Amsterdam

Amsterdam Amsterdam is particularly renowned for the beauty of its canals. Martin Siepmann/ age fotostock

Amsterdam, capital city of the Netherlands, is a bewitching city where you can always enjoy a stroll or a bike ride. Cosmopolitan, young, half way between a big city and a village, it inspires feelings of freedom, partying and peace all at once. If there was only one tour we could do, we would definitely choose a walk along the canals surrounding the ancient city centre - Amsterdam Centrum. It is best to leave from the central railway station, (a 19th century building in the Dutch Renaissance style), then walk along the Damrak, a wide avenue which faces it, to get to the ?Dam', the central market square overlooked by an obelisk, the national monument. The walk continues past the Royal Palace and the New Church dating from the 15th century. The 'red' district, also called Wallen, is well known for the ladies of "easy virtue" exhibiting themselves behind shop windows and for the wrong kind of people who prowl in its streets. It is not really the case anymore, even at night, because the police patrol the streets and because tourists have literally invaded the area. If you are neither interested in sex nor drugs, you can still admire the architectural splendour of the district and the view from the top of the bridge linking Lange Niezel to Korte Niezel. The 'Old South' district, which is part of the 19th century areas of the city, is the museum district: the Rikjsmuseum, one of the largest in the world, the Van Gogh museum and the Stedelijk museum, dedicated to modern art, are some of the museums definitely worth visiting.