Amsterdam, Holland: Top Sights

Luckily most of the major sights in Amsterdam are packed into a relatively small central area, within easy walking distance of each other. A popular place to start is the Centraal Station. South from there runs the Damrak, a bustling street which leads to the Dam, or Dam Square, where you'll find the Royal Palace, numerous bars and a variety of street performers. Just around the corner lies Rosse Buurt, the famous/notorious red light district with its eye-opening displays of in-yer-face sex. Carrying on south, there's a succession of pretty canals before Leidsetraat (the main shopping hub) and Leidseplein (a café laden square that is especially exciting at night) are reached. From Leidesplein, it's a stroll of only a few minutes to the museum quarter featuring the Rijksmuseum (especially good for Dutch Old Masters), Stadelijk Museum (Modern Art) and the Van Gogh Museum. Off our sight-packed north-south route, at the north end of Prinsengracht canal is the Anne Frankhuis, a poignant tribute to the young Jewish diarist who hid from the Nazis. A more recent addition to the range of attractions is the newMetropolis Science and Technology Centre, a science-is-fun type museum that, apart from anything else, boasts a great view over the city from its roof top.

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