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Sightseeing
Sightseeing Overview
| With its flat and compact city centre, Amsterdam is an easy city to get around on foot. But perhaps the best way for visitors to get a real feel for the place is to head straight out on a canal tour, something that many locals have never done. Most of the main attractions are located within the historical core, usually within walking distance of each other, although the efficient tram and bus networks are close at hand for attractions further afield.
The most visited sites in the city are the many excellent museums, such as the Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank Museum, Amsterdams Historisch Museum, Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, Van Gogh Museum and the new NEMO Museum. Less cerebral pursuits are on offer among the grand facades and elegant museums, with brown cafés and prostitutes adorning windows all day and night in the red light districts. Away from these busy places, the city is also blessed with quiet canals and leafy parks, which provide an escape all year round, especially Vondelpark, with its open-air, free concerts during summer. Breaking away from the main tourist throng is the best way for one to discover the ‘real’ Amsterdam of grand old canal-side merchants’ houses where modern Amsterdamers still live, in an almost bucolic setting. As well as being the transport hub for the city, Amsterdam’s grand Centraal Station is also the gateway to a myriad half- and full-day trips, with regular and inexpensive train services all over the Netherlands.
Tourist Information
VVV Amsterdam Tourist Office
Stationsplein 10 (opposite Centraal Station)
Tel: (020) 551 2525 or (0900) 400 4040. Fax: (020) 625 2869.
E-mail: info@amsterdamtourist.nl
Website: www.visitamsterdam.nl
Opening hours: Daily 0800–1700.
Other VVV offices are located at Centraal Station, Leidseplein/Leidsestraat, Purmerend, Zaandam and at the airport. Services provided include general tourist information, hotel and package reservations, excursions and canal cruises, maps and guidebooks, walking tours, public transport tickets, theatre, concert and museum tickets, souvenirs and posters, telephone cards, VVV gift vouchers and currency exchange.
Passes
The Amsterdam Pass offers tourists the use of public transport (tram, bus and underground), free admission to 26 museums, a voucher booklet for 25% discount on several attractions and restaurants, and a full-colour pass guide. Attractions offering free entrance to Amsterdam Pass holders include the Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, Rembrandthuis, Amsterdams Historisch Museum and Hortus Botanicus. Other free benefits include a cup of coffee at Restaurant La Place, an Amsterdam city map, five postcards at Café Ristretto and a free city canal tour. The pass also includes a free guided tour of the Amsterdam Diamond Group and admission to the Holland Casino (see Nightlife).
Valid for one, two or three days, costing €26, €36 and €46 respectively, the Amsterdam Pass is available for purchase from the VVV Amsterdam tourist offices, as well as a number of hotels.
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