Amsterdam is a water city, and to get a taste of it you must take an Amsterdam sightseeing cruise. Canal cruises are best done during the daytime on hour-long trips. From the front of Amsterdam Central Station, the boats run every 15-30 minutes on each route. From the boat, you can often discover sights that you wouldn't notice if you were walking along the streets. When visiting museums, it is convenient to use the museum boat. This route travels around the city's major museums and you can get on and off the boat at any time. For those who are more confident about their stamina, it is a good idea to try the canals by boat. At night, Amsterdam's canals and bridges are lit up for a romantic evening.
Amsterdam is surrounded by canals, so start by renting a boat or taking a cruise. If you prefer a more urban feel, start in the center of Amsterdam on Dam Boulevard, which leads to the Royal Palace, the New Cathedral, the National Monument and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. You can also start your tour in the Old Town at the "Tower of Tears" on Prins Hendrikkade and follow the river to the Amsterdam Museum and the Old Church. The old church is the center of a narrow strip of land stretching from north to south is the famous "red light district", when the lights come on, the red light district is filled with a steady stream of people, the more the night gets crazier and crazier.
Of course, you can't miss the opportunity to "talk to the masters across time and space", and Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Hals across the time and space barriers to the art journey. Amsterdam's art galleries and museums have more than sixty. The more representative ones are concentrated in Museum Square. These include the National Museum, which houses Rembrandt's "Night Watch" and other 17th-century Dutch painters such as Vermeer, the National Van Gogh Museum, which is the world's largest collection of Van Gogh's works, and the Municipal Museum, which houses the works of Gauguin, Picasso, and other Impressionist painters. Also not to be missed in Museum Square is the National Concert Hall, which is known as the temple of classical music. It is also the home of the Amsterdam National Orchestra and was completed in 1888. It is a white building with a golden harp on the roof. The acoustics are excellent, ranking third in the world. Tickets are very inexpensive and anyone can easily get in and enjoy classical music. You can also enjoy free lunchtime concerts every Wednesday at noon, so take it easy and listen.
When you're tired, take a break at one of the cafes in the neighborhood and enjoy the Dutch atmosphere. The center of the city, Dom Square, is the liveliest part of the city, and not far away is the world-famous Red Light District. In 1994, Amsterdam and Beijing became sister cities.
Amsterdam looks old and extremely flavorful. All the little three- and four-story buildings are carefully decorated in blue, green and red, and are as cute as if they were fake. The doors of these toy buildings are so small that only one person can walk through them. In the old days there was a strange law that the bigger the door the more the tax, so the people had no choice but to make the doors as small as possible, but make the windows so big that the furniture was lifted in and out through the windows. At the top of all the small buildings, there were several iron hooks sticking out to hold the ropes used to hoist things.
The dense waterways divide these lovely streets piece by piece, and flocks of seagulls fly between the waterways and the buildings, bullying the ducks that feed in the water, as if it were Venice of the North.
The water level of the canals is almost level with the street level, a small and exquisite boathouse moored on the shore, this is a scene in Amsterdam - water home. Most of them are owned by artists and writers, as well as romantic young men.
Take a cruise along the canals through the streets of Amsterdam, the eyes swept past the old quiet streets, quaint buildings, colorful streetcars, a different shape of the bridge, turquoise sea water, beautiful boathouses, tempting water restaurants, water bars, water cafes.
Windmills, wooden shoes, canals, bridges, boathouses, pirates, beautiful architecture, tantalizing tulips, idyllic fields, pastoral songs, all of which make up what a beautiful fairy tale world! However, the Netherlands also has a lot of things that are definitely adult.
In Amsterdam, there are not many cafes and teahouses, but more bars. Bars are usually small, no more than 20 square meters, a bar,
a few bar stools, a few small tables, and you can see the inside of the bar through the huge glass windows. Drinkers are sitting at the bar, some at small tables, some standing, in twos and threes, talking loudly, laughing and joking, with deafening jazz music, a look of complete relaxation. These bars can be placed along the street tables and stools, attracting many pedestrians to stop. Casual, free and tolerant are the adjectives that most often come to mind when one thinks of Amsterdam, and for no other reason than the fact that, for centuries, Amsterdam has acted as a magnet for persecuted people from all over Europe, especially Jews and Gentiles from France and other Catholic countries, who have sought refuge here. The Amsterdammers were Catholic and Protestant in succession, and this place has always been a melting pot of different nationalities, and because of their experience in dealing with foreign countries and their frequent trade, the Amsterdammers have long possessed a cosmopolitan temperament, and over the centuries the years have brought to the Dutch people a greater breadth of mind, and at the same time a great tradition of tolerance for heresy. As a result, Amsterdam is a magnet for foreigners, immigrants and intellectuals, all eager to join this fascinating and diverse world. And some have compared Amsterdam to Noah's Ark for asylum seekers.
