Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. The city, which had a population of 747,290 on 1 January 2008, comprises the northern part of the Randstad, the 6th-largest metropolitan area in Europe, with a population of around 6.7 million.

Weather averages for Amsterdam
Month Average high °C (°F) Average low °C (°F)
Jan 5(41) 1(34)
Feb 6(43) 1(34)
Mar 9(48) 3(37)
Apr 13(55) 5(41)
May 17(63) 8(46)
Jun 19(66) 11(52)
Jul 22(72) 13(55)
Aug 22(72) 13(55)
Sep 19(66) 11(52)
Oct 14(57) 8(46)
Nov 9(48) 5(41)
Dec 6(43) 2(36)


Nightlife in Amsterdam

After the quiet early evening hours, Amsterdam's streets and squares get again very busy at night. At the back of the Dam square, the whole area of town called Red Light District is always invaded by large groups of tourists walking in the streets and looking at the windows with the girls. Nearby small restaurants and cafes are full of people.

Around Leidseplein you will find the Stadsschouwburg (City theatre) and other theatres, lots of cafes, restaurants, cinemas, the casino, the Lido theatre with live entertainment and the famed cultural and music centers, Sugar Factory, Paradiso and Melkweg offering a varied music program: rock, pop, dance, rap and world music, including big-name bands.

Another busy area of clubs, cafes and cinemas is Rembrandtplein. The square is surrounded by the cafes and clubs always full of guests. An important small street traditionally attracting theater crowd is Nes (parallel to Rokin). Nearby cafes try to attract this intellectual crowd. The old area of the Jordan is mostly frequented by the young people. In its cafes and bars, it is easy to meet people and make new friends.

Coffeeshops

Amsterdam CoffeeshopsThe soft drugs are available in coffeeshops for people who are over 18. Don't buy any drugs on the street. This is illegal, dangerous and, if caught by the police, the only trip you'll make is down to the police station. There are plenty of coffee shops around. Most of the coffeeshops are open till mid-night, some a bit longer.

Red Light District
The camera in a slash/circle sign behind many of the windows, along with the furious tapping on glass of the women themselves will inform you that taking a camera into the Walletjes, Amsterdam's red light district, is a serious breach of etiquette. One of the district's security crew may remind you - destroy your film; may even ask you to leave, or worse. No cameras in red light distict! If you really need some pictures, there are some discrete shots in our gallery.

Prostitution in Amsterdam
Prostitution has been legal in the Netherlands from 1815 and in 1996 the Dutch government started to tax it. According to statistics there are now over 25,000 prostitutes in the Netherlands and over half of these are said to be illegal immigrants. Like many cities in the world there are a large number of brothels in Amsterdam but unlike other cities there are a large number of red lit windows in the Red Light District.

Sex Museum


Sex MuseumInside the sex museum you will find a great collection of erotic art from throughout history and a number of other entertaining exhibits. There is everything from an extensive collection of literature and manuscripts portraying various illustrations of sex that have popped up throughout history through padded booths playing porno films to a gallery of alternative sexual fetishes. Very informative and explicit, not for those easily offended. Address: Damrak 18

Erotic Museum

Sex MuseumAn artistic view over the world erotics. The Erotic museum reflects what it is all about in the Red Light District. Five floors of erotic enjoyment and a collection of erotic art from all over the world.
Address: Oudezijds Achterburgwal 54, Red Light District

Condom shop Het Gulden Vlies
This shop is a kingdom of condoms. It has all colors, shapes, sizes and flavors. Some are even hand painted and are for decoration only. You can also find all sorts of information and books and it has a small condom museum. Address: Warmoesstraat 141

Hash Marihuana Hemp Museum
This museum is next-door and owned by the sensi seed bank. Its fairly small and goes through the history of the cannabis plant. There are also some plants growing on show aswell as explanations of hash production, etc. Next to the museum is a seed bank where you can buy quality cannabis seeds (for medical purposes, of course). Address: Oudezijds Achterburgwal 148, Red Light District

