Exploring Amsterdam: Location and Reasons to Visit

Amsterdam is the capital city of Netherlands and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

It was built on a fisherman small village which developed and grew over time, becoming what it is today, one of the most beautiful and vibrant cities in Europe.

The Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century found Amsterdam as one of the world’s most important trade centers, and the city rapidly extended during those times.

The official coat of arms symbol of the city consists of a red shield and a black pale with three silver Saint Andrew’s Crosses, the Imperial Crown of Austria, two golden lions, and the city’s motto.

Today this is a flourishing city,  the seat of Government, and the most visited place in the Netherlands.

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Where is Amsterdam Located

The city is located in the northwestern part of Europe, in the North Holland province, and is also known as the “Venice of the North” because of its romantic canals.

The Netherlands is incorrectly known as Holland and the locals are called Dutch.

I am sure that you heard many times people referring to the Netherlands saying Holland, but do you have any clue why is incorrect to say Holland?

Well, because Holland refers to two main provinces, North Holland and South Holland, which were the dominating provinces of the Netherlands.

From where is Amsterdam on the map located, you can easily get to other most important cities of the Netherlands.

There are just 60 kilometers from the capital of Netherlands to The Hague, 75 kilometers to Rotterdam, and 45 kilometers to Utrecht.

A tour of all these wonderful cities seems like a great idea if you plan to visit Netherlands!

Some of us might think that The Hague is the capital of the Netherlands because the Dutch Government is located.

Most of us consider Amsterdam as the capital of entertainment and one of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities of the Netherlands, but it is also the capital of the country.

The city located on Amstel River is one of the most visited destinations in the Netherlands, with a total number of 4 million tourists annually.

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All these people come to see the Old City center with its wonderful buildings, to visit the museums and to experience how life is in one of the most liberal and international cultures in the world.

The country’s gateway to the world is the Amsterdam airport Schiphol, located 9 kilometers southwest of city center, transited by more than 70 million passengers in 2019.

I am sure this article will help you locate The Venice of the North better on the world’s map and now you know how to plan your trip to maximize your time spent abroad and visit as many attractions as possible

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Where is Amsterdam? In Netherlands or in Holland?

A very common mistake you will encounter is that most people consider Holland the same as Netherlands, but this is not true.

Holland refers to two provinces from the Netherlands, South Holland and North Holland, which together with other 12 provinces for the state of Netherlands.

Between the 10th and the 16th century Holland was indeed a political region which was known as the County of Holland, but starting with the 17th century, Holland become part f the Dutch Republic.

These two provinces were a very important economic and maritime power that dominated the other provinces for ages, thanks to their direct access to the sea.

Amsterdam was and still is an important maritime hub from where goods from all over the world are distributed to most European countries.

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Useful facts about the city

Here are some very interesting things about this amazing city:

• it is located in the Netherlands
• it is the largest city in the Netherlands, a small country in Europe
• is the capital of the Netherlands while The Hague is the seat of government
• it is also the cultural and financial capital of the country
• it is not the capital of the North Holland Province (Harleem is the capital of the province where Amsterdam is located)
• it is one of the most vibrant and animated cities of the Netherlands
• it is home to an important network of canals
• it is home to a very important number of bikes

Religion

Currently, most of Amsterdam’s inhabitants are not affiliated with any religion ( about 62%), while just about 14% of the citizens adhere to the Roman Catholic church.

Historically, the inhabitants of Amsterdam have been mostly Christian, and in 1900 historical evidence showed that about 70% of the population believed in God.

Geography

Amsterdam is located in the western part of the Netherlands, in the province called North Holland, but this city is just the capital of the country, not also the capital of the province (which is Harlem).

The city is about 2 meters below sea level and part of the city is crossed by the Amstel river and a complex network of canals that cross the city from north to west and south to east.

Actually, the city has more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) of canals and most of these canals can be navigable by boats.

There are 3 main canals: Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht, and Herengracht that are crossed daily by an impressive number of boats full of tourists and locals interested to discover a new face of this city.

The city also has a port at the North Sea compared with Venice as the city is formed by 90 islands connected by more than 1,250 bridges.

Here is a list of the distances between some of the most important cities from Netherlands and the capital city:

Climate

Amsterdam has an oceanic climate that the North Sea influences to the west, the part from where most of the winds that influence the Netherlands’ climate come from.

