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Amsterdam
in figures:
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Country:
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The
Netherlands
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Population:
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~
738.000 inh.
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Surface:
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~ 220 km2
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Density:
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~ 3350 inh./km2
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Jet Leg:
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+1 GMT
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Phone Code:
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(+0031)20
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What to
see: The
centre of Amsterdam is pleasant thanks to its small dimensions
compared to the high number of ancient buildings. The symbolic
centre of the city is represented by the Dam,
a big square where you can find the Royal Palace, Koninklijf Paleis,
and the New Church, Nieuwe Kerk, a protestant church where kings of
Holland are used to crown. It is very interesting also to visit the Nieuw-Markt,
which was in the past the centre of the Jewish quarter and now, due
to an urban restyling, it represents a striking fusion between
modern and ancient style. About museums you can notice the Rijksmuseum,
the Dutch national museum, known as the most prestigious and richest
one of the world. It includes Dutch, Italian, French and Spanish
paintings, as well as sculptures of the 16th and 17th centuries. A
modern museum is the Stedelijk
Museum, dedicated to contemporary art from the 19th
century to nowadays.
How to
get there: The
city of Amsterdam can be easily reached by plane from the main
European cities by the Dutch national airline as well as by national
flights and other different low cost companies. Amsterdam is served
by the Schiphol airport, one of the greatest in Europe. It is
located in the southwest, 20 km far from the city centre. The city
is well connected by rail transport to the main cities of the
countries nearby and it is really cheap to fly to Berlin, for
instance, and then reaching Amsterdam by train.
How to
go round: We advise tourist against using the car in the city
centre because of chaotic traffic-jam and also because of finding
out a parking results very difficult. Usually people use bicycles to
circulate, they can be rent at a good price, or better, people are
used to go round on foot due to the limited extension of the city.
The underground has got 3 lines and it is partially on surface, it
is efficient and practical as the same for buses and trams
converging all near the Centraal Station. Furthermore you have to
consider the boat tour where you can observe in a complete relax all
the wonders of this city.
Entertainments: Amsterdam is the capital
of transgression and tolerance too, a unique place for lovers of
these kind of things. You can think about regulated red light
quarters and the so-called coffee-shops authorized, under restricted
and definite limitations, to sell and to consume the cannabis
by-products. By now these coffee-shops are going to be closed
because of UE directives. In red light quarters tourists are welcome
, but it is forbidden to take pictures. Amsterdam has got an intense
nightlife: private parties, discotheques, disco pubs and nights.
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