What is there to see and do in Amsterdam

By Katharine MacColl

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What makes Amsterdam special

It's the capital of Holland and has an amazing cosmopoiltan and creative air about it.

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Why

Well, it has an indivuality about it, an exuberance and an air of the unexpected - living cheek-by-jowl with magnificent 17th and 18th century architecture.

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What can you see

There are miles of beautiful tree-lined canals, everyone bobs about on bikes and there's a very relaxed feel about the city, which stems from the heart at Dam Square. There's loads more to Amsterdam than the Red Light district or cannabis cafe culture. Although it can be fun to wander through the Red Light district or hang out in one of the so-called 'brown' cafes in the city, there are also lots of museums well worth checking out.

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Like what

First stop must be the Rijksmuseum, the country's

Van Gogh's Potato Eaters

premier arts museum with works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and Steen, and beautiful dolls houses and delftware. The nearby Van Gogh museum has 200 paintings and famous works such as The Potato Eaters and The Yellow House in Arles. There's also the Anne Frankhuis which draws 500,000 visitors each year to see the cramped accommodation of the Jewish Frank family� between 19420-1944, during the Nazi occupation.

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How do you get about

Cars are positively frowned upon in Amsterdam. It's one of the things which makes the city unique.

There's a very good public transport system and people get by on bikes and trams, and if you're a visitor, it's well worth hopping on a boat to check out the city from the water.

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Any special time to go

Of course, it gets very busy during the summer - peak tourist and student season. If you're there about now and the canals freeze over, you're lucky because you might see a gruelling ice skating marathon on the canals. Or Queeen's Day on 30 April marks a day of street parties, live music and celebration.

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OK, so how easy is it to get there

Schipol, the city's airport is only 11 miles away from the city. You can catch Eurostar via the Chunnel and there are loads of ferries operating from the south east of England to Holland.