About Amsterdam
 Amsterdam is the capital city
of the Netherlands. It lies on the banks of two rivers, the Amstel and IJ, and
from its canals to the world famous museums and historical sights, Amsterdam
has long been considered as one of the most romantic and wonderful cities in
the whole continent of Europe.
Established in the later 12th century
as a small fishing village on the banks of the Amstel River, Amsterdam has one
of the largest historic city centers in Europe. One of the focal points of
interest in this city is the Golden Age of Netherlands that dates largely from
the 17th century. It was noted that at this time, a row of concentric,
semi-circular canals were built around the older city center, but this
establishment still defines the city’s layout and appearance today.
Amsterdam now has fine houses and mansions that are situated along the canals.
Most of these houses and mansions are lived in, while others are now offices
and public buildings.
|
Find a Hotel Discount with our Hot Rate
Hotels
NH City Centre |
|
 Downtown Amsterdam
Overview
|
Rates
| Map
Book
it now!
Overlooking the famous Singel Canal, NH Amsterdam Centre is
approximately 13 miles from Amsterdam Airport. There is a bus stop right in
front of the hotel for the KLM Shuttle Bus to and from the airport. The trams
go directly to the museums (Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum) and the RAI Convention
Centre. The hotel is also close to the flower market and the home of Anne
Frank.
NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky
 Overview
|
Rates
| Map
Book
it now!
Situated opposite the Royal Palace and approximately 10
miles from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. It is surrounded by department stores,
boutiques, and shopping alleys. Numerous sights, museums, and theaters in the
historic city center are within walking distance.
NH Barbizon Palace
Overview
|
Rates
| Map
Book
it now!
NH Barbizon Palace is situated opposite the Central Station
and approximately 17 miles from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The hotel is also
within walking distance of Artis Zoo and Rembrandt House, one mile from Dam
Square and the Anne Frank House, and three miles from the Van Gough Museum and
Rijks Museum.
Hotel Pulitzer
Overview
|
Rates
| Map
Book
it now!
The Hotel Pulitzer is located in the center of
Amsterdam close to Dam Square and the Royal Palace, Overlooking two of the
city's most picturesque canals, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht. It occupies 25
restored and integrated 17th- and 18th-century canal houses on the quiet but
centrally located Kaiser Canal.
|
|
|
There is nothing quite like this small capital and its deep
cultural heritage. Not only is Amsterdam colorful, serene, and romantic, it is
also exciting and sophisticated. Amsterdam is a major port conveniently located
near Schiphol Airport and is the site of
many national and international business conferences. It is also at the heart
of the ever expanding European Union.
Amsterdam is a compact and
instantly likeable city, very appealing to look at and pleasing to walk around.
It is a city where the parochial and international behaviors meet, and it is
where you will feel a welcoming attitude towards visitors.
Traveling to Amsterdam
By Air: Flights to the city usually arrive in the
Schiphol Airport, which is approximately
18 kilometers away, southwest of the city center. From the Schiphol airport,
trains typically leave for Central Station every 20 minutes and so the journey
takes 20 minutes. Then, from the Central Station, you’ll get to have a
taxi ride to town which takes approximately 15 minutes and the journey will
cost you approximately €30.
By Train: You can also travel
to Amsterdam by train as there are domestic and international trains that go to
Amsterdam. They typically arrive in the Central Station, which is located in
the heart Amsterdam’s city center.
By Bus: The buses
arriving and leaving Amsterdam do so from Amstel Station. This station is
linked to Central Station by metro. Buses leaving for London, Brussels, and
Amsterdam’s other cities also depart from the Amstel Station.
Getting Around Amsterdam
The layout of the city of Amsterdam is generally determined by a
web of canals radiating out from a historical core to loop right round the
center. These planned seventeenth century extensions to the medieval town make
for a distinctly elegant urban environment. This is further shown by the
presence of tall gabled houses that are reflected in the black green waters of
the city.
On Foot: The central part of Amsterdam is just easy to
get around. Most of what is there to see, apart from the Red Light District and
Dam Square, is a short tram or bike ride away.
 By Bike: A
great way to see the sights of Amsterdam is to travel by bike. Today, there are
more than 500,000 bikes in the city. As such, you can hire one of them for
about €7 per day. Perhaps the most important thing to consider is to lock
your bike, as bike theft is a huge problem in Amsterdam.
By
Bus/Metro: Both the tram and metro are useful if you are traveling to the
outskirts of Amsterdam, but otherwise you probably won’t need to use them.
There are two metro stations, at the Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein.
By Tram: Finally, you can get around Amsterdam by tram, the most
important mode of public transport in the Dutch capital. There are 15 different
lines and they are the backbone of the city’s public transport network.
Just note that the best tram for your Amsterdam sightseeing is No.20, which
stops close to most of the tourist attractions.
Things to See in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the 5th busiest tourist destination in Europe with
more than 4.2 million international visitors, with the number of visitors
growing rapidly and steadily over the past decade. When you think about
Amsterdam, it is very hard not to imagine misty cafes and scantily clothed
women moving provocatively in windows with red lights. Many travelers return to
this ultimate city of “sin” because of these sights alone.
Amsterdam is not just about sex and drugs, however. The Netherlands has the
greatest number of great museums per
square foot than anywhere else in the world. If you take a tram ride 10 minutes
from the heart of the city, you can overwhelm yourself with those narrow
streets occupied with nothing else other than the cyclist and a car every now
and then. The city has much to offer for sightseeing and restaurants.
The City Government
Amsterdam, as all Dutch
municipalities, is governed by a mayor, his wethouders (aldermen), and the
municipal council. Nevertheless, the city is subdivided into fifteen stadsdelen
(boroughs), which is a system implemented in the 1980s to improve local
governance. The establishment of this system is what sets Amsterdam unique from
other Dutch municipalities. The stadsdelen are said to be responsible for a
number of activities that previously had been governed and managed by the
central city. Fourteen of these have their respective council, which is chosen
by a popular election. Westerpoort, the fifteenth, covers the harbour of the
city and has very few inhabitants. It is also governed by the central municipal
council.
The Language
When it comes to language,
many of the people in Amsterdam are proud of the fact that just about everyone
speaks English fluently. Although many also speak German and French, it is
worth noting that in this capital city of Netherlands, it is a tradition that
if you are English speaking, then speak English, unless you speak Dutch too
because you are more likely to offend than do anyone a favor by trying out your
French or German.
There is a common misconception in the language of
Amsterdam; one of those is that Dutch is very close to German. The truth is,
they are not mutually intelligible: Dutch people have to learn German at
school, and in general they speak better English than German. However, Dutch
and German are similar in the same sort of way that French and Italian are
similar.
The Weather
There is actually of good
weather any time of the year in Amsterdam. The typical weather ranges from a
little around freezing in the depths of winter to typically pleasant sunny days
of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius in the summer. There is also a little snow during
the winter season. Furthermore, the spring and autumn are pleasant in
Amsterdam; however these seasons can be wet, with 100+ mm of rain per month. It
is just so normal in this area that you will find people or even you yourself
often carrying an umbrella even on the hottest of July days, as summer rain in
the morning sometimes precedes the arrival of bright sunshine later.
Safety and Health
Amsterdam is a safe city, thus
there is nothing really to fear from walking in any part of the city. It has
been noted that even in the red-light district around the Oude Kerk, tourists
are always spotted wandering around. However, as in any large cities in other
parts of the world, you should beware of pick pockets. And, don’t try to
photograph the women in the red-light district for that would be risky. In
terms of water, the water from taps is perfectly drinkable.
|
