Amsterdam City and Travel Guide

Reasons to Visit Amsterdam

Amsterdam, a city in the Netherlands, is a great place to visit if you like small cities that do not have much road traffic. To thoroughly enjoy the sites to be found within Amsterdam, you can always rent a bicycle or walk around so that you can maneuver easily among tight spots. Amsterdam has many canals running through the city, which is why there are not that many wide roads for cars to use. There are guided bike tours that you can join or, if that is not your speed, you can also try the guided tours on the Segway (a way to transport people unique to Amsterdam.)

Museums

One good reason to go to Amsterdam is to spend time looking through the artworks in the over fifty museums that thrive within the city. Some of the more well known of these museums are the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, and Rijskmuseum. If you enjoy great art, this alone may lure you to the next flight to Amsterdam.

More attractions

Another unusual attraction of Amsterdam is the fact that the government permits the sale of cannabis (in small amounts) from the many coffeeshops found in the city. The sale of cannabis is strictly regulated by the government, which also imposes taxes on this practice. One stipulation for the sale of cannabis is that minors below the age of 18 may not purchase cannabis. Also, a customer may only purchase a maximum of 5 grams from the coffeeshop. In case you start to think Amsterdam is a city for drug addicts, bear in mind though that the sale of hard drugs is not permitted by the government.

Weather

If you are planning to visit Amsterdam any time soon, do plan for inclement weather. The best time to visit is in the summer when the temperature hovers around 25 degrees Celsius during sunny days. Natives of the city generally bring an umbrella with them during the summer because rain usually falls in the morning. The umbrella also serves to fend off the afternoon sun. Winters in Amsterdam can be rather harsh, with freezing temperatures, though snow does not usually fall in the city.

Transportations

Visitors should be prepared to buy an I Amsterdam card if they want to use transportation in the city (such as the metros, trams and buses), visit the different attractions, or look through the city museums. The I Amsterdam card used to be known as the Amsterdam Pass, and was created by the Amsterdam Tourist Board for use by visitors to the city. You can buy your own I Amsterdam card from different shops within Amsterdam, or at the tourist information office of the city airport, and even at the central station.

Museumkaart is recommended

If you plan to go beyond the confines of the city and look through some of the 400 museums of Holland, you will need a Museumkaart, which acts as a personal pass so you can enter any of the museums. The Museumkaart, which is given to you after you fill out a certain form, can be used for one year.

Amsterdam is a great city

There is so much to see and do in Amsterdam that one article alone cannot begin to tell you about the city attractions. So why don’t you visit your travel agent and make plans to visit Amsterdam soon? It will definitely be worth it!

This is just a little summary about the city Amsterdam. Soon you can find reviews, forums, blogs and galleries.

City Vacations - Your guide to London, New York, Paris, Toronto, Beijing, Prague, Dubai, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Vienna, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Berlin, Delhi, Cape Town, Munich, Tokyo, Okinawa, Mexico City, Kuala Lumpur, Amsterdam, Oslo, Warsaw, Moscow, Madrid, Barcelona, Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Diego, Stockholm, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, St Louis, Denver, Johannesburg, Sao Paulo, Quebec, Vancouver, Shanghai, Helsinki, Perth, Hamburg, Brisbane, Melbourne, Saint Petersburg, Auckland, Montreal, Mombasa, Osaka, Mumbai, Milan and many other wonderful cities!

This site in French - Guide de Ville