If you’re still doubting why you must absolutely visit Amsterdam, here are our top 5 reasons:
Reason 1; The laid back atmosphere
Eventhough Amsterdam is the capital city with about 2.5 million people in the urban area, the atmosphere is still pretty laid-back. Already for decades Amsterdam is known for its progressive and tolerant image when it comes to sex, drugs and social matters. Most of the Amsterdammers just want to enjoy life and not put too much emphasis on being considered succesful by others!
Reason 2; The old historic centre and canals
Amsterdam’s historic city is one of the largest and best-preserved in Europe. The old centre features many of the famous gabled canal houses from the 17th century and over 7000 buildings in Amsterdam are considered monumental. The centre is laid out in a horseshoe shape with many canals of which you have a beautiful view on the houses built by wealthy merchants during the golden age of The Dutch Republic.
Reason 3; The world class museums
Amsterdam has the highest centration of museums per square meter of all the major cities in the world. Some of the most popular museums are the Rijksmuseum, the Van Goghmuseum, and the Stedelijk Museum. Next to these art museums, one of the most visited museums of the city is the Anne Frank House. The house where Anne Frank hid for two years for the Nazis was turned into a museum in 1960. Some smaller, but very interesting museums are the EYE Film Museum, the Cannabis Museum, the Prostitution Museum and the Diamond Museum.
Reason 4; The flourishing food scene
Dutch food might be not so famous as Italian or French food, but we do have our gastronomic treats that pretty much everyone loves, like stroopwafels and bitterballen. We Dutchies also love raw herring ofcousre, but that is probably too hardcore for a lot of tourists. When in Amsterdam visit one of the many typical Dutch ‘cafetaria’ where they sell fries and a large variety of deep fried snacks.
Since Amsterdam has been an international citiy for centuries there are many different cuisines from all over the world to be found. Especially food from Suriname and Indonesia is especially popular. Also the city itsself is more and more known for its haute cuisine and nowadays there are over 25 Michelin-starred restaurants to be found in the city.
Reason 5; The nightlife
Amsterdam’s nightlife is among some of the best of Europe. If you fancy a quiet beer in one of the many pubs, go dancing in some obscure tecnho place or visiting an upscale clubs where champagne flows throughout the night, Amsterdam has it all. Some of the more famous venues are Escape, Club Nyx, Jimmy Woo and The Westerunie. Next to these popular clubs Amsterdam has two legendary music venues; Paradiso and Melkweg. Eventhough smaller than their bigger counterparts like AFAS Live and the Ziggo Dome, these are the places to go to not only see live music, but also be part of it.