Amsterdam

Austrian Airlines flies to Amsterdam, the capital and largest city in the Netherlands. If you plan to fly with Austrian Airlines to Amsterdam, there are several discount ticket options available. The city of Amsterdam is a popular tourist destination. If you are looking for a place that has a vibrant nightlife, then this is the place for you. There are several restaurants, pubs and bars where you can enjoy the evening with old friends and meeting new friends as well. Amsterdam has a nice cool climate that is influenced by the North Sea. The most popular nightlife areas are Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein. Contact your local travel agent today and book tickets today to fly with Austrian Airlines to beautiful Amsterdam. With many affordable flights to Amsterdam (AMS), there is no excuse not to visit this exciting destination. The biggest city in the Netherlands will enchant any visitor. Its picturesque canals have gained it the name “Venice of the North” and have placed it in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Just walking without a destination is a charming adventure; the bustling city offers beautiful sights at every corner, like the colourful Bloemenmarkt (Flower Market. There are more than 60 museums that will give access to stunning art collections, examples include the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Hermitage and the Stedelijk Museum. A visitor can also be surprised by more eccentric exhibitions like the Sex Museum, the Torture Museum and the Tattoo Museum. As one of the most important ports for at least four centuries, the city has developed a taste for many of the world’s cuisines, prompting the appearance of countless restaurants, from Indonesian to Peruvian, from Ethiopian to Italian. There are many smaller spots where one can delight in local cheeses (Gouda, Edam, Maasdam) and dishes (pannekoeken, stroopwafels, poffertjes). The best way to enjoy the city is on foot or by bicycle, but you can also rely on an extensive network of public transport, including city trains, ferries and a subway, all at affordable fares. A feast for the eyes, the taste buds and the soul, this is the city to visit for a lively, unforgettable experience.

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Worth knowing

Airport

Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS): The airport is situated 15km (9 miles) southwest of Amsterdam.
Address: Evert van de Beekstraat 202, 1118 CP Schiphol, Netherlands
Telephone: +31 20 794 0800

Airport Amsterdam

Where to shop in Amsterdam

Designers United

To start off with: the Dutch are a fashion loving folk. This is proven - among other things - by the fact that there are seven fashion academies in such a small country. So much young fashion also needs space: Young Designers United takes account for that and as a collective it regularly presents a dozen of young national and international designers in their shop at the Keizersgacht. It's a fashionable win-win-situation: unknown designers can rent some space on the hanging rail. There are only four pieces of each design without fail. The fashion directress of the house, Angelika Groenendijk-Wasylewski, holds the upper hand concerning the choice of designs in order to provide for a selection that is affordable and wearable. For women interested in fashion - Young Designers United presents fashion designs for women - the collective is a rich source of fashion designers who might stand just before their breakthroughs.

Centre Neuf

Cindy and Frans love Amsterdam's Utrechtsestraat because in the ever-growing shopping street they can go shopping, have lunch and are close to their own store: Centre Neuf. It was opened five years ago, and the reason was Donna Karan. Which part did the American fashion designer play exactly? Well, the two have met twelve years ago in the DKNY store on P.C. Hooftstraat, that is the luxury shopping mile in the Dutch capital. According to Cindy they have become a good team and even better friends. Their similar taste in fashion and their understanding of service have probably contributed to that. They offer Jil Sander, Marc Jacobs and Acne in their 70s store - the pieces are presented in front of a brick wall and ordered according to looks. They have just opened a second store on the same street exclusively selling fashion by the Danish label Wonhundred.

290 Square Meters

Ido, the enigmatic founder of the shop, started in 2001 with 90 inspiring square metres bound to attract creative, hip and talented people. The project was so successful that the shop soon needed a larger location and also a new name. The name 290 Square Meters serves as a good source of inspiration because it is much more than a shop. It is the venue of events, fashion shows, readings and similar events. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't offer great shopping opportunities. You'll find shoes, clothes, books, magazines, music, art - and all of it arty and exceptional. The labels include our Nordic favourites Wood Wood and Henrik Vibskov as well as Holland Esquire, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, Minimarket and Surface To Air.

Where to eat in Amsterdam

Café de Kroon

If you want to avoid the beaten tracks, visit the Café de Kroon. Tired tourists won't stumble in here by chance. If you want to find the Kroon you have to know it in the first place. While its location at Rembrandtplein is prominent, it lies on the first floor. During the day you get great coffee here and in the evening - from Thursdays to Saturdays - the place turns into a very cool lounge (having attracted even Mick Jagger and Jerry Springer already). The interior decoration is rich in contrasts, the large hall with industrial touch boasting leather chairs and chandeliers. You feel like visiting the living room of a factory, if something like that existed. The bar is massive, and you should ask yourself whether you really want to know what's inside the pharmacy vessels in the illuminated display cabins. It's a first-class insider tip you should rather keep to yourself.

FEBO

The Dutch are practical when it comes to food and thus easily satisfied. They are used to the fact that not everything made from vegetables contains vitamins or that some foods look good but don't taste it without mayonnaise. And they probably think that freshness is overvalued. At least that's what the FEBO automats suggest and they are so bizarre that you should pull out a sandwich in any case. There are more than 20 such automats in Amsterdam, representing a fast food chain without visible staff. At least almost: You insert money and pull out croquettes, a hamburger or a sandwich from behind the display window. The stuff doesn't look too good, you need courage for it, but it tastes okay and it is worth a story back home. But you may rest assured: There are people behind the automat who see to its filling with fresh products regularly - at least that's what is said. You want to know what the letters FEBO mean? FEBO started out in 1941 as bakery on FErdinand BOlstraat.

