Coffee shops and the Red Light District.
With more than 1500 bridges and numerous canals, Amsterdam, the capital of Netherlands, is also called the Venice of the North. Starting as a fishing village in the 12th century, it became a very important trade centre in the 17th during the Dutch Golden Age. From the small medieval centre the city expanded in many suburbs as a modernist styled city. The old centre is the only Amsterdam experience for many of the tourists, known for its medieval architecture, coffee shops and the Red Light District.But utilizing the tolerance to soft drugs and prostitution is not the only thing to do in Amsterdam. The city has many good museum, nightclubs and others, and can be a good destination even to families.
The Anne Frank house, a museum about the life of a Jewish girl in the Canal Ring district, displays the historical contest in which she wrote her diary while hiding from the Nazis. The Rijksmuseum has a collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, including Rembrandt artworks and a collection of Asian art. The Van Gogh museum, the largest concentration of his paintings in the world, with some of his most famous works, as the Sunflowers and Potato Eaters. The museum also got some of Monet’s artworks.
The street markets are numerous, big and popular in Amsterdam. The Noordermarkt in the historical Jordaan area, is a flea market that sells records, clothes and others. On Saturdays it becomes a foodie market with many organic and ecological products. The best market in Netherlands, the Dappermarkt works from Monday to Saturday from about 8AM until around 5PM, being located near the zoo.
The nightlife in Amsterdam is not as trendy as you might think. But there are good clubs concentrated in the Canal Ring, specially in the Leidse and Rembrandt Square. The gay community has a good option in Reguliersdwarsstraat also in the Canal Ring. Amsterdam is a city for everybody, you’ll will enjoy this city at its best!
