Amsterdam and The Netherlands
Amsterdam is a city of contrasts. The oldest church in town sits right next to the red light district which is legal under Dutch laws. This is traditionally a trading town and it is obvious that much of the wealth of the New World stuck around in Amsterdam when you walk down the trendy streets near the opera and the museums that have shoes priced above $500 Euro for both Men and Women. High class neighborhoods even have coffee shops that sell marijuana but it almost seems routine as people go about their business. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and it offers an unparalleled combination of high culture and decadence. For culture lovers, you can view the Dutch Masters at the Rijksmuseum and check out the updated Van Gogh museum where the family has lovingly paired Van Gogh's letters and hand drawings with the associated artwork of his and his peers for an interesting view through the artist's (and his brother and his peers) own eyes.
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Take a canal boat cruise which is included in the IAmsterdam card. Pick one up at the tourist office when you first arrive the city as it can be used for a single admission to each museum plus comes with a public transport card that is valid on the trams and many of the cities busses. We also visited the botanical garden and a couple of extra museums just because we had the card on our last day. You are probably more likely to get killed by a bicycle than you are by an automobile. There are thousands of bicycles all over the city and people are speeding everywhere on the things which have their own lane between the sidewalk and the street in most places so be careful. We do individual vacations in Amsterdam, many of the River Cruises start or end in Amsterdam plus some of the escorted tours have Amsterdam as a stop along the way. It looked to us like certain neighborhoods were more suited to families or regular tourists plus, be warned that the City on the Weekend seemed to have large packs of young men that come in from across Europe or the middle east for bachelor parties and to frequent cheaper hotels near that area of the City. To us, this seemed like one of the hardest cities in Europe to pick a hotel and a neighborhood so we spent time noting the places for each group of customers we have.
We found one of the most international restaurant offerings anywhere we have been in Europe because of The Netherlands welcoming immigration policy of the past and the fact that it was always a trading port so cultures are very mixed. From Argentinian Steakhouses to Turkish to all types of Asian you can choose your cuisine. We also had great fish and Italian and offering of cheeses while in the country. Additional Amsterdam pictures are located in our River Cruise Blog. |
In addition to Amsterdam, tourists in The Netherlands are also partial to Leiden, The Hague, Rotterdam and Dordrecht. Holland only refers to two provinces of The Netherlands. At the Southwest coast of the Netherlands is the province of Zeeland which is more popular with German tourists. The province of Flevoland is consisted solely of land reclaimed from the Sea and many people go in the Spring for the Tulip Time Cruises which are available on our partner Avalon Waterways.
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THE TOREN
Our Favorite Hotel
in Amsterdam
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