Sea Palace

Yes, it is kitschy. But if you want to feel like an emperor in China, you should afford yourself dinner at the Sea Palace. While it is not cheap to dine here, the ambience will surprise you: The restaurant in the style of a pagoda is floating on the water. Here, they will serve you anything you know from the China restaurant but in first-class quality: Dim Sum, for instance, Peking duck or Sichuan dishes. A specialty of the house is the seafood Cantonese-style. If, after so many culinary experiments, so much kitsch and numerous glasses of plum wine you get into a romantic mood, you can order your Chinese-style wedding here. The Sea Palace organises unforgettable weddings, from the invitation to the last drink.

What to see in Amsterdam

Green canal cruis

Nomen est omen: Amsterdam Eco Tours guide you through the city and the canals without burdening the environment. That functions via low-emission canal boats that are powered by CNG, compressed natural gas, pedal boats for the sporty ones among you and walking tours through the canals. The sustainability begins at pier 6 itself: while waiting for your boats, the little restaurant serves organic drinks and snacks. Moreover, the Eco Tours employees help you to find restaurant and bars in the city that also think about the protection of mother nature and live after these principles. Last but not least: there are nine electrical boats at pier 6 each of them offering seats for twelve guests. The advantages: the environment is protected and there is practically no noise pollution. Furthermore, the little green boats can land at any place where the big canal boats may not stop (day ticket 22 euro). The Canal Company, which stands behind Eco Tours, was the first boat company being awarded the Green Key for their activities in the field of environmental protection

Grachts

A Gracht tour can't be compared to a gondola ride, of course, but it is much cheaper and the captain usually spares you the kitschy songs. Also, you won't have to queue up or start a fight for being admitted to the boat. As far as ambience is concerned, the Grachts can very well compete: It's exceptionally nice on the boats and you probably won't find a more relaxing way to see the town than gliding over the calm water and observing the hustle and bustle in the small streets. On an evening Gracht tour the many colourful illuminations are especially attractive, immersing the streets in a magic light. There are several Gracht tour providers, for instance.

Westergasfabriek

In the past the focus was on gas here, today it is on art, creativity and culture. The location is as fascinating now as it was then. But today, visits of this brick building located in Westerpark are probably more frequent than in the past. You won't find a dominating art genre here, but you will find conferences, exhibitions, scientific panels, fashion weeks and get-togethers for creative people- and anything that inspires you. For instance a small cinema and big rock concerts. But if you want to just pass by here for a beer, it's just as fine. Artists who work here are not fond of closed studios, so you can visit the Westergasfabrik all day long: in the morning for a cup of coffee at Espresso Factory, for lunch at the baker's or for a stroll through the small galleries in the afternoon. You dine best at the Pacific Parc and afterwards you have enough energy for dancing, for instance at the Flex Bar.

Where to stay in Amsterdam

Hotel Weber

A kitchen of your own is not bad. While you generally tend to eat at restaurants on holidays, you might not want to go for a walk with what you see in the mirror the next morning anyway. The solution: breakfast in bed. You can brew your own coffee, the rolls are in front of your door. Others have done the shopping for you - the fridge offers jam & Co. After breakfast you first of all marvel at what you see, trying to figure out a fitting name for it. Modern antlers? And because you feel so good here you will from now on assume that all the real cool people in Amsterdam live like that. And when you finally manage to leave the cosy studio, you are rewarded at that: The best bars lie just around the block, but there are at least two cultural highlights nearby too, in case you want to soothe your conscience. We have to warn you though: The apartments lie amidst Amsterdam's hustle and bustle. But there are earplugs on the bedside table. The price for one night at the studio starts from 80 Euros.

't Hotel

Don't tell anyone else: The Jordaan quarter is one of the best in town. The former working-class district turned into a favourite hangout for artists and intellectuals. Today, dreamers will adore its old-fashioned charm, and shoppers will love the hip stores around. The hotel is right here, in the immediate vicinity of the Anne Frank House. And right here you should check in if you are a fan of the authentic. The 17th-century Gracht house has been renovated to accommodate eight rooms, all of them of pretty, albeit plain interior. Don't go on a search for details, you won't find any. Just content yourself with being able to sleep in such a charming historical ambience. And believe us: You won't need more than that. The price for a night in the double room starts from 139 Euros.

Maison Rika

Multitasking skills have seemed to be quite trendy for a couple of years. At the moment, this trend moves toward the opposite direction again - but not for Ulrika Lundgren: she manufactures leather bags and cashmere cardigans, publishes a magazine and has recently opened her own guest house - the Maison Rika - with view on the Herengracht in Amsterdam. The former Vogue and Elle stylist is smart: she has designed the interior of the two suites in the hotel that is located in an old corner house directly opposite to her boutique. Each spreads over a whole floor and manifests her personal living style. She has put vintage pieces and white furniture on the black oak floor, and art objects by Sang Ming adorn the walls. The Gallery Boutique on the first floor with her favourite pieces also functions as the hotel lobby. There she hosts events with artist friends and colleagues from the newly founded Dutch Vogue. You might not be served breakfast the next morning there but she will provide snacks in the suite throughout the day. It's also the perfect spot to browse through the hotel's own city.