Drugs are absolutely forbidden in all countries of the world, except in the Netherlands, where small amounts of marijuana and other drugs are allowed in certain places. If you see a coffee house with a leaf logo on the street, don't think it's a restaurant or a coffee house, it's a legal coffee house where you can smoke drugs, but there is a limit to the amount you can smoke, and you mustn't smoke the cigarettes that strangers sell to you! Amsterdam canals
Amsterdam canals, Amsterdam is a water city, the network of interlocking rivers, river. There are large and small 165 artificially excavated or repaired canal ways.
There are more than 2,000 "houseboats" on the river, although they are houseboats, but the facilities are complete. Taking a glass boat tour of Amsterdam is the only way to truly appreciate the unique flavor of the Water City. Cruise through the famous river, both sides of the river is typical of the traditional Dutch residential architecture. This is because the property tax was levied according to the size of the frontage, and the Dutch were smart enough to minimize the size of the frontage in order to save tax. Because of the small frontage, much of the decorative attention was given to the roofs of the houses. If you look closely, you will see that the walls are different from one house to the next. Because of the narrow doors, large furniture items needed to go in through the windows, and for this reason there were protruding hooks on the houses. Amsterdam's famous canals include the Emperor's Canal, the Prince's Canal and the Gentleman's Canal. A gentle walk along the canals provides a comprehensive overview of the city's various historical buildings. Built in the 17th century, the canal belt here has 160 canals covering 75 kilometers and is home to 2,500 houseboats. Amsterdam Canal Street Scene:The canal houses in Amsterdam, Netherlands, were built in the mid-17th century and are mostly red brick buildings with elegant stepped roofs. Canal-side bars, restaurants, gift stores are lined up. Craft stores are filled with clogs and windmills. Some of the store fronts are decorated with windmills. The reclaimed "underwater city" was once drained by windmills from its dykes, which created land for the Netherlands, which is also known as the "Land of the Windmills".
Dam Square
Dam Square (Dam, also known as Dom Square), Amsterdam's city center square. It was named after the first dam on the Amsterdam River, which was built here in 1270
. The white National Monument in the middle of the square was built in 1956 to honor those who died in World War II. Opposite is the Dutch Royal Palace. Next to it is the Cathedral, where the Dutch monarchs were crowned and enthroned. The area around the square is Amsterdam's bustling business district.
The Dutch Royal Palace
(Koninklijk Paleis), is the quintessential 17th-century Dutch Golden Age building. Originally built as a town hall, construction began in 1648 with 13,659 piles in the foundation. It was used as the palace of Napoleon's brother during the Napoleonic occupation of France, returned to the municipality in 1813, and became the property of the royal family in 1935. Today it is the royal family's welcome home.
Madame Toussaint's Wax Museum, on the left side of the Royal Palace. It is a branch of the British Wax Museum. Mrs. Toussaint first built a wax museum in London, England. Now there are branches in New York, Las Vegas and Hong Kong. It mainly exhibits wax figures of celebrities.
National Museum
The National Museum (Rijksmuseum) has a collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. Almost all of Rembrandt's work from his prime is here. There are also valuable sculptures, pottery, furniture, gold, silver and glass from all over the world. Many of the treasures are artifacts from China.
Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh Museum (Van Gogh Museum) collection of the famous Dutch painter Van Gogh (Van Gogh 1853-1890) more than two hundred pieces of oil paintings and more than 600 pieces of paintings. There are also works by the Impressionist masters Monet and Gauguin.
