The majority of the people of Amsterdam are able to speak English fluently. Many others know how to speak German and French as well. The layout of the
city of Amsterdam is generally determined by a web of canals radiating out from a historical core to loop right round the center. As many of the
Amsterdam vacation resources have noted, these planned, seventeenth century extensions to the medieval town make for a distinctly elegant urban
environment. This is further shown by the presence of tall gabled houses that are reflected in the dark green waters of the city. It is nice
to know that many of the Amsterdam vacationers have deemed the city as a world away from the traffic
and noise of a number of many other European city centers. It is these facts that makes Amsterdam one of Europe's most popular short-haul
destinations.
Amsterdam isn’t the sort of destination that is big with the folks who want to pick a place and have
a travel agent figure out every detail for one price. It can be done, and depending on a few factors you can get a really good deal by combining
Amsterdam airfare and a hotel, possibly throwing in a city tour or other options for your Amsterdam vacation. It’s never a bad idea to put in your
dates and get a quote from an all-inclusive package provider. At the very least you’ll have a baseline from which to work when you are sorting
out good airfare and hotel deals individually.
For those who want to spend a bit more time and customize their Amsterdam vacation there are several ways to save money, and in the process get
closer to the culture you are traveling all this way to visit. The major airlines combine their flights with tourist-class hotels on these packages,
so if you are set on a major airline and a somewhat fancy hotel they might be the best deal. But if you are a bit more flexible you can often spend
even less and have a more interesting stay.
Amsterdam is the 5th busiest tourist destination in Europe with more than 4.2 million international visitors. This number of visitors has been
growing rapidly and steadily over the past decade. 41743 beds were located in 19400 rooms in 351 hotels as of 2007. Two thirds of these hotels
are located in the city's center. Hotels with 4 or 5 stars contribute 42% of the total beds available and 41% of the overnight stays in Amsterdam.
The room occupation rate was 78% in 2006, up from 70% in 2005. The origin of tourists visiting Amsterdam is largely European: 74%. The
growth in recent years can be attributed to an increase in the number of visitors from Europe too. The largest group of non-European visitors came
from the United States, with 14% of the total. Certain years have a theme in Amsterdam to bring extra tourists. For example, the year 2006
was designated "Rembrandt 400" to celebrate the 400th birthday of Rembrandt van Rijn. Some hotels offer special arrangements or activities due
to these years. The average number of guests per year staying on the four campsites around the city numbers from 12,000 to 65,000.
Finding a cheap flight:
Some of the discount carriers fly into Amsterdam and many of them don’t compete in the package vacation market. It’s worth it to run your dates
through an Amsterdam airfare-only search just to see what comes up. There are also some Asian airlines that use Amsterdam as a stopover and hub,
so occasionally you can find a great deal on a flight on an airline you would never have even thought of.
Finding a hotel:
Hotels in Amsterdam tend to fall into two major categories. One category consists of the
larger chains where the insides of the hotels are indistinguishable from one another. These are almost always very quiet and comfortable,
but they are also more expensive than the smaller family-run hotels all over the city. The package vacations usually include only a selection
of the chain hotels, and the prices are usually better than the normal rack rates.
The cheaper hotels:
But if you look around on your own you can almost always find an interesting small hotel whose rates are even lower than the discount
package rates at the chains. There are a few disadvantages to the smaller and lower-rated hotels, but there are also some hidden advantages.
Not only will you be saving money, you’ll also be getting a much closer view into the local culture. The people who run these smaller places are
usually very proud of their neighborhood, and the small size allows you to easily soak it all in, while guests at chain hotels have trouble
getting past the lavish and pricey hotel restaurants and lounges.
