Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most popular tourist attractions, with over 5 million foreign tourists each year, not including the 16 million day trippers that visit the city.

Because of its picturesque canals that crisscross the city, stunning architecture, and more than 1,500 bridges, Amsterdam is commonly known as the Venice of the North. There is something here to suit any traveler’s tastes, whether they love culture and history, serious partying, or just the calm beauty of an ancient European city.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the world’s oldest stock exchange, is situated in the city center. Amsterdam’s main attractions, such as its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, the Hermitage Amsterdam, the Anne Frank House, the Amsterdam Museum, the red-light district, and its many cannabis coffee shops, attract over 5 million international visitors each year.

Over the last decade, the number of tourists has consistently increased. This is due to an increase in the number of European tourists. Two-thirds of the hotels are in the city center. Hotels with four or five stars account for 42 percent of total beds offered and 41 percent of overnight stays in Amsterdam. In 2006, the hotel occupancy rate was 78 percent, up from 70 percent in 2005. The bulk of visitors (74 percent) are from Europe. The United States is the greatest source of non-European tourists, accounting for 14% of the total. In Amsterdam, some years have a theme to attract more visitors. For example, the year 2006 was dubbed “Rembrandt 400” to commemorate Rembrandt van Rijn’s 400th birthday. During certain years, several hotels provide unique arrangements or events. The average number of tourists staying in the city’s four campgrounds each year ranges from 12,000 to 65,000.

RED-LIGHT DISTRICT

De Wallen, also known as Walletjes or Rosse Buurt, is Amsterdam’s biggest and most well-known red-light district and is a designated area for legalized prostitution. This area has become a popular tourist destination. It consists of a network of roads and alleyways with several hundred tiny, one-room homes leased by sex workers who advertise their services from behind a window or glass door, which is usually lit with red lights.

RETAIL

The businesses in Amsterdam vary from enormous high-end department stores like De Bijenkorf, which opened in 1870, to tiny speciality shops like Maison de Bonneterie, which opened in 1889. The streets P.C. Hooftstraat and Cornelis Schuytstraat, which are near the Vondelpark, are home to Amsterdam’s high-end stores. The small, ancient Kalverstraat in the city’s centre is one of Amsterdam’s busiest thoroughfares. The Negen Straatjes, Haarlemmerdijk, and Haarlemmerstraat are further retail districts. TheGrachtengordel, Amsterdam’s circular canal system, has nine small streets known as Negen Straatjes. The presence of a significant range of privately owned stores distinguishes the Negen Straatjes from other retail areas. In 2011, the Haarlemmerstraat and the Haarlemmerdijk were named the greatest shopping streets in the Netherlands. As the Negen Straatjes, these streets contain a wide variety of privately held stores. However, because the Negen Straatjes are dominated by fashion stores, the Haarlemmerstraat and Haarlemmerdijk offer a diverse range of shops, including candy and other food-related stores, lingerie, sneakers, wedding clothing, interior shops, books, Italian deli’s, racing and mountain bikes, skatewear, and so on.

The Albert Cuyp Market, Westerstraat-markt, Ten Katemarkt, and Dappermarkt are just a few of the city’s many open-air marketplaces. Some of these markets, such as the Albert Cuypmarkt and the Dappermarkt, are hosted on a daily basis. Others, such as the Westerstraatmarkt, take place weekly.

FASHION

G-star, Gsus, BlueBlood, PICHICHI, Iris van Herpen, 10 feet, and Warmenhoven & Venderbos are all headquartered in Amsterdam, as are fashion designers Mart Visser, Viktor & Rolf, Sheila de Vries, Marlies Dekkers, and Frans Molenaar. Elite Models, Touche Models, and Tony Jones are among the modeling companies that have established offices in Amsterdam. Yfke Sturm, Doutzen Kroes, and Kim Noorda all began their modeling careers in Amsterdam. The World Fashion Center in Amsterdam houses the city’s garment center. Buildings in the red light district that used to be brothels have been turned into ateliers for young fashion designers, also known as eagle fuel. Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, both fashion photographers, were born in Amsterdam (Netherland).

TOURIST INFORMATION

• I amsterdam Visitor Centre (VVV Amsterdam), Stationsplein 10(Koffiehuis Stationsplein, across from Central Station),  +31 20 702-6000.M-Su 09:00-18:00. The tourist office of Amsterdam is located in the same building as Smits Koffiehuis, just across from Centraal Station. In addition to maps, brochures, and reservations, the GVB office sells tram and metro tickets. There are a few touch panels with generic tourist information for Amsterdam.
• I amsterdam City Card. This card provides free admission to a number of the city’s museums and attractions, as well as unrestricted public transportation travel within the city and a list of discounts at additional attractions. 24h – €55, 48h – €65, 72h – €75, 96h – €85.

The climate in Amsterdam is oceanic. Winters and summers are both pleasant, but the latter may be very cold at times.

Because Amsterdam is a huge city and a popular tourist destination, it stays open all year. However, the days are short in the winter (8 hours of daylight around Christmas), and the weather may be too chilly to safely wander about the city.

The coldest months are January and February, with lows around 0°C (32°F) and highs around 5°C (41°F). The hottest months are July and August, with average daytime temperatures of 22°C (72°F).

