Last Updated on October 26, 2023 by Aswetravel
Where is Amsterdam – Amsterdam is the capital and the biggest city in the Netherlands with approximately 2.5 million people in the metro area. Amsterdam is commonly referred to as the “Venice of the North”, due to the large number of canals which form a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Where is Amsterdam
Amsterdam is located in the Netherlands, which is in Northern West Europe, Currency is the Euro and they speak Dutch. Short history: Before turning into a major trade city, Amsterdam was a small fishing village. The Dutch people colonized the Indian islands and established a powerful trading imperium in the east. The prostitution started as the tired boatmen stayed over the night. A few lazy attempts to get rid of prostitution has been made throughout the decades, but nobody really cared as long as they stayed in a certain area.
Where is Amsterdam located
Amsterdam is a popular destination for American gap-year travelers who know the place as a marijuana Mecca, which is probably partly true, but Amsterdam is luckily so much more than that. In Amsterdam you get what you look for. If you want Amsterdam to be all about prostitutes and weed, then it will be. If you want Amsterdam to be all about old narrow cobbled stone streets, biking and tulips, then it will. The Marijuana museum or Rijksmuseum – the choice is yours!
The highlight for us was to bike around the city. We biked along the canals, the winding streets and the green luscious outskirts of the city. Biking in Amsterdam Netherlands is awesome. Not only is it the easiest way getting around, but you can reach so many more places in shorter time, and getting out of the central area to the beautiful parks and walkways in a matter of minutes.
What To See And Do Amsterdam Netherlands
3 Tips to Plan Your Visit to Amsterdam
The Most Exciting Bike Routes In Amsterdam
Amsterdam is an open-minded multicultural place – full of history, and all well preserved. The houses date back hundreds of years (all the way back to 1420!), and there are museums of all kinds covering more than enough of Amsterdam’s cultural, historical and artistic history. There are often small markets that take place around the city; book markets, flower markets and clothing markets. The biggest market however is Albert Cuypmarkt. It’s a market known for its variety of food; cheese, fruits, spices etc. Clothes also tend to be really cheap to buy here.
Amsterdam Netherlands Shopping:
Walking along the shopping streets is a nice experience even for those not intending to actually buy anything. There are pretty little boutiques along the shopping street, and heaps of nice cafes to have a rest in.
Amsterdam cafe
Amsterdam has a broad cafe culture. They have different sorts of Cafes, but are mostly known for their Coffee shops with Marijuana and Skunk on the menu. However, there are also Tea Lounges and Brown Cafes, which are well worth a visit. I found that they were really good at making coffee and had more of a variety than in other cities in Europe. Brown Cafes are pubs where the locals meet up for a drink and chit chat. They’re called Brown Cafes because of the dark wooden design inside. Tea Lounges are usual cafes, they just often like to call themselves Tea Lounges to separate themselves from the Coffee shops. Coffee shops are cafes where you can smoke weed, munch on hash brownies or marijuana biscuits. This is one of the main attractions for tourists in Amsterdam, but talking to the locals they didn’t really bother much about it. It’s popular among the teens to go there since it’s still pretty cool and rebellious, but not that popular among the grown ups. According to many it’s more of just a tourist thing.
Amsterdam Red Light District
You’ll most likely end up at Amsterdam Red Light District at some point of your stay in Amsterdam, whether you like it or not. It’s right in the central area and you easily just stumble upon it. In nighttime, this is a sad place with a lot of thieves, drug dealers, drug addicts and negative energy. It’s better in daytime, but the place is still crazy. And the half naked women standing in the red light shopping windows? Yes, they’re there to be stared at 24/7 (although it’s more crowded at night). They don’t tend to like families and couples, as they don’t get any money out of them and act more as a free tourist attraction. They show this in different ways, sometimes making fun of you and trying to make you feel awkward and embarrassed. Remember to not take any pictures of them, if you do you’ll likely end up in big trouble.
Red Light District Amsterdam
It is very likely that you have heard about the Red Light District Amsterdam and everything you have heard is probably true. From brothels to sex shops to museums, the Red Light District Amsterdam has a very friendly atmosphere and isn’t as dangerous as it used to be. When to go to Red Light District Amsterdam? Come at night when the district really comes to life. During the day, the district is less lively and even less attractive as the more sordid aspects reveal themselves in natural daylight. Although there are women forever tapping on the windows even during the light hours, most of the action takes place after 11pm , when the district is swarming with crowds and the red neon lights illuminate the inky canals. The atmosphere pretty much thrives until around 2 or 3am when the crowds die down and businesses shut up shop.
Getting Around Amsterdam Netherlands
Biking is undoubtedly the best way to get around the city. Transportation by car is discouraged by the local government, and apart from expensive parking fees, a great number of streets are closed off for cars in the city center. So by bike you can go anywhere, and it’s very safe with clear red marked lines for the bike lanes. Walking is also pleasant, but make sure you don’t walk within the bike lanes, or else you’ll get some angry looks and words in your face, or even get hit. There are also trams, buses and subways you can take. These are great and reach the outskirts, and you can also put your bike on the tram subways if you’re going somewhere far away. Because of the limitation of where cars are allowed to go, taxi is not recommended, Amsterdam taxis are also one of the most expensive in Europe. The trams go to most places and frequently so you won’t have to wait for long, but if you do want some kind of taxi there are so called Tuk Tuk’s to take. These are open three-wheeled scooters. The prices are zone based.
Flights to Amsterdam
This is one of Europe’s most popular destinations, and is very easy to reach by plane, car, bus, ferry and train. The airport Schiphol in Amsterdam is huge, but still only 16 km away from the city! Note that Ryan Air does not operate here, but another budget airline Easy Jet does. There are three ways of getting into the city: By the KLM Hotel Bus Service (don’t worry, anyone can take this bus, you don’t have to stay at their hotels), train and over priced Taxi. The bus costs 11 Euro one-way and the taxis in Amsterdam are really expensive. Train is by far the cheapest option to get into the city, which costs 3.10 Euro. The trains leave every 15 minutes and the trip into town takes about 15 minutes.
Amsterdam By Train
All trains, including the ones from Schiphol, arrive at the Central Station. A lot of people come through here, and already you get to see the bad side of Amsterdam with drug dealers, prostitutes (by the back entrance) and pick pocket thieves, so keep your stuff close to you here. Trams and buses are right outside the station.
Amsterdam By Bus
Buses leave and arrive at Amstel Station, about 10 km south of the city, to which you can catch a metro. Here you can go by the international bus line Eurolines (same principal as Inter Rail but by bus). Eurolines is a great way to travel Europe, cheaper than Inter Rail but maybe not as comfortable.
Where To Stay in Amsterdam
The absolute cheapest option when staying in Amsterdam is on camping grounds (costs about 13 Euro, price depending on what type of chalet you book). You don’t need to bring a tent, you can get your own little chalet. It’s a beautiful location, although a bit far from the city center. It’s a really nice bike ride into town through the woods and parks, but you can also reach the city by tram (51) and bus (199). The bus stop is right in front of the campsite and takes you to the airport in 15 minutes. The tram takes about the same time, but to get to the tram stop you also have to walk for another 15 minutes (unless you take bus there). If you want to stay more central StayOkay Vondelpark is another option, with a great location and a good starting point when exploring the city. Breakfast and linen are included. Just remember that if you get there before 2 pm. and want to leave your bag there they charge you an extra fee
