Must Do Sites In Amsterdam

However, tourists are tourists and time is limited, so here are the top sites that you would be a fool to visit Amsterdam and miss.

Canal Cruise.

The canal cruises in Amsterdam come in all shapes and sizes and are an absolute must. The canal boats are a great way to see the city and many of its sites quickly and comfortably, as well as getting some kind of concept of how the city is laid out, and for this reason alone, making a canal trip a top priority is advised. If you are less interested in an introduction or overview of the city, a canal cruise is still recommended for one very good reason its fun, and there's so many to choose from. You can pedal yourself around the city, go on a jazz cruise, a night time or sunset cruise, a private cruise, romantic dinner cruise or one of tens of other themed and un-themed cruises.

Van Gough Museum.

Whether you are a Van Gough fan or not, or even whether you are an art fan or not, the Van Gough Museum is a must. With the biggest collection of Van Gough paintings in the world, the museum is situated in the Museum quarter of the city and can be reached by the 2 or 5 tram.

Rijksmuseum.

The Rijksmusuem is again a must for art lovers and non-art lovers alike, the former will simply wish to spend more time there. Hosting examples of the Golden Age of European art, the Masterpieces collection at the Rijksmuseum is second to none, but this only makes up a part of the entire collection of exhibitions on offer. The Rijksmuseum is open every day with the exception of January 1st from 9am to 6 pm and until 9pm on Fridays, but the times do vary from section to section. Entry, as with most places of cultural interest in Amsterdam is moderately priced, at 10 euros for the Masterpieces collection.

Anne Frank's House

Prinsengracht 263 means little to most people, but the name Anne Frank means a lot more; the girl who's diary tells of her daily life hiding at this address from the Nazis for 2 years. Anne Frank has become a household name when it comes to the suffering endured across Europe at the hands of the Nazis and a visit to her house whether it be to pay respect or simply out of interest is a very worthwhile and moving experience. The queues at Anne Frank's house are notorious and often stretch around the corner but don't be put off by this, they move quickly and it's worth a little wait. Entrance costs 7.5 Euros for adults.

The Cat Museum

If all this history and art is getting a bit much for you why not head to Herengracht 626 where you will find the Kattenkabinet. It is just what it sounds like; a Cat Cabinet! That's right, Amsterdam boasts the only cat museum in existence, anywhere, and if you fancy something a little different, this is definitely the place for you.

Coffee shops

Any discussion of Amsterdam is not complete without even a mention of their infamous coffee shops. Whether you are all for it or dead against it, cannabis is decriminalized in Amsterdam meaning that it isn't a free for all, but it is readily available in coffee shops and comes in the form of hash, grass and food products; so, if you see a special cake or special shake advertised, be warned that it may be a little more special than you are expecting.

The list could go on and on, but with hostels starting at 15 euros a night and hotels from 65 euros a night plus a bunch of alternative accommodation options like nearby camping and bungalow villages there is no reason why your first visit to Amsterdam shouldn't be the first of lots.

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Accommodation for Visitors in Birmingham

Birmingham might seem an unlikely city for anyone to visit. However, being the home of the International Convention Centre (ICC), the National Indoor Arena (NIA) and a Symphony Hall of international acclaim are just three things that attract visitors to the city. Accordingly Birmingham has plenty of rooms available in a range of accommodation from Five Star Hotels to Guest Houses and rooms in self-catering apartments. Guest Houses and small Bed & Breakfast places can be found in all suburbs of the city, but it's along the Hagley Road (A458) that you'll find the highest concentration of smaller and cheaper hotels. The area around the ICC and NIA, on Broad Street in particular, is where a good selection and range of city centre hotels can be found.

If you want a classy hotel in the very centre of Birmingham then the Burlington Hotel is the one to book into. It is located almost at the junction of New Street and Corporation Street, inside the Burlington Arcade. It is an independent four star hotel that, despite having 112 rooms, has a distinctly boutique hotel feel to it. An Executive suite costs about 260 GBP a night, but you can get a standard double room for 135 GBP. Prices at week-ends are about half of the week-day prices, which reflects the demand made for this hotel by business people.

Connected to the ICC by its own footbridge the Hyatt Hotel on Bridge Street, just off Broad Street, is instantly recognisable by the huge glass tower in which it was built. One night in a double room here on a weekday starts at 120 GBP and rises to 424 GBP for a Deluxe King sized room. There are also the Executive Suites and on the 24th floor, the exclusive 140 square metre Presidential Suite which is for hire by personal application.

The recently opened Radisson SAS Hotel on Holloway Circus is not as central as some other hotels but is ideally located for the Alexander and Hippodrome Theatres. It has 211 rooms with three themes to them; Chic, Fashion and Fresh. Suites are also available for hire here. A typical weekday price for a double room is 135 GBP rising to nearly 300 GBP for a suite. Like the Hyatt, the Presidential Suite is for hire by personal application only.

