Amsterdam Travel Guide

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City Introduction

The Dutch capital of Amsterdam is a unique experience with the its many canals and sights within walking distance in the cozy city center. The city is best experienced from the almost endless number of canals that intersect the city. The more than a thousand bridges and countless houseboats make the atmosphere something special during the tour.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city where you are never far away from the next sight in the very well-preserved city center, which was not least created by an economy that through centuries boomed from maritime trade with the whole world.

The Netherlands is famous for its old masters in art, and it is clearly seen in the capital of Amsterdam’s museums, which exhibit one series of masterpieces after another. And the beauty of the eye is also found on the countless flowers in the countryside. You also find them in Amsterdam, which has an impressive flower market.

Amsterdam is a relatively small city, and there is a lot to see and do in the surrounding area, which offers castles, maritime experiences, porcelain production and much more. All easily accessible with trains and other means of transportation.

Top Attractions

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is probably the most famous museum in Amsterdam, and the large exhibition building contains over 200 halls with countless works of art such as Rembrandt’s Night Watch and paintings by Frans Hals.

 

Rembrandt House Museum/Museum Het Rembrandthuis

The world-famous Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn lived in this house in the period 1639-1658. It was thus here that he painted many of his great works. The house is now open as a museum.

 

Canal Tour, Amsterdam

Canal tour/Kanaalrondvaart

A trip in Amsterdam is not complete without a canal tour, from which you see the city from the right angle in the water level with all its sights, houseboats, flower markets, bridges and wonderful atmosphere.

 

Hermitage Amsterdam

The Hermitage in Amsterdam is, as the name suggests, part of perhaps the world’s most distinguished art museum; State Hermitage in Russian St. Petersburg. Changing exhibitions are arranged here in the Amsterdam branch.

 

Flower Market, Amsterdam

Flower Market/Bloemenmarkt

Amsterdam and Holland are famous for their many flowers, not least the beautiful tulips. The city’s flower market was established in 1862 and you can buy many of the beautiful flowers here.

 

Stedelijk Museum

The Stedelijk Museum is one of the world leaders in modern art after 1945. From this time, countless artistic forms of expression such as paintings, sculptures and installations are exhibited at the museum.

 

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Van Gogh Museum

At the Van Gogh Museum, of course, works by the artist van Gogh are on display, but also by other contemporaries such as Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec. It is an exciting museum that complements Amsterdam’s other famous art museums.

Other Attractions

Royal Palace, Amsterdam

The Royal Palace/Koninklijk Paleis

The current Dutch royal palace was built in the years 1648-1665 as the town hall. It was converted into a royal palace in 1808 by Louis Bonaparte and can be seen on Dam Square in the center of Amsterdam.

 

Dam

Dam is a square that is the center of Amsterdam and the place of the city’s foundation and name. There are several notable buildings around the square such as The Royal Palace, and on the eastern part of the square you can see the obelisk Nationaal Monument.

 

Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam

New Church/Nieuwe Kerk

Amsterdam’s New Church was built in the 15th century after permission from the bishop of Utrecht in 1408. The church is used as a Dutch coronation church, and it is also used for exhibitions.

 

De Wallen

Amsterdam is known for being home to the Red Light Districts, which are neighborhoods with legal and highly visible prostitution. De Wallen is the most famous of these areas.

 

Amsterdam Central Station

Amsterdam Central Station/Amsterdam Centraal

This is Amsterdam’s impressive main railway station, which was built in ornate neo-Gothic style in the years 1881-1889 in contemporary imposing railway station architecture. Together with the Rijksmuseum, it forms a kind of city gates.

 

Berlage Exchange/Beurs van Berlage

This is Amsterdam’s former stock exchange building. It was inaugurated in 1903 and named after the architect Hendrik Berlage, who came to form a school of architecture with its construction.

 

Oude Kerk, Amsterdam

Old Church/Oude Kerk

Oude Kerk is Amsterdam’s oldest church. It was built mainly in the 13th century and consecrated by the Bishop of Utrecht in 1306. The interior of the church is impressive with its vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows.

