The lively and cosmopolitan metropolis Amsterdam, which emerged from a small fishing village, is located by the shimmering blue North Sea Canal, which connects Amsterdam with the North Sea by waterway.
No, you didn’t drink too much Grolsch on the ship.
The impression of the old city centre being a bit crooked or distorted is due to the wooden stakes used to build the town, which have partly sunk into the ground.
Around five million wooden stakes have stabilized Amsterdam for many centuries, a necessity owed to the sandy underground.
In Amsterdam the golden age can be experienced close up.
Seven thousand merchant houses and warehouses, built in the same manner as the 1,300 bridges from the 16th to 18th century, set the scene in this Venice of the north. The 165 canals are lined with splendid old merchant houses, adorned with gables used to hoist up the goods from the water to the storage lofts.
The alleys of Amsterdam and the fascinating old city centre are best explored by bike. Numerous splendidly constructed bikeways and citybikes invite you to take short and long tours, to get to know the town with its numerous historic sights, coffee shops and museums (for example the spectacular Van Gogh museum).
Amsterdam is well connected. It has a big passenger terminal, where many cruising lines stop, a big railway station and an international airport.
In August every year Amsterdam presents a very unique and interesting film festival. The „On the Roof Film Festival“ connects outdoor film on the roof of the VU University in Amsterdam with a fantastic view of the city at night.