Amsterdam

Read the original article in The Sunday Post

Few cities pack quite so much into such a compact, walkable centre as Amsterdam. The Dutch capital is a place of elegant gabled houses leaning over glittering canals, world-class museums, and a relaxed, tolerant atmosphere that makes it one of Europe’s most enjoyable short-break destinations.

The canal ring, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is best explored slowly, either on foot or by hiring a bicycle and joining the locals who treat two wheels as the natural way to get around. A boat trip along the waterways is the classic introduction, gliding past houseboats and 17th-century merchants’ homes built during the Dutch Golden Age.

Culture lovers are spoilt for choice. The Rijksmuseum houses Rembrandt’s monumental Night Watch, the Van Gogh Museum holds the world’s largest collection of the artist’s work, and the deeply moving Anne Frank House offers a sobering reminder of the city’s wartime history. Between galleries, the cafes, markets and flower-filled squares invite you to slow down and soak up the atmosphere.

Whether you come for the art, the architecture or simply the unhurried charm of the canals, Amsterdam rewards repeat visits and remains, quite simply, a city with everything.