Overview
Local Transportation
Accommodations
Food
Coffeeshops And Smartshops
Sights
Museums
Entertainment
Shopping
Nightlife
Daytrips
Gay and Lesbian Amsterdam
Amsterdam’s cozy but confusing neighborhoods can be easily explored with help from its guiding canals. In the city center, water runs in concentric half-circles, beginning at Centraal Station. The Singel runs around the Centrum, which includes the Oude Zijd (Old Side), the infamous Red Light District, and the Nieuwe Zijd (New Side), which, oddly enough, is older than the Oude Zijd. Barely a kilometer in diameter, the Centrum overflows with brothels, bars, clubs, and tourists wading through wafts of marijuana smoke. The next three canals—the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, and the Prinsengracht—constitute the Canal Ring. Its neighborhoods, which this book calls the Central Canal Ring and Canal Ring West, are home to beautiful canal houses, and nearby Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein sport classy nightlife that spans flashy bars and traditional bruin cafes. Just over the Singelgracht, Museumplein is home to the city’s most renowned art museums as well as the verdant, sprawling Vondelpark. Farther out lie the more residential Amsterdam neighborhoods: to the west, the Jordaan, Westerpark, and Oud-West; to the east, Jodenbuurt and Plantage; to the south, De Pijp and far-flung Greater Amsterdam. Though these districts are populated by dense housing, they still boast excellent eateries and brilliant museums.
Many will delight in telling you that the Oude Zijd (“Old Side”) is in fact newer than the Nieuwe Zijd (“New Side”). That doesn't really say much about the character of the neighborhood, which ...more
Like it or not, the Red Light District is what draws many travelers to Amsterdam. This is a bit of a reversal from the days of the sex industry's origin back in the 13th century. In those days, the sailors ...more
Older than the Oude Zijd (but home to a church that's younger than the Oude Kerk, thus explaining the neighborhoods' confusing name swap), the Nieuwe Zijd offers a mix of history, culture, and a whole ...more
Scheepvaartbuurt, which would create quite a round of Wheel of Fortune, is the city's old shipping quarter. At its northern edge, you can feel a hint of the sea breeze, but today it's pretty much become ...more
The Canal Ring West comprises—spoiler alert—a ring of three canals: the Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht (helpful hint: they go in alphabetical order from the center of the city towards ...more
The Central Canal Ring is, in some ways, the least remarkable part of central Amsterdam. The Museumplein overshadows its sights, Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein outdo its nightlife, and De Pijp offers a ...more
The Leidseplein, an almost exclusively commercial rectangle south of the main canal ring, is bordered by the Nassaukade, Spiegelgracht, Prinsengracht, and Leidsegracht. A busy and touristy region, this ...more
For our purposes, the Rembrandtplein neighborhood comprises the actual square itself, plus the area stretching from Herengracht to the Amstel and the part of Reguliersdwarstraat coming from Vijzelstraat ...more
Once upon a time, this was a staunchly working class neighborhood. Today, it's one of Amsterdam's prettiest and most fashionable. The Jordaan provides a good transition from the pretty-as-a-postcard Canal ...more
Westerpark is a residential neighborhood northeast of the main city center; its eponymous park is a serene stretch of green that makes for a pleasant break from the urban jungle. It has a loyal and vocal—but ...more
Museumplein and Vondelpark lie south of the main canal ring, but that doesn't make them any less worthy of a visit. Vondelpark is a gorgeous, green space with some fine hostels and convenient proximity ...more
De Pijp may lack in traditional history or cultural sights, but it more than makes up for that in terms of modern culture. A mix of different immigrant communities, students, and artists enjoy the relatively ...more
Amsterdam has always been a place of mixed blessings for the Jews, who arrived in the Netherlands in the early 17th century. In time, the area roughly bounded by the streets Jodenbreestraat, Sint Antoniesbreestraat ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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