In Brindley Place, just off Broad Street and across the canal from the ICC and NIA, is Birmingham's Jurys Inn. This has nearly 450 air-conditioned rooms, nearly all of which are standard double rooms, with a typical week-day price being around 130 GBP.

Hotel Duvin, on Church Street which is located for the city's main commerce area around Colmore Row, is another recently opened hotel. This is the largest hotel owned by the du Vin chain and is located in what was once the city's Eye Hospital. It is styled on being a boutique hotel and has 66 rooms and several suites. Prices start at 140 GBP a night rising to 400 GBP for the Principal Suite.

The area around Broad street is where most of the hotels that provide four and three star accommodation are located. Travelodge and Novotel are two of the more familiar hotel names here. Travelodge charges a 66 GBP flat rate per night, discounts are possible if booking in advance. The advertised price for one night in the Novotel is 155 GBP a night, but again by booking in advance this can be reduced by 50%.

At the city end of Broad Street is the Copthorne Hotel. Located on one of the busier inner ring roads at Paradise Circus, the Copthorne is ideally located for all aspects of visiting the city, be it business or pleasure. A double room is in the price range 85 GBP to 115 GBP a night on a week-day, in this four star hotel that is part of the famous national chain. Close to Broad Street is the Mailbox Mall, The mailbox contains many designer shops and some of the best restaurants in the city. Here there are two hotels - the classy and chic boutique hotel Malmaison which has double rooms starting at 140 GBP and suites at 320 GBP a night. A Ramada Hotel is also located inside the Mailbox. A room here for the night is typically 100 GBP.

Moving out of the city centre the price of a room for the night drops considerably. For example the Days Inn Hotel, which is on Hillock Road some 3 km from the city centre, where room prices drop to 50 GBP a night for this three star hotel. If you want to have a large selection of hotels to choose from in one place, head for the Hagley Road to the west of the city centre, which heads out of Birmingham from the end of Broad Street. Along about 2 miles of this one road are more hotels than many smaller cities have in total. The Quality Hotel is part of that national chain of hotels and has 167 rooms. Located at the city end of the Hagley Road a double room costs 80 GBP for one night.

A bit further down the road is the two star Norfolk Hotel; you can get a double room here for 40 GBP a night, including breakfast. Whilst it might not be the most impressive hotel in the city all the 163 rooms have en suite and provide more than adequate accommodation along with a friendly and caring level of service. The Apollo Hotel is also a two star one and similar to the Norfolk. Prices start at 65 GBP a night for a double room, but there are offers and deals that can halve the price.

For anyone needing longer term temporary accommodation in Birmingham renting an apartment might be worth considering. Apartments are available away from the city centre at locations such as the Hagley Road or right inside the city centre at Brindley Place or the Mailbox. Typical apartment prices are, per week, 400 GBP for one bedroom rising to 700 GBP or more for a two bed roomed one.

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Orlando is a World-Class Tourism Hub

Florida is one state which has a lot to offer. Because of its subtropical climate and its exotic tinge of local color, it is an ideal place to spend spring breaks for the youth. There is also something of interest which may appeal to every member of the family. The city of Orlando alone boasts of more theme parks and attractions than can be found anywhere else. When you are going vacationing, Orlando is worth a visit.

The best time to visit the city is during the months between November and March. The weather is pleasant at this time and rain is unlikely. Probably the most famous attraction it has to offer is the Walt Disney World Resort. If your children are fans of Walt Disney movies, this is a place that you must visit.

The resort also has an extensive variety of rides which has enough offerings to excite all age groups, from the quaint revolving teacups specially made for the tykes, to intense inertia rides with speeds surpassing that of gravity. Stay on till it gets dark. That is when Disneyland starts resembling a truly magical place.

Once the sun goes down, the atmosphere here becomes wistful, with characters parading against a backdrop of fantasy landscapes, and fireworks to glitter the sky. If you are looking for an experience to remember, this is it.

As for animal lovers, you really should plan a trip to Sea World Orlando. If you want to catch a glimpse of movie madness, you can visit Universal Orlando, a sprawling compound which includes Universal Studios, City Walk, and the Islands of Adventure theme parks.

If your kid is a sports fan, he is bound to go all gleeful at the sound of Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic is one of the happening teams of the NBA, and you can catch season playoffs action at downtown Orlando's Amway Arena. If the gridiron appeals much more to your fancy, then experience arena action as the Orlando Predators of the AFL, and the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL brawl it out with other American football teams. If you want a hard-core sporting experience, this is where it's at.

If you are more of a speed freak, and your idea of a perfect day involves skid marks and the smell of burning rubber, then Daytona Beach is perfect for you. Nothing comes close to sating your need for speed than 400 laps of tire-screeching, engine-squealing action, as NASCAR rallies have been held here since 1947.

