Searching for a brief European weekend holiday? Amsterdam might be simply the location to enjoy with your family, or good friends or partner. Amsterdam Weekends integrate culture, food, and enjoyable in one stunning, charming city to come up with an experience unlike any other.
The capital and the largest city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam lies in North Holland province in the west of the nation. Amsterdam is the country's financial and cultural capital. As a tourist location, it is the 5th most frequented traveler destination in Europe. A small city, but resplendent in history, art and the promise of terrific experiences, Amsterdam is every bit charming, warm and alluring.
Amsterdam Weekends and Cultural Tourist
Amsterdam hosts a thriving cultural scene. The location of almost 100 celebrations a year and house to 37 world famous museums, Amsterdam also has numerous historic monuments, shopping districts and restaurants and entertainment arenas, and luxuriant hotels to its credit.
Must see places in Amsterdam consist of architectural specimens like the Old Church of Wallen's, or Wallen's Oude Kerk, the het Houten Huys at the Begijnhof built in rare Gothic design, and the Royal Palace which is a great specimen of Baroque architecture.
Extremely recommended museums include the Stedelijk Museum and Van Gogh Museum of modern art and the Rijksmuseum with its large collection of Rembrandt paintings and classical Dutch art. The Heineken Music Hall and symphony orchestra at the Concertgebouw are Amsterdam's cultural locations.
Amsterdam Weekends and Night Life, Food and Shopping
Its cultural extravaganza apart, Amsterdam delights in a dynamic social quality. The city is the haunt of several young European tourists who pertain to spend their Amsterdam Weekends in the lap of fantastic global foods, thrilling celebrations, and interesting shopping locations.
The Leidseplein and the Rembrandtplein areas is where Amsterdam delights in an international nightlife culture. There are discos at The Paradiso and Sugar Factory cultural centers as well. In addition to numerous ethnic and international restaurants, Amsterdam has a popular café culture and coffee bar vary from old fashioned to contemporary.
For those interested in shopping, Amsterdam Weekends provide popular destinations such as the Vodelpark and the Negen Straatjes. Vodelpark specifically is fantastic for families with kids.
Where to Stay during Amsterdam Weekends?
The city of Amsterdam is both a popular luxury holiday in addition to a backpacking destination. It is a cultural escape for lovers of the old and a fun city for the young thinking about shopping, food and enjoyable. Hence, from elegant landmark hotels to self-catering houses, hostel and camping facilities, Amsterdam Weekends provide lodging to match all spending plan types and tastes.
In and around Amsterdam
Amsterdam amsterdam walking tour is served by the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol which serves the city internationally. The Dutch Railways links the city nationwide and with most other European cities.
Cycling is the most popular mode of transport around Amsterdam. Cycling is likewise the most peaceful and enjoyable way to explore the city. Those who would choose otherwise, Amsterdam's transportation system includes buses and tram lines. There are ferry services for transportation on Amsterdam's waterways. Driving is discouraged in Amsterdam.
Progressive, peaceful, rich in cultural history and a flair for the wildly creative makes Amsterdam a travel adventure must.
When John Lennon wed Yoko Ono in 1969, throughout the height of the Vietnam War, they spent their honeymoon having a two-week "Bed-In for Peace" in the Presidential Suite of the Amsterdam Hilton. Based on a current trip to Amsterdam, my guess is they picked this city because the Dutch are among the most peace loving, diplomatic and all round cool individuals on the planet.
It appears to be in their DNA. Maybe it's since for centuries Holland, and particularly Amsterdam, was the center for world trade. Ships cruised to the Baltic Sea, The United States And Canada, Africa, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Brazil - then back once again. It was a buzzing center for travelers, merchants and experience seekers from all over the world, all with different languages, custom-mades and religious beliefs attempting to make their fortune. Obviously, that needed getting along.
There's also an unique cool factor that some describe as "eccentric." It's not the Hollywood cool of Los Angeles or the smooth cool of New york city - the cool factor in Holland comes from smart, city living, necessary when you live in among the most densely populated countries on Earth. Cool too for their progressive social mindsets on gay marital relationship, marijuana, prostitution, and doctor-assisted suicide.
The "green" cool is apparent. Where else can you see dozens of business people riding bikes to work and thousands of bikes parked at the train station? There's the "clever" cool too. Just enjoy how perfectly they move from one language to another with total aplomb.
All this and more I discovered in simply 4 nights and 3 days in Holland.
With no time to extra, I concentrated on 2 cities: Amsterdam and neighboring Haarlem taking a 14-hour nonstop flight on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines from Los Angeles. In Amsterdam, as in many European cities, public transport abounds. Trains range from the airport to anywhere you're going and everybody speaks English and enjoys to point you in the ideal instructions.
The day I arrived, all the hotels near the historical center were scheduled, so I remained at the 4-star Novotel Hotel on the southern side of Amsterdam. This modern high-rise has total features and is simply a couple of blocks from the huge RAI Exhibit and Convention Centre. Evaluating from the coats and ties in the lobby, it's a favorite for organisation tourists.
To conserve time and money, I bought an I Amsterdam City Card, a "clever card" that features a manual, discount coupons for 50 free and 60 reduced activities and restaurant offerings, and a GVB card for limitless mass transit during the period of my stay. This journey was all about doing the most I could in just a few days, starting with a supper visit that night at Brasserie Harkema near the center of the city. With my dependable 3 days in amsterdam GVB card in hand and motivated by the Novotel's concierge (who ensured me numerous times that I didn't need a taxi), I boarded a tram and headed off into the night, praying I wouldn't get lost.