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A Brief Tour for Virgins

If you are planning your first visit to Amsterdam you're in for a treat. Amsterdam is a hedonist's heaven, it's a city dedicated to fun. Here is a flying tour of the major landmarks.

The Old City (click image for main map)

This guide concentrates on the central area.

The oldest bit of all is between the Singel and Kloveniersburgwal, centred on the Dam. Today this area contains the two main tram routes, the Damrak/Rokin and Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. These wide streets are actually filled-in canals. Running parallel to the tram routes are two quieter canals, Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudezijds Achterburgwal, home of the Red Light District.

The outer zone of the old city is highly structured, being dominated by the concentric semi-circles of the three grand canals. The Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht date from Amsterdam's Golden Age in the 17^th century. They are dissected at regular intervals by the main routes into the centre, creating an elegant variation on the grid pattern.

The Tour

Most people, whether travelling by train or plane, arrive at Centraal Station.

The station has two exits. The back one leads to the docks. This area used to be one of the seedier districts and was then a good place to look for cheap accommodation. When it was cleaned up, a few years ago, one of the victims was the many botels that once lined the water's edge. There's just one left now, the Amstel, which is a good place to stay as long as you don't mind getting back early - it sails off at night!

The front exit reveals a panorama of Amsterdam at it's most hectic. Trams and bikes dominate the foreground. Beyond them, over some water, the Damrak glitters off into the distance.

Damrak is the main drag. As such it's lined, on one side, with burger bars, hotels, moneychangers and amusements. On the other side boats offer canal tours. Trams rattle in a constant stream down the middle.

Looking up Damrak the large building in the far left corner of the waterway is the Grasshopper . Turning into Oudebrugsteeg past Grasshopper leads to Warmoesstraat, a narrow street crammed with sex shops, bars, affordable hotels and coffeeshops. Many visitors don't get much further than here.

Warmoesstraat is one edge of the Red Light District. There are actually several red light districts, but this is the main one. It's quite compact, covering a section of the Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudezijds Achterburgwal canals and the area around Oude Kerk. These canals are two of the oldest and prettiest in Amsterdam. Here you'll find the rows of glass doors, shop windows of the trade.

At the opposite end of Damrak from Centraal Station is Dam Square. Strictly speaking the area in front of the Royal Palace, surrounded by tram lines, is known simply as the Dam (the site of the original dam on the Amstel river). The popular meeting place across the road is the Nationaal Monument, also known as 'Hassle Square' because of the hordes of rip-off merchants who hang around it. The mating call of the hustler can be heard everywhere, a mumbled "coke...speed...ecstasy". If you ignore them you'll get an impressive display of multi-linguism as they try each of their repertoire of languages on you, in an attempt to get a response.

A little further out, in different directions, are the Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein. Around these squares are the clubs and open air cafés.

Beyond the Leidseplein is Vondel Park, a happening place on a sunny afternoon.

That's it. Of course, there's loads more really, but what's reality got to do with it.

Shopping and Tourism

There are shops and tourist attractions all over Amsterdam and plenty of information all over the net about them.

Worthy of a quick mention, however, are the main tourist shopping streets conveniently arranged in a continuous line across the city.

To the north-west is Haarlemmerstraat, home of some interesting shops. Across the Singel from Haarlemmerstraat the main pedestrianised shopping district begins with Nieuwendijk. After crossing Martelaarsgracht (effectively, the north end of Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal), Nieuwendijk turns to run parallel with and between Damrak and Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal.

Across Dam square the pedestrianised area continues into Kalverstraat. Kalverstraat runs across Spui to Munt Plein at the top of the Rokin. Heading back along the Singel from Munt to Koningsplein takes you past the floating flower market, Bloemen Markt.

Koningsplein is at the north end of Leidsestraat, a narrow shopping street with busy tram lines.

Off the bottom of the map, between the Museum District and the Amstel, is the famous Albert Cuyp Market.