Tourist attractions in Amsterdam, one of Europe's capitals and
The Netherlands' most important city, abound with its world-renowned charming canal belt, historical monuments and prestigious museums.
With more than 70 festivals held in the city each year, Amsterdam has earned the reputation of City of Festivals and is one of the most important cultural centres in Europe.
One of the museums in Amsterdam is the Anne Frank House located in the centre of Amsterdam. The annex to the house served as the hiding place where Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl, and her family went into hiding for more than two years during the second world war to escape persecution from the Nazis.
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| Anne Frank House |
It was here that Anne Frank penned her thoughts into a diary in what is now published as the Diary of Anne Frank. Her original diary is a permanent exhibition on display at the Anne Frank house. In 2007 more than one million people visited the hiding place turned museum and the secret rooms as well as the exhibition spaces, bookshop and cafe.
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| Canal-side facade of Anne Frank House |
To soak in the Amsterdam atmosphere, stroll along the canal streets or sip a drink in one of the many interesting cafes. The 17th century canals of Amsterdam which are on the UNESCO world heritage site list form the city's most famous sight.
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| A tour option |
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| Going for our Amsterdam canal cruise |
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| One of the canal cruise operators |
Here are some pictures of the Amsterdam canals.
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| Some of Amsterdam houseboats along the canals |
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| Another Amsterdam houseboat |
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| A houseboat with icicles due to the cold weather |
There are more than 10,000 houseboats which have been turned into real homes and interestingly, you can rent these houseboats if you like the idea of waking up to the murmuring of the water.
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| Graceful swans |
Some of the impressive array of bridges we saw whilst on our Amsterdam canal cruise.
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| A bridge we came across |
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| A classic humpbacked canal bridge |
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| A modern bridge |
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| Another historic bridge |
Known as the Venice of the North, Amsterdam has more than one hundred kilometres of canals running throughout the city. Alongside the main canals, you can view some of the 1550 interesting and charming monumental buildings.
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| A building characteristic of Amsterdam |
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| Another charming building |
Whilst on our canal cruise, we saw many charming buildings that are characteristic of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Most of the houses are narrow but notice the big windows and decorative gable tops including a pulley outside to transport larger objects to the upper floors.
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| Westerkerk |
The Westerkerk or West Church is a Protestant Church located close to Anne Frank House. This magnificent 17th century Renaissance church is one of Amsterdam's most important landmarks and provides a breathtaking view of the Amsterdam skyline. It has a tower, the highest church tower in Amsterdam, crowned by a blue orb and crown and gilded weathercock which rises to a height of 85 metres above the city.
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| Amsterdam Central Station |
Another major attraction is the Amsterdam Central Station, a red-bricked railway station with its neo-Renaissance style and Gothic characteristics, located in the heart of the city. Notice the carvings and spires on the exterior of the building, especially the imposing twin towers. Serving as a transportation hub with 1,500 trains arriving and departing daily as well as buses and trams, you would most probably find yourself in the Central Station in Amsterdam at one point or another.
Another interesting tourist attraction is the Amsterdam Sex Museum located in a very busy spot just in front of the Central Station. Throughout its more than twenty years of existence, the Sex Museum has been able to expand their rich collection of artifacts to include many hundreds of interesting pieces of art, unique objects and rare old photographs. Interestingly, they have been able to avoid the bluntness of pornography and managed to compile their exhibits in an organized and interesting way.
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| Sex Museum exhibit |
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| Amsterdam Sex Museum |
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| Venus at the entrance of the Sex Museum |
If you are in Amsterdam, you should make it a point to visit one if the main tourist attractions in Amsterdam which is Zaanse Schans, a 17th century town where you can experience a cheese farm, clog workshop, and working windmills. This was undoubtedly one of the highlights of our Europe vacation package.
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