Amsterdam holiday travel tips

Dozens of Amsterdam hostels and hotels can be found in the central city area, both expensive and cheap, and most will put you within strolling distance of the city's funky culture... a culture that draws many people to choose the Netherlands for their holiday travel.

If you follow the example set by locals and hire a cheap bicycle to manoeuvre your way through the cobblestone streets and laneways of Amsterdam, a rich tapestry of Netherlands history will engulf you - much of it harking back to the 1700s.

At the same time, the city's architecture is dotted with all sorts of modern psychedelic artworks.

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Amsterdam has a plethora of hostels, coffee shops, bars, smoke shops, hotels, retail outlets, picturesque canals and public parks waiting around every corner, although some unexpected tempests of showery rain can sweep in from the Atlantic - particularly in autumn and spring.

In mid-2005, hostel private rooms in central Amsterdam could be found for anywhere between US$24 and US$52, dependent upon quality or if breakfast is included.

If you buy an Amsterdam holiday travel package, prepare yourself for the philosophy of the Dutch, who are world leaders on issues of personal choice including same-sex marriage and the ultimate right to euthanasia.

For example, prostitutes are readily available in the city's red light district, along with a bizarre assortment of personal paraphernalia in laneway shops. Prostitution was legalised in 2001 and Amsterdam has about 200 storefront windows where prostitutes ply their trade - most centred around the district near the city centre known as De Wallen.

Note: In December 2007, the City of Amsterdam announced a new policy to reduce the number of brothels in the city's red light district and adjoining area surrounding Central Station. The policy is based largely on licensing and auditing regimes, building sales and property rezonings. Many blocks now containing shop windows with prostitutes are expected to be replaced with residential, shopping, restaurant and hotel developments. This adds to a policy started in 2003 and the overhaul of the red light district is expected to be completed in 2012, suggesting the days are numbered for tourists pursuing a "seedy" sojourn in Amsterdam.

Yes, if you travel in the Netherlands you might see people smoking pot - mostly tourists smoking it at coffee shops in Amsterdam.

If you wish to light up, do so in a smoking coffee shop or a smoke shop as pot is still illegal and the locals don't usually appreciate it if you want to have a joint in an Amsterdam hotel, bed and breakfast, hostel, restaurant or library... for example.

The Dutch themselves don't normally get into pot and soft drug use in the Netherlands causes little social unrest, even though Amsterdam tourism is widely known for its smoking coffee shops. Be warned, however, that Dutch beers and spirits can knock you off your feet.

As described by the Lonely Planet travel guide, "if you can drink it, dance to it, talk about it or smoke it, it's going on in Amsterdam".

Note: In November 2008, the Dutch Government banned the sale of hallucinogenic magic mushrooms. The city of Amsterdam has also closed many prostitute windows and coffee shops that sell pot in the the red light district. At two least two other municipalities plan to close cannabis cafes from early 2009. It is becoming increasingly apparent that if you wish to get stoned by taking drugs in the Netherlands, you will have to do what everybody else does and consume alcohol.

A smoking ban was introduced in restaurants, bars, hotels and cafes across the Netherlands from July 1, 2008. However, pot is exempt from the ban in some cafes and restaurants as long as it is smoked without tobacco.

Amsterdam is a small and densely packed city boasting a smorgasbord tour of classical buildings, many dating from the 17th century or earlier, and is the most popular holiday destination for Netherlands travel.

The city is easily explored on foot or by bike so you don't need to arrange a hire car within your Amsterdam holiday travel package.

Canals lace their way through the cobblestone streets of Amsterdam and various famous museums enshrine the country's proud heritage of art and exploration.

Plenty of modern artists continue to brush their trade beside the Amsterdam canals.

Cheap hotels are scarce near the centre of Amsterdam but there are plenty of hostels.

Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport is Europe's fourth-largest air-cargo hub and offers regular airline flights to all major European destinations.

