Find Your Perfect Rental Car at Amsterdam

ABOUT AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades, legacies of the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. It houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. Cycling is an inherent part of the city’s character, and there are numerous bike paths. Amsterdam has a population of 847,176 within the city that is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country.

Amsterdam’s name comes from Amstelredamme, due to the city’s origin around a dam in the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the 17th century. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

As the commercial capital of the Netherlands and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and seven of the world’s 500 largest companies, including Philips and ING, are based in the city. In 2012, Amsterdam was ranked the second best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit. (EIU) and 12th globally on quality of living for environment and infrastructure by Mercer. The Amsterdam seaport to this day remains the second in the country, and the fifth largest seaport in Europe.

Famous Amsterdam residents include Anne Frank the diarist, artists Rembrandt van Rijn and Vincent van Gogh, and philosopher Baruch Spinoza.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world, is located in the city center. Amsterdam’s main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, Amsterdam Museum, its red-light district, and its many cannabis coffee shops draw more than 5 million international visitors annually.

AMSTERDAM FAMOUS LANDMARKS

• The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands.
• The Van Gogh Museum specialises in works by Vincent van Gogh.
• The Stedelijk Museum specialises in modern art.
• The Rembrandt House Museum specialises in works by Rembrandt van Rijn.
• The Anne Frank House, Prinsengracht 263.
• The Museum Het Grachtenhuis (The Canal House Museum), gateway to the canals, Herengracht 386
• The Hermitage Amsterdam, a dependency of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.
• The Tropenmuseum, anthropological museum.
• The NEMO, the science museum in a building that looks like a sinking ship.
• The De Burcht, National Trade Unions Museum built by Hendrik Petrus Berlage.
• The Verzetsmuseum, the Amsterdam resistance museum.
• The Amsterdam Museum, Amsterdam’s historical museum.
• The Allard Pierson Museum, Archaeological Museum of the University of Amsterdam.
• The Bijbels Museum, where the Bible, art and culture meet in a monument full of history.
• The Filmmuseum, Holland’s museum for cinematography.
• The Joods Historisch Museum, The Jewish Historical Museum collects objects and works of art associated with the religion, culture and history of the Jews in the Netherlands and its former colonies.
• The Museum Van Loon, a home on the canal. The double-sized canal house dates from 1672.
• The Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum, museum about Dutch maritime history. Reopened on the 1 October 2011 after renovations since January 2007.
• Diamond Museum Amsterdam, a museum at the Museumplein about the history of diamonds.
• Houseboat Museum is the only houseboat museum in the world.The boat was made in 1914.

AMSTERDAM AIRPORT

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the main international airport of the Netherlands, located 9 kilometres southwest of Amsterdam. It is the third busiest airport in Europe in terms of passengers. Schiphol is the hub for KLM and its regional affiliate KLM Cityhopper as well as for Corendon Dutch Airlines, Martinair, Transavia and TUI Airlines Netherlands. The airport also serves as a European hub for Delta Air Lines and Jet Airways and as a base for EasyJet and Vueling.

Information Source : www.wikipedia.org