After a busy year at work my family and I decided to go on a holiday to a beautiful place. When we were in dilemma about which place to visit, a friend suggested Amsterdam. I have never been to this place before and so was skeptic about it whether it was worth out vacation time that we have planned after a long time. I have done a lot of search on the internet about the place and then I came to know that it is one of the finest cities of the world and one of the most visited tourist destinations. It is rich in heritage and history and is popular with tourists. After learning that is a favorite tourist destination for travelers from all over the world we packed our bags.
Of course there are many hotels to be found but, I was looking for something a bit different and not so pricy, after a bit of detailed search I wound up staying in a holiday apartment. These apartments are located close to the city center and offer fantastic amenities that were in par with the hotels. LED televisions, telephone, Wi-Fi and other facilities etc. One can choose from one, two, three bedroom units. These Holiday apartments in Amsterdam offered me the freedom to choose according to my needs and I was able to see what it feels like to live a bit like a local. After I settled in, I was off to visit to the city and check out all of the amazing things Amsterdam has to offer.
Day 1- On day 1 of our trip we visited three places:
Amsterdam Canal Cruises- This boat tour on Amsterdam’s canals are a must for a first time visitors like me. It gives a great perspective of the beautiful city and must be one of the first things to do on your trip. If you are here for a short time then I recommended you visit for at least 1-2 hours.
The Rijksmuseum– After taking a tour on the canal cruise my next stop was to the Rijksmuseum, a national museum that hosts an impressive collection of paintings from the Middle ages to the 20th century. The works of the famous Rembrandt, Veemeer, Frans Hals and many others are exhibited here. The most famous one here is the masterpiece of Rembrandt “The Night Watch”. This museum remains open daily from 9 am to 6 pm and it does take 2-3 hours to completely enjoy the artworks here.
Leiden Square- After a long day one in Amsterdam I decided to enjoy the night life here. I headed down to Leiden Square which is known as the center of nightlife. There are hundreds of bars, clubs, discos and restaurants here that would style and taste of each one that visits here. I planned to enjoy the night life to fullest extent so it took me more than 3 hours to get the hang of it.
Day 2- After enjoying the night life and a good night’s rest the next day I headed to more places in the beautiful city.
Anne Frank House- This is considered the center of Amsterdam. It is a museum with history and is where Anne Frank was hiding for more than 2 years when she wrote her famous diary, during the World War II. Anne frank lived here secretly with other people in hiding in the back part of her father’s office building at# 263 Prinsengracht. I was delighted to see the famous diary in exhibition of Anne Frank’s house. There is a tapered archway, Beginjinhof, which leads to a delightful garden surrounded by old homes.
Red Light District- I was worried about going out about in the red light district but when I heard about it from other tourists I planned to visit. I found all manner of humanity here that was harmless. There were mothers with children, grandmothers, prostitutes behind the glass, tourists all living together just fine. It is best not to take the pictures of the ladies here and valuables and money have to be kept close.
Day 3- On day 3 of my trip to Amsterdam I visited 3 other great places, a museum, a charming neighborhood and main square of Amsterdam.
Van Gogh Museum-This art museum has the world’ s largest collection from the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh who reigned from 1853- 1890. This museum holds more than 200 painting and 600 drawings of true Van Gogh in his many moods. You can also find letters by Van Gogh and works of his friends too.
The Jordaan- After my 3 hours visit to the Van Gogh museum I visited the charming neighborhood of Amsterdam, The Jordaan. This Greenwich village has beautiful narrow alleys, leafy canals lined with 17th century houses, quirky speciality shops, cafes and designer boutiques.
Rembrandtplein- This is one of Amsterdam’s main squares and is the ideal place to sit on one of the many terraces and watch the world go. It is a nice lovely square with lots of cafes, pubs, bars etc. You can watch people, drink beer and snack on the wonderful food here. The people here are very friendly and there is café, bar, restaurant or a shop for everyone here.
My Amsterdam trip lasted with beautiful memories that I shall cherish for a lifetime.
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