While the oldest archeological finds in the area of Amsterdam date back to Roman times, indicating that some people were there at the time, the region of shifting lakes, swamps, and bogs did not see a town until the 12th Century when farmers and fishermen began to tame the are with ditches and dykes. After the 13th Century, the city grew rapidly as it became a center of trade between the North and Baltic Seas and Southern Europe. Amsterdam became a center of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century as the Calvinist took the city from its Catholic Spanish master, King Philip II of Spain, and then declared it the capital of an independent republic led by William of Orange, an ancestor of the current Dutch royal family.

The golden age of Dutch trading took place between 1580 and 1740, making Amsterdam a major merchant center. Money replaced trade as the major industry by the late 18th Century. Amsterdam and Holland suffered under Napoleonic rule in the early 19th century and became a backwater as Britain began to rule the seas. In the 20th Century, Amsterdam became an industrial center. The country and the city suffered greatly under Nazi occupation. In the post war era, Amsterdam has become a center of radical politics, in which drug use and alternate lifestyles have become accepted. The city has attracted a large Asian and African community, now numbering a quarter of the city’s population, which has caused some degree of tension in the post 9/11 world. Still it remains a curious blend of radical chic and old world charm that seems to work and attract travelers from all over the world.

Begijnhof

Accessed by a narrow, vaulted passageway, Begijhof is a secluded courtyard garden dating back from the early 14th century, a kind of oasis of peace and quiet in the midst of the city. It used to be a Beguine convent, an order of women who cared for the elderly and lived a religious life without actually taking vows. The last true Beguine Sister died in 1970.

The oldest house facing the courtyard dates from 1465, making it the oldest extant wooden house in the country. There is also a medieval church in the midst of the garden.

The Canals

A visitor to Amsterdam is often astonished at the sheer extent of the canal system. Not for nothing is Amsterdam called the Venice of the North. So no visit to the city is complete without a leisurely boat trip, particularly at night when the bridges and many of the houses have a romantic illumination. Amsterdam becomes even more picturesque from a duck's perspective. The houses look impossibly unstable, leaning, looming and jostling on both sides of the canal. Bridges arch over the water, some of them opening for tall water traffic. And you get to spy on all those magnificent houseboats, ranging from restored barges overflowing with tomato plants and cats peeking from the portholes to sleek purpose-built floating villas with feature windows and sundecks.

Dam Square

Dam Square was created in the 13th Century when a dam was built around the river Amstel to prevent the Zuiderzee sea from flooding the city. It is a bustling place, filled with tourists and locals. There are food stalls, shops, and other attractions for every taste. The most beautiful attraction at the square is the 17th Century Royal Palace. Though no longer the home of the Dutch royal family, it is still used for official receptions. Also at the square are the National Memorial statue, honoring Dutch soldiers and resistance fighters who fell in World War II, Amsterdam’s Madam Tussauds, and the Nieuwe Kerk or New Church.

Rijksmuseum

This museum is the country’s finest. Along with works by old Dutch masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and Steen, there are dollhouses, delftware, Asiatic art, changing displays of prints and drawings and special traveling exhibitions. It also contains a collection of medieval religious works.

Van Gogh Museum

As the name would suggest, this museum contains some two hundred paintings and five hundred and fifty sketches from the tragic Dutch painter, reflecting all of his moods. Included in the collection are famous works like The Potato Eaters and The Yellow House in Arles. Japanese prints that influenced the old ear-slicer are also on display. These combined with hundreds of letters by Van Gogh to his brother Theo, and selected works by his friends and contemporaries, form the core of the museum's collection.

Anne Frankhuis

No one who has read the famous diary, or seen the play or the various films of the brief and tragic life of Anne Frank, can pass up a visit to this place. It was in the secret annex of this house that Frank and her family and some friends hid from Nazi persecution for over two years, until betrayed by collaborators and shipped to her death to the concentration camps. The original diary, which recounts Frank’s life up until her capture, is on permanent display. Also to be seen are quotations from the diary, historical documents, photographs, film images, and original objects that belonged to those in hiding and the helpers that illustrate the events that took place here.

Amsterdams Historisch Museum

This museum is housed in an old orphanage and has displays about the history of Amsterdam. Permanent exhibitions are housed around the complex's inner courtyards. Clear sign postings allow the visitor to concentrate on a specific period - The Young City, The Mighty City or The Modern City. Visitors can also take a grand tour through Amsterdam's entire history, with a new multimedia map. The collection includes paintings, prints, marquettes, objects and archeological finds and shows how Amsterdam grew from a small medieval town to a world famous center. The permanent exhibition also has an important selection of porcelain and silver. The main focus is on the city's 17th century golden age, a period when Amsterdam was the richest city in the world, and some of the most interesting exhibits are of the commerce that made it rich.

Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum

The Netherlands Maritime Museum contains an engaging collection of nautical memorabilia, telling the story of the country’s maritime past. One is swept into the golden age of Holland when its trading empire girdled the world. The jetty outside the Museum is a permanent berth for a replica of the Dutch East Indiaman. Amsterdam actors playing the sailors provide a live impression of life on board.

Red Light District

No visit to Amsterdam would be complete without a trip to the part of the city that give new definition to the idea of window shopping. The main attractions are the pink lit windows to various brothels where the ladies of the evening beckon.

One if informed that there are 450 of these windows and a street specialising in every taste - Latinas on Oudezijds Achterburgwal and Molsteeg, Asians on Stofstraat, and the high-end glamour ladies along tiny Trompettersteeg by the Oude Kerk. The Oude Kerk or Old Church is a 14th Century Gothic structure that provide an island of sanctity in a sea of sin.

Visiting Amsterdam

Amsterdam is serviced by one of the largest airports in the world, which is filled with shops and other services. The city is also readily accessible by train or bus. The city itself is easily seen on foot or on a bicycle. It also has a very efficient public transit system with trams, buses, trains, and a metro system. While tourism peaks at Easter and late Summer, every time of the year has its own charms for visiting Amsterdam.