The central rail station in Amsterdam is at the end of the Damrak (the main street in the heart of Amsterdam) and is one of the largest railway terminals in Europe. Rail services are very efficient, providing travel connections and tickets to all major cities in the Netherlands and Europe.

It's a good idea to research the free public events that are scheduled, buy a student pass and a museum pass (remember, this is the home of Rembrandt and Vincent van Gogh), and hire a bicycle so you can cover enormous distances over the flat landscape while getting fit during your holiday.

Cycleways throughout the Netherlands are superb and you don't have to wear a helmet. There are about 400,000 bicycles in Amsterdam, or one bike for every two residents. Be aware that bicycle theft is endemic and you need to securely lock the bike to an immovable object.

At last count, the City of Amsterdam had 28 parks, 21 markets, 260 trams, 165 antique shops, 165 canals, 24 diamond polishing factories, 1,281 bridges, nearly 7,000 buildings from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, 42 museums, 141 art galleries, 55 theatres and concert halls, almost 15,000 concerts and theatrical performances each year, 45 cinemas, 36 discotheques, 755 restaurants, almost 33,000 hotel beds, and 1,402 cafes and bars.

Amsterdam's many tourist attractions include the Maritime Museum, Royal Palace, Artis Zoo, Madame Tussaud's Scenerama and Christoffel Park. The city is a wonderful holiday travel base from which to enjoy day trips into the countryside so you can soak up the windmills.

Amsterdam was originally a fishing village built at the mouth of the Amstel River during the 13th century.

This village prospered over the years and swelled to become a city, its wealth and power peaking during the 17th Century's Golden Age.

The Damrak was once the site of the Amstel River but is now a busy tourist street lined on all sides with coffee shops, money changers and tourist bureaux offering plenty of Amsterdam tourist information on travel issues such as where to find cheap hotels or hostels.

The Damrak ends at Dam Square where the Amstel Dam was once located. Amsterdam is named after this river and dam.

The Dam Square is a great place to laze back during your Amsterdam holiday travel, particularly in summer, and enjoy concerts, official events, festivals, the occasional market and a never-ending parade of clowns, jugglers and musical buskers.

The Royal Palace, the Niewe Kerk, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, and De Bijenkorf department store all face the square. You can make plenty of reservations in this area for hotels from which you can base your Amsterdam travel.

A must-see during your Amsterdam holiday is the Rijksmuseum (at Jan Luijkenstraat 1) where you can see masterpieces such as Rembrandt portraits (9am-6pm daily), and just around the corner at Paulus Potterstraat 7 is the Van Gogh Museum (10am-5pm, 11am on weekends).

Among the many tourist attractions of Amsterdam are the Stedelijk Museum in Oosterdokskade, the Science Centre in Oosterdok, De Oude Kerk (the city's oldest church) in Ouderkerksplein and the Pancake Bakery in Prinsengracht.

Vondelpark in the heart of Amsterdam is a large, attractive recreation reserve, but don't forget the liberal attitudes of the Dutch ... heavy fines are imposed if dogs are allowed off their lead but gay sex is legal in the park at night.

It's well worth buying an I amsterdam Card from the Amsterdam Tourist Board to cover tram, bus and underground public transport, various museum entrances, a free canal trip and various other discounts for attractions and bike hire. There are three different Amsterdam Pass types: 24 hours (33 euro or US$46.75 in Oct 2007), 48 hours (43 euro or US$60.91 in Oct 2007) or 72 hours (53 euro or US$75 in Oct 2007).

Greater Amsterdam is home to about 1.3 million people who own more than 600,000 bicycles.

Amsterdam itself is the centre of a 60 kilometre circle of cities and suburbia in the Netherlands known as the Randstad.

These cities include The Hague, which is the Netherlands's seat of government and the world centre of international justice.

Rotterdam, the industrial centre of the Netherlands and the world's largest port, is also within the Randstad, along with the historic cities of Haarlem, Leiden, Delft, and Utrecht.

It takes at least a fortnight and preferably months or even years to fully savour the holiday delights of Amsterdam.

Netherlands holiday guide

Holland tourist tips

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