known as Amsterdam Noord, a district directly across the IJ from Amsterdam’s Centraal train station, where many new buildings are being erected at a record pace.

“When I was growing up in Holland, the Noord was not a desired area,” says the youthful looking Henny, “but now it’s become very fashionable to live there.”

In space-challenged and rapidly expanding Amsterdam, many old areas like the Noord’s Overhoeks neighbourhood, primarily used as docklands in the past, are being transformed into chic districts and architects are being encouraged to let their imaginations run wild, with some pretty creative condos and public buildings being erected as a result.

As impressive as the EYE is, though, we see many other modern structures dotting the shoreline — they stand in stark contrast to the historic canal area where “modern” is regarded as an offensive word.

As we drift back into a canal near the centre of Amsterdam, more modern structures come into view and each seems more impressive and daring than the last. The one that gets the most attention here, though, is a small three-storey structure called ARCAM, which looks like an architectural experiment — you can decide if it was a failed or successful experiment.

ARCAM (The Amsterdam Centre of Architecture) was opened in 2003 and is the creative home for contemporary Dutch architects. The association which calls ARCAM home was founded in 1986 by a disgruntled group of architects who wanted to replace the drab buildings erected in Amsterdam during the 1970s with more eye catching designs.

Above: The Nemo Science Centre has been shaped like a ship.

Most visitors would agree they outdid themselves with this latest crop.

“Hey, is that a sunken ship over there?” asks a member of our small tour group as she points to what looks, from our vantage point, like the bow of a ship rising in the air with its stern submerged.

“No, that’s just Nemo, our science centre,” says Henny.

Nemo is another fabulous piece of modern architecture located in Oosterdok in Amsterdam-Centrum, one of the most affluent areas of the city. It opened in 1997 and was one of the first new contemporary buildings erected — its instant success no doubt spurred architects to create more.

It’s certainly one of the most popular centres in Amsterdam, attracting over 500,000 visitors annually — the fifth most visited centre in the country. Nimo’s five floors are a fun zone for kids who can conduct hands-on science experiments and more.

Other designs that make us gasp with excitement:

• The Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ (Music Building on the IJ), which is most impressive at night when it’s glittering glass exterior glows on the river’s ebony surface. Opened in 2005, the music hall attracts some of the greatest contemporary and classical artists in the world and is located above the IJ tunnel, a short walk from landmark Amsterdam Centraal. It’s multifunctional main auditorium seats up to 735 patrons. Right next door to the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, is the Bimhuis, home to jazz and improvisation.

• ING Gebouw (the ING Building) — world headquarters for Holland’s multinational banking and insurance company that is often called “orange” because of its corporate colours. The ING building, however, looks like a silver slipper and has been unfavourably dubbed by some as a “giant shoe” or “the vacuum cleaner.” ING has a reputation for keeping up with architectural changes and nothing proves that more than its Amsterdam home. The many cutting edge condos, apartments and hotel complexes springing up in Amsterdam these days are the perfect compliment to the public buildings.

Above: The new buildings come in very shape and size.

There’s no better example of that than the impressive Silodam building, a colourful residential complex situated on a pier, which features 157 apartments and lots of commercial space. It’s become one of the most desired addresses in Amsterdam and offers some of the most stunning views of the harbour and Old Town. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Many visitors to Amsterdam are now reserving units in Silodam during their stays instead of hotel rooms and most rate the experience very highly).

Over on the east side of Amsterdam, a new student-style hotel called Casa400 and the trendy East 57 restaurant attached to it, are turning heads. During the winter, most of the fashionable rooms at the Casa400 are reserved for students at nearby Amsterdam University but in the summer months, when the rooms empty, tourists are offered remarkable rates — around $150 U.S. a night. That’s one of the best bargains in all of Europe and thanks to Amsterdam’s remarkable public transportation, the city’s historic sites and modern waterfront wonders are just 10 minutes away.

When you get back from touring, East 57 is the perfect spot to kick off your shoes and relax — if you can get a table, that is. This may be the most talked about eatery in Amsterdam — its chic contemporary decor and Western-style menu (think really upscale hamburgers) make it very un-European, which is exactly what Europeans seem to like about it.

As our canal boat slips back into the maze of incredible canals that keep this amazing city above water, and the old fairytale homes and ancient buildings again come into view, we look back at the modern structures rising along the waterfront and feel assured that Amsterdam’s future looks as good as its past.