Be one among the crowd of nearly eight million tourists in an edge-of-your-seat fusion of sand, surf, man and machine.

If you have children with you, make a stop at the Space Coast and let them learn something. This 72 mile coast complex from east Orlando to Melbourne accommodates the Kennedy Space Center and the launch pads and rockets of Cape Canaveral, amid the nature preserves, the waterways, and the beautiful beach front.

Clearly, Orlando is a vacationer's paradise, no matter how you look at it. The mentioned attractions are merely a few of the vast array of productive or leisurely activity which you may experience in the downtown and greater metropolitan areas. I guarantee that anybody who has visited the city once is bound to come back again and again.

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Transport in and Around Birmingham

Birmingham used to be the city of the car, to the extent that pedestrians in the city centre came a poor second. This is no longer true, Birmingham has inner and outer ring roads that keep traffic out of the way, an orbital motorway system so that passing traffic doesn't even have to be near the city and a fully pedestrianised shopping zone. A combination of elevated highways and underground tunnels speedily carries traffic that does have to pass through the city centre away from the shopping and business areas. With its central location in the heart of England Birmingham is well served by road, rail, air and canal.

The city of Birmingham is ringed by a network of motorways, from which the city centre can be accessed. These are the M42 to the east and south, the M5 - to the west and the M6 to the north. The junction of the M5 and M6 heading north had for many years been a cause of major delays as the motorways were carrying twice the volume of traffic they were designed for. The M6 Toll Road was opened in 2003 to relieve this congestion; it is the only toll motorway in The UK and runs for 43km (27 miles) from the M42 at Coleshill to the M6 at Cheslyn Hay. The main route connecting Birmingham and London is by using the M6 which joins the M1 near Rugby.

Heading north the M6 continues on to Carlisle. The Gravelly Hill interchange is a route by which traffic on the M6 accesses the city. The interchange is known affectionately as Spaghetti Junction, due to the tangle of elevated roads and underpasses that make up the junction. Motorists new to Birmingham can be confused by the A38(M) at Gravelly Hill. It has seven lanes and operates a 'tidal' system in the middle-lane. If you have to travel through the city from north to south, using the Queensway tunnel system makes it an easy journey. A series of three inter-connected tunnels means you can avoid a whole lot of traffic trouble.

The main railway station for Birmingham is New Street, in the heart of the city. With a footfall of 35 million passengers a year it is the busiest railway station outside of London. Many train operators use the station, but Central and Virgin Trains are the two main users. Virgin operate the lucrative express London-Birmingham mainline route, the fastest journey time for this is 1 hour 21 minutes. Virgin also operates the main south-west to the north routes, many of which pass through and stop at Birmingham New Street. As well as operating local commuter trains Central run many other services such as those between Liverpool & Norwich and Nottingham & Cardiff. There are two other stations in the city centre; Moor Street (at the east of the city centre) and Snow Hill (at the north of the city centre) which are connected by a railway tunnel. The main train operators from these stations are Central and Chiltern Railways.

Central Trains again run local commuter services, as far as Worcester, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Wolverhampton. Chilton Railways operate a service that runs to London Marylebone; this is a service that stops frequently with a fastest journey time of 2 hours 7 minutes. Most journeys begin at Snow Hill with the option of joining the train at Moor Street.

The main coach station in Birmingham is Digbeth, to the south of the city centre. The main coach operator from Digbeth is National Coaches who offer services to all other major towns and cities. whose main operator is National Coaches. The fastest journey time to London Victoria Coach station is 2 hours 50 minutes, but can cost less than 10 GBP one way. Megabus, which operates from the city centre, offers a similar service.

Birmingham Airport is to the east of the city and is the fifth largest airport in the UK. 50 airlines operate out of it to over 100 destinations daily. The airport does handle inter-continental flights, however most flights are to and from European destinations. The airport also used by freight carriers and charter flight operators.

Birmingham has an excellent public transport system operated by Network West Midlands, which integrates public transport across the region. The city has a modern fleet of buses operated by Travel West Midlands that are able to utilise 'bus only' lanes on the main arterial routes, an excellent local commuter railway network that befits the second city and is only surpassed by London's. Centro is the current operator of this franchise. The rail network is fully integrated with the bus services and many of the railway stations have free park-and-ride facilities. Midland Metro is a light rail/tram system that operates from Birmingham Snow Hill and Wolverhampton city centre, via Wednesbury.

It is a fact that Birmingham has more canals than Venice. Whilst still used to transport some freight around the country, they are now more likely to be used by leisure craft. Once the transport highway of the nation, Birmingham is at the confluence of 4 major canals; the Dudley & Stourbridge, the Grand Union, the Stratford and the Worcester & Birmingham canal.

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