subject: Amsterdam Sightseeing [print this page] Amsterdam Sightseeing Amsterdam Sightseeing
Amsterdam
There are many reasons to travel to Amsterdam. It's the capital of the Netherlands and one of Europe's most vibrant and colourful cities. Amsterdam offers an unparalleled combination of high culture and decadence. come here for your city break Amsterdam .
Canal Tours
What could be more enchanting than discovering Amsterdam by its most famous transport system. Canal tours might not be the quickest way, but are undeniably enjoyable when you want to sit back, relax and enjoy some of Europe's greatest architectural gems.
Routes vary but most canal tour companies cover Amsterdam's most famous landmarks such as Anne Frank's House, Rijksmuseum and Centraal Station.
Open: daily 10h00-18h00.
Cycling around the city
A great way to see the city and experience it in local fashion is to rent a bike for the length of your stay for a day or even a few hours. Amsterdam is one of the most cycle-friendly cities in the world and bicycles have some times more space on the road than their fellow pavement users. Usually by ringing the bike's bell, cyclists charmingly alert pedestrians they are not too far and cohabitation with cars is surprisingly annoyance free.
EUR12 per day for a bike rental. For bike hire :MacBike, Mr Visserplein 2 or Weteringschans .
Rent-a-Bike, Damstraat 20-22.
Walking around the city
It's also a great place to discover with your own two feet. From the picturesque Jordaan district where streets are named after flowers to the artistic Westerpark where open-air concerts, theatre and exhibitions take place, Amsterdam abounds with walking tours that combine well with cultural heritage.
For more information on walking tours, contact the Amsterdam Tourist Office, Stationsplein 10 (opposite Centraal Station).
Vincent Van Gogh Museum
One of the city's best museums, the excellent Vincent Van Gogh draws a crowd on most weekends - you might be better visiting in the earlier part of the week to try this. The museum has a substantial and definitive collection of more than 200 paintings and 500 drawings by Van Gogh and his contemporaries. Van Gogh's own work is arranged chronologically in five periods.
Paulus Potterstraat 7. Open: Mon-Sun 10h00-18h00, Fri 10h00-22h00. Admission: EUR10, adults; Free under 12 years old.
Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum is Amsterdam's largest and most popular museum, containing some of the greatest works of art found anywhere in the Netherlands. The central attraction is the collection of 17th-century Dutch Masters, featuring canvases from some of the finest artists in history, including Rembrandt and Vermeer. The rest of the collection ventures further afield and in galleries such as the Print Room and the Asiatic Art room you can see photographs, statuary and all manner of artefacts drawn from art epochs all over the world.
This magnificent building, built to resemble a boat run aground, houses a massive hands-on science and technology centre, which should keep science fans amused for a good couple of hours.
Hundreds of hi-tech workstations let people interact with exhibits through games and experiments. As a result the museum is constantly changing with each visitor's input. Look to see if there are any temporary exhibitions planned when you go, as these can be very impressive and well worth a visit in themselves.
Amsterdam's infamous Red Light District is in the very centre of the city, concentrated on two canals (Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudezijds Achterburgwal) and the interconnecting streets. It is definitely an eye-opener, the working girls sit or stand in windows beckoning at passers-by. There are also a number of adult shops and entertainment that might be too much for some people.
However, on the other hand there is a refreshing honesty and openess about the whole experience, that means you don't have to feel sleazy wandering here - you can often see family groups wandering through the district, although stag and hen parties form the majority of passers-by. Whatever your feelings on the topic, a walk through De Wallen is likely to be memorable.
