Sitting down at one of Amsterdam’s street-side cafes and enjoying a beer reveals more than bikes and the incredible number of European wasps. The quiet for a start. Cars are restricted by the number of canals - and most of them are electric. The cabs certainly are. Then you notice the lack of ugly high-rise poking its nose over proceedings.
Strict zoning and historical preservation rules keep average building heights in the centre at 4 to 5 storeys. Pity SA's premier does not even understand the word heritage. How many bikes is he talking about, you might wonder. There are more than 1.2 million of them, and Amsterdam has roughly 400 to 500 km (about 250 to 320 miles) of dedicated bicycle paths and lanes.
More than a third of all trips in Amsterdam are completed on two wheels. It is estimated that 490,000 cyclists take to the road, cycling 2 million kilometres every day... so you can see the importance of looking both ways before crossing a street. None of them wears helmets, by the way. Yes, you do see kids cycling while watching their phone - no fines involved, however.
Today we got a cab to the Rijksmuseum - an incredibly stunning building that (yes folks, bikes again) has a track running right through its centre. We saw famed masterpieces like Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, his self-portrait, and a favourite of mine - van Gogh’s The Wheat Field. A wonderful way to spend a morning, but remember you have to book tickets online.
Amsterdam in a Nutshell
Amsterdam began as a small fishing settlement beside a dam built across the River Amstel in the late 12th century—hence its name, “Amstel-dam.” It received city rights around 1300 and grew steadily as a trading port linking the North Sea with Europe’s inland waterways.
Its defining era was the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age. Amsterdam became one of the world’s leading commercial and financial centres, serving as the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company.
Merchants traded in spices, textiles, timber and precious metals, financing the elegant canal houses that still line the city’s UNESCO-listed canal belt. Art and science also flourished, producing figures such as Rembrandt and Spinoza.
Prosperity declined during the 18th century, while French occupation and economic upheaval further weakened the city. Amsterdam revived after the opening of the North Sea Canal in 1876 and expanded rapidly during industrialisation.
The city suffered occupation and persecution during the Second World War. Its large Jewish community was devastated by deportations, remembered today through sites associated with Anne Frank and the Holocaust.
After the war, Amsterdam became known for progressive politics, social tolerance and counterculture. Today it is the Netherlands’ capital, although the national government sits in The Hague, and remains an influential centre of commerce, culture, tourism and design.
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