I am one of the many people who adore
Amsterdam! So I believe it's rightfully considered one of the most popular
tourist destinations in Europe. With its academic establishments, along with
more than 40 museums, numerous theaters and many other entertainment venues,
Amsterdam is Holland's leading cultural center. In addition, the city is famous
for its buildings, laid out in a pattern of concentric pieces in the shape of a
fan and built on piles driven through water and mud until the firm bottom up to
20 meters below.
I love to take long walks and spend time
discovering new places, tranquil inner-city spots that tourists usually don't
notice (like the Begijnhof).
I have also checked all the recommended
attractions and here are my top 5 favorite tourist attractions:
1. Cycling in Amsterdam is like religion. There are more than
750.000 bicycles in Amsterdam! In a city of almost 850.000 people! With this
amount of cycle traffic, you can imagine it is one of the most bike-friendly
cities in the world, so you are not to miss the chance of enjoying this safe
and fine city by pedal power! And a word of warning: if you decide not to bike,
you must be very careful since here the bicycles are paramount and all others
(pedestrians and cars) are to make room for the cycling kings and queens.
2. Museumplein and its museums. Museumplein is the area surrounding the Rijksmuseum,
reaching to the Stedelijk and the Van Gogh Museums. It is the cultural center
of Amsterdam. It breaths culture not only thanks to these three amazing museums
delimiting it, but also to countless open-air exhibitions, theme markets and a
large padding pool used as a large ice rink during winter months.
If you hate the crowded places, you must
try the EYE Filmmuseum. I
am a film freak and it so happened that I was there for the Fellini exhibition!
I loved it! So, to get there you just have to go behind the Centraal Station
and embark on a toll-free ferry ride. It is interesting and somehow
undiscovered by the flocks of tourists, so you can take your bike, pedal until
you reach the ferry shuttle, take a short but interesting ride crossing the IJ
and then enjoy the museum exhibitions or just a cup of tea or a glass of wine
while admiring the amazing views over the river IJ and Amsterdam from the
museum cafe. Also the museum building itself is iconic. That's all I will say,
if you're curious just go and see it!
3. Take a canal cruise. I will only say that Amsterdam's canal belt is on UNESCO's protected list. By taking this tour, you'll have an unexpected view of the underskirts of the city. Plus you get the audio tour that uncovers many of the city's secrets.
4. Visit the Bloemenmarkt Flower
Market. Even if some
disagree, the tulips and the clogs are the symbol of Holland all over the
world. If you think about buying some tulips or bulbs while in Amsterdam, buy
them here in the world's unique floating flower market. If you are a flowers
freak, you must not miss the Aalsmeer Flower Auction
(Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer). It is the largest flower auction in the
world with around 20 million flowers traded here daily.
5. Try the broodje haring. There are
fish carts all over the city and if you usually like fish, you
definitely should try this small sandwich with bread, herring, pickles and
onion. It is traditional Dutch snack and every visitor to Amsterdam should give
it a try.
There are many other things worth doing
and seeing while in Amsterdam, but these are the top of my list. Some of the
other ones are: spend
some time at the Waterlooplein flea market; get food, drinks and do some
shopping in De Pijp neighbourhood; take a walk in the Vondelpark; play chess in
Max Euweplein; visit the Bridge of Love (Staalmeestersbrug) with your better
half. And, most important advice of all: enjoy your time in Amsterdam!
No comments:
Post a Comment