Amsterdam
Amsterdam has always had strong ties to the water. Spread out over 70 islands, this cosmopolitan city boasts 60 miles of canals and 1,000 bridges. As early as the 13th century, tiny ships sailed from this port into the challenging Zuider Sea. A direct connection to the North Sea was made with the construction of a canal in the early 19th century. The most dramatic alteration of the landscape came in 1932 with the creation of a 22-mile dam that sealed off part of the Zuider Sea, allowing large landfills. Amsterdam gained prominence in the 15th century when it became a major trading center, steadily assuming commercial leadership and thus controlling the country's finances, a trend that remains to this day.
Amsterdam is most famous for its narrow, gabled houses lining the canals. The historic center is full of interesting attractions such as the medieval weigh house, the Royal Palace on Dam Square and the Nieuwe Kerk or New Church, which was built in 1468. From the time of Rembrandt, Amsterdam has been revered as an artistic center. Today the city is renowned for celebrated museums such as the Rijks, Van Gogh and Stedelijk Museums, to name but a few. It also is a shopper's city, featuring everything from the famous flower market to glassware, Delft porcelain, cheese and wooden shoes.Its most glamorous industry is the diamond trade.
Rotterdam
Few cities rebounded as quickly and magnificently as Rotterdam following the Nazi invasion, which leveled the medieval heart of the town and burned most of its structures to the ground. Today, some of Europe's most daring contemporary architecture can be found amid classic 18th- and 19th-century buildings in this picturesque gateway to the Netherlands.
