Amsterdam

As the capital of the Netherlands, everyone knows about Amsterdam. It is the number one tourist attraction and for good reason. With its artistic heritage, complex canal system and small canal houses it is a beautiful sight to see. Bustling nightlife and a huge amount of tourist attractions make it a great place to visit.

There is plenty to do around the city: shopping (check out De Bijenkorf, a high-end department store with its flagship store in the Dam Square), go step inside a real 'coffee shop', visit the Dam Square and see what kinds of events are going on in the area, visit the Royal Palace Amsterdam which is very close to the Dam Square, and even take a bike ride to the famous Vondelpark and have a picnic.

As I said there is plenty to do and see, there is also plenty of places to grab a bite to eat. If you want more of a grab and go option, one of the more typically Dutch places to go to is Febo. These places scattered around the Netherlands have more kinds of fast food and snack options: burgers, croquettes, fries, etc and what makes them unique is that you can "get the food out of the wall" so to speak. You need exact change to put into the coin slots to be able to open the door to a snack you want. If you are looking for a more sit down type place, click here to find a list of places to check out.

The Brouwerij 't IJ is a modern day brewery next to a windmill (pictured here) that offers a great selection of beers as well as gives tours of the brewery. After a long day of sightseeing, its nice to just sit back with a nice cold beer, some assorted cheese and one of their specials, ox sausage!

You have probably heard the stereotype "there are more bikes than people" and you would be correct! There really are more bikes than people there. Biking around is a huge method of transport for the Dutch, and if you wanted to rent one you can do it at train stations, bike repair shops, and tourist sites.

One of the tastiest things I've eaten in Amsterdam and in the Netherlands in general is probably the Flemish fries. Originally from Belgium, these fries are traditionally served with a mayonaise based sauce, but can be eaten with most any sauce. Mannekenpis is one company that sells them, click here for fries!