The festive season is drawing near. If you want to spend this Christmas with your family away from home, then Amsterdam is the place to go.

There are many churches to be seen in Amsterdam and along with churches, there are various shrines and monuments that you can also visit.

The people of Amsterdam are very friendly. During Christmas, you will witness a lot of carol singing. You will also witness a lot of celebrations and public events. Many parties and pageants are organised and the best thing is that you can be a part of all this fun even though you are not local.

Places to visit in Amsterdam

To experience the best Christmas in Amsterdam, you should check out the Museum Quarter, also known as Museumplein. This place has a brightly lit Christmas tree to help you feel the Christmas spirit. There are many shops and cafes in the area where you can shop and stop for a drink.

Fill your Christmas season with fun and excitement by planning a holiday in Amsterdam this year. You will definitely be welcomed there with warmth.

City breaks are great for short trips or breaks in any city around the world. These breaks are ideal for couples and families for a long weekend. One of the most popular cities in Europe is Amsterdam. The history and the culture of Amsterdam make it popular amongst tourists.

In Amsterdam you really need to visit the Van Gogh museum which demonstrates the life of the Dutch artist. You can also walk through the small cobbled streets or walk around the tree-lined canals which surround the centre.

The climate in Amsterdam is variable. The temperature is sometimes mild in winter and when the temperature drops, the frost takes over. In summer, the weather is much like the UK. You are likely to get the occasional rainy day.

Amsterdam is the capital of Netherlands and is located towards the northern side of the hemisphere. The architecture of the 17th century is at the centre of the city. You can rent a bike or take a walk to enjoy the climate and the art of the city. The museums in Amsterdam are famous and there are many bars and restaurants.

If you are looking for art and culture, then Amsterdam is the best place to be. There are many museums and art galleries in Amsterdam which will show you the culture and the creative side of the city. Fresh and unique are two words which can be used to describe this city because the city is famous for everything; from food to art to culture and sport.

If there is one thing that everyone would like to do on their weekends, it is to unwind and just enjoy the weekend thoroughly. However, this is not an option for many people as there will always be chores to catch up on at the end of a busy week. But if you are looking to escape these weekly chores and tasks, what you need is a city break. There are a number of city breaks to choose from, that involve visiting some of the most spectacular places.

Your perfect city break

If you are looking through a number of city breaks but do not know what to opt for, here is one great place to visit over a few days: Amsterdam. This city is the cultural capital of Holland and makes for a perfect city break. This small, relatively quiet yet beautiful city is filled with history, culture, entertainment, food and transport. These blend together wonderfully to make an ideal city break.

Places to see on your city break to Amsterdam

A city break to this lively little city must include a visit to Vondelpark, the largest park there. Here you can find skaters, joggers and all kinds of street performers. The famous day market in Amsterdam which takes place on the Albert Cuyp Street is also a must visit. Here stalls are lined up on both sides of the street and makes an excellent place to shop.

You will also find a number of excellent places to dine at on your city break to Amsterdam. With all the attractions the city offers, you can be sure of an excellent way to spend your weekend.

Amsterdam is a great place to visit at all times of the year. One of the greatest attractions in Amsterdam is its beautiful choice of gardens. The Tulip Flowerfields and Keukenhof garden tour is a truly remarkable experience in Amsterdam. If you are looking for a cheap holiday in Amsterdam, this is a great place to go. The garden tours that take place in Amsterdam range from four to nine hours. You will need a lot more time to carefully view and appreciate the beauty of the Amsterdam gardens. As a tourist visiting Amsterdam, it is important for you to carry a camera so that you can take beautiful pictures all throughout your trip.

If you are a fan of museums you should definitely buy the Amsterdam Card that allows you access to all the twenty four museums in Amsterdam. With a cheap holiday in mind, the Amsterdam Card will prove handy since it consolidates all your museum payments through a single card. The card is extremely affordable and is perfect for a cheap holiday goer in Amsterdam. Some other interesting attractions are the Amsterdam dinner cruise, canal cruises and more. The dinner cruise will begin during the evening and returns at nightfall, after dinner.

Thus, with so many amazing attractions to experience in Amsterdam, you should definitely make this your next destination. Choose Amsterdam and enjoy a cheap holiday while you get a slice of the high life.

Over the May bank holiday weekend the country saw a huge 1.8 million British people decide to take an overseas holiday, claims the travel association ABTA.

The favourite holiday destination for British people was Spain and this proved to be the most popular, with people taking holidays from the UK between 22nd and 25th May, which was the start of the half term break for schools in Britain.

During the May bank holiday period, the five favourite city break destinations that proved to be the most popular were; Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin, New York and Rome said ABTA.

The top of the list for long haul holidays over the May bank holiday was Florida, with Turkey and Egypt being the next popular destinations with visitors who travelled outside of the euro zone.

The president of ABTA, Justin Fleming said: “In spite of the recession, passenger numbers this bank holiday weekend are very healthy, showing that the British love affair with foreign travel is as strong as ever.”

ABTA also released statistics from research conducted earlier this year which highlighted that 68 percent of British people were still prepared to spend the same amount of money on their 2009 holidays than they were the previous year despite the economic downturn.

The holiday group Air France and KLM have just confirmed that they are planning on signing an agreement which will see the two companies entering into a joint venture together to strengthen the partnership between KLM and the US carrier Delta Airlines who are hoping to service their holiday makers with a better programme.

Amsterdam is set to become a key city from which many of the new services will be operating from and which will open the doors to a better link between Europe and the United States.

Now all the transatlantic air routes are to be jointly operated under the new alliance which also means that the two companies will be sharing costs and revenues.

Business and holiday travellers are now to be given more in the way of choice from 200 transatlantic flights, which will offer 50,000 air seats each day when the two companies being their new service.

Air services between North America and Europe are also to be included with the new join initiative along with flights that link the city of Amsterdam with countries such as Tahiti and India via North America.

The new partnership between the two companies will mean that the airlines will control around 25 percent of the transatlantic market and will become the main carrier for holiday makers travelling between the US and Europe.

Holiday makers who are planning a city break to Amsterdam this year could be in for some cultural activities if they plan to visit in June when the city once again hosts the Holland Festival.

The Holland Festival is a huge celebration of creativity and culture which will see over 80 performances across the Dutch city, which is expecting 80,000 people from Holland and holiday makers from abroad.

The events are due to take place in concert venues and performance halls including; Stadsschouwburg , Concertgebouw and Oosterpark, beginning on 24th June and running until 28th June 2009.

Events will include a number of sophisticated offerings which include the Nederlandse production of the Opera of Carmen which will be held at Het Muziektheater. The venue will also see the showing of Ballet Russes which will celebrate 100 years of performances.

If you are a film fan then it is likely you could be interested in a retrospective which has been dedicated to the world famous great director Michelangelo Antonioni set to be screened at Westergasfabriek. Music lovers can visit the Metropole Orkest to be treated to a performance by Antony and the Johnsons.

People who are looking to take a city break to Amsterdam in July will be interested to know that from Wednesday until Sunday during the first week of July, the annual and cultural phenomenon that is the 5 