For the British tourist, there has never been a better time to take a trip to this charming country. A flight from the UK to Amsterdam is just a short hop, and is far less stressful and time-consuming than making the journey by ferry or train. When flying there, you can arrive completely refreshed and ready to explore this incredible city of fascinating contrasts.

A Mix of Old and New Architecture

Many of the buildings are cutting edge and extremely modern, while others hark back to the days when the city was home to some of the world’s great painters. And for the cost-conscious tourist, it’s pleasing to know that cheap flights to Amsterdam are easy to find. All that’s needed is a computer, an Internet connection and a few minutes of spare time.

One of the best ways to get from A to B in the city is by bicycle. The roads are flat and easy to negotiate, and there are a huge number of cycle paths available, so it’s safe and simple. You can hire bikes from several locations, and they are relatively inexpensive. And of course, you will also be doing your bit for the environment in the process.

The markets are always packed to the brim with superb gift ideas for all ages and all tastes, so visitors can be sure of reaping a bumper harvest of presents. From toys to ornaments and clothes to DVDs, you’ll find products for everyone at prices you won’t believe, and all in the setting of one of the world’s most iconic countries.

Great Deals Across the Board

The cost of getting there isn’t prohibitive, either. It’s so easy to find cheap flights to Amsterdam at the moment, thanks to the power of the Internet and deals from the likes of Jet2.com.

A few minutes of surfing the web is all it takes to find the lowest air fares, so you can head off to the Netherlands safe in the knowledge that your journey will be worth it because of the excellent bargains you’ll find.

We tend to live our lives at a high speed these days, so it’s good to know a flight to this stunning city is nothing more than a very short hop. This allows you more time to enjoy the shopping and to relax in the cafes and bars that are found all over Amsterdam. This really is the perfect location to prepare for the perfect family Christmas by going ‘Dutch’ in your quest to find the bargains!

The race begins and ends at the iconic Olympic Stadium, which was built in the 1920s. Recent winners of the main race have included the brilliant Haile Gebreselassie of Ethiopia, regarded as the greatest distance runner of all time, and the excellent Gilbert Yegon of Kenya. All of the winners are given a wonderful reception by the thousands of spectators who gather along the whole of the route.

Many Reasons to Visit Amsterdam

The Amsterdam Marathon is one of many annual events which attract visitors to the city. Others include the extremely popular Holland Festival, which takes place in June. It’s a celebration of culture, and includes contributions from the worlds of opera, theatre, music, dance, art and movies. It’s well worth a trip to the city if you have never been there before.

And with the ready availability of cheap flights to Amsterdam, you can save money as well. The current recession has had a dramatic effect on the spending habits of many people, so we all tend to be a bit more careful about holidays. However, a journey to this wonderful city doesn’t cost the earth, and the memories you create will surely live in the mind for a lifetime.

The world-famous Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is a magnet for visitors from all over the world, and contains a huge number of paintings, sculptures and artefacts that have come to reflect the unique heritage and character of the city and the country, too. One of the most famous of all is the instantly recognisable The Milkmaid, by the Delft-born Johannes Vermeer.

Completing the Collection

However, no collection of Dutch art would be complete without some of the works of Rembrandt, and the Rijksmuseum is home to several. The Jewish Bride, which was painted around 1667, is one of the great man’s best works, and is part of the museum’s permanent collection. If you’ve never been there before, make sure you go when next you visit the city.

It isn’t expensive to visit The Netherlands’ most famous metropolis, because there are plenty of cheap flights to Amsterdam to choose from. It’s good to know a trip to this cultural mecca will not cost an arm and a leg, especially in the midst of the recession. The best way to get there is definitely by plane, because it’s only a short hop across the North Sea.

Knowing where to start will be the most difficult part of your holiday, but once you’ve decided what you want to take in you’ll find a world of possibility. When it comes to getting around the city too, you’ll find the choice your major hurdle – do you brave the traffic on a hire bike, splash out on the uber-convenience of a water taxi, travel with the locals on the city-wide network of trams or just take Amsterdam in at a strolls pace.

Lot’s to Put on the To Do List

If fashion’s your bag you’re in for a treat when it comes shopping in Amsterdam, for as well as the usual shopping malls and department stores you’ll find some unexpectedly high-level fashion around the city, the PC Hooftstraat location acting as a beacon to the label-conscious. Art-lovers too will find their itinerary’s quickly fill, for as well as the more prominent Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum there are over 30 other museums on offer as well as many more galleries.

Getting lost walking along the canals is something of an occupational hazard for the intrepid tourist, but taking in the superb Dutch architecture along the waterways and stumbling across smaller restaurants and shops will more than make up for the extra time spent. With this and so much more on offer you can be sure that once you’ve had a taste of Amsterdam you’ll want to return to finish that To Do list.

As you’d expect with any major city, all the usual expectations are met when it comes to things to do. Amsterdam’s Artis Zoo is home to a mix of wildlife, sea and plant life with its own zoological museum, their science centre, housed in the utterly unique NEMO building, boasts the Netherlands’ largest interactive science exhibits, and there are a slew of larger brand experiences such as Madame Tussauds and The Heineken Tour.