 

Magere Bridge/Magere Brug

The bridge Magere Brug is a beautiful example of the city’s old swing bridges over the many canals in Amsterdam. The white bridge is originally from 1671, but rebuilt in 1929.

 

Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam

Museum of the Tropics/Tropenmuseum

Tropenmuseum is a magnificent ethnographic museum that exhibits works and collections from large parts of the world such as North Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.

 

Amsterdam Museum

This is Amsterdam’s city museum, and here the city’s history is told in a lively and informative way from its founding in the 13th century to today. The building itself is a former monastery.

 

Beguinage, Amsterdam

The Beguinage/Begijnhof

The Begijnhof square is a true oasis in the middle of Amsterdam. The square is actually a courtyard environment that originally had the function of a beguine monastery. The square dates from the 14th century.

 

Anne Frank’s House/Anne Frank Huis

Anne Frank’s House is a museum known from Anne Frank’s Diary, which is an own story by the Jewish girl Anne Frank. She described her life in German-occupied Amsterdam through 1942-1944.

 

Dutch Maritime Museum/Nederlands Scheepvaartsmuseum

The maritime trade has greatly influenced the history of the Netherlands, and therefore the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam is an exciting place to experience many aspects of the maritime part of the city and country.

Day Trips

Zaanse Schans, Amsterdam

Zaanse Schans

The open-air museum Zaanse Schans exhibits houses and typical Dutch mills from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the beautiful and rural area, there are also a number of active workshops.

 

Muiden Castle/Muiderslot

The water castle Muiderslot is located on the Vecht river at the point where it empties into the Zuidersee. It is one of the most visited castles in the Netherlands, and it exudes a medieval atmosphere.

 

Keukenhof, Holland

Keukenhof

In the middle of the vast Dutch flower fields is the Keukenhof, which means kitchen garden. However, the place is not a kitchen garden, but rather a sumptuous flower park with millions of flowers.

 

The Hague/Den Haag

The city of The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government. It is also the Queen’s city of residence and the city is world famous for hosting the International Court of Justice. There are also a number of sights such as the Binnenhof and the Noordeinde Palace.

 

Scheveningen, Holland

Scheveningen

Scheveningen is the most popular seaside resort close to The Hague and in all of the Netherlands. The long sandy beach is lovely, and the impressive resort Kurhaus from 1885 is centrally located on Scheveningen’s beach.

 

Delft

The city of Delft is known for its porcelain production, but it is also the home of the Oranje family and a very idyllic old town with cozy canals, beautiful churches and the city’s 17th century town hall.

 

Rotterdam, Holland

Rotterdam

With the suburbs, the city of Rotterdam is a city of more than a million inhabitants, and it is the second largest urban area in the Netherlands. Compared to Amsterdam, Rotterdam is today a city characterized by modern construction and the city’s port, which is Europe’s largest.

Shopping

De Bijenkorf

Dam 1
bijenkorf.nl

 

Kalvertoren

Kalverstraat
kalvertoren.nl

 

Magna Plaza

Nieuwezijds Voorbugwal
magnaplaza.nl

 

Maison de Bonneterie

Rokin 140-142
debonneterie.nl

 

Metz & Co

Kaizergracht 455
metzenco.nl

 

Peek & Cloppenburg

Dam 20
peek-cloppenburg.nl

 

Vroom & Dreesmann

Kalver Straat 203
vd.nl

 

Shopping streets

Damrak, Rokin, Nieuwedijk, Kalverstraat, Utrechtsestraat, Hofftstraat, Beethovenstraat, Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat

With Kids

Zoological garden

Artis Zoo
Plantage Kerklaan 38-40
artis.nl

 

Science

NEMO Science Museum
Oosterdok 2
e-nemo.nl

 

Trams

Electrische Museumtramlijn Amsterdam
Amstelveenseweg 264, Harlemmermeer Station
museumtram.nl

 

Aquarium

Sea Life Center
Scheveningen
sealifeeurope.com

 

Miniature world

Madurodam
George Maduroplein 1, Den Haag
madurodam.nl

Practical Links

Amsterdam tourism

visitamsterdam.nl

 

Netherlands tourism

visitholland.nl

 

Amsterdam city transport

gvb.nl

 

Dutch Railways

ns.nl

 

Amsterdam Airport

schiphol.nl

City History

Early history

In the 12th century, fishermen lived along the river Amstel, and they built a crossing at IJ. It was the beginning of Amsterdam’s history around the beginning of the 13th century. Early locks and dams were used to control the water level in the IJ so that the settlement could develop in water security.

