Exploring Amsterdam

Many travellers are realizing that there is more to Amsterdam than the cannabis culture, the Red Light District and the party atmosphere. Amsterdam took shape as a small fishing village sometime in the 12th century and rapidly grew into a vital port during the Dutch Golden Age. From the 19th century, Amsterdam expanded quickly as a result of some nifty town planning. World War II saw the deportation of more than 50,000 dutch Jews to concentration camps including the well known Anne Frank and her family.

Near the end of the war, communication had broken down within the Netherlands and people started to spread out into the countryside to forage food and fuel. The trees were cut down for fuel and the apartments of the deported Jews were ransacked for supplies. A pall of gloom had descended upon the city by the end of the war.

  The Comeback

Once the war ended, plans was underway to improve the facade of the city by incorporating new parks, office buildings and widening the streets. Today, Amsterdam is home to world class museums, beautiful canals and is considered to be one of the top financial centers in Europe. The sprawling city with its network of canals, green spaces and historical buildings is a city explorer's dream come true. Foodies will be impressed with the diversity of restaurants due to its large multicultural population. Don't miss the local specialties like Dutch cheese and bitterballen. Add to this a vibrant nightlife comprising of breweries, nightclubs and pubs and you are guaranteed to be entertained in this beautiful city.  

What to See?

The Canals :- The canals are easily the best part about Amsterdam and is the perfect place to start your tour of the city. They were built during the 17th century for transport and water management. There are primarily three canals in the city : Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht that form a concentric belt around the city. The city has more than 100 km of canals and a whopping 1,500 bridges and 1,500 buildings. You can explore the canals either by boat, walking or as most travellers seems to prefer, by bicycle.

Museums :- Amsterdam has a huge collection of impressive museums that many travel to the city with the sole intention of checking them out. The largest and most impressive of the lot is the Rijksmuseum that hosts a collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Era, most by Rembrandt and Vermeer. The Van Gogh Museum houses 200 paintings and some 500 sketches which depict Van Gogh in various moods. This is the biggest collection of  Van Gogh in the world and even include select works of his friends and contemporaries. Another museum worth checking out it is the Rembrandt House Museum which reproduces the atmosphere of the artist's residence. The Stedelijk Museum is dedicated to contemporary art and design and houses works of Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol and Malevich.

Oude Kerk :- Dating back to around 1250 and curiously located in the Red Light District, this is the oldest church and the oldest building in Amsterdam. The building has undergone multiple renovations but thankfully, a few features like the beautiful hand painted wooden roof and stained glass windows are retained.

Red Light District :- Easily the most talked about of Amsterdam's landmark and no trip to the city would be complete without a walk through the area. Much of the stereotypes you have heard about the place is true, the district is swamped with sex shops, peep shows, brothels and prostitutes in red lit windows. The area is swarmed by tourists and there are always cops in all corners but certain areas of the district are a tad seedier and is best not ventured alone.

Other notable sights include the Vondelpak, the Heineken brewery, Westrkerk and Single Flower Market.

Getting there

Schiphol Airport serviced by more than 100 different airline carriers is the major entry point to Amsterdam. The international air tickets to Amsterdam is fairly inexpensive from European cities, but its a good idea to check multiple portals before you book air tickets.  

Top 5 Cities to Celebrate Christmas and New Year

Ring in 2014 somewhere new - from Valparaiso to Sydney, here are the cities which rocks the New Year with some of the biggest parties and firework displays.

Valparaiso, Chile :-  Chileans sure know how to ring in the New Year in style – Valparaiso organizes one of the biggest New Year bashes in Latin America and welcomes the new year with a 20 minute firework show in the Valparaiso harbour. The fireworks are fired from 17 points across the coast and signals the start of the dance party that lasts till dawn. The festivities start around the 28th and in the preceding 3 days, Valparaiso attracts almost a million people who come to experience one of the biggest party in the region. If you are looking to book cheap flight tickets to Valparaiso, make sure you check multiple online portals before making the booking.