Throw In a Bit of Culture

By far one of the most well-known of Amsterdam’s attractions is its canals, winding their way across the city and allowing an alternative perspective of the city. Whether you follow their routes as a pedestrian or passenger of a canal buses you’ll find the sights of the city all the more immersive for being away from the distractions of the bustling tourist hotspots.

Those seeking a little culture are also in luck, with both Rembrandt and Vincent Van Gogh’s strong ties to the city being evident not only in museums (Van Gogh having his own museum in Amsterdam, Rembrandt being featured heavily in Rijksmuseum) but in the strong artistic legacy still felt across the city. With over 30 museums and even more art galleries you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to experiencing new art.

Whether it’s the classic tourism hotspots you’re wanting, attractions to get you thinking or just to spend time within one of Europe’s most beautiful city’s you’re sure to find what you want in Amsterdam.

Flights from the UK to Schiphol Airport are fabulously cheap and quick, making Amsterdam ideal even for just a weekend adventure. With 400km of bike paths in the city itself, it’s imperative that you see the city on two wheels.

Breeze along the canal side to visit sights such as the Oude Kerk, the oldest building in Amsterdam, the Anne Frank Huis, where she hid from the Nazis, the Van Gogh museum and, on a Saturday, browse the Albert Cuypmarkt – arguably Europe’s most popular outdoor market.

Release Your Inner Child

By night, swap your bike for a boat and take an enchanting, illuminated trip down one of the canals, or for the ultimate cultured night in Amsterdam, time your visit to include Museumnacht, on the 5th November. Then, 45 museums will be opening until 2am and visitors can travel between each one, enjoying temporary and permanent exhibits, live music, performances and not forgetting plenty of wine!

However, if you’re planning a wintry Amsterdam visit with children – or even just your inner child – don’t miss the Arrival of Sinterklaas on the 13th November. The yearly spectacle of Saint Nicholas arriving on the deck of a ship attracts hundreds of thousands of children, and over five tons of candy is given away!

One of the principal attractions for tourists visiting Amsterdam is its museums. Amongst these, the Van Gogh Museum is unsurprisingly the most popular, attracting a higher footfall than any other museum in the Dutch capital.

But Amsterdam’s other, lesser known museums are also amongst the best in the whole of Europe, and are well worth a visit. What’s more, cheap flights to Amsterdam are in regular supply at this time of the year, making now a great time to pay its museums a visit.

A One of a Kind Museum

One of the best of Amsterdam’s museums can be found right in its centre. The Amsterdam Historical Museum depicts the history of the Dutch capital through a range of paintings spread across three floors, displayed in chronological order to give a sense of the city’s progression through the years.

As well as its paintings, though, there are also ever changing exhibitions on, and temporary shows that explain Amsterdam’s history, people, arts and fashion.

Amsterdam is also home to a rather unique museum. The Houseboat Museum Amsterdam is the only one of its kind in the world, and provides visitors with the opportunity to experience life on board of a real houseboat. Being onboard, visitors can expect to see and understand how such a boat operates, and will be provided with an explanation on the craft’s history.

Of course, if the intense beat of dance music isn’t your cup of tea, there are hundreds of other things to do and see in this wonderful city. One of the best known landmarks is Anne Frank’s House, where the ill-fated wartime diarist lived until she was captured by the German occupying forces. Tragically, Anne died in a concentration camp in 1945.

Her former home is a major tourist attraction in Amsterdam, and thousands of visitors flock to the property, which is now a museum, in order to get a realistic taste of what life was like for Anne and her family. Among the exhibits is the Academy Award statuette won by Shelley Winters for her starring role in the Hollywood movie The Diary of Anne Frank.

Amsterdam is the ideal tourist city, because it has a huge number of landmarks all contained within a relatively small area. Getting around is so easy, thanks to a comprehensive public transport network. And when trams and buses can’t get you there, the taxis are plentiful and affordable. More than 4.5 million people visit this stunning metropolis every year, a figure that comes as no surprise to those that have been there.

The Dutch capital unquestionably has enough on offer to keep tourists feeling compelled to go and see an adult show or venturing into a café to smoke something unfamiliar. This August, however, there’s a much more refreshing way of sampling Amsterdam’s idiosyncrasies: its festival season and the city stops at nothing to entertain the masses.

Hundreds of Thousands of Spectators

None, though, quite seem to encapsulate Dutch open-mindedness than Amsterdam Gay Pride, which is held this year in the first week of the month at various locations around the city. The festival has a very clear agenda: to achieve social acceptance of homosexuality and to establish Amsterdam as a gay capital. And boy, does it deliver.

The week-long festival is a celebration of everything gay, showcasing live music, theatre, and sports, and staging a host conferences and parties. Nevertheless, the pièce de résistance has to be the canal parade that marks the culmination of events. Quite literally hundreds of thousands of spectators line the city’s famous canals to catch a glimpse of the outrageously decorated floats, of which there are more and more each year.

If this isn’t enough of an incentive, the festival is free to attend. And with cheap flights to Amsterdam currently available, it makes perfect sense.