Amsterdam is full of surprises – like the sex museum, otherwise known as The Temple Of Venus.
It’s lewd but not crude. For just pounds 1.50 you can get face to face with erotic art and exhibits of sex symbols like Errol Flynn and Marilyn Monroe.
Even the YMCA is next door to a Thai massage parlour.
And you won’t have to go too far to find the Museum of Tattoo Art. Not to mention the city’s famous red-light district.
In total contrast there are magnificent classic treasures – the Rijksmuseum has an incredible collection of 17th Century paintings – and the Van Gogh Museum speaks for itself.
Amsterdam is small enough to explore on foot or by bike – which is just as well as the traffic is a nightmare.
Watch out for trams if you cross the road, they are more nimble than their quaint looks would have you believe.
The city’s elegant centre is a web of 17th Century canals lined with elegant merchants’ houses. If you want a duck’s-eye view, take a trip on a glass-topped tourist boat at just pounds 4.50 an hour.
For romantics there’s an evening luxury cruise – couples can sit at dimly- lit tables, slipping silently under canal bridges while enjoying a four-course dinner including drinks for pounds 59.
Thousands of fairy lights line the dozens of canal bridges and sparkle on the water like Amsterdam’s famous diamonds. You will find diamond showrooms and high-class stores just a few steps from outrageous sex shops. Good buys include arts and crafts, cheese, confectionery, bulbs and cigars.
Part of the city’s charm is that so many people, including students, live near the centre – which makes for lively cafes, bars and restaurants.
They say you can eat out in any language in Amsterdam but the speciality has to be the Indonesian rice table, an Oriental feast for about pounds 17.
For my money, the pounds 2 fresh smoked herring roll at the seafood bar on Haarlem Bridge has no equal.
Popular excursions with the Amsterdam Travel Service include the Bulbfields and Keukenhof Gardens, a seven-hour trip from March 29 to May 21 for pounds 25.
Finally, “Forbidden Amsterdam” is a two-hour escorted walking tour costing pounds 10 which explores the lively night life – taking in the cosy old bars, traditional “brown cafes” and notorious red-light district.
The windows look like lingerie pictures from a glossy magazine – until the hooker beckons you in. In Amsterdam, peeking is all part of the fun!
Amsterdam Travel Service (tel: 01992 456056) has a two-night B&B hotel break by air from pounds 164 per person based on two sharing before March 20 and after November 1. From March 21 to October 31, it’s pounds 182.
