Amsterdam: Tourist Office
Tourist offices
Amsterdam Tourist Office (VVV)
Tel: 0900-400 40 40
www.vvv.nl
Stationsplein 10
Leidseplein 1
daily 9 am-5pm
Main station
platform 2b Mon-Sat 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
De Ruyterkade 5
Mon-Fri 9 am-7pm
Schiphol Airport, arrival hall
daily 7 am-10pm
Amsterdam: features and events
City peculiarities
Coffeeshops
Amsterdam is known for its numerous coffee shops where you can buy and consume ‘soft’ drugs such as hashish and marijuana.
The public sale of up to five grams of soft drugs is tolerated in the Netherlands and goes without prosecution, even though it is officially illegal.
Canals
Around Amsterdam there is a semicircular ring of canals, which is crossed by smaller cross canals that run through the entire city. There are around 160 canals and 600 bridges in an area of around 8 km².
The city of Amsterdam has about twice as many canals as Venice.
Other special features
Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world.
Incidentally, there are around 2,400 houseboats in Amsterdam.
Celebrations and events
Koninginnendag (April 30)
On this day is celebrated the birthday of Queen Beatrix. However, the date was the date of birth of Queen Juliana, Beatrix’s mother. In addition to a huge flea market in the city center, there is an open-air concert on Museum Square.
Bevrijdingsfestival (May 5th)
The liberation from German occupation in World War II is celebrated with an open-air festival on Museumsplein.
Roots Festival (June) For
ten days, world music bands play in different locations in the city.
Holland Festival (June)
Classical and experimental dance and theater pieces from around the world will be shown for two weeks.
Over Het IJ (beginning of July)
A theater and music festival is taking place in an old shipyard in Noord.
Amsterdam Pride (last weekend in July)
Colorful gay parade through the canal ring
De Parade (beginning of August)
theater and cabaret festival in Martin Luther Kingpark
Canal Festival (August)
Around 90 classical concerts take place in various locations in the city.
Aalsmeer Flower Parade (first Saturday in September)
Colorful parade with floats decorated with flowers from Aalsmeer to downtown Amsterdam.
Monument
Day (second Saturday in September) Almost all historical monuments and buildings can be visited on this day.
Jordaan Festiva (mid-September)
A ten-day folk festival with music and dance takes place at Johnny Jordaan Plein.
Chinatown Festival (end of September)
Chinese festival with music and dragon dance on the Nieuwmarkt.
Canal race (second Saturday in October)
There is a rowing boat race on the canals.
Sint Nicolaas (3rd Saturday in November)
St. Nicholas arrives by boat at the Maritime Museum and rides a white horse to the Dam to be greeted by the mayor.
Crossing Border Festival (second weekend in November)
Literary and music events in several locations around the city.
Pakjesavond (December 5th)
In the Netherlands, presents are brought by St. Nicholas on ” Parcel Evening “, not on December 24th.
Amsterdam: excursions in the area
Aalsmeer
According to petsinclude, the small town is about 12 km southwest of Amsterdam. The world’s largest trade center for plants is located here. In the plant auction house Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer (www.vba.nl) viewers can watch the auctions every day from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Edam
www.vvv-edam.nl
No Edam cheese is produced in Edam, but the small town north of Amsterdam has a lot to offer. For example, there is a cheese museum in the old Waag. In July and August there is also a cheese market on the square in front of the museum (Wednesdays 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.). A stroll through the pretty streets past medieval gabled houses is also recommended.
Marken / Monnickendamm / Volendam
The three small picturesque fishing villages are north of Amsterdam. Volendam and Monnickendamm are located directly on the water on the mainland. Marken is a small peninsula to which you can take the ferry from Volendam.
Zandvoort
The lively seaside resort on the coast has a 9 km long sandy beach. The Circus Zandvoort amusement center is also located here. (www.circuszandvoort.nl)
Zuid-Kennermerland
North of Zandvoort is the Zuid-Kennermerland National Park, which is best explored on foot or by bike, cars are not allowed there.
Stadion
The Amsterdam ArenA
in the suburb of Bijlmermeer is the venue of the well-known football club Ajax Amsterdam. It was inaugurated in 1996 and seats 50,000. In addition to football matches, the stadium is also used for concerts. The AJAX Museum is located in the entrance area.
Rivers, sea and canals
Amstel and IJ
The Amstel flows from the south into the center of Amsterdam, from where it flows via canals into the IJ, which flows into the IJsselmeer.
IJsselmeer
North of Amsterdam is the IJsselmeer, an inland lake that largely consists of a diked bay of the North Sea. The southern part of the IJsselmeer is known as the Markermeer.
Canals
Around Amsterdam there is a semicircular ring of canals, which is crossed by smaller cross canals that run through the entire city. There are around 160 canals and 600 bridges in an area of around 8 km².