With a city as diverse as Amsterdam, there are dozens of ways to enjoy it. Pick a couple, pick them all…you are going to enjoy this marvelous destination.
Ride a bike
Amsterdam may be the city of bikes. With over a million bikes in the city, and with literally dozens of bike rental shops, this is a city that knows how to get around on two wheels. If you want to look like a local, drive like hell and don’t stop for anything. It’s not that Amsterdamer’s are rude, it’s just how it’s done in this city.
For a less harried ride, consider riding outside the business district. Follow some of the canals into the rural, agricultural areas. There you’ll be able to enjoy watching sheep frolic in the meadows and ogle the rows and rows of tulips growing in the fields. With some luck you might discover some of the remaining old wooden windmills.
Take a boat
Boats of all sizes continue to work the canals even today, carrying everything from produce to passengers. A great number of operators run tours of varying lengths so shop around. You’ll undoubtedly find one just the right length.
Take a taxi
Not sure where you are headed? A taxi is always a good choice…or is it? There are reportedly some less than reputable taxi operators in Amsterdam. If given the option of a flat rate or the meter, opt for the meter – you always lose the other way. TCA cabs are supposedly the most honest and their drivers probably speak better English than most of the others.
Take a tour
If you are in Amsterdam in April or May, you owe it to yourself to head for Keukenhof just outside the city, in Lisse. It’s the world’s largest and finest garden of flowering bulbs anywhere. Row after row of tulips and other flowering species will be a place you can wander for hours. Don’t rush this visit.
Photos courtesy of Holland Marketing