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 What is it about Amsterdam that attracts so many thousands of visitors every year? A recent tourism survey proclaimed Amsterdam as the fourth most popular holiday destination in Europe after Paris, Rome and London - a very respectable rank indeed considering the intense competition. So just what is it that makes Amsterdam so attractive?
A popular city indeed
There are plenty of reasons for its popularity - the wonderful scenery, relatively cheap prices and a populace known for
its laid back attitude and great tolerance. It's easy to communicate, as almost everyone speaks English, German and/or French, as well as Dutch. And, unlike the other more popular destinations, it's amazingly easy to move around the city - a great boon to the visitor on a tight budget.
As befits the capital of a
completely flat country, Amsterdam is perfect for walking - no hills no vast distances, and plenty of sights in between, and even during the winter, the weather is mild for walking to be a pleasure. There's no need to hire an expensive, gas-guzzling car, or search for exorbitant taxis and if you absolutely have to get somewhere speedily, you can hop on a bike. You don't even have to pay - there are free communal ‘white bikes’ stationed at various points around the
city, which can be picked up at one point and dropped off at another
when you’re done. And yes, Amsterdam has a lot of bicycles. A LOT. In a
city of 730,000, there are more than 600,000 bikes constantly
weaving their way through pedestrians and motorized traffic.
Even if you’re not the bicycling kind, have no fear - the Dutch take the
concept of public transport pretty seriously, and the bus, tram and
train systems are some of the best in Europe. And, if you’re not sure how
to get around, you can just phone 0900-9292 and tell the operator (in
English) where you’re staying, your destination, and when you want
to leave or arrive. You’ll get detailed directions of how to get
where you’re going, complete with time estimates. Who needs maps? Amsterdam is definitely a visitor-friendly city.
Attractions galore
It’s a good thing the city’s so easy to travel, as there’s plenty to
see (which is another reason for the hordes of visitors every year). When it comes to history and heritage, Amsterdam is literally
bursting with it. There are 6,750 monuments in the city centre
along, and 42 museums, more than any other city. Many are within
walking distance of each other and seven marked walking routes cover
30 attractions.
One of the most famous of these museums is the
Rijksmuseum, which houses works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and
almost every other Old Master. If you want to see the works of
Vincent Van Gogh, they’re all in the Van Gogh Museum, only a short
distance away. For contemporary art, the Stedelijk Museum of Modern
Art showcases modern and contemporary paintings, pottery and
photography; and for a look at the lives of Dutch life in the past,
the Museum Willet-Holthuysen is an enchanting 17th century canal
house restored to its wonderful former glory. Also, the Old Town quarter of Amsterdam is under consideration for the UNESCO World Heritage Site and is well worth a day visit in itself.
If
it’s more contemporary attractions you’re after, Amsterdam has
plenty of that too. It’s a lively city, and there’s always plenty of
festivals and outdoor concerts going on in the summer. If you’re in
the city on 30th April for the Queen’s Day celebration, you’ll find
the whole city turned into one massive street party. In June,
there’s the artsy Holland Festival and for a bit of street theatre
at any time, you can head to the Noordermarkt, where the lively
market hosts numerous events and is almost never without its street
performers.
Activities on the canals
 There's also plenty of things to do in Amsterdam all year round, so visitors are sure to find something interesting happening whenever they visit. One of the most popular activities for visitors is going on a
boat ride in the canals. Not for nothing is Amsterdam known as the Venice of the North: the city has 100 kilometres of water way, which are crisscrossed by 1200
bridges and are one of the most picturesque elements in a very
pretty city. There are an abundance of
barges, houseboats, cruises, boats, and water bikes available and on
a warm summer evening, a slow cruise around the canals is a great
way to see the city without too much effort. Just don’t trail your
hands in the water — the canals are pretty, but they’re not all that
clean!
If you’re there in the winter, are really lucky and the canals freeze just right, then
you may even get to watch, or take part in, one of the legendary
skating events in Europe — the Elfstedentocht or Eleven Cities
Journey. This challenging race takes the competitors through the Friesland country side in January and is one of the most exciting
races of the year.
Even more attractions
Another popular thing to do in the city is go to the park, as
they’re the best place to go to see the country’s most famous symbol
— the tulip. In spring, the flowers in all their multicoloured
splendour erupt from their warm brown beds and transform the
pleasant green into a riot of colour for the summer. During peak
tourist season (from July to August, when the weather is at its
best), the parks are crowded with visitors enjoying the scenery and
the sunshine. The Dutch are famously proud of their flowers, and
when you see the endless beds of tulips — and daffodils, narcissus
and a hundred other flowers — all bursting with life and colour
under the warm summer sun, its not hard to see why.
On the more risqué side, the Dutch are also famous for their relaxed
attitudes towards drugs and sex and don’t see anything particularly
reprehensible about coffee shops selling weed, or raunchy sex shops
being located right next to stuffy museums. And of course, there is
the famous, or infamous, red light district, where women pose in
various states of undress in shop windows, for the perusal of
prospective customers and not a few curious tourists. The area also
houses, appropriately enough, the Hash Marijuana Hemp Museum, the
Amsterdam Sex Museum, and the Tattoo Museum, which are interesting
attractions for those less straight-laced in nature. Interestingly,
some of the city’s finest buildings are located in the district,
giving a more legitimate reason to wander around the area.
There are also cafes, bars, pubs, restaurants and night clubs galore in Amsterdam, where you can take a break from sightseeing and maybe try the
traditional Dutch food. The recommended drink to go with a good Dutch meal is of course the national drink:
jenever, a clear, distilled alcohol flavoured with juniper berries. You can try the shops around the Rembrandtplein for some good, reasonably priced meals, or around the Spuistraat. Amsterdam also offers an amazing variety of cuisines. The city is home to the greatest number of ethnic minorities in Europe, and its shows in the number of restaurants offering Asian, African, Mediterranean and other cuisines.
There are plenty of other things to do, see and take part in when
you’re in Amsterdam. Despite the Netherland’s stereotypical image as
the land of windmills, tulips and clogs, Amsterdam offers some of
the liveliest scenes on the Continent — and when coupled with the
reasonable cost of living, ease of transportation, and some of the
most laid back and tolerant people anywhere, its no wonder the city
is such a popular place to go to on holiday.
Book
Amsterdam Hotels here
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