At your Fingertips: Amsterdam Holiday Apartments

Amsterdam apartments are excellent accommodations for those having a holiday in Amsterdam. Sure, there are very nice hotels here, but when you rent an apartment as your Accommodation Amsterdam Netherlands, you gain a whole new perspective on the city. Not only that, apartments are often priced very competitively, and with your own kitchen you'll be able to save on meals out and still eat well. Add in the fact that many Amsterdam holiday apartments have amenities like free WiFi, and you can see why so many people rent apartments when they visit the Netherlands.

An option you have in Amsterdam that is fairly unique is that of renting a houseboat apartment and enjoying the city from the water. This is an unusual, but great way to live like a local resident for a short while. Houseboat apartments in Amsterdam are generally modern with excellent heating, cable television, and free WiFi. If you want a holiday that is a little off the beaten path, then you should consider renting a houseboat in Amsterdam.

Even though Amsterdam struggled to rebuild after the Second World War, the city has regained its splendor and the Grachtengordel (the series of canals designed in the 17th century) is expected to be made into a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Amstel River terminates in the center of Amsterdam and connects to numerous canals that terminate in the IJ, which is Amsterdam's waterfront. Southwest of the city is het Amsterdamse Bos, a manmade forest, but the city itself is very urbanized with a large metropolitan area surrounding the city proper. Even so, parks and nature reserves account for over 10% of the city's land area.

The city fans outward from the Amsterdam Centraal rail station. The old part of town is called de Wallen, on the east side of town. It is where the city's famous red light district is located. To the south is the old Jewish quarter, and surrounding the town is the Grachtengordel, the series of concentric canals. Beyond the Grachtengordel are the city's most famous museums, along with parks, neighborhoods, and the zoo. The canals were started in the 17th century, when immigration to the Netherlands peaked. Three of the canals making up the Grachtengordel were designated for residential development. Though Amsterdam is a beautiful city, the design of the canal system is believed to have been purely practical rather than aesthetically pleasing.

By choosing an apartment as your Amsterdam accommodation, you get a more genuine feel for the city and its inhabitants. Having a "home base" in Amsterdam is a great way to enjoy the entire city instead of missing some of the great parts of the city that aren't considered tourist attractions. If nothing else you can enjoy the great architectural tradition of Amsterdam. While there are a few Gothic buildings, many of the buildings were razed in the 1500s and brick buildings were erected in their place. This architectural style is easily recognizable because the facades build up to a peak on a stair-step design. This is the Dutch Renaissance style. Many of Amsterdam's renaissance style buildings were built in harmony with the designs of architect Hendrick de Keyser. One Hendrick de Keyer building you should be sure and see is the Westerkerk, a Protestant church next to the Jordaan District on the Prinsengracht Canal.

The oldest building in Amsterdam is the Old Church, or Oude Kerk, in de Wallen, built in 1306. The Houten Huys is the oldest wooden building, dating to about 1425. It's one of only two existing wooden buildings and is a rare example of Gothic architecture in the city. Beautiful merchants' houses designed by Philip Vingboons are found throughout the city, and there are a couple of famous baroque style buildings, such as the Royal Palace, located on Dam Square that you shouldn't miss. In the 1700s Amsterdam's architecture picked up influences from France, but by the early 1800s, architecture became more varied.

From your accommodation in Amsterdam you can easily explore the city by bicycle. Amsterdam is very bike-friendly and has many facilities for cyclists, like convenient bike racks and many bike paths. Most of the bikes used in Amsterdam are older, heavy bikes with one gear and coaster brakes. Amsterdam is considered very safe for bicycling, and in the central part of the city automobile traffic is discouraged by means of many one-way streets and very expensive parking. There is also public transport consisting of tram lines and buses, four metro lines, three free ferries running north and south and paid ferries running east to west along the harbor.

If you choose an apartment for your Amsterdam lodgings, you'll not only enjoy the city in a slightly different way, you may also be getting a very good deal. Amsterdam holiday apartments can be booked over the internet easily, and there are plenty of pictures and descriptions that will help you find the ideal location and size of apartment or houseboat for your needs. You can find the perfect apartment from the comfort of your home and have it booked in next to no time. Then you can look forward to an unforgettable vacation where you'll experience the best of what Amsterdam has to offer.