Amsterdam Travel and Tourism Guide

Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands. Founded around 1200, it is known for its old houses and its canals. It has about 750,000 inhabitants. Amsterdam is bursting with museums full of the art work of famous Dutch painters, like Rembrandt (Rijksmuseum) and Van Gogh (Van Gogh museum), and any collection of things that would interest tourists (i.e. sex museum). Also well known is the Anne Frank house on Prinsengracht.

For centuries Amsterdam has been famous for its tolerance. From the medieval times to the present people with different religions, colors and visions live together in peace in a 24-hour city. The Red Light District is where sex workers legally sit behind windows ,and a lot of so called "coffee shops", soft drugs are sold legally (mostly to attract tourists). Note that drug usage in Amsterdam (and Netherlands) is below average! Outside of the shops, drug possession is legal in small quantities (5 gram max), so be careful. Amsterdam is often synonymous with crime, but in fact, it is a very safe city!

Famous districts are: the City Center (with the Red Light district, Dam Square and shopping), Old South (with Vondelpark, designer shops and lots of little restaurants and cafes like New York's SoHo).

The International Airport Schiphol is located close to the city. Reasonably priced trains run regularly to the city centre (as well as much more expensive cabs). In the city, buy a "strippenkaart" and travel by tram or, better yet...rent a bike!