Amsterdam is in the province of North Holland in the western Netherlands. The river Amstel flows through the city center, connecting to a slew of canals that finally lead to the IJ. The city of Amsterdam is 2 meters below sea level.

Because the surrounding area is made up of massive polders, it is flat. The Amsterdamse Bos, a man-made woodland, is located southwest. The lengthy North Sea Canal connects Amsterdam with the North Sea.

The city of Amsterdam, as well as the Amsterdam metropolitan region around it, is densely populated. The city proper covers 219.4 square kilometers (84.7 square miles) of land and has a population density of 4,457 people per square kilometer and 2,275 homes per square kilometer. Amsterdam’s parkland and natural reserves account for 12% of the city’s total land area.

CANALS

Amsterdam has over a hundred kilometers (60 miles) of canals, the majority of which may be navigated by boat. Prinsengracht, Herengracht, and Keizersgracht are the three major canals. Amsterdam was formerly encircled by a moat known as the Singel, which today forms the city’s innermost ring and gives the city center a horseshoe shape. A seaport is also available in the city. Due to its partition into around 90 islands connected by more than 1,200 bridges, it has been likened to Venice.

The Netherlands’ financial and commercial capital is Amsterdam. Amsterdam is now one of Europe’s greatest places to locate a multinational company. Only London, Paris, Frankfurt, and Barcelona have a higher ranking in this area.

Many significant firms and banks, such as Akzo Nobel, Heineken International, ING Group, ABN AMRO, TomTom, Delta Lloyd Group, and Philips, have their headquarters in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam. Amstelveen, home to several non-Dutch corporations as well as KPMG International’s worldwide headquarters, allows complete land ownership, in contrast to Amsterdam’s land-lease system.

Despite the fact that many modest offices remain on the historic canals, businesses are gradually moving out of the city center. A new financial and legal center has been established in the Zuidas (English: South Axis). Zuidas is home to the Netherlands’ five biggest law firms, a number of significant consulting organizations including Accenture and Boston Consulting Group, and the World Trade Center Amsterdam.

The city of Amsterdam has three minor financial areas. De Telegraaf, for example, has its headquarters in the neighborhood around Amsterdam Sloterdijk train station. In addition, Deloitte, the municipal public transportation company, and the Dutch tax office (Belastingdienst) are all based there… The region around the Amsterdam Arena is the second financial district. The third is Amsterdam Amstel train station’s surrounding region. The headquarters of Philips and Amsterdam’s tallest structure, the Rembrandt Tower, are located there.

PORT OF AMSTERDAM

As the second-largest port in the Netherlands by cargo metric tons, Amsterdam Port is Europe’s fourth-largest port and the world’s 38th-largest port. The Port of Amsterdam handled 97,4 million tons of cargo in 2014, the most of which was bulk freight. More than 150 cruise ships sail through Amsterdam’s port each year, making it the Netherlands’ largest cruise port. The new sealock in Ijmuiden, which will allow Amsterdam to expand to 125 million tons by 2019, is scheduled to open in 2019.

As part of Euronext, the Amsterdam Stock Market (AEX) serves as the oldest stock exchange in the world and one of Europe’s major bourses in terms of turnover. It is located in the heart of the city, near Dam Square.

For the Dutch economy, Amsterdam is a key component, along with Eindhoven (Brainport), and Rotterdam (Seaport).

INTERNET

The country’s first internet cafés launched in Amsterdam, but they swiftly closed down. Internet cafés of all sizes have been wiped out in the Binnenstad area. Some phone stores (belwinkel) that cater to the Dutch immigrant community may contain a few terminals, but they’re normally only one or two at a time.

It’s best to check ahead of time whether or not your hotel has Wi-Fi for visitors who are traveling with laptops, since some locations demand exorbitant prices while other less expensive hotels and hostels may not have any internet at all. If you’re a visitor at a fast food restaurant or a tiny cafe, you’ll likely be forced to purchase a beverage to use their free wifi. Speed and stability definitely vary from location to location.. It is possible to get 3G and 4G coverage in Amsterdam from a number of companies, including KPN and Hi. There is a lot of competition in the market.

TELEPHONE

Both the Netherlands’ country code and the zip code for Amsterdam are 31 and 020, respectively. Calling from the Netherlands, you simply need to use the 0 digits.

There are fewer and fewer payphones as more individuals own a mobile phone. That’s why you’ll find a lot of pay phones in tourist locations. Groups of six pay phones may be found at the main entrance of Centraal Station. You may require a phone card (€5 minimum) to make local calls from a pay phone since many green KPN phone booths do not take coins. However, phone cards are becoming more difficult to get at post offices and certain delis. KPN booths are being replaced with modern versions that can take coins again. Coins and credit cards are accepted at the Telfort booths, which are blue and orange in color.

Go to a phone store instead than a pay phone, a local phone, or your hotel’s telephone if you need to make a call (belwinkel). All across the city, you’ll find phone stores. A majority of their customers are immigrants who are looking to make inexpensive international phone calls from outside the city core. You may also use a service like Skype to make phone calls via the Internet.

In the event that you have a simlock-free European GSM mobile phone, you may want to consider purchasing a prepaid sim card. In most electronics stores, they may be purchased for the same cost as a KPN phone booth card. It’s a lot less expensive than using a pay phone, plus you’re always on the go.