Flights to 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

Netherlands

Currency: Euro(EUR)
Language: Dutch
Capital: Amsterdam
Austrian flight destination: Amsterdam

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 eat in Amsterdam

Trouw

The Trouw is an all-out creative place: innovative cuisine at the restaurant, inspiring atmosphere at the bar, fantastic view from the roof terrace at the club and extravagant exhibitions, fashion shows and video installations for the artistic claim. It's the place to go for free spirits and aesthetes, for art connoisseurs and creativity fans. While at first sight the location is not that cosy, an industrial complex accommodates the Eleven. And we know, of course, that industrial looks are totally en vogue, because they have style. If you want to acquaint yourself, have lunch at the Trouw - it's excellent! The four-course dinner is just as fine but has its price. The tastes are Mediterranean and African. And if you're already here, stay for the clubbing as well. The trendiest electronic beats are waiting for you.

Marits

What happens if a fashion designer opens her living room for guests to cook for them? It's the beginning of Marits, the restaurant run by Dutchwoman Marit Beemster. In her living room that follows the Bourgeois Bohemian style (vintage meets design) she serves purely vegetarian dishes made from seasonal and regional ingredients. On three days a week Marit opens her home and serves a there-course menu on plates that stem from grandmother's kitchen cabinet. At tables that are adorned by different chairs, decorated with flowers or embroidered table cloths, according to occasion and season of the year. The dishes are presented in an equally pretty way - that's the soul of a designer - but always remain coherent: Dutch home cooking with a creative touch. The desserts are particularly recommendable. Baking has always been Marit's cooking passion number one.

De taart

No, you are not inside a Tim Burton movie. But it probably wouldn't surprise you if Willy Wonka stood behind the counter. Somewhere in between Charlie's cookie factory, Alice in Sugarland and a psychedelic stupor you are served the best cake you ever had. And you know that even before your fork reaches your mouth as what looks so good has to taste excellent as well. The two owners Siemon de Jong and Noam Offer do not only offer sweet temptations at their charming, extraordinary café but also bake by order - for any occasion you can think of. Their cakes have already been exhibited and eaten at the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk, and the van Gogh and Utrecht museums, they have also starred in films and enjoy great popularity with Vanessa Paradis - to refer to Willy Wonka once again.

What to see in Amsterdam

Melkweg

Milk used to be processed here in the past, but then a bunch of hippies came along and staged quite a fuss. What began as spontaneous theatre, is today one of the major cultural centres in town. The Melkweg - you got it: the word means nothing else than milky way - started as beautiful location for spontaneous acting. That was more than 40 years ago. Despite its years, the Melkweg has a young and refreshing flair. Thanks to tough work and determination, the project has well developed. Today, the area comprises two stages, a cinema, several exhibition sites and a restaurant. There is a colourful and diversified programme. The Melkweg is a centre of music, film, theatre, photography and media art, it is a get-together for creative people, active artists and friends of art from all over Europe.

Coffeeshops

Of course we do not want to recommend you to get stoned in Amstedam, but visiting one of the coffeeshops holds more in store than the legal consumption of cannabis. If you think that coffeeshops are run-down honky-tonks where only stoned guys and girls hang out you should convince yourself of the opposite and visit one. And even if you won't touch substances that are forbidden elsewhere you will be able to enjoy something here. Many coffeeshops do offer excellent pastries and milkshakes, namely, and they have a relaxed atmosphere, often at low prices. Take the Mellow Yellow, for example. It's one of the best coffeeshops in Amsterdam and still no tourist trap. If you are lucky you can sit on the terrace and enjoy the special ambience. Whatever you order, you should not miss out on visiting a coffeeshop in Amsterdam.

Sex Museum

On vases, tiles or toilet seats - the focus is on sex here. The Sex Museum gives an overview of the most beautiful pastime in the world and its depiction. Exhibits range from phallus symbols in Antiquity to medieval morals, from the pin-up culture of the fifties to future visions on sex. In addition to paintings, sculptures and scriptures, you also see very bizarre objects, for instance a somewhat dingy toilet seat. But if you think that with what we have to do here is a tatty collection of adult magazines and perverted fantasies, you can't be more wrong. The three floors of the Sex Museum exhibit a sometimes serious, sometimes comic exploration of the topic that is usually not talked about so openly. This extraordinary museum offers a somewhat different perspective of sex, showing different developments in historical contexts.

Where to shop in Amsterdam

Sprmrkt Sth

You've probably found out already: Sprmarkt is not the usual supermarket, although dropping in the fantastic Albert Heijn grocery shop would also be worth a tip. Here, however, we are confronted with a Sprmrkt without vowels and sausage counter that moved into a former grocery shop to attract people with fashion, art and design. Mission fulfilled! Soon Sprmrkt plus and Sprmrkt Sth followed. Both with a top-class selection of labels. The second shop, however, does not only attract with Diesel, Helmut Lang, Monique von Heist, Julius and Unconditional, but also with its unconventional design. The Doepel Strijkers Architects have developed a space installation of long panels of fabric which - wound, torn, tightened, illuminated or arranged with mannequins - boasts the most fantastic architecture.

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.

Shoebaloo

What sounds comfortable is not really comfortable. The focus here lies on the look. How you manage to walk or dance in these shoes is your problem. Since 1983 men have been spoilt with high-end products by the most acclaimed designers in the world. Sad ladies, however, remained empty-handed (or -footed) when just another impertinent guy came out wearing the hottest boots, trainers, patent-leather shoes, slippers or sandals. Since 2000, with the opening of the shop in the Leidsestraat, the girls' sufferings have come to an end. Now, all the great labels - Gucci, Prada, D&G, Lanvin, Galliano - and smaller labels - Dsquared2, Frankie Morello, Y-3, Cesare Paciotti - make shoe fanatics beaming with joy. The shops are all but uniform - so everyone finds his or her favourite shoes here. The price category, however, is a different story: Be sure your credit card will screech with shock. In the meantime, there are four shops in Amsterdam - and they are all worthwhile visiting: Koningsplein 7, PC Hooftstraat 80, Leidsestraat 10, Cornelis Schuytstraat 9.

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? Furthermore, because you feel so good here you will from now on assume that all the real cool people in Amsterdam live like that. What more, 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. However there are earplugs on the bedside table.

Okura

Do you know what the Japanese are good at? They do without plastic, use a lot of wood and create the kind of architecture that render any Yoga programs unnecessary in the first place. Add lots of comfort, perfect service, the eternal smile and out comes the sole European branch of the Japanese Okura noble chain, one of the leading hotels in the world. Not without reason the Japanese are known to be excellent business people. The Okura accommodates the probably most expensive suite in town, which is also the largest in the Benelux States. There are cheaper rooms as well, attracting the target group of wealthy Japanologists. You can relax with Japanese soaps via satellite, before you treat yourself to dinner at Ciel Bleu. The hotel restaurant lies at 75 metres, breathtaking view included.

Roemerhotel

How they manage to embarrass you here? By asking you whether something was wrong when you check out. Because you will for sure not have anything to complain about. The Roemerhotel, that is to say, offers everything you may wish for: perfect location at Leidesplein, 18th-century foundation walls with contemporary upgrade, exceptional service and a garden. The clocks seem to tick slower here, and that`s no disadvantage in busy Amsterdam. It means you can relax. For instance over a cocktail in front of the fireplace or at one of the 23 rooms boasting dapper design and pastel shades. You cannot only relax in bed, by the way, but also in your private Jacuzzi.