[naynature]

For mad and surreal juxtapositions, few capitals appoach Amsterdam.
It is a place where high culture meets downtown vibe, where van goghs vie with museums of cannibis and erotica, where 17th century places rest weightlessly on sand and cosy smoke filled eetcafes and brown bars complete with cool designer clubs and pubs, funky shops and chic cuisine.
With more canals than venice, Amsterdam counter balances a picture-perfect 17th century hautear with an easy going atmosphere and an arts scene that's as high-energy as it is cosmopolitan and cutting edge

amsterdam for free
the dutch are a generous nation and you could spend a week visiting Amsterdam's free sights:
top spots include
the civic guards gallery- open mon-fri 10am-5pm, sat-sun 11am-5pm, kalverstraat 92 t:020 523 1822
begijnhof open daily 9.30am-4.30pm
Rijksmuseum garden open daily 10am-5pm stadhouderskade 42 (to avoid long queues, take the south wing entrance on j.luijkenstraat) t:020 674 7047
concertgebouw lunchtime concerts from jul-aug concertgebouwplein 2-6, museum quarter, t:020 671 8345
bloemenmarkt's floating flowers open mon-sat 9.30am-5pm, sun 12noon-5pm singel, bet munplein and koningsplein
and free ferries over the ij river (ferries to the north side of the city leave 24 hrs a day: go to landing stage seven behind centraal station..

ANNE FRANKHUIS MUSUEM OPEN DAILY 9AM-9PM
PRISENGRACHT 263 T:020 556 7100
ARTIS ZOO - PLANTAGE KERTLAAN 38-40 9AM-9PM T:020 523 3400