Running through the heart of Utrecht, the Oude Gracht ('old canal') is the major artery of the…read morecity. It's lined with many shops at street level and bars and restaurants at the level below. It also hosts a weekly flower market on Saturday morning. Yes, it can get a tiny bit seedy at night with rowdy students ('bralapen') and it isn't always as clean as one would like, but this all adds to the charm. It's truly a wonderful place to hang out any time of day or year. The oude gracht was built in the 1100's by upgrading and taming a former branch of the River Rhine. The mooring level (accessible by steep steps from road level), where goods would be loaded and unloaded, gives access to deep tombs / caverns that extend below the road and under the shops above. In the old days used for storage, they have now mostly been transformed into bars and eateries. It's hard to miss the oude gracht when you're in Utrecht as many of the city's landmarks, including the Dom tower / church and various museums are located close by. Enjoy this place. It's awesome. But, be careful of bicyclists as you stroll around; you'll likely have your eyes on façades or the water below!

Wow! So much more than I expected. Tour is about 75 minutes. The stonework is, hands down, the…read moremost impressive I've ever seen. Absolutely incredible and worth every penny of the 13.50 euro entrance fee. It was pretty busy and the tour was a little confusing, but don't let that keep you away.

I started my Amsterdam trip with a tour of Koninklijk Paleis. The Palace is located in Dam Square…read more Tickets are €12,50 and I was able to walk up and purchase a ticket at the main entrance. They have a free coat check which was useful. I did the self guided audio tour and I think I spent about 1.5-2 hours. The palace was built in the 17th century and it initially served as the town hall until Louis Napoleon claimed it as his palace. Now it's used for state visits. The palace is one of three residences of the royal family, however their primary residence is in The Hague. The architecture is beautiful. I really enjoyed Citizen's Hall. The self guided tour focused on the art and architecture while giving a history of past monarchs. It was kind of crazy walking through a room where executions were once carried out. I would have liked more information about the current royal family (King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima). I learned on a different tour that he is a pilot and occasionally flies for KLM. I didn't enjoy this tour as much as I thought I would. If you're short on time, I would recommend skipping the Palace.

Yelp Review 2023 #93:…read more Belle - French word for beautiful. December 17 - International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers Right outside Oude Kerk (Old Church, originally a Catholic Church at the Red Light District) which is now an art center is a small statue called Belle, a sex worker aka prostitute. Installed in 2007 after a Hungarian sex worker was killed, and a Romanian sex worker was killed in a hotel room. It's to commemorate all prostitutes around the world. Prostitution is one of the oldest profession in the world and also the most punished "crime" simply because society still looks down upon women no matter how progressive we think we are. It is a reminder that sex workers are humans - despite the kind of service they provide. If there's no demand, there won't be supply. If unloved weirdos didn't exist, there won't be prostitutes. If these men knew how to treat a woman properly, there won't be prostitutes - especially dead ones.

"Respect sex workers all over the world."…read more It's funny how just wandering aimlessly around Amsterdam, I ended up walking past the Oudekerk and spotted this statue. Yes, this is the famous red light district but it's also next to the oldest building in Amsterdam, the Old Church https://www.yelp.com/biz/oude-kerk-amsterdam. The sculpture is the work of artist Els Rijerse and has been here since 2007. It depicts a prostitute standing in the doorway of a brothel. It is a landmark of Amsterdam and certainly Insta-worthy. [Review 16871 overall - 72 in Netherlands - 384 of 2022.]

what a fantastic way to see Rotterdam which I found to be even more interesting having been on a…read moretour with Rotterdam ByCycle - we had a brilliant tour leader by the name of Iris - she was fantastic and really gave us such a great introduction to Rotterdam and it's architecture, and much much more - a fabulous way to learn more about this great place and a really nice way to spend a few hours! Try it - you'll be so pleased you did!!

A gorgeous and quiet water town that is open to travelers/tourists…read more The bus line 315 will take you from Amsterdam centraal to marken minneweg station. It's a quick 40 minute ride from Amsterdam. The view along the bus route is spectacular. If you were to visit, I recommend purchasing the transportation day pass. If you buy a single journey ticket, I believe it's 10 euros for a one way trip. Better off with the 18.5 euros day pass. No need to spent more than 2-3 hours here. I took my time to walk around and enjoyed an one hour stroll around town. It's very residential and so peaceful. Its serenity will bring the best out of you as you take everything in. I highly recommend it. The only thing I want to say is that restaurants are expensive here and you have like 3-4 options for dining. The world famous ferry was closed since I visited on a weekday. The souvenir shop was also closed. That said, I only saw a handful of visitors like me during my visit. Come here... you will love it!

We toured the little fishing village of Haven van Marken which has numerous shops and restaurants…read moreas well as cafes and bars. Very touristy place and was part of our Viator Tour package. We went to the Gouda cheese shop and saw a demonstration and tasting of various Gouda cheese products and went to a waffle shop and got a demonstration of waffle making cookies which is apparently big in the Netherlands. Of course we had to buy some of these waffle cookies. We also took a ferry boat ride from Marken to Volendam which is across the bay, about a 40 minute boat ride to the other side.

Rapenburg 25, built in 1654 is a considered one of the finest examples of the Dutch classical…read morestyle. As it once was home to Johannes Thysius, after his death it was preserved as library of his collected works. Thanks to Leiden University, publishers and printers such as the Elzevier family, flourished. Leiden was considered a city of books and those that were forbidden elsewhere in Europe were printed in Leiden including books by the Italian scientist Galileo and the French philosopher Descartes. Of note, Descartes lived at Rapenburg 23 in 1640.