Westerkerk
Boasts the tallest and most beautiful tower in Amsterdam -- with spectacular views of the city -- and contains the largest nave of any Dutch Protestant church. The burial place of Rembrandt.
Heineken Experience
Though Heineken has stopped production at this former brewery, you can still take a tour of the old factory and learn how beer is made. After the tour, you'll get to sample some free beer and snacks.
Koninklijk Paleis
The 17th-century Royal Palace on Dam Square was originally Amsterdam's city hall and became a royal palace by order of Louis Napoleon in 1808. The many impressive rooms now shelter Empire-style furniture and valuable paintings by followers of Rembrandt.
Also another extremely popular attraction in the city is the Van Gogh Museum. It is a square building in glass; this modern building was built to hold Van Gogh’s painting and opened in 1973. the museum contains 200 of his paintings, 500 of his drawings and 700 letters written by him.
These are the only start of places that you can visit in Amsterdam. There are hundreds more attractions in the city that could be named.
Food + Drink
Practically every cuisine in the world can be found in Amsterdam, from French to Indonesian rijsttafel. Enjoy an Argentinean steak, dine on a pleasure boat cruising the canals, stop at any of the inexpensive Middle Eastern grills that seem to be on every other block, or try one of the small Chinese restaurants lining the Zeedijk and its many cross streets. There are also many Italian, Mexican and vegetarian restaurants.
Entertainment
The Dutch have always been great traders, and in Amsterdam shoppers are spoiled by the enormous diversity of shops. Leidsestraat, Kalverstraat, Nieuwendijk, Damrak and Rokin are the shopping routes where the department stores, boutiques and souvenirs are concentrated. The more exclusive shops and international fashion houses, boutiques, jewellers and exclusive shoe shops are mainly along Beethovenstraat.
Amsterdam also has a historic and very interesting side to the city with many different walks of life. With historic sites to visit such as Dam Square, Site of the National Monument honouring the dead of World War II, the Royal Palace, Nieuwe Kerk (the New Church, where Queen Beatrix was crowned) and the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. A lively meeting place for tourists, shoppers, businesspeople, street performers, artists and children feeding pigeons.
When you think of Amsterdam it’s not as such the historic side, which comes to mind as the drug culture and red-light district that is well known in Amsterdam.
Red-Light District.
For better or worse, the place that has become nearly as well known as Amsterdam it’s self. It's also the oldest part of the city and is known as Walletjes because the old city walls were located there. This crowded, colourful neighbourhood draws tourists by the thousands with its proliferation of sex shops and dens along narrow streets and canals. Prostitutes pose in neon-lit windows, exhibiting their wares, as would-be customers, backpackers, strolling couples and travellers of all ages gape. (When the window shade is down, it means the woman of the house is engaged in business.) One way to explore the buildings and monuments of the district is to join a guided tour. There are also plenty of eateries and bars to nourish the tired spectator.
Drug Culture
The drug culture in the city has also become very notorious with drug dealers on nearly every corner in the red-light district. It is a main attractor to the city for the younger generations. There are cafes that cater just for the consumption of drugs.
Types of Accommodation
Amsterdam offers a hugely wide range of accommodation from top 5star accommodation to your average hostels. Some examples are;
Le Meridien Apollo Hotel class:
Elegance and gracious service await guests at this hotel in the city center, a five-minute walk from Museum Square, home to the famous Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum.
Jolly Hotel Carlton Hotel class:
Built for the Olympic Games in 1928, this hotel is located in the centre of Amsterdam, opposite the Floating Flower Market and Munt Tower.
Hotel Nes Hotel class:
Hotel Nes boasts its own jetty in the heart of Amsterdam. Central Station is 1.5 km away, and the museum area is also close. Guestrooms are a good value; some offer canal views. All accommodations feature a shower and telephone.
Tulip Inn Amsterdam West Hotel class:
Set in a peaceful and quiet area in the west of Amsterdam, the Tulip Inn Amsterdam City West is only 15 minutes away by car and 15 to 20 minutes by tram from the city centre.
Type Of Transport
A car in Amsterdam is an extravagance and a potential burden. Public transportation in the form of trams, buses and trains is a good, affordable alternative, but in a city as compact as Amsterdam, even that is not always necessary. The best way to explore the city is on foot.
Another way to see the sights is to travel round the city by canal, its cheap, with a guided tour of the city it is also a fine option to see the city itself.
Visitor Types
Amsterdam brings in a lot of tourists to the city down to the fact that it is a very popular for its drug culture and clubbing for people aged between 18-25. The city is well known for the most notorious its red-light district in the whole of Europe. The city also attracts families young and old. The young families tend to visit the pubs in and around the city to soak up the atmosphere from the pubs. The city also attracts a large amount of middle-aged tourists coming to the city for its historic side and atmosphere.
The city relies very heavily on these two main visitor types coming into the city, Amsterdam may also attract businessmen and woman visiting the city on business trips. What tends to happen a lot is that businessmen like to bring their wives along with them so they can go shopping in and around the city. This is also bringing another visitor type to the city of
The only other visitor type that may visit the city is family or friends visiting people they are close to within the city.
Bibliography
Books
I did not use many books in my research of Amsterdam but I did use the AA’s road atlas guidebook to help me locate some of the main roads in and around Amsterdam. I also used ‘The Golden Book Of Amsterdam’ written by Bonechi, which was very helpful.
Internet
With the Internet research I used more than one web site to help me research on Amsterdam. Firstly I used , which gave me a city guide for the city. This was extremely helpful and gave me most of my information. The second website I used was which gave me information on red-light district. I also used for my climate graphs for Amsterdam.
