What is Amsterdam Famous For?
Amsterdam the capital city of the Netherlands is one of the most historical cities in Europe with interesting and beautiful mosaiculture and architectures. This paper aims at discussing some of the causes that make Amsterdam among the most popular destinations for tourists from all over the globe.
1. Canals
Another popular feature of Amsterdam is that it has many waterways in it, thus the local nickname ‘Venice of the North’. The tree-ring city named as Canal Ring is a marvel for it’s a part of UNESCO heritage site and includes a chain of beautiful buildings surrounding the canals. Boat ride and walk along the canals is another important activity for the tourists.
2. Museums
Amsterdam has a vast number of museums that can be classified as international level museums of the most different orientations. The leading museum is the Rijksmuseum that displays various creations of famous Dutch painters including Rembrandt and Vermeer. The museum exhibit worth visiting is Van Gogh museum which is dedicated to the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh.
2.1 Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House is one of the historical spots where Anne Frank, a Jewish girl, and her family were in hiding from the second World War. Today the house is preserved as a museum, as a testimony and a tribute for the life and the events of Anne Frank and of the holocaust.
2.2 Stedelijk Museum
The Stedelijk Museum is one of the most popular museums of modern and contemporary art with an extensive collection. Including paintings, photography, sculptures and installations, the museum provides viewers with genuine artwork by artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
3. Historic Architecture
Characteristics of Amsterdam include historic styled buildings most of which are baroque architectures that were built in the 17th century. Gable roof houses with very small and tangled frontage as those found in the Herengracht or Prinsengracht are some of the famous houses many tourists love to see.
4. Bicycling Culture
Another technology that is popular among the inhabitants of the Netherlands in particular and the Europeans in general is a bicycle; and indeed Amsterdam is no exception. Tibia has bike-only lanes, thus promoting the bike tourism where bicycle is the only mode of transport throughout the city. It is more enjoyable to feel like a local to that place and one of the best ways is through bike rentals in Amsterdam.
5. Coffee Shops
Although Amsterdam is popular in connection with coffee, it has a different concept of ‘coffee shops’ than one might expect. These are mainly identified according to their permissive measures in permitting the restricted use of marijuana. One should mention that those venues are different from typical cafes and are targeted at a particular audience.
6. Tulips and Flower Market
Tulips are associated with the Netherlands and there is no surprise that you can find them in Amsterdam too. There is the flower market also which is called Bloemenmarkt and the choosing or buying there is a lovely sight with the beautiful flowers such as tulips. It is a great site to enjoy the country’s chosen breed and purchase bulbs to be brought home.
7. Festivals and Nightlife
Amsterdam hosts various festivals throughout the year, catering to different interests and tastes. From concerts like ADE music festival, cultural celebration including king’s day, many events are always going on. Also, for entertainment, whenever one gets bored of the beauty of the city, it’s the ever booming nightlife with numerous choice of bars, clubs, and live performances.
7.1 Amsterdam Light Festival
The Amsterdam Light Festival is a winter event that is a series of light art that is crafted around the canals of Amsterdam city. This way the people can walk about along certain trails meant to showcase the artworks as well as different aspects of Amsterdam.
7.2 Gay Pride Parade
Amsterdam is home to Gay Pride Festival; it is an annual event through which the residents celebrate the rights of homosexual persons. This bright event is held on the canals of the city and many people come to the event to express solidarity and to watch the festivities.
8. Food and Drink
Amsterdam has a broad variety of restaurants to please a various customers with different types of cuisines: from traditional Dutch to visitors’ favorite worldwide meals. There are many rare and exotic foods to eat as well as more familiar foods with a Dutch twist such as herring and stroopwafels, Indonesian rijsttafel, Surinamese etc. For those who fancy beer which is fairly popular in the Netherlands, do not forget to order local beer or the traditional jenever.
Conclusion
The city’s attractions include its canals, museums and other buildings, festivals and fairs, and so much more in Amsterdam. It has well developed indigenous cultural tourism for it has embraced cultural tourism as one of its leading niches but at the same time as an open minded city. No matter if you spend your time walking along the canals, discovering the museums or having fun till morning- you would hardly stay indifferent to such a European city as Amsterdam.
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