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Why haven’t you visited Amsterdam?

Amsterdam is the most populous city in the Netherlands and located in the province of the North Holland in the west of the country but it is not the City of Government.

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Yes you reading this, why haven’t you visited beautiful Amsterdam which also happens to be the capital city of the Kingdom of Netherlands?

Don’t bring up the excuse of Amsterdam being far in Europe or it’s an exotic vacation destination and don’t even talk about the language barrier because that’s not tangible. Well you’re forgiven for not making Amsterdam a place to visit for fun, work or just relaxation but you need to know some fun facts about Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the most populous city in the Netherlands and located in the province of the North Holland in the west of the country but it is not the City of Government. Its name Amsterdam is derived from Amstelredamme because it was built around the dam area of the Amstel River which runs across the city.

The metropolitan area comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately 7 million. Amsterdam is well known for its canals, museums, ports, festivals and great beer.

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First of all,  a number of airlines including Kenya Airways fly to Amsterdam and as usual you get discounts, promotions and goodies if you sign up to  fly to the city.

Now that you’ve booked your flight to Amsterdam, you need to prep yourself up for the activities and places you’ll be visiting during your stay. From the very best festivals, nightlife, exhibitions and events to practical tourist info, hotel, museum, excursion as well as attraction listings, your stay in Amsterdam will be a memorable one.

When you get to Amsterdam or before you do remember to order your Amsterdam city card which is by kind courtesy the city’s tourism council. The card offers you the chance to travel for free on public transport; you also get a free ride on the canal cruise and free entry to a number of museums, hotspots and discounts on restaurants too.

The city of Amsterdam boasts of a Royal zoo in the middle of the city which gives you a feel of nature and an interesting study into biodiversity of animals and plants.

Close to the zoo is the Micropia museum which almost all the microbes in the world, after you are done touring the zoo, you can have a seat beside the windows which overlooks the aviary whiles enjoying some brewed coffee or an exotic lunch at historic Café-restaurant de Plange.

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The house of Dutch painter, Rembrandt which lived and worked in between 1639 and 1656 remains one of the buzzing and iconic spots in Amsterdam receiving over 237,383 visitors in 2014 alone. The historic building is now a museum with most of the stuff he used intact but the 17century interior design has been renovated to match modern standards. The museum contains all of Rembrandt's etchings and paintings of his other contemporaries.

The city also has great water tourism and transportation with one of the longest canals in the world built on the river Amstel.

The 17 century canal is more than 100 kilometres with about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges.

There are three main canals on the river namely the Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht which was dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age and forms a concentric belt around the city, known as the Grachtengordel.

Travelling on the canal cruise is a thrilling tour that gives you access to the more than 1500 monumental along the main canals.

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Another world famous artist, Vincent Van Gogh also has a museum in his memory. The museum has the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world with in 2015 1.9 million visitors touring the location in 2015 making it the 2nd most visited museum in the Netherlands and the 31st most visited art museum in the world.

Amsterdam is the city of Museum with more than 36 museums spiralling along the city, notable museums include the   Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Amsterdam Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Foam Photography Museum, EYE Film museum, Portrait Gallery of the Golden Age, Our Lord in the Attic, De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam.

You also have everything that is necessary for a perfect time in the city when it comes to what to eat and gobble on.

Enjoy breakfast in one of Amsterdam’s beautiful cafés or brunch spots. The list is uncountable and there are options and alternatives for your lifestyle. Have a drink in a laid-back brown café; go out for dinner to a cosy local place or a high-end restaurant.

Amsterdam's bustling nightlife with its glamorous cocktail bars, trendy new nightspots and clubs with big-name DJs is more than legendary. There is a night club opened every day of the week with celebrity DJ’s and bands passing through every single day. Just put your dancing shoes on and while the night away with your friends or your partner. We can bet our last coin on where most night life people will go. You’ll find them either at the ABE Club and Lounge or A’DAM Toren.

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Cycling is an activity the Dutch take very serious and you can have fun whiles exercising by joining the scores of locals who take part in the safe, enjoyable and invigorating sport.

The city is on top of the list of the world’s most cycle-friendly cities and another exciting alternative to exploring the streets, canal and other spots.

There are over 800,000 bicycles in Amsterdam and technically that’s more bikes than people! Cycling in Amsterdam is a way of life, made easier by the city’s unbeatable network of cycle routes and flat landscape.

Finally, don’t leave Amsterdam without doing these activities; trying herring from a herring cart and oh!!!! It’s raw but you can try it with a sandwich too.

Hit the shops around The Nine Streets and shop from the over 200 retailers which includes a selection of independent boutiques, vintage shops and specialty stores. Smell the famous tulips from the world-famous Bollenstreek tulip fields which stretch across miles of lowland fields between Harleem and Leiden. Visit a market in Amsterdam and buy a handmade artifact, vintage book or exceptional Dutch culinary delicacies from the market folks. Some of the most popular Amsterdam markets include the Albert Cuypmarket in De Pijp, Westerstraat market in the Jordaan (held on Monday mornings), the floating flower market on the Singel and the Waterlooplein flea market near the Rembrandt House.

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All the markets are opened every day of the week except on Sundays. But wait your trip to Amsterdam wouldn’t be complete unless you've tried beer from the windmill. Windmill are almost inexistent but there are eight remaining windmills in Amsterdam with the most easily accessible being the being de Gooyer in the Oostelijke Eilanden (Eastern Islands) neighbourhood.

The award winning microbrewery has a large outdoor drinking terrace and 30-minute guided tasting tours. The brewery produces a range of organic standard and seasonal ales including the 9% ‘Columbus’ amber ale and that’s something we can all raise a toast too.

Enjoy your beer.

Kenya Airways, The Pride of Africa; flies daily from Accra to 43 destinations in Africa, including Amsterdam where you find these attractions.

Kenya Airways was recently voted Africa’s Leading Airline and has won the award for Leading Airline Business Class Africa for 4 consecutive years. Its holidays solutions business unit, KQ Holidays, specializes in putting together awesome holiday packages across the world, but especially within Africa.

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Kenya Airways takes pride for being in the forefront of connecting Africa to the World and the World to Africa through its hub at the ultra-modern Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

Visit www.kenya-airways.com for more information on Kenya Airways.

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