Amsterdam travel guide with information on hotels, restaurants and much more

“In Amsterdam the water is the mistress and the land the vassal. Throughout the city there are as many canals and drawbridges as bracelets on a Gypsys bronzed arms.” (Felix Marti-Ibanez)

Ranked as the 5th of the Top Ten busiest tourist vacation destinations in Europe, branded as “The Venice of the North” – as many like to call it, Amsterdam, the capital and the largest city of the Netherlands enjoys worldwide fame and glory.

It would probably not be too difficult to see why a city like Amsterdam is considered a six-point Gamma Global City, since the metropolis alone is home for at least 175 nationalities, which is why the people here must have happily embraced and gladly turned to more liberal views and an open mindedness policy, as compared to the rest of the world.

Located in the northwest of the Netherlands (North Holland) next to the provinces Utrecht and Flevoland, Amsterdam is the financial and business capital of the Netherlands, being equally popular for its Stock Exchange (AEX) which is the worlds oldest stock exchange and one of Europes largest bourses, or for the World Trade Centre, originally a leading centre for finance and diamonds.

Amsterdam can be said to reside its magnificence and extravaganza in its sheer contrasts, which make the city even more spectacular. It is here that past and present stand next to each other and yet none of them takes away or diminishes the beauty of the other. Defiant skyscrapers climb up the ladder to the ninth heaven, at the side of rare gothic buildings, or of matchless Renaissance houses with façades that end at the top in the shape of a staircase, or of Art Nouveau edifices. Due to the richness of the architectural history of Amsterdam, the city centre is currently a protected area and many buildings here have been turned into cultural monuments that are part of a universal heritage.

Boredom and monotony do not go with Amsterdam that is why you are sure to find something to deliver you from ennui even if the skies are overcast making the day seem cloudy and damp … one more reason for you to get out and about and discover the cultural face of the city.

Amsterdam is art-friendly and it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that art is at its best here, given the great number of museums that range from little to very large ones. The Museum Square, a site chiefly popular for its summer and outdoor concerts, lodges some of Amsterdam’s most important museums such as The Rijksmuseum (known for its priceless collection of Dutch art), The Van Gogh or The Stedelijk Museum (famous for the modern works or art).

Amsterdam is a vibrant city, the nucleus from where everything else starts off and where nightlife is at its best, unavoidably leaving its mark on you.

Large or small cafes, old fashioned or stylish cafes, all are tailored to the customer’s taste yearning for a refreshing cocktail or for an energizing mix drink savored either in the comforting ambience lit by dim lights only or on animated dance floors. And perhaps, a tour of the discothèques will make you understand why people say that some of the best DJ’s in the world are to be found in Amsterdam, where music is the dance floor.

Should you have a taste for multicultural cuisine Amsterdam is the best choice, and no doubt a homeland for ethnic restaurants, varying from sophisticated and expensive to regular and affordable yet refined and exquisite.

Sophistication and exquisiteness also go hand-in-hand with the Amsterdam fashion, so, for those who are addicted to fashion and shop-oholic, Amsterdam features a number of shops which vary from large department stores (such as Metz & Co, De Bijenkorf or Maison de Bonneterie) to smaller specialty shops or to open-air markets which keep something of the multicultural local color.

Variety and diversity are also used when accommodation comes into question. In keeping with everybody’ vacation budget, accommodation in Amsterdam provides one with inexpensive, sometimes even cheap bed and breakfast boarding houses, vacation apartments to rent, and naturally, hotels. Amsterdam hotels range from four or five stars which provide their tourists with exceptional arrangements, to luxury yet affordable, sometimes even low-priced hotels fit for everybody’s pocket.

Throughout the years efforts were made to strike equilibrium and so, despite the fact that Amsterdam is very much urbanized, the surroundings of the city consist of 12% out of parks and nature reserves, which make Amsterdam an environmental friendly city.

Accordingly, Amsterdam is a bicycle friendly city, but also a city where modern means of transportation are developing, while, surprisingly enough, not doing away with any of the environmental friendly principles by which the city is governed. On the one had, Amsterdam is a centre of bicycle culture where people ride bicycles for many different purposes; going to work, picking up the children from school, or doing groceries are just few of them. On the other, public transport in Amsterdam is not neglected and it supplies several means that people can always turn to. Consequently, there are bus and tram lines, five ferries (out of which three are free), water taxis, water buses all intended for carrying pedestrians and cyclists or for canal cruising and trips along Amsterdam’s waterways.

In addition, there are eight railway stations, one of which, Amsterdam Central, is international, connecting Amsterdam to Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland, or to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, which is the biggest airport in the Netherlands, the fourth largest in Europe, the tenth largest in the world and the third busiest airport worldwide.

Apart from being a city of contrasts or of liberal views, Amsterdam has rightfully gained its fame and glory. Some will always remember it for its geographic peculiarity (the abundance of canals made people compare it to and name it “The Venice of the North”), others might probably like to keep in mind its bicycle-friendly image; some will think of its red light district – a major tourist attraction, others might just want to think of the famous Hortus Botanicus - one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world priding in many old and rare specimens; some will have their hearts set on studying at the University of Amsterdam or at the International Institute for Social History, one of the worlds largest documentary and research institutions on social history, and others might just want to join the world famous Amsterdam festivals such as Gay Pride or Uitmarkt, fancying themselves dancing on the streets and blending in with musicians and poets alike.

No matter the reason that finally determines you to choose this city as a tourist destination or simply to come back here, Amsterdam is the city which will undeniably leave an imprint on you forever.