Amsterdam: An overview - Part 4

Walking tours

When you have so many places of interest, so close together, this type of tour can make a lot of sense. Nowhere else will you find so many things within a single square kilometre. It is easy to join one of the many ' Mee in Mokum' walking tours. A large number of these guided tours are free and run by very knowledgeable local people. As with all ‘free’ things there is a catch in that the guide will tell you that he does not get paid and that any tips at the end of the tour will be welcome. This works quite well as only good guides tend to offer their services and you can pay for the quality of tour you have received.

MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS
Amsterdam is the home to a variety of world famous museums and any trip to the city would not be complete if you did not visit at the very least the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. Aside from these must places Amsterdam also has a lot more to offer the visitor. Anywhere you walk throughout the heart of the city will cause you to pass by countless attractions catering for all type of taste and age group.

Royal Palace

The Koninklijk Paleis, which translates to ‘Royal Palace’, is on Amsterdam’s Dam Square and is one of three palaces which are still in use by the Dutch royal family. This one is mainly used for state visits, award ceremonies and other official receptions so of the three it is often not being used for official purposes. When the palace is not being used by the royal family it is open to the public for tours. Visitors can explore the grand interior and find out from the guides about the history of the building.

Artis Royal Zoo

Artis Royal Zoo was the first zoo to be established in the Netherlands, and it’s located right in the centre of Amsterdam. It was founded in 1838 and the Artis Royal Zoo is still as full of interest as it was almost 200 years ago. The Amsterdam zoological garden an oasis of peace right at the heart of the city, but it is also a home for over 700 different types of animal species many on the verge of extinction. Amsterdam Artis is also one of the few zoos in Europe to have so lots of listed buildings within its grounds. You will find the Large Museum built in1855, the unique Library building built in 1867 and the Aquarium built in1882. If you take a stroll through the historical park you will encounter more than 200 different tree varieties, some of them centuries old, plus a multitude of plants.

A few of the must see places are the tropical fish in the Aquarium, the Butterfly Pavilion, the time travel option in the planetarium and the renovated Forest House. You can find all this at Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, Amsterdam.

Continued in part 5