Amsterdam Tourist Guide
Holland's largest city is small and compact, compared with most
other European cities, and easily explored on foot or by boat. The
central part of the city is built on a network of canals and some
of the attractions such as diamond factories and restaurants have a
waterside entrance. Amsterdam is exciting, but also very civilised
and worth spending a little extra time before or after a river
cruise.
The Rijksmuseum is the national collection of fine art and has
undergone a multi-million dollar refurbishment, while The Van Gogh
Museum is - as the name suggests - a center dedicated to the life
and art of the Dutch master and is housed in a new building.
Rembrandt's house by contrast is very old and gives a fascinating
insight into the life of the great Dutch painter.
Right alongside one of the major canals is Ann Frank's House,
now a museum telling the story of oppression during Nazi wartime
occupation of Holland from the perspective of an ordinary Jewish
family.
If music is your thing, then you should make time for an evening
of classical music or jazz at the Concertgebouw - the concert hall
and opera house renowned for its fine acoustics and splendid
classical-style interior decor - or opera and ballet at the modern
Muziektheater. All these important cultural venues are close by in
the city center.
The notorious Red Light district around the canals close to
Amsterdam Centraal train station has been cleaned up in recent
years and is a tourist attraction in its own right - with waterside
restaurants and bars. City center shopping is concentrated in
a small area along streets radiating from Dam Square - location of
the historic Royal Palace and a site for festivals and open-air
shows during the summer.
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