Travel
bicycle, but be warned, this is not
for the faint of heart. Bicyclists are
fast, numerous and impatient of
tourists. Our guide, noting that the
bike lanes are brightly painted, said
that they are “red from the blood of
tourists that didn’t get out of the
way.” Bicycles have the right-of-way
over vehicles and pedestrians alike.
n a a in i ht i th
ti oor
parking garage next to the train
station that is just for bicycles.
Canal boat tours are
a great way to see
Amsterdam
Public transportation is a convenient
way to get between the far corners
of this bustling city, but at least one
canal boat tour should be on your
to o i t
ai
ro a o n ar
Central Station, but decided to leave
our cruise at the Anne Frank House
rath r than a th r t rn
loop and walk around from there.
One should not travel to Amsterdam
itho t a o atin a i ni ant
amount of time to visiting their
world-class museums. To my mind,
the place of honor, on a very
elite list of museums, goes to
the Rijksmuseum. This is the
Netherlands’ national museum of
art and history, with the works of
artists such as Rembrandt, Johannes
Vermeer and Vincent van Gogh
lovingly displayed. It is important to
obtain your tickets online in advance
Bulb growing fields
near Keukenhof
Tulips, Azaleas and
Daffodils surround
you at Keukenhof
at www.rijksmuseum.nl/en. This
is especially important during peak
tourism months. The Rijksmuseum
hosted record attendance in 2014
with nearly 2.5 million visitors. The
museum is open from 9am – 5pm
every day of the year. If you have
an e-ticket, you do not have to go
to the ticket counter. Please note
that the busiest hours are between
11am-2pm Plan your visit around
these times to avoid the crowds.
Otherwise, you may have to queue
outside the museum, as entrance
is capacity controlled. If visiting
th
o n t t into yo r
schedule, you should at least visit
it ar n
hi h ar r
a in
further along the adjacent
on
ar yo
i a o n
th
ran t o
th
in nt an o h
an
th t
i
ith it
collection of contemporary art.
The same recommendation for
advance ticket sales applies to these
museums as well. There are over 100
museums in Amsterdam, so you are
r to n o thin th r that
will delight you.
Some would argue that spring is the
most luxurious of the four seasons.
It is hard to imagine a more magical
location to enjoy the glory of
springtime than in Amsterdam.
Keukenhof is a
celebration of floral
architecture
17