The Van Gogh Museum is near the Koster Diamond Factory. The Van Gogh Museum, with its expensive admission fee, houses many of Van Gogh's masterpieces, such as Sunflowers, Poppies, Self-Portraits with and without Ears, and four oil paintings made in the last year of his life; not all of them, however, are in the collection. The incomparable "Starry Night" is not here. There are many other paintings on display, all representative of the historic "Dutch School".
Anne Frank House
Anne Frank House, where a German Jewish girl, Anne, hid for two years in 1942 during World War II to escape the Nazi pogroms. She wrote the famous Anne's Diary, the world's best-selling diary. It recounts the story of the young author's family, relatives and friends who hid in an attic to escape the Nazis during World War II. The diary has been translated into 55 languages and has sold more than 25 million copies in total.
Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum
The Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum, built next to the canal harbor, used to be a Dutch naval arsenal. The museum exhibits historical material from the Dutch Golden Age of navigation and colonization. Outside is a replica of the Dutch East India Company's sailing ship "Amsterdam". Scenes from the ship give visitors an idea of what seafaring life was like at the time.
Diamond Factory
The diamond factory was introduced to the Netherlands in the 16th century, and gradually developed into a world-renowned diamond processing center. The famous diamond factories in Amsterdam are open to the public for tours, where professionals introduce the diamond processing and identification methods. You can also buy genuine diamond jewelry in the attached stores. The main diamond factories in the city are Gassan Diamonds, Van Moppes Diamonds and Coster Diamonds.
Heineken Brewery
Heineken, founded in 1864, is an internationally recognized beer brand. A visit to the brewery allows you to learn about the history of Heineken's development and production process, as well as the possibility of tasting fresh, authentic Heineken beer.
Zaanse Windmill Village
Zaanse Windmill Village (De Zaanse Schans), a famous Dutch folk park. Ten kilometers from Amsterdam. The village retains three wooden windmills, and scattered with more than a dozen traditional Dutch wooden buildings, used to show the traditional Dutch folk culture. There are live performances of Dutch wooden shoes, celadon and cheese making, and souvenirs of Dutch specialties are sold.
Marken
Marken, the most Dutch-flavored village and town. Formerly a small island, a dyke built in 1957 turned the island into a peninsula. The town is full of narrow alleys and green wooden houses. Today the town's women still often wear traditional Dutch dress.
Volendam
Volendam, 12 kilometers north of Amsterdam, is a typical Dutch fishing village.
Folk Village
Folk Village:The Netherlands has a very developed tourism industry, and the city of Amsterdam alone receives millions of tourists from all over the world every year. The world-famous Dutch windmills, wooden shoes, tulips and cheese are some of the major folklore attractions for tourists. In order to meet the needs of tourists from all over the world, the Dutch have built a folk village near the city of Amsterdam, which integrates folk customs and is welcomed by tourists. The poorer the house, the narrower the house
Historically, the rich in Amsterdam were the first to build spacious and luxurious homes along the canals in the city center. The middle class then had to build slightly less wide houses on the other side of the canals, and when the houses were built they opened up the gentrified canals alongside their homes. Those who had less money had to live across the canal from the middle class and build narrower houses on the other side of the Gentleman's Canal. As a result the poorer people had to build their houses on the other side of the third canal, the Emperor's Canal. So with Amsterdam's three main canals as boundaries, the widths of the houses show a corresponding variation due to the gap between rich and poor, which is very interesting.
Every house has a 'hook'
The narrowest house in Amsterdam is barely wider than a door on the first floor, and people wonder what it would be like to live in it. But it was not the locals' intention to build such a narrow house. In the water town, the amount of housing tax depends directly on the width of the house, so people inadvertently develop the habit of building narrow houses. But the Amsterdammers have also come up with their own tricks, and their houses are often very deep, so you won't feel particularly "suffocated" when you live in them.
