Europe has many beautiful tourist destinations. However, it is absolutely undeniable that by far, Amsterdam is one of the best. The population of 735000 is proud of this ‘greatest of small cities in the world’. Is Amsterdam big city? Amsterdam is intensely urbanised, as is the Amsterdam metropolitan area surrounding the city. Comprising 219.4 km2 […]

It Is Tough to Find Housing in Amsterdam A big chunk of the city’s housing market provides people with social housing that is mostly unavailable to expats.Moreover, furnished places in Amsterdam are hard to come by, and those that are available are usually very expensive and get snatched up immediately. What salary do you need […]

The three Xs (XXX) are actually the three Saint Andrew’s crosses. St. Andrew was a fisherman who was martyred on an X-shaped cross in the 1st century AD, which is relevant to Amsterdam as the city’s symbol dates back to 1505 when it was a fishing town and all ships registered in Amsterdam flew this […]

The best times of the year to visit Amsterdam are between April and early June, or mid-September to mid-October. During these periods, the weather is likely to be pleasant, but museums and attractions will be less crowded then in the peak summer travel season. What is the best month to visit Amsterdam? The best time […]

September 8, 1664. This week in September was a big one for New York back in 1664, since on September 8, 1664 New Amsterdam became New York in name. In character, New York was forged earlier with the help of its original Dutch settlers. Why was New York originally called New Amsterdam? Following its capture, […]

Canal pollution today At present the main polluting factor of Amsterdam’s canals is the “overflow” of sewerage during heavy rains. During and after downpours, sewage water may overflow into ditches or canals around the city. How dirty are Amsterdam canals? For Most of Their Existence the Canals Smelled Terrible Before the 20th century Amsterdam’s canals […]

Amsterdam is considered the City of Sin in Europe due to the fact that it is home to the Red Light District, which is a region in the city where one can go to partake in some activities that are not as welcome or socially acceptable as they are in other areas of the world. […]

A famous theory is that the three crosses on Amsterdam’s flag represent the three dangers of Old Amsterdam: fire, floods and the Black Death, or that they were meant to ward off these dangers.Important families in the Amsterdam area used St. Andrew’s crosses before the black plague hit Europe. Why does Amsterdam have 3 X’s? […]

With 180 different nationalities, Amsterdam’s population is one of the most diverse in Europe. What nationalities are in Amsterdam? Amsterdam Demographics The racial and ethnic makeup of Amsterdam as of 2012 was 49.5% Dutch and 50.5% foreign ancestry. Non-Dutch immigrants in the 16th and 17th century were primarily Sephardi Jews, Huguenots, Flemings, and Westphalians. How […]

Beer about 5- 6 Euros and up. Wine about 4.50 Euros. A large beer (0.5 L) at Rembrandtplein will cost 7-8 euro nowadays. Is Amsterdam expensive to eat and drink? Prices for meals out vary considerably in Amsterdam and range from the budget fast-food places, cheap eetcafé-style restaurants to the more upscale establishments. Drinks prices […]

Purchasing tickets in Amsterdam is possible at a lot of different places.1-hour and 1-2-day tickets can be also purchased on board of the tram or bus. The driver does not accept cash, so you can only pay by credit card or contactless. Can you pay with cash in the Netherlands? Nonetheless, cash remains legal tender […]

If you are not an EU citizen (or a citizen of the EEA or Switzerland) you will need to think much further ahead. After five years of legal residence in the Netherlands you can apply for a permanent residence permit which will also allow you to retire here. How hard is it to retire to […]

Amsterdam and the cities of Rotterdam and the Hague sit low, flat and close to the North Sea. The Dutch are famed for their flood defences, and looking at these sea-level projections, it seems the country’s system of dikes, dams, barriers, levees and floodgates will become even more essential in the years to come. How […]

Amsterdam has its own official city flag, and it’s a pretty simple and straightforward one. Simple, but popular, since you can see the flag and its “XXX” symbols all over the city. What flag is Amsterdam? The flag of Amsterdam is the official flag for Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands. The current design […]

The bulk, 7.1 million cars, are privately owned. How many people have cars in Amsterdam? The lowest level of car ownership is in Amsterdam, where one in four people own a car. Car ownership is also low in Rotterdam and The Hague. The leafy town of Blaricum has most cars – almost six out of […]