Information about Amsterdam

Amsterdam is an international tourist attraction and its life style is widely emulated everywhere. The Dutch are multilingual and so, not surprisingly, visitors to Amsterdam feel very welcome and almost immediately at home.

Amsterdam possesses the largest historical inner city in Europe. It is especially famous for the sparkling crescent of canals where wealthy merchants built elegant homes and sturdy warehouses during Holland's Golden Age, the 17th century, when Amsterdam was the richest city in the world. The best introduction to these waterways is via a canal cruise, on board a comfortable glass topped boat.

Among the favourite tourist attractions in Amsterdam are its 40 museums. At least three of them are world-renowned. The Rijksmuseum, which welcomes over one million visitors a year, boasts a celebrated collection of works by old Dutch Masters such as Rembrandt's splendid Nachtwacht (Nightwatch). Amsterdam's Stedelijk (Municipal) Museum has acquired international fame because of its trend setting permanent collection and temporary exhibitions of modern art. In the Van Gogh museum one will find over 600 paintings and drawings of Vincent van Gogh, Gauguin, Bernard and Monticelli.

Amsterdam also has a world reputation as a cultural centre for orchestral music, opera, classical and modern ballet and its nearly inexhaustible variety of entertainment. Visitors discover this when they hear and see the many street musicians, the brightly painted barrel organs and the centuries-old carillons high in their towers. Every day Amsterdam offers an average choice of forty performances in the about fifty theatres, concert halls and jazz clubs in the city. The celebrated Concertgebouw (Concert Building) is noted for its superb acoustics. The Dutch National Ballet which performs in Amsterdam's Muziektheater, is considered one of the best and most versatile companies in Western Europe.

We are sure that you also, as a participant in the 5th European Zebrafish Genetics and Development Meeting, will enjoy the many attractions of Amsterdam. For detailed information about Amsterdam please visit the following websites:

Important addresses and telephone numbers in Amsterdam