Reykjavik, Iceland :- Iceland's capital has a  massive nightlife scene despite its diminutive geographical size and  New Year's eve is when the party freaks come out in full glory. The party starts of with community bonfires and firework display that symbolizes burning away of last year's troubles. For the best view, head to Pearl which offer panoramic views of the city, as a plus you get to gorge on delicious food and dance the night away. If you make it till 5 am then you can join the hotdog queue to curb that hangover. International flight tickets to Reyjavik is not cheap but the unique experience more than makes up for it.

Bratislava, Slovakia :- This quaint town hosts more than 10,000 people every New Year who come witness the amazing fireworks over the Danube, dance away in the open air dance floors and attend concerts. On the eve of the New Year the city gets demarcated into “concert zone” where music lovers gather to watch live music and “party zone” for those who looking to socialize and dance.

Edinburgh, Scotland :- No other city in the world celebrates New Year with as much zest as Edinburgh. The celebration lasts four days and includes a grand torchlight parade, open air concerts and  a crazy street party in Princes Street. Townsfolk believe in the tradition of “first footing” where the first guest to arrive in the new year brings in gifts; usually Scotch or shortbread. On the first day of the New Year, people gather to witness brave ones jump into the icy cold water in the Queensferry Loony Dook charity.

Sydney, Australia :- Sydney leaves all other cities in the dust in the race to be the first metropolis city to celebrate the New Year.  The city also hosts one of the biggest New Year parties- attented by a whopping 1  million people and wathched by more than a billion on television screens. The celebration starts on the morning of 31st  and features an air and water show, a Harbour Parade featuring more than 50 vessels and two brilliant firework display at midnight.

Top 5 Off Season Destinations for Christmas

Avoid the crowds and bag massive bargains when you visit these destinations away from the peak seasons. 

Botwswana :-  Botswana is not a cheap safari option, many of the luxury resorts in the region can cost upwards of $800 a night. Whelp. But travelers willing to brave the downpour can grab a cool bargain after the tourist hordes have gone home.  November to April is referred to as the 'green months' – when the frequent rain drapes the region in lush greenery, inviting numerous birds. Malaria is prevalent is certain area of Botswana so make sure you exercise proper caution.  If you are looking to make cheapest flight ticket booking to Botswana, the popular airports are Francistown International Airport, Ghanzi Airport and Kanye Airport. 

Yellowstone National Park, USA :-  During the summers, almost three million tourists pile into the Yellowstone National Park. In contrast, only 14,000 people head to the park durig the winters. Visitors can watch elks, bisons at lower elevations that are grazing for miles out across the snow. Plus, you can enlist a guide to trample through the sparkling landscape and follow the trail of the evasive grey wolf. This one is probably the easiest destination to get through in this list due to the numerous online flight  booking options available to get there.

Lake Baikaal, Siberia :- Most travelers to this stunning expanse of blue prefer the summer. And yet,   Lake Baikal is far more fun during the winters, when the temperature plumets to a freezing -20 degree celcius. The mighty lake freezes over and you can walk over the transclucent turquoise blocks of ice which is almost 2 meters thick, but clear enough for you to see the seaweeds swaying in the bottom. Navigate this icy world on a sledge, snomobile or even a hovercraft.  Finish the day with a steam bath in a traditional banya (sauna).

Curaçao, Carribean :- The Carribean waters, so loved by travellers all over the world can draw in some serious storm from July to November. Usually, the islands receive at least one bad weather alert a year and will be in  the eye of the storm every 5-10 years.  However, not all of the Carribean islands witness the hurricane season and there are numerous islands which sits outside the 'hurricane alley'. Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire are safe havens which are home to classy colonial architecture, pristine sands and great diving spots. 

Hawaii, USA :-  The isle of Hawaii has two peak seasons, the deep winter when tourists flock in to escape the biting cold elewhere. And the high summer, when the island witnesses the inflow of vacationing  families. Both the seasons sees a price hike in the island but neither is actually the best time to visit. Actually, no time is awful in these volcanic outcrops, but the period from April to June (the start of the dry season) is outside the hurricane prone July to November months.

So there you go, the best places to visit away from the off season where you can make a cool discount on your international flight ticket booking.