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Eco Friendly Amsterdam
One of the most visited capitals
in Europe, Amsterdam is easily accessible for eco-friendly travelers,
who can reach the city from the UK by train and bus. The Dutch
have long been forward thinkers with sustainable design, environmental
issues and low impact transport systems amongst some of the Netherlands
most important issues. As a result, there are a wide range of
activities and excursions available for people who enjoy an ecologically
friendly lifestyle.
With its canals and narrow
alleyways, Amsterdam is a great place to explore on foot, by
bicycle or by boat. Visit the Rembrandt and Van Gogh Museums,
the Tulip market, the Red Light district, Anne Frank's House
or simply relax in one of the city's many laid back cafés
and bars.
Getting around and Things to do
The lack of hills, extremely
narrow streets, canals and short distances in Amsterdam make
it a cyclists paradise, with Bicycles outnumbering cars. In fact
nearly half of all traffic movements in Amsterdam are by bike,
with virtually every street corner filled with the parked machines.
The Dutch are proud of their biking culture and can be seen pedaling
rain or shine (although never with a helmet) through the city
streets. Cycle paths connect the entire country and cyclists
are well respected on the roads, making cycling an efficient,
as well as environmentally friendly way to get around. It is
also possible to take bikes on commuter trains, metro (www.gvb.nl)
or on the free ferries to North Amsterdam (http://us.holland.com/e/7720/Free+ferry+rides+across+the+IJ.php),
from where it is easy to explore the countryside.
Bicycle rentals are readily
available throughout the city. Central Station, Leidseplein and
Dam Square are all the major spots to grab a bike with day rates
averaging 8¤ and multi-day rates potentially much lower.
A good company to contact is MacBike (http://www.macbike.nl),
one of the largest and most well known companies in the city,
who offer rentals from a number of locations around the city.
The Rentals include a cycling map of the city, or they offer
a small range of tours. A bike costs 8¤ for 24 hours,
or 4¤ per day for a week.
Cycling tours are a great way
to discover the city, and one of the best known companies is
Mike's Bike Tours (www.mikesbiketoursamsterdam.com).
These guys offer two fantastic tours of the city and surrounding
countryside. The first is a great tour of the whole city encompassing
the red light district, historical monuments and then out into
the countryside to visit windmills, cheese makers, clog factories,
tulip farms and many other fascinating places, allowing tourists
the chance to see the real amsterdam. The second includes a trip
around the city, followed by a leisurely cruise down the canals
with some drinks included.
Amsterdam is one of the greenest
cities in Europe, boasting a range of fantastic parks for a day
out or a picnic, including the world famous and extremely pleasant
Vondel Park. Another park worth considering for a day out is
the Amsterdamse Bos (http://www.amsterdamsebos.nl)
which is now partly a nature reserve and offers a raft of activities
including rowing or canoing (www.kanoverhuur-adam.nl),
horse riding (www.nieuwamsterdam.nl),
open air theatre (www.bostheater.nl)
amongst others.
It is also possible to visit
one of the world's oldest botanical gardens, De Hortus (http://www.dehortus.nl),
which features more than 6000 species of plant and is a great
place to just relax, away from the city, entry is 6¤ for
adults and 3¤ for children. Other green trips include
the sustainably built science museum (http://asp.nl) and the
well known Artis Zoo Park (http://www.artis.nl), including a
zoo, another botanical gardens, a unique canal aquarium, planetarium
and geological museum.
Shopping - Specialist Shops
Nukuhiva (http://www.nukuhiva.nl)
- a concept fashion store from TV presenter Floortje Dessing,
it aims to be both responsible and stylish. It caters to fashionistas
along with environmentalists by offering the coolest fair trade
and fair ware, from brands such as Edun, makeZenz and Kuyuchi.
It can be found at Haarlemmerstraat 36 near to centraal station.
Cora Kempeerman (http://www.corakemperman.nl)
- another high fashion store, this time from the designer Cora
Kemperman who's boutique shops offer flowing clothes aimed at
an older market and which are extremely popular amongst Dutch
women. All of her clothes are fair ware and the shop can be found
at Leidsestraat 72, three blocks down from the Leidesplein.
Igloo 4 - This is a nice ecofashion
boutique, run by a former industry worker, who decided to set
up an ethical, fairtrade and fashionable store. The store provides
a range of gifts, clothes and accessories all of which are either
organic, fair trade or both and can be found at ferdinand bolstraat
160 h.
Natuurwinkel (http://www.denatuurwinkel.com)
- There are 11 branches of this natural health food store spread
around the city. Each one offers a huge range of organic and
fair trade products, including a large range of Dutch items,
with some of the larger stores almost the same size as supermarkets.
Restaurants - A healthy bite to eat
Restaurant de Kas opened in 2001
when top chef Gert Jan Hageman, who had earned a Michelin star
in Dutch haute cuisine, found an old greenhouse that belonged
to Amsterdam's Municipal Nursery, he quickly set about refurbishing
it into an 8 metre tall glass structure, with an interior designed
by Piet Boon, which provides a fantastic atmosphere in which
to enjoy top quality organic food. They grow their own herbs,
seasonal vegetables and salads and buy fresh ingredients daily
from local organic farmers, believing that the freshness of the
food is of utmost importance to the quality of the meal. The
food on offer is a trendy mix of Mediterranean and Dutch cuisine,
that varies depending on the day's harvest. (http://www.restaurantdekas.nl)
De Waaghals restaurant lies a
short walk from the heart of Amsterdam's museum district, in
De Pijp. Over the last 25 years many dinners have enjoyed its
high quality vegetarian cuisine. Inside the bright decor and
international art on the walls provide a great atmosphere in
which to enjoy the organic food proffered from the kitchen or
in the summertime it is possible to sit outside. The menu changes
twice a month, with each month being used to develop the cuisine
of a different country. The extensive wine and beers list is
also organic. (http://www.waaghals.nl)
Sleep Well - Hotels & Hostels
Worldwide many hotel chains have
started to take environmental concerns seriously and have begun
to put eco-friendly features into their buildings. One of the
pioneers in this way is NH hotels, and several of their Amsterdam
Hotels have received green key accreditation, showing them to
be environmentally beneficial. (http://www.nh-hotels.com)
Hans Brinker Budget Hotel -a budget hotel that takes a tongue-in-cheek approach
to eco travel -have a look at their eco-tour and you will see
what we mean......
