Travel Destination: Amsterdam
About Amsterdam
Relaxed, easy and free! Welcome to Amsterdam, the Netherlands’ capital and largest city where the essence of individuality is wildly celebrated. Freedom is a big word in this city and that will guide anybody who visits on where to go, what to do and how to express him/herself.
The city despite being modern and liberal retains part of its old world glory and its architectural treasures are gentle reminders of that. It’s common to see buildings standing side by side that represent different style era. But well that’s the beauty of this city. It tolerates an “anything goes” attitude but offers concise urban planning wonders.
Amsterdam is a city by the river. Its name is indicative of its location which means a dam by the River Amstel. An important port in the Dutch Golden Age, it has remained the financial and cultural centre of the Netherlands in the modern times.
This charming city welcomes around four million visitors annually and that makes it one of the busiest tourist destinations in Europe. The usual tourist spots are popular here: museums, shopping centres, old buildings, countryside landscapes, music centres, breweries and zoos.
Amsterdam has this way of breathing new life to an old concept. Try visiting the likes of the Erotic Museum (highlights the Red Light District’s sex and history), the Handbag Museum which obviously showcases a woman’s favourite thing or the Amsterdam Dungeon, a theatre, attraction park and museum all rolled into one and you will see the difference.
Also popular are Rijksmuseum (the country’s national museum), the Diamond Museum, the Van Gogh Museum (if you want to get a glimpse of the works of the Vincent), NEMO (the largest science centre in Netherlands and can you guess that this is a sinking ship-shaped museum?), Bijbels Museum, Museum Van Loon (a 1672 canal house), the Anne Frank Museum, Museum Geelvinck-Hinlopen and Kattenkabinet (it’s a museum about cats).
Not because Amsterdam is a liberal city means that it doesn’t have significant religious houses. Its churches are actually centuries old and a must-see if only for its architectural significance and beauty. The Oude Kerk (which means old church) as the name implies is Amsterdam’s oldest, consecrated in 1306 which incidentally is now in the middle of the Red Light District. The Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) is not so new at all, it is a 15th century church used for royal coronations. A visit to the hidden church in an attic in Museum Amstelkring is also an option.
Amsterdam’s flavours are as tolerant as its ideals, Asian, European, Mediterranean, Exotic, African, all the types that you can think of are probably here. Indulging your palate is not sinful at all, so go forth. If home cooking appeals to you, drive by Dappermarkt in the eastern part, Albert Cuyp Market located in the Pijp and Kraaiennest Bijlmer market. Specialty tokos are found everywhere too.
Nightlife is thriving and the Red Light District is a major tourist attraction. De Wallen is the largest and is located in the oldest part of Amsterdam just south of Oude Kerk. The strip has several sex shops, peep shows, cannabis museum and coffee shops that sell marijuana. Singelgebied and Ruysdaelkade form the Rosse Buurt (red light area) together with De Wallen. FYI, prostitution is legal in the Netherlands.
Amsterdam may challenge the sensibilities of some but keeping an open mind is the right attitude to maximise the fun in this city. Whenever you’re ready to dig in, you’ll never be sorry that you did for the trip is all worth it.