AMSTERDAM OVERVIEW:
Amsterdam: one of the greatest ‘small’ cities in the world, known for its fantastic history and canals. Being the capital of The Netherlands, its 820,000 inhabitants are proud to be called ‘Amsterdammers’ and with over 180 nationalities the city serves as one of the world’s largest multicultural hubs. It has all the advantages of a big city: rich culture, lively nightlife, international restaurants, great infrastructure, but at the same time you will discover a rather quiet capital, in part due to the canal infrastructure.
WHAT TO DO?:
Known to be one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century), nowadays it defines itself as a city of diversity and tolerance. Its history is displayed amongst the 165 canals and 1281 bridges, with glorious and richly decorated canal mansions virtually everywhere. Besides the canals a visit to the world famous Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum can’t be skipped. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Famous inhabitants included Anne Frank, the artists Rembrandt van Rijn and the philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Amsterdam’s main attractions include its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, The Heineken Experience, Amsterdam Museum, its red-light district, and its many cannabis coffee shops which draw more than 5 million international visitors annually.
CLIMATE:
The Netherlands with its long North Sea coast, has a moderate sea climate. The sea’s influence ensures that it’s not too cold during winter (average of 3,5 degrees Celsius in January), not too hot during summer (average of 22 degrees Celsius in July), and there is always sufficient moisture in the air. If you plan to visit Holland, it would be wise to keep this in mind. Popular months to visit The Netherlands are between April and November, but for those winter lovers the sight of Amsterdam on a cold winter night with the illuminated canals, the Christmas markets and the many lights can be perceived as magical.
GETTING THERE:
Travelling to Amsterdam is possible in many ways, as it can be reached by air, land and even sea. Schiphol Airport is Europe’s 5th largest airport, serving over 300 scheduled destinations. The airport is just 17 kilometres from the city centre. There are also high speed trains and coaches travelling from many European cities like Paris, Brussels, Berlin, London, Cologne and Frankfurt.
GETTING AROUND:
Amsterdam is a wonderfully walkable city, with most major sites in or near the city centre. Public transportation provides integrated metro, tram and bus services throughout Amsterdam and its surrounding areas.
For ‘Dutchies’, the bicycle is their way of getting around, therefor an estimated 800,000 bicycles can be found in Amsterdam. For natives it’s the preferred choice of transport and some would say the best way to discover Amsterdam. There are dedicated bicycle paths throughout the city and very few hills to conquer. But, one should be aware of the dynamic traffic of cars, coaches, trams, bicyclists and pedestrians. Another popular, romantic and beautiful way to experience the canals of Amsterdam, is boarding a canal cruise of course!
ACCOMMODATION & BUSINESS:
The city has over 400 hotels to choose from, varying from budget hotels to 5 star deluxe hotels, from traditional to modern to arty and everything in between!
Not only leisure travellers enjoy Amsterdam’s great appeal. Also business travellers, congress visitors, meeting attendants and incentive participants have an array of services at their disposal in this great city. Besides the hotel offer, Amsterdam has a large collection of venues to host meetings, product launches or events. The venues vary from a regular meeting centres up to museums and anything in between.
PERFORMANCE TRAVEL SAYS:
Amsterdam is such a wonderful city to visit; a great mix between history, culture, adventure and fun! We believe it’s a unique city and therefore it’s our pride and joy! Performance Travel knows the best of what Amsterdam has to offer and makes it its task to deliver it to your doorstep.