It probably doesn’t matter if it was Amsterdam that was first called the Venice of the North or somewhere else entirely! It definitely doesn’t matter to the people who live in a City that in the main has canals for streets.
In fact the people who live in Amsterdam, the capital of Holland are a pretty easy going lot, some might say that they are too easy going, but then that depends probably more on your own views and prejudices. Though one thing is pretty certain and that is that the Amsterdammers won’t mind what you think of them and their City, they love it.
So whether it is true or not that Amsterdam is the Venice of the North or not is probably irrelevant! What is true that Amsterdam has a network of (five) canals which bisect the (Old) City of Amsterdam in a semi-circle, and if that wasn’t enough water for you the River Amstel flows down into the City with numerous other waterway and channels connected to it making Amsterdam one of the most attractive Cities in the world without a doubt.
Amsterdam is compact and all of the major tourist attractions, most of the hotels and everything else you might want to see can be found inside the canal’s borders and this makes Amsterdam one of the smallest cities in the world.
Being so compact doesn’t make Amsterdam any the less interesting though in fact the opposite is the case it just means that all of the wonderful Museums, and other sights can be accessed easily on foot or by Tram, Waterbus or indeed the way that most people who live in Amsterdam travel by bicycle.
There are over 50 museums in Amsterdam including the Van Gogh Museum, Rembrandt’s House, the Stedeliijk Museum, the world class art gallery & art history museum Rijksmuseum, and it has to be said that all are worth visiting.
One of the nicest things to do in Amsterdam is to take a trip on a canal boat and see where the old merchants built their houses. Lining almost every Canal are wonderful houses and mansions built first in the 1600’s and then for over 160 years afterwards.
These elegant houses tower over the Canals and offer a marvellous window on the past. Travel a little further and you will be able to see the Windmills, which were built outside of the City walls so that the City’s buildings wouldn’t obstruct the wind. The oldest Windmill in Amsterdam is the De Otter Windmill built in 1631 as a saw mill it has been fully restored and can be visited daily.
If you are staying for more than a few days and the weather is warm why not do something a little unusual when visiting a Northern European City – take to the beach!
Just twenty or so minutes from Amsterdam you will discover the long sandy beaches of Zandvoort or Ijmuiden and if it is crowded well who cares there is more beach than you could ever wish for because the whole of the Dutch coastline is just one long sandy beach, so you will be sure to find a secluded idyllic spot if that is what you want.
It is true to say that Amsterdam has everything that you would ever want as a tourist destination especially in the summer if you want long sunny days, thanks to the after effects of global warming but of course that means that you will be hard pressed at times to find just the right hotel at just the right price, but there are ways and means if you know the right people, we suggest using an hotel price comparison website where you can choose exactly the right hotel for you and your budget the best hotel price comparison site that comes to mind is BookingSpot.