A visit to this beautiful city is sometimes like taking a walk in the 17th century. The center of Amsterdam has a lot of charming architecture dating from this period. It’s an excellent city to tour on foot. However, Amsterdam may boast a lot of 17th century architecture, but that's about all that's old fashioned about the place.
Amsterdam (pop. 724 100) was originally built on the shores of the saltwater 'Zuiderzee' but as a result of centuries of land-reclamation projects the city now borders the freshwater of IJsselmeer. The center of Amsterdam is shaped like a horseshoe, surrounded by three famous canals called the "Herengracht", "Keizersgracht" and "Prinsengracht". These are best to walk along if you want to see the city’s beautiful gabled houses. At the open end of the “horseshoe” you will find the ornate Central Train Station.
You can easily fill your day touring the city and be prepared to get lost a few times as the it can be quite difficult trying to figure out where you are going some times. The city also provides excellent services for seeing other interesting towns close to Amsterdam.