Tilted house into a world heritage site
Travelers are often on the Amsterdam crooked house is incredible: those height is only three or four floors, but the tilt is nearly 20 degrees, is it a deliberate act or another reason? Locals say the houses are usually tilted forward towards the canals, reflecting the good intentions of the forefathers when they built the houses, which protects the foundations of the houses from the rain, and provides a wide space for lifting furniture, avoiding breaking the walls and glass, and making it more convenient to maneuver. Food
In Amsterdam, however, you can eat any flavor of food in the world. Prices are not very high compared to many places in Europe and the quantity is usually sufficient. Most locals have dinner as their main meal, and Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Indian, and Turkish food are really all over the place. Amsterdam has a Chinatown, and there are signs in Chinese for everything: restaurants, dim sum stores, roast duck stores, etc. The flavors are still authentic. Amsterdam has a long and rich coffee tradition. In the last 10 to 15 years, the most popular café has been Café Fuli. These cafes are very different from the traditional brown cafes, both in size and interior decoration. Generally, they are spacious and stylish, with a distinctly international atmosphere. In addition to the cafes, there's also the PROEFLOKALEN - a wine tasting room where you can sample fine wines.
The Dutch eat a casual lunch, often a sandwich with salad, very simple; but there are also stores that offer a more complete set of lunch, such as caf`e (pub) or coffee shop, and dinner is the center of gravity of their meals. Many of the best restaurants in Holland are full by 7:00, so if you want to savor a good meal, you'll need to make a reservation early. The streets around Leidseplein are full of good choices, full of exotic flavors, which are sure to satisfy the different needs of tourists.
Specialties
Traditional Dutch meals contain potatoes, meat and vegetables. Specialties include stamppot (smoked sausage or pork with mashed potatoes and vegetables), hutspot (similar to stamppot, but made from mashed potatoes with red roe and onions, with a pork stew as the main course), erwtensoep (thick pea soup with smoked sausage or bacon), and asperges (asparagus with ham and cream), kroketten (fried meatballs with mustard sauce, a popular snack in the pub), and so on. But some of these delicious Dutch delicacies are only available in winter, so ask beforehand.
Festivals
Amsterdam is the city of festivals, with around 140 festivals held in the city in 2007.
Most of the celebrations take place during Queen's Day (Koninginnedag), Gay Pride and the cultural season (Uitmarkt), and on April 30, Queen's Day, around 100,000 people take to the streets to celebrate. Free markets are held in most towns and cities, concerts are held, and the first weekend in August, during Gay Pride, long flotillas of boats carry revelers around the city's canals, and the revelry continues throughout the weekend. The cultural season, usually held at the end of August, is a three-day event featuring performances by various poets and musicians. Amsterdam is also famous for its vibrant and distinctive nightlife. The two main nightlife squares are Leidsplatz and Rembrandtplein.
Amsterdam has many cafes. They range in size from large to small. Hidden lights and candlelight give the traditional brown cafe a quaint feel. During the summer months, many cafes set up large stalls. The most common sight at this time of year is a square of stalls and people enjoying a beer or a glass of wine.
Amsterdam's diverse culture makes for a wide variety of restaurants. You can find everything from small bistros to luxury restaurants. Many of the Netherlands' most exclusive restaurants are also located here.
Amsterdam also has many discos. Most of the discos are located near Rembrandt Square and Leidsplatz. Large nightclubs like Paradiso, Galaxy and the Sugar Factory also have discos. Typical discotheques are Escape and Club Home, except for Panama and Power Zone. "The Powerzone is also famous.
Reguliersdwarsstraat is the city's main gay street
Red-light district, the Dutch people are open-minded, in most countries prohibited gambling, drug use, prostitution in the Netherlands is actually legal. Amsterdam's red light district is dotted with sex stores, performance venues and brothels. The most distinctive feature is the window display, prostitutes stand in the window and flaunt like commodities for customers to choose. The live sex shows in the theaters are unique in Europe. In addition, some of the nearby bars are also places to smoke soft drugs, such as marijuana, which is legal in the Netherlands. This unique landscape attracts a lot of tourists, but most of them are just looking for a western view. Note that window girls in the red light district are not allowed to take photos.
De Wallen (also known as Walletjes or Rosse Buurt), a designated area for legalized prostitution, is Amsterdam's largest and most famous red-light district. It consists of a network of roads and alleys, and within these streets are hundreds of small studio apartments rented by female sex workers who offer their services behind windows or glass doors specially illuminated with red lights. The area is also home to many sex stores, sex theaters, a Peep show, a sex museum, a marijuana museum, and many cannabis cafes offering a variety of cannabis products. Although 26 percent of tourists come to the area to "check it out," the number of brothels is still declining, so much so that the Chamber of Commerce has issued a warning.