In and Around all of Amsterdam
Amsterdam is an interesting and beautiful city to visit. Offering all of the benefits of a large city, its relatively compact size makes it easy to navigate around. In addition, there’s plenty to do and see in the city centre; however, the outer districts and surrounding areas can be worth visiting too.
Due to Amsterdam’s stature the outer districts are easily reached from the city centre which benefits from good public transport systems. The southern districts hold the most interest and De Pijp is an authentic and lively quarter at the heart of the Old South (Oud Zuid), which is home to the Heineken Experience, housed in the former Heineken Brewery.
Southwest of De Pijp you can find the New South (Nieuw Zuid), one of Amsterdam’s most sought after areas to live in. A few good parks are amongst the main reasons to visit the New South; the pleasant greenery of Beatrixpark makes an enjoyable location at which you could enjoy a leisurely picnic and afternoon stroll.
Slightly further southwest is Amsterdamse Bos; a sprawling wooded parkland that is in fact the city’s largest open space. Planted during the 1930’s, the park has grown into an expanse of woodland, winding waterways and grassy meadows, all intersected by foot and bicycle paths.
Once you arrive at Amsterdamse Bos you can hire a bike or even a canoe or pedalo. The Bosban is a poker straight 2km stretch of water that’s popular for boating and swimming, so you can do whatever you feel like here, from swimming to sailing or just simply walking.
But due to the fast and efficient Dutch railway network, it is good to know that a large part of Holland is easily reached from the capital city. Only fifteen minutes away from Amsterdam lies the town of Haarlem, which has an attractive centre and is home to the first-rate Frans Hals Museum. At the core of Haarlem is Grote Markt, a large open square framed by an appealing ensemble of Gothic, Neo-Gothic and Renaissance buildings. The Grote Kerk is a soaring Gothic building that stands in one corner of Grote Markt and is a handsome building that warrants further investigation.
What’s more, a short train trip from Haarlem will have you at Zandvoort, one of Holland’s most popular resorts and for good reason, with its wide sandy beaches. A mere hop, skip and jump away from Zandvoort lies the Nationaal Park Zuid-Kennemerland, a national park with pristine coastal dunes, woods, lagoons and beaches.
Of course, with the ability to do so much when visiting the city, it can be good to understand that there are plenty of hotels in Amsterdam available to stay in, should you need a break from exploring the city and its surrounding areas. And as all of the areas mentioned are of a short train journey away from the city centre, they can easily be investigated on a day trip.
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Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
