Places to See in Amsterdam |
Amsterdam is laid out like a spider’s web, the canals forming strands hanging down in a half-moon shape from the IJ, which forms a line across the top with Centraal Station in the middle. The first part of Amsterdam most visitors see – the tacky stretch from Centraal Station to the tram-crossed turbulence of the Dam, with the Red Light District alongside – can be off-putting. But beyond that lies the calm of the Grachtengordel (Canal Belt) – elegant semicircles of canals lined with gabled buildings from different centuries. It’s a great place to take to the water, or simply for a wander. Then come the canals and alleys of the Jordaan, a gentrified patch now brimming with art galleries and hip cafés. |