An Amsterdam Holiday Could Put Some Yuletide Fun into Your Festive Season

With glowing lanterns decking the streets, festive markets popping up all over the place and the scent of gingerbread in the air, Amsterdam is a great place to visit in the winter time. Not only offering a perfect alternative to Christmas shopping on your local high street, you can also indulge your cultural side in the many yuletide activities on offer.

Renowned for being one of Europe’s historical and cultural centres, as well as Holland’s most famous city, Amsterdam is bursting with interesting things to do during its festive season. For example, many of the museums and local attractions play host to a series of Christmassy events.

As a result, visitors can expect to be entertained with a range of special performances, including holiday concerts and stunning nativity scenes. It is also possible to visit the Theater Carr?, which is home to the famous Wereldkerstcircus, or World Christmas Circus. Equally interesting is taking a ride on the museum tram.

Amsterdam also sees up to 100,000 people coming to experience the biggest international documentary film festival. Founded in 1988, it has grown over the years into a brilliant event, offering those interested the chance to watch more than 250 international documentaries and films.

For some festive fun, you can also take yourself along to the sprawling Christmas market, which is located behind the city’s Rijksmuseum. In addition to the variety of crafts and gifts offered, there is also a Ferris wheel and ice rink. To keep the cold at bay you can indulge in some hot chocolate and traditional Dutch sugar-coated pancakes!

Holland’s capital also offers up some great Christmas shopping and is a brilliant way to avoid the crowds of people elbowing their way down your local high street. De Negen Straatjes, or the nine little streets as it is known, is a lovely location to visit and offers up the chance to buy some unique Amsterdam goodies. Alternatively, if you head to De Jordan, you can discover an array of hidden treasures.

As well as familiarising yourself with the city, Amsterdam is also a gateway into a plethora of smaller towns and villages. As a result, it is possible to take some day trips into the surrounding areas to experience their take on the festivities. For instance, you could take a train ride to Haarlem to see the Christmas market or wander around the picturesque Het Loo. Den Haag is another great destination, as is Gouda, where the tree-lighting ceremony is a popular event.

So, if you choose to take one of the many flights to Amsterdam that are available, not only can you indulge in some traditional Dutch offerings, but it is also a great place to get the Christmas shopping done!
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