The settlement grew rapidly, due to its favorable position on the trade routes between East and West of Northern Europe. The mouth of the Amstel River at present Damrak formed a natural harbor where merchant ships created and created an economic center.

 

Rapidly growing pains

Amsterdam was first mentioned as Aemstelredamme in a document from 27 October 1275. This gives Count Floris V of Holland tax exemption for traders, fishermen and sailors from Amsterdam, and could therefore move tax on the Dutch channels; they do not have to pay fees for eg locks and dams. It distanced the city from the other commercial towns in the area.

Amsterdam was politically under the founding of Utrecht, and from there Bishop Gwijde van Henegouwen granted the city commercial property rights in 1306, which further strengthened the city’s position in the Dutch area. In 1342 Count William IV granted Amsterdam more privileges so that the trade could continue to flourish.

 

Miracles and Hanseatic Cities

In Amsterdam in 1345, an event took place, officially designated as a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church. This led to a number of pilgrims in the city, which also brought trade and economy in this way; it came in the form of tourism of the time, which pilgrimage in its way constituted.

In the first half of the 1300s, trade with the Hanseatic cities along the southern Baltic coast was increasingly traded. It happened, among other things, with beer from Hamburg and also with cereals and timber. It was a trade that developed through the 1300s and 1400s. Over time, the Hanseatic League developed geographically outside the Baltic and Amsterdam joined in 1368. It created a merchant stand that also gained political power through an ever-increasing influence on the leading Catholic priests.

In the 14th century, Amsterdam was hit by major fires twice. It happened in 1421 and again in 1452. After the last of the fires, most of the city lay in ruins, and the emperor ordered Amsterdam to be rebuilt in stone houses instead of wood, which was the most common material before the fires.

 

Struggle for independence

As Amsterdam grew, political consciousness grew and it resulted in an increased national consciousness. In spite of this, the region and thus Amsterdam came under Spanish rule in 1519, and up through the 16th century opposition to the Spanish dominion increased over the area.

In 1543 Amsterdam, together with the rest of the Netherlands, entered into a political union for the unification of the Netherlands; though still under Spanish leadership. In the Union became the capital of Brussels.

In 1578 the Protestant Calvinists took over the city from Spanish King Felipe II, and the following year Holland became independent. The country consisted beyond Amsterdam of some provinces in the region. William of Orange, who is the ancestor of today’s Dutch royal family, became the leader of the country, leading the Dutch rebellion that led to the Four Years War that took place in 1568-1648.

The 16th century was a time after many religious wars in Europe, and the Netherlands declared religious freedom, which led to a large influx of wealthy traders. It created further growth in the trade that characterized the bustling city.

 

Golden Age of Amsterdam

In 1585, Antwerp, the dominant maritime and commercial city in the region, was conquered by the Spaniards. It restricted the city’s ability to develop maritime traffic, which was directed partly through Spain. The fall of Antwerp was a major contributor to the 16th century becoming Amsterdam’s heyday. Ships to the ever-growing empire in Africa, Brazil and Indonesia led to even more growth in trade and economy. The central canals were built in Amsterdam from 1609, and cultural life also developed. This was the time when, for example, Rembrandt painted.

The fishing was also good in Amsterdam because of its location in the North Sea, and the city was a transition absolutely leading maritime city in the area. In 1648, the year ended 80 years of strife, the result was complete Dutch independence from Spain and also the German-Roman Empire, which the Netherlands had undergone in personnel union with the Spanish Habsburgs.

