Amsterdam travel pictures

Sightseeing in Amsterdam

The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam and it is the city which has a reputation throughout the world. The city center of Amsterdam was largely built in the seventeenth century and provides good examples of historical Dutch architecture. It was built during a time when the economy flourished which has been nicknamed the 'golden age'. It is considered to be the wealthiest time of Holland.

Because Amsterdam is largely below sea level, there are many canals to keep the water out and this gives the city its unique look and feel. It is worth taking a stroll along these as they are mostly lined with old guilt houses. Walk a few streets away from the busy main arteries and you'll find yourself in an Amsterdam as it was meant to be.

One of the most famous buildings is the Rijksmuseum (Empire museum) which besides being an impressive appearance due to its location on museum square also hosts an enormous art collection. The city museum and van Gogh museum are just a stone throw away from it.

The other main sight is the Palace at Dam Square. The square is a lively place with several artists performing their skills. Other sights worth seeing are the Montelbaanstoren, Magna Plaza and the new church. The difficulty with Amsterdam is that it is not built in such way that a visitor can see everything when walking a straight route as most sights are spread throughout the center. Therefore, visiting a number of sights which are close together is recommended and then walk to another part of the city. For the more adventurous people Amsterdam is also home to the renowned red light district where you will find coffee shops and can go window shopping.

For a bit of quietness and some green space head over to the Vondel park, although on sunny days it can get somewhat busy. This is the biggest park in the city and used by many locals to get out of their homes.

Amsterdam has no shortage of day trips either. The easiest one is the old town of Haarlem. It has a quiet, but very attractive city center. Other cities which are built in the same typical Dutch style are Leiden and Delft which both can be seen in a single day. For those who want to see the seat of the government, The Hague is the place to go to which has several other interesting sights such as the peace palace and the royal palace. For those looking to see the traditional side of the Netherlands a visit to Volendam is the place to go to. The nice thing about all this is that they are no more than one hour away by train from central station which leaves roughly every half hour.

Amsterdam has a large international airport called Schiphol which connects it to almost anywhere in the world. Alternatively, there is the high speed train connecting it to Paris. Getting around Amsterdam is easy as the city is quite compact making walking the best way for sightseeing. Driving a car in Amsterdam is inconvenient as parking is limited and expensive. For longer distances you can take the tram or do as the Dutch do and rent a bicycle. Although it will take some time to cycle around town as confident as the locals do.

Amsterdam travel photo gallery

American hotel.	Anne Frank house.	Central station.	The Netherlands photo galleries that are available: Amsterdam, Breda, Den Bosch, Gouda, Haarlem, Leiden, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, The Hague, Tilburg and Utrecht.
Central train station.	Concert hall.	Concert Hall on museum square.
Damrak, the road between central station and Dam square.	Typical road in Amsterdam.	VOC ship 'Amsterdam'.
Royal palace on Dam square.	City theater on Leiden square.	Fountain on museum square in front of the Rijksmuseum.
Museum square with the Rijksmuseum (Empire museum).	Canal houses.	Canal with a bridge and little boats.
The city theater (Stadsschouwburg).	Skyline of Amsterdam seen from the roof of NEMO.	Montelbaanstoren and the Zuiderkerk.
Canal with canalhouses.	Montelbaanstoren. (Montelbaan tower).	Dutch Royal Palace.
Begijnhof (Béguinage).	Begijnhof.	Zuiderkerk (Southern church).
Felix Meritis building.	The city museum.	Old part of the city.
Historical canalhouses.	Krijtberg church.	Leiden square.
Bars at Leiden square.	Madame Tussaud museum on Dam square.	Magere brug (Skinny bridge).
Magna Plaza shopping center.	Main entrance of Magna Plaza shopping center.	Old building of Metz and Co in the historical city center.
Montelbaanstoren.	Mozus and Aaron church.	Munttoren (Coin tower).
National monument on Dam square.	NEMO science museum.	New church (Nieuwe Kerk) on Dam square.
Old church.	Old building in seventeenth century.	Rijksmuseum.
Maritime museum.	Scheepsmuseum.	The Maritime museum (scheepsmuseum).
The Schreierstoren (Weeper's tower).	Canal and St. Nicholas church.	Saint Nicholas church.
The Saint Nicholas church.	Stedelijk museum (city museum).	Waag (Weighting).
The Waag seen from the Geldersekade.	Westerchurch.	The bell tower of the Westerchurch.