- Amsterdam: House Boat Hotel -self catering privately owned accomodation
on houseboats - also offer short stay apartments.
-
- Jonas Houseboat
, Amsterdam -http://www.jonashouseboat.com/
- Jonas is a designer hosting
guests on his Amsterdam houseboat in a remote and romantic spot
yet only ten minutes walk from the central station. Describes
itself as home to the arts and free thought.
Getting there..
For eco-friendly travelers, Amsterdam
is an easy destination to get to from the UK and mainland Europe.
From the UK ferries go from Harwich, Newcastle and Hull to the
hook of Holland (www.stenaline.co.uk)
(http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk),
while from mainland Europe the rail network and lack of distance
make it an easy journey from most places (http://www.interrail.net).
It is easy to fly to Amsterdam,
with a range of low-cost airlines flying in to Schiphol Airport
from the UK and all over mainland Europe (Visit http://www.schiphol.nl
for more information). The national carrier of the Netherlands
is KLM who fly from Amsterdam, their hub, to destinations all
over the world. Obviously this isn't the most environmentally
friendly mode of transport.
Flights:
- Schiphol
Airport -Arrivals, departures,
shopping, and airport guide.
British Airways -flights to Amsterdam from
Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Gatwick, Heathrow and
Manchester.
- BMI
Baby -flights from Birmingham
, Heathrow and Nottingham to Amsterdam.
- British
Midland International
-flights to Amsterdam from Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds,
Heathrow, Manchester and Norwich.
- Easyjet -Belfast, Liverpool, Bristol, Luton,
Stansted & Gatwick to Amsterdam
- KLM Royal Dutch
Airlines -flys to destinations
all over the world from European Airports including: London,
Birmingham Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle,
Athens, Brussels, Bucharest, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Luxemburg, Moscow,
Munich, Oslo, Stockholm.
- Thomsonfly
-low cost airline flying out of Bournemouth, Coventry, Doncaster,
to Amsterdam.
Transport:
- Car and coach:
- Eurolines run coach services from the UK to the
Netherlands and from the Netherlands to various destinations
throughout Europe.
- Ferries:
- DFDS
seaways -routes from
Harwich and Newcastle to Holland and Scandinavia.
- Hoverspeed -high-speed car ferries, the fastest
sea crossings from England to France and Belgium.
- P&O
North Sea Ferries: Hull
to Rotterdam (Europoort).
- Stena
Line -frequent, fast
and conventional ferry services to and from the UK and Ireland,
Holland and within Scandinavia for cars, coaches and foot passengers.
- Trains:
- General Information
- Gay
Amsterdam online -over
18.000 pages of information.
- Netherlands
Board of Tourism -the
official Amsterdam site for tourism and leisure in Amsterdam
with online hotel reservations, tips for trips, museums, shops,
night life, events and restaurants.
- Travel Savvy Amsterdam -a useful guide that aims to help tourists to
get the most out of a visit to Amsterdam, with things to do on
a weekend break in Amsterdam.
Sightseeing, events, tours and things
to do:
- Amsterdam
canal boat hire - Rent
a boat with skipper for a canal cruise or a party.
- Madurodam - A minature version of Amsterdam, replicated
in 1:25 scale, surrounded by beautiful gardens.
- Rembrandthuis - Rembrandt's house, which has been
refurbished and turned into a Museum.
- Rijksmuseum - Features a magnificent selection of
Dutch paintings from the Golden Age.
- Stedelijk - Amsterdam museum of modern art which
exhibits paintings, sculpture, photography, graphic arts, video
and new media.
- Tulip World -one of the world's largest online bulb
stores.
- Van
Gogh Museum - The artist's
life and times, exhibitions and the Museum's collection.
Hotels:
- Easy
to Book -cheap, budget
and luxury Amsterdam hotels.
- Grand
Sofitel Demeure Hotel
- 5 star deluxe Accor hotel in the heart of Amsterdam.
- Hans Brinker Budget Hotel -a budget hotel that takes a tongue-in-cheek
approach to eco travel -have a look at their eco-tour and you
will see what we mean......
- Hotel
de l'Europe -five star
luxury accomodation.
- Hotel
Toren -a romantic four
star hotel on the Keizergracht Canal in the Centre of Amsterdam.
- Winston -Art hotel in central Amsterdam, on-line
reservations, art rooms - music, comedy, poetry and performance.
Apartments:
- The Jordaan -a beautiful apartment with a garden in the heart
of Amsterdam.
- 1689 Nord + Sud
-fully furnished newly renovated hotel-apartments for short term
rent, right in the center of Amsterdam, two minutes from the
queens palace on Dam square.
- Amsterdam -House Boat Hotel -self catering privately
owned accomodation on houseboats.
- Canal -apartments
with Internet for rent in the center of Amsterdam.
- more Apartments
in Amsterdam and Holland
Hostels and budget accommodation:
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