Madame Tussaud’s – Everyone knows Madame Tussaud’s and the queues outside show the gallery’s popularity. Local favourites are van Gogh, Rembrandt, Queen Beatrix, Mata Hari and more.
Madame Tussards in Amsterdam
(Madame Tussaud’s, Dam Square; tel: 552 1010; open Jul-Aug daily 9.30am-8.30pm; Sept-June daily 10am-6.30pm; entrance charge is adults 21 euros, children between 5-15 is 6 euros and children under 5 are free).
Children’s Farm – Get right up close to nature in the middle of the city. This miniature waterfront farm on Bickers Island (Bickerseiland) is a wonderful place where children can get to stroke lambs, hold puppies and stare at pigs.
Canal ride – A great way to ease those aching feet, taking one of the many canal boats around the city is a great way to see and experience Amsterdam.
Do not forget that if you are travelling with children, a self-catering apartment in the centre of Amsterdam can be perfect for families and companies such as Holiday Velvet cater for families in Amsterdam.
Out cycling in Amsterdam
Last summer I went to Amsterdam and was thinking on how to see most sights, get to know the history, and enjoy the city with a group of friends all at once. Then it hit me, a bike ride! What better way to get to know Amsterdam than by bike. I started looking for operating tours and ended up with an amazing tour guide called Mike’s Bike Tours.
They took us through many great sights within the city where we saw the Rembrantplein, Leidse Plein, red light district, the skinny bridge and much more. Later along the Amstel river and even across the countryside where we visited a windmill, a cheese farm and a clog factory. Don’t how people can walk with them though, they are good for kicking but really uncomfortable. The bike ride was just us much fun as informative. They were able to tell us all the inside scoops about the city and after the ride I really felt I saw what I wanted to see and know about Amsterdam.
After a long day we sat down at a terrace, and enjoyed a smooth Heineken under the sun. Unbelievable how many bikes that city has by the way. They told us it was estimated at about 1 million, meaning there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam. As we did the tour, I got to understand why the Dutch use them so much. It is so much faster! Holland benefits from the fact it is small in size and everything is nearby. In a city busy such as Amsterdam, you can easily reach everything by bike because the distances aren’t that long, and it is often faster as well than going by car or public transport. On top of that it feels good to do some exercise too. I definitely became a fan of the city and its ways and would recommend to go and see Amsterdam by bike to everyone. It is worth booking Amsterdam accommodation in a central area so that you can enjoy all of the facilities and benefits of Amsterdam.
The Canal Parade in Amsterdam is a one of the highlights of the Pride festival. This is a vibrant and visual affair that manages to pull in over 350,000 people each year. The parade passes through Amsterdam’s main there are colourfully decorated flat-bottom boats, barges and ‘floating clogs’. Costumed dancers and 
flamboyant partygoers make this fantastic spectacle really hard to miss.
Starting off from the Westerdok, the parade floats along the Prinsengracht canal to the Amstel. It then drifts to the Stadhuis and Muziektheater and finally finishes at the Oosterdok via Oude Schans.
The best areas to watch it from are any of the bridges over the Prinsengracht and the Amstel, or from the quaysides by the Muziektheater. Amsterdam accommodation can be rented short-term through companies such as Holiday Velvet or the event. Find information on Amsterdam airport.
When: 2 Aug 2008 (annual)
Where: The City’s Canals
Cost: Free
Opening Hours: 2pm-6pm