In the 1660s, Amsterdam had 200,000 inhabitants and was the economic locomotive of the Dutch state. The governors invested significantly in channels such as infrastructure, hospitals, hostels and other things that took advantage of the population’s potential for increased development. There were good times in the city.

Throughout the 1600s and into the 1700s, there were a large number of immigrants in Amsterdam’s commercial life, and this was especially true of Germans, who made a clear mark on trade and other parts of city life.

 

Difficult times in the 18th century

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the importance of Amsterdam and the Netherlands gradually decreased. This was due to increasing pressure from and struggles against not least France and England, each of which became stronger and attracted more by the prolific trade in colonies and trading houses around the world, which Amsterdam had previously lobbied for.

The dominance of the seas was abruptly stopped when French troops under Napoleon occupied the country in 1795. Napoleon’s brother became emperor of the new republic. Amsterdam was blocked from the sea by the English, who quickly assumed the role of the Dutch, which was actually played in Amsterdam in 1814, when the French had to withdraw from the city and the country.

After the Napoleonic wars, a united Dutch state was newly created, but as early as 1831 Belgium declared itself independent and on that occasion Holland became the country we know today.

 

Industries and a new boom

The 19th century was not least a time of industrial and cultural development. The Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal and Noordzee Kanaal were built to connect Amsterdam to both the North Sea and the important transport route that the Rhine formed. This created a new commercial boom for the city.

Industrialization also brought a wave of migrants from the country to the city, and Amsterdam’s population grew and changed. Socialism emerged, and not the 1880s became a decade of struggles between authorities and protesters that demanded changing conditions.

In addition to fighting in the streets, there was also a significant cultural boost in the late 1800s. Large museum buildings with the Rijksmuseum at the forefront were completed, and logistically, the Central Station was constructed as a major new asset for the city’s transport.

Another major facility of the time was Stelling van Amsterdam, which was built as a defense ring around the city between 1880 and 1920. The position formed a ring of 42 forts and a large lowland that could easily be flooded in the event of war.

 

20th Century World Wars

During World War I, Holland was neutral, but the country still felt the war’s rage in the form of food shortages. World War II was different, but the time between the wars also affected the city. Here the dam Afsluitdijk was established, and it became the end of the wetland Zuider Zees connection with the North Sea. As a result, Amsterdam no longer had direct access to the sea.

A big event also brought Amsterdam on the world map for a time. The city had hosted the Olympic Games in both 1920 and 1924, and the third time was the stroke of luck, keeping the games in the Dutch capital in 1928. The games became the first in modern times when the Olympic fire was lit, and it was here, Johnny Weissmuller won two gold medals in swimming.

During World War II, the Netherlands was invaded by German troops on May 10, 1940, despite the country’s neutrality. On May 14, Rotterdam was bombed and the following day the Dutch forces surrendered. More than 100,000 Jews were deported during the war, and virtually the entire Jewish community disappeared in Amsterdam and in other cities.

 

Post-war era and today

After the end of World War II, development occurred primarily elsewhere in the country than in Amsterdam. This was not least the case with the continued construction of the Port of Rotterdam and the resulting transport and logistics business in what became Europe’s largest port.

Economically, Amsterdam instead became the hub of Holland’s cultural development, and here the economy grew more in the service industry than in the traditional industry. It provided a new wealth to the otherwise economically disadvantaged city.

Culturally, the 1960s and 1970s were characterized by new trends. Some anarchism and the city became known for its relaxed approach to drugs and for the city’s Red Light District, which continues to attract tourists.

The end of the 20th century was also a time of immigration from both former and continuing Dutch territories around the world and from other countries outside Europe. It has brought social and cultural tensions in Amsterdam, which at the same time established new museums, institutions and other things for the benefit of both locals and visitors.

In 1977 the city’s metro opened, and since then the infrastructure has been further expanded. One of the latest major projects is the expansion with a line connecting Amsterdam to the developed suburbs north of IJ.

The cultural and transport investments have meant that Amsterdam is today a city with many traditions and buildings, while also having a modern and thriving urban life.

