Lively Amsterdam has a unique atmosphere that belies the caricature of the dour Dutch. Radiating out from the Dam Square, the historic centre of the city of Amsterdam is ringed by quaint canals and cobbled streets, thronged with bicycles, tourists, house-boats, students, and street performers. The city of Amsterdam wears two faces: on one it smiles and beckons hedonistic youth with its notorious Red Light District and liberal view of marijuana use, while on the other it offers some of Europe's finest museums and art galleries.

For the tourist the joy of Amsterdam is its compactness. The old part of the Amsterdam town is a pleasure to explore on foot, strolling across ancient bridges and down narrow lanes past gabled houses, dropping in to browse in inviting souvenir boutiques crammed with blue and white Delft china and wooden clogs. Pavement cafes and cosy bars offer rest and refreshment in the city of Amsterdam. An alternative is to take a circular canal-boat cruise and see the city of Amsterdam from the water, peering in on the lives of the locals who live on house-boats lining the waterways of Amsterdam.

At night in Amsterdam even the most conservative visitor is drawn by the lively atmosphere of the infamous Red Light District, known as De Wallen, which is bounded by the Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudeziujds Achterburgwal canals near the Dam Square. Here prostitutes display their charms in brightly lit shop windows and touts encourage passers-by to view raunchy floor-shows. The best nightclubs, bars, and the theatres and cinemas in Amsterdam are mainly to be found in the bustling Leidesplein and Rembrandtplein.

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Amsterdam Currency: Euro (1 Euro = 1.60 USD)
Amsterdam Time Difference: UTC/GMT +2 hour