Laid back, quirky, cultural and pleasing on the eye, Amsterdam offers an intriguing experience for most travellers. It’s hard to ignore the beauty of the city’s winding canals overlooked by old merchant houses and lined with vintage bicycles. Amsterdam Cafés tend to be a relaxing affair, you can find yourself whiling away the hours drinking coffee and reading beside the canal.
In the evenings there is plenty to keep you occupied from dark and smokey coffee shops to strange one off eccentric events, locals tend to be relaxed but also party hard. Once you’ve recovered from the nights excesses you can take in one of Amsterdam’s many museums or even take trip to the flower market. Amsterdam has plenty to offer and certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Here are our top things to see and do in Amsterdam.
1. Canal Tour
Amsterdam is a city built on a canal network, and an ideal way to get your bearings and see the city is to take one of the many canal tours on offer. As well as sight seeing cruises, there are also evening cruises up and down the canals which offer dinner or drinks as well.
2. Anne Frank’s House
The house which hid two Jewish families for several years during the Nazi occupation is now a museum. A visit brings the horrors of the holocaust into sharp relief. As the house is one of the main attractions in Amsterdam, arrive early to avoid the peak crowds.
3. Van Gogh museum
Vincent Van Gogh is perhaps the most famous artist ever to come out of the Netherlands, and the museum devoted to his life and work houses examples from all stages of his career. It is a must for all art lovers.
4. Rijksmusem
The Rijksmuseum is home to not only a world class collection of artworks from the Low Countries, but also a huge range of other objects such as porcelain and furniture which tell the story of the Netherlands history.
5. Dam Square
This square is the very heart of the city and is crowded at most hours with tourists, pigeons and artists. Don’t miss the National Monument, which commemorates the country’s war dead.
6. Bloemenmarkt
The Netherlands are famous the world over for their flowers and the floating flower market in Singel is a truly impressive sight. As well as cut flowers, there is a dazzling array of bulbs and potted plants for sale.
7. Bike Hire
Amsterdam is as well known for its bikes as it is for its canals, so pretend you’re a local by hiring a bike for the day from one of the many companies offering this service and spend the afternoon pottering around, discovering the sights and sounds of the city.
Photo by web4camguy