Places to See Here is a list of some of the major attractions in Amsterdam. Several places including the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum allow you to book online and print your tickets out. This is worth doing, since it allows you to jump the queue for tickets and go straight in, but bear in mind that some only allocate a fixed number of tickets per day, so book early if you can. The Anne Frank House, Prinsengracht 263 (Westerkerk), 09:00-19:00(summers 21:00), €7.50. The wartime hiding place of the young Jewish girl and her family, finally caught by the Nazis, made famous by Anne Frank's diaries. Not to be missed. Go early, or late, to avoid the queues. Begijnhof, Spui. Amsterdam has many 'hofjes', courtyards hidden away between houses. The Begijnhof is one of the largest, and well known, but also one of the more surprising: that such an oasis of peace can be so close to the bustling heart of the city. There is a doorway in the row of houses on the Spui that leads you there (if it is closed go right, around the corner to the entrance in the Gedempte Begijnensloot). It has a lovely English church (AD 1400) with pulpit panels designed by Mondriaan, and the oldest house in the city (1475), one of Amsterdam's few surviving wooden houses. Turn left out of the Gedempte Begijnensloot entrance, and it leads you to the Amsterdam Historical Museum and its free gallery of old paintings of city guards in the style of the Nightwatch. Artis Zoo, Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 09:00-17:00 (18:00 in Summer), €16. Good aquarium. Also planetarium. Hortus Horticultural Gardens Plantage Middenlaan 2a (Waterlooplein), 6259021, 09:00(weekends 10:00)-17:00 (21:00 in July/August); €6. Small but nice. Heineken Brewery, Stadhouderskade 78; 10:00-18:00 (closed Mondays); €10. Used to be a brewery until a few years ago, now a museum and visitors' centre. No unaccompanied children. No reservations. Free beer!

Museums There are three major museums, the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk (modern art) and the Van Gogh. All three are situated around the Museumplein. Rijksmuseum, Jan Luijkenstraat 1, 10:00-18:00; €9 (under 19 free). Large museum containing paintings by some of the Netherlands' great 17th century painters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Hals. The Nightwatch by Rembrandt is their prize piece. Contains many artefacts as well as paintings. (Currently being renovated, so some parts are closed.) There is also a small branch of the Rijksmuseum at Schiphol airport. Stedelijk, 2nd and 3rd floor of the Post-CS Building, Oosterdokskade 5, just east of central station; 10:00-18:00; €9. Major collection of modern art from around 1880. The location at the Museumplein is closed for renovation until 2008, so the collection is currently housed in this tower east of the central station, which at least has the advantage of offering lovely views over the city if you pop up to the restaurant on the 11th floor. Van Gogh, Paulus Potterstraat 7, 10:00-18:00 (Friday 22:00); €10. Surprisingly spacious, dedicated to Van Gogh and his contemporaries. There are many other museums, too many to list here. Interesting ones include: Rembrandt's House, Jodenbreestraat 4 (Waterlooplein), 10:00(Sunday 11:00)-17:00, €7.50. The 17th century house where Rembrandt lived and worked, restored to its former state. Of particular interest is the ability to buy etches made from copies of Rembrandt's original plates, at quite reasonable prices (about €35). Amsterdam Historical Museum, Kalverstraat 92 (Spui); 10:00(weekends 11:00)-17:00; €6. Maritime Museum, Kattenburgerplein 1. Closed for renovations until mid 2009. However the full-size replica of an old ship, with actors on board acting out the sea life (which is particularly fun for kids) is still open at Nemo, the big green building that looks like a ship just east of Central Station. Amstelkring Our Lord in the Attic, Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40; 10:00(Sunday 13:00) - 17:00; €7. A 'hidden church' in a canal house in the middle of the red-light district. Canal trips Damrak by Central Station, and Rokin by the Spui. It's worth taking one of the canal boat tours to see Amsterdam from the water. They last about 90 minutes, and take you around the city and through the harbour. If you're feeling energetic, you can hire a Canal Bike from one of the several points through the city (Westerkerk, Leidseplein, Leidsestraat, Rijksmuseum), and choose your own route.
Some things to do for free * Take the free ferry behind central station to the other side of the IJ and go for a walk along the North Holland Canal. * Walk up the roof of the New Metropolis and admire the view (follow the rail lines east from Central Station, and cross the footbridge to the big green building that looks like a ship). * Go to the Begijnhof (entrance from the Spui, or round the corner in the Gedempte Begijnensloot) * Visit the Historical Museum gallery (take the other exit from the Begijnhof and turn left). * Wander along the Flower Market (on the Singel). * Browse the Waterlooplein market (at the Waterlooplein). * Visit the Albert Cuyp market (tram 10 to Frederiksplein, or 4, 16, 24, 25 to Albert Cuyp). * Go to a free lunch concert in the Concertgebouw (Museumplein) * Go up the tower to the cafe in the Kalvertoren shopping mall, and admire the view (Kalverstraat near the Munt). * Go to the cafe in Metz and admire the view (corner of Leidsestraat and Keizersgracht). * Visit the West Indies House: in 1609 Henry Hudson, an Englishman working for a Dutch company, discovered the island of Manhattan. The Dutch decided to set up a colony there, and named it Nieuw Amsterdam (New Amsterdam, now of course New York). The company that ran the colony, the Dutch West India Company, had its headquarters in Amsterdam. You can see that building, the West Indies House, at the point where the Herengracht meets the Brouwersgracht (behind the children's playground). There is a statue of the first commander of New Amsterdam, Pieter Stuyvesant, in the courtyard.