The night temperatures rarely drop below -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit)  while the average temperature during the summertime can go up to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

The average number of days with rain during the whole year is quite increase, and rise up to 135 days, about 1/3 from the total number of days in an year.

What to see in Amsterdam

There are numerous things to see and do in this city during the entire year and most of these attractions are covered by the I Amsterdam City Card, a card that gives you free entry to the city’s most popular attractions.

From all the city’s most popular tourist attractions, I will list below the most beautiful ones and the most interesting activities you should do when visit the areas of the city.

1. Get lost in Jordaan neighborhood
2. Try their local herring from a herring cart
3. Take a day trip to the Netherlands countryside to admire the windmills and the beaches from the North Sea
4. Take a tour in Museumplein, home of Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum and The Royal Concertgebouw.
5. Cruise past canal houses and bridges
6. Try a local beer in a traditional brewery
7. Dry a cocktail in one of city’s rooftop bars
8. Go and see how Anne Frank lived at the museum dedicated to her, Anne Frank House
9. Stroll along the Central Park of Amsterdam and try the local pancakes
10. Discover the Red Light District and Amsterdam’s shopping streets and city center
11. Travel back in time with Netherlands in World War II tour to find out the role played by this city in the European history
12. A big must on the list with the best places to visit when in Amsterdam is the Cannabis Coffeeshops for which the city is famous.

Where to sleep

We set our camp at Crown Plaza, a beautiful hotel located outside the city center but close to a metro station.

The rooms were clean, and the services were great, and from there, we explored the city and its surroundings!

We recommend you do so for your stay in Amsterdam as the hotel has one of the best price-quality ratios in the city!

This is all you need to know about where is Amsterdam in Europe located and which are the most important places to see during your trip to the Netherlands.

Pack your bags, book your room and prepare your comfy shoes as the attractions hidden inside of this city are waiting for you!

FAQ

Is Amsterdam in Germany or Holland?

Amsterdam is the largest city and also the capital of Netherlands with a population of almost 1 million people within the city and more than 2.5 million people in the metropolitan area.

The city is located in the dutch province of North Holland and is also known as the Venice of the North because of its elaborate network of canals that cross the city.

Remember that Holland is not a country, but there are two provinces North Holland and South Holland that together with the other 12 provinces, form the country of Netherlands.

Where is Amsterdam located in which country?

The cultural capital of Netherlands is generically called Holland, and the country’s largest city is located in the western part of the Netherlands with direct access to the North Sea.

The city of Amsterdam was founded on the Amstel river as a small fisherman community and extended over time to what you see today, a vibrant and modern city, extremely popular among tourists looking to party and have fun.

The city is not just the cultural capital of the country, but also its political capital and the main financial and commercial center of the Netherlands.

Is Amsterdam US or Europe?

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, a small country located in the northwestern part of Europe, so without any doubt, this city is a European city and not a city in the US.

Yes, you might indeed find some cities called Amsterdam that are located in the US, but the the first city with this name, the one about everybody talks, is located in the Netherlands in Europe.

Is Amsterdam in UK?

No, Amsterdam is not in UK, it is located in the western part of the Netherlands, quite close to the UK.

Actually, this city is the capital city of the Netherlands, the largest city in the country with a total population of more than 2.5 million people in the metropolitan area.

It is is the homeplace for ING Group, one of the most important banks in Europe with a revenue of more than 20,000 billion euros.

Conclusion

I am sure that this article answered your question about where is Amsterdam and provided you with a clear response to another question, Amsterdam what country is.

To sum up, what I have just above, I want to be very clear for you that Amsterdam is located in the western part of the Netherlands in the North Holland Province and is the largest and the most important city in the country.

This beautiful city is not just about the nightlife, coffee shops, and legal prostitution but also about history, culture, and traditions.

I was fascinated by the city’s architecture, about its impressive network of canals not to mention about the beautiful villages that surround the capital and which are extremely easy to reach.

I strongly recommend you to book a few days to visit the museums and Amsterdam city centre itself but book a few days also for the Netherlands’ countryside as you will discover a completely new world ( see here everything you need to know about Netherlands’ countryside before you go).