Geolocation

In short

Overview of Amsterdam

The Dutch capital of Amsterdam is a unique experience with the its many canals and sights within walking distance in the cozy city center. The city is best experienced from the almost endless number of canals that intersect the city. The more than a thousand bridges and countless houseboats make the atmosphere something special during the tour.

 

Amsterdam is a beautiful city where you are never far away from the next sight in the very well-preserved city center, which was not least created by an economy that through centuries boomed from maritime trade with the whole world.

 

About the upcoming Amsterdam travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Amsterdam travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Dutch city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Amsterdam is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Amsterdam and Holland

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Amsterdam you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Rijksmuseum • Canal Tours • Bridges • Renaissance • Churches

Overview of Amsterdam

The Dutch capital of Amsterdam is a unique experience with the its many canals and sights within walking distance in the cozy city center. The city is best experienced from the almost endless number of canals that intersect the city. The more than a thousand bridges and countless houseboats make the atmosphere something special during the tour.

 

Amsterdam is a beautiful city where you are never far away from the next sight in the very well-preserved city center, which was not least created by an economy that through centuries boomed from maritime trade with the whole world.

 

About the upcoming Amsterdam travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Amsterdam travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Dutch city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Amsterdam is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Amsterdam and Holland

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Amsterdam you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Other Attractions

Royal Palace, Amsterdam

The Royal Palace/Koninklijk Paleis

The current Dutch royal palace was built in the years 1648-1665 as the town hall. It was converted into a royal palace in 1808 by Louis Bonaparte and can be seen on Dam Square in the center of Amsterdam.

 

Dam

Dam is a square that is the center of Amsterdam and the place of the city’s foundation and name. There are several notable buildings around the square such as The Royal Palace, and on the eastern part of the square you can see the obelisk Nationaal Monument.

 

Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam

New Church/Nieuwe Kerk

Amsterdam’s New Church was built in the 15th century after permission from the bishop of Utrecht in 1408. The church is used as a Dutch coronation church, and it is also used for exhibitions.

 

De Wallen

Amsterdam is known for being home to the Red Light Districts, which are neighborhoods with legal and highly visible prostitution. De Wallen is the most famous of these areas.

 

Amsterdam Central Station

Amsterdam Central Station/Amsterdam Centraal

This is Amsterdam’s impressive main railway station, which was built in ornate neo-Gothic style in the years 1881-1889 in contemporary imposing railway station architecture. Together with the Rijksmuseum, it forms a kind of city gates.

 

Berlage Exchange/Beurs van Berlage

This is Amsterdam’s former stock exchange building. It was inaugurated in 1903 and named after the architect Hendrik Berlage, who came to form a school of architecture with its construction.

 

Oude Kerk, Amsterdam

Old Church/Oude Kerk

Oude Kerk is Amsterdam’s oldest church. It was built mainly in the 13th century and consecrated by the Bishop of Utrecht in 1306. The interior of the church is impressive with its vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows.

 

Magere Bridge/Magere Brug

The bridge Magere Brug is a beautiful example of the city’s old swing bridges over the many canals in Amsterdam. The white bridge is originally from 1671, but rebuilt in 1929.

 

Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam

Museum of the Tropics/Tropenmuseum

Tropenmuseum is a magnificent ethnographic museum that exhibits works and collections from large parts of the world such as North Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.

 

Amsterdam Museum

This is Amsterdam’s city museum, and here the city’s history is told in a lively and informative way from its founding in the 13th century to today. The building itself is a former monastery.

 

Beguinage, Amsterdam

The Beguinage/Begijnhof

The Begijnhof square is a true oasis in the middle of Amsterdam. The square is actually a courtyard environment that originally had the function of a beguine monastery. The square dates from the 14th century.

 

Anne Frank’s House/Anne Frank Huis

Anne Frank’s House is a museum known from Anne Frank’s Diary, which is an own story by the Jewish girl Anne Frank. She described her life in German-occupied Amsterdam through 1942-1944.

 

Dutch Maritime Museum/Nederlands Scheepvaartsmuseum

The maritime trade has greatly influenced the history of the Netherlands, and therefore the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam is an exciting place to experience many aspects of the maritime part of the city and country.

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