Amsterdam Tourist Information

Your Amsterdam Guide

Amsterdam is a huge, safe, cosmopolitan city with sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and world class accommodation. Amsterdam is the capital of The Netherlands with impressive architecture, lovely canals, great shopping, and friendly people who nearly all speak English. There is something for every taste, whether you prefer culture and history, serious partying, or just the relaxing charm of an old European city. Amsterdam has over a million inhabitants in the urban area, and is in the Province of North-Holland. Amsterdam is not the seat of government (which is in The Hague), but it is the biggest city and the cultural and creative centre of The Netherlands.

Orientation

The "Amsterdam" that most people know is the city centre, the semi-circle with Central Station at its core. It corresponds to the city as it was around 1850. Five major concentric canals ring the Old Center; the Singel, the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, the Prinsengracht, and the Singelgracht, together forming the Grachtengordel, or Canal Belt. Other districts inside the city center are the Jordaan, a working-class area gone upmarket, and Plantage, a leafy and spacious area known for its zoo and botanical gardens. The roads Nassaukade, Stadhouderskade, and Mauritskade surround the center and mark the location of the former city moat and fortifications. Almost everything outside this line was built after 1870. Without a doubt the most popular district outside of the city centre is South for it's quality museums and street markets.

The semi-circle is on the south side of the IJ, often called a river but more exactly is an estuary. Going east from Central Station, the railway passes the artificial islands of the redeveloped Eastern Docklands. North of the IJ is mainly housing, although a major dockland redevelopment has started there too.

The river Amstel flows into the city from the south. Originally, it flowed along the line Rokin-Damrak. The dam in the Amstel, which gives the city its name, was located under the present Bijenkorf department store. The original settlement was on the right bank of the Amstel, on the present Warmoesstraat: it is therefore the oldest street in the city. The city has expanded in all directions, except to the north of the ring motorway. The region there, Waterland, is a protected rural landscape of open fields and small villages.

The radius of the semicircle is about 2 km. All major tourist destinations, and most hotels, are located inside it or just outside it. As a result, much of Amsterdam is never visited by tourists: at least 90% of the population lives outside this area. Most economic activity in Amsterdam -- the offices of the service sector, and the port -- is on or outside the ring motorway, which is four to five kilometers from the centre.

Districts

Old Center

This most visited area can be divided in the New Side, with it's traditional architecture, canal tours, Dam Square and shopping, as well as the Old Side with Nieuwmarkt, Chinatown and Red Light District. Also includes the Old Jewish Quarter with Waterloo Square.

Canal Belt (Grachtengordel)

Probably the wealthiest neighborhood with plenty of Dutch celebrities living here. Also includes Rembrandt Square and Leiden Square, the city's main nightlife areas.

Jordaan

Traditionally a working class area, now it's an expensive and hip district with plenty of art galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Also includes the Haarlemmer Neighborhood at the north side.

Plantage

Supposed to be an extension of the Grachtengordel, lack of demand made this into a leafy area with lots of greenery, botanical gardens and Artis Zoo.

Amsterdam Outer Districts

Amsterdam South

A trip to Amsterdam is not complete without a visit to the Museum Quarter. This district also covers the Vondelpark, De Pijp (with it's street market) and the South Axis, a rapidly developing business district similar to La Defense in Paris.

Amsterdam West

A vast suburban area which can be divided in Old West, built in the 19th century, and New West, a multicultural off-the-beaten track area built after World War II. Also includes the Western Islands.

Amsterdam North

Directly north of the center lies North, a newly-built suburb. Also includes the area east of that, the Rural North, a protected polder area similar to the Waterland and Zaan Region.

Amsterdam East

Starting from the Oosterpark, this area includes all of the Eastern Islands, Eastern Docklands, Zeeburg and the rest of the Eastern suburbs.

Bijlmer

An exclave of Amsterdam, separated from the rest of the city by Diemen and Duivendrecht, the Bijlmer was forseen as a town of the future for upper-middle class families. It turned into a lower-class residential district home to people of over 150 nationalities, often associated with crime and robberies. It has improved remarkably the last years, but it still is an area only for adventurous travelers (and football fans).

Attitudes

Many people choose to visit Amsterdam because of its reputation for tolerance, although part of this reputation is attributable to cultural misunderstandings. Prostitution is legalized and licensed in the Netherlands, and in Amsterdam it is very visible (window prostitution), and there are large numbers of prostitutes. The sale, possession, and consumption of small quantities of cannabis, while illegal, is condoned by authorities (the policy of gedogen). This does not mean that you can get away with anything in Amsterdam. In any case, public attitudes and official policy have hardened in recent years. For more on coffee shops and drugs, see below in Stay safe.

Depending on your viewpoint some people will consider Amsterdam an unwholesome city whereas other people will find their relaxed attitudes refreshing. If you avoid the red light district, Amsterdam is an excellent family destination.

Nearly everyone in Amsterdam, young or old, seems to speak English.

Climate

Amsterdam is a large city and a major tourist destination, so you can visit it all year round. However, in winter the days are short (8 hours daylight around Christmas), and the weather may be too cold to walk around the city comfortably, let alone cycle. July and August are the warmest months, with an average temperature of 72°F (22°C). Some things are seasonal; the tulip fields flower only in the spring, and Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) is always on 30 April, unless it falls on a Sunday. Queen Beatrix was actually born on 31 January, but since January is very cold, the celebrations are held on the day she became the queen of the Netherlands, which is also the birthday of her mother, Juliana.

This guide is loosely based on the Amsterdam articles at wikitravel.com and wikipedia.org