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As runners, we can go where cyclists are not allowed, not to mention bus tours.
So get a taste of all the major sights and come back later to savour what you liked best.
You'll be able to view Amsterdam from the perfect angle. We've managed to keep the running
distance relatively short without compromising on the number of attractions. The fun part is that it's not even the many famous sights,
but the unexpected treats in between that you'll enjoy most.
Read on to discover what we have in store for you. All this and much, more in our city running tour! | |
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Museums The Rijksmuseum, the biggest museum in the Netherlands, featuring a famous collection of works by Rembrandt (The Night Watch), Vermeer and Frans Hals, as well as Delftware, sculpture, Asian art and prints. The van Gogh Museum contains the world's largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh. The museum's permanent collection includes more than 200 of his works and many of his drawings and letters. The Hermitage Museum is the Dutch branch of the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg (Russia). |
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Markets Waterlooplein: flea market selling second-hand clothes, antiques, curiosities - and lots more. Albert Cuyp: fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, flowers and plants as well as beautiful fabrics, trendy clothing, fine leather ware and jewellery. |
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Attractions The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam's concert hall: this wonder of neoclassical architecture, like its most important resident, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, now enjoys a worldwide reputation. The Heineken Brewery, a national monument and listed in the European Route of Industrial Heritage, offers some 3,000 square metres of special exhibition space. City Hall & Music Theatre, a combined modern building and theatre that houses the Dutch Opera and the National Ballet. Dam Square with Madame Tussauds Amsterdam, The Royal Palace on the Dam, The Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and the National Monument. The Anne Frank House: for more than two years during the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War, Anne Frank and her family lived in hiding in the annexe of the building at Prinsengracht 263, where Anne's father, Otto Frank, had his business. The Van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer were in hiding with them. The doorway to the annexe was concealed behind a moveable bookcase constructed specially for this purpose. On August 4, 1944, the hiding place was betrayed and the occupants were deported to various concentration camps. Only Otto Frank survived the war. He would later publish the diary in which Anne documented her experiences whilst in hiding, and which has since become one of the world's most widely read books. Westerkerk, one of the oldest churches specially built for Protestant services, and the largest Protestant church in the Netherlands. The tower, which occupies a unique place in the hearts of the people of Amsterdam, bears the symbol of the imperial crown of Maximilian of Austria. |
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Local colour The canals: Amsterdam owes much of its romantic personality to its watery existence. There's just something surreal about a floating city. An evening stroll through Amsterdam with your special someone is a must. As you cross the illuminated bridges mirrored in the shimmering waters below, you can't help but feel a little weak at the knees. We will run across the most romantic of them all, the Skinny Bridge, lit up at night by a thousand fairy lights. Leidseplein, filled with cafés, clubs, bars and buskers: Amsterdam's Leidseplein is one of the city's main bustling nightlife centres. The Red Light District leaves nothing to the imagination. Most stereotypes about this area are true: there are plenty of sex shops, peep shows, brothels, an elaborate condom shop, a sex museum and, of course, prostitutes in red-lit windows. Discover the "Latin Quarter" of Amsterdam in the Pijp: you can explore every nook and cranny on foot. Once a working class area, the Pijp is now a dynamic melting pot of cultures and nationalities. The Jordaan, with its famous Dutch folk singers like Tante (Auntie) Leen and Johnny Jordaan - no other neighbourhood in Amsterdam has been sung about and romanticised as much as the Jordaan! A voyage of discovery along the picturesque canals, quaint shops and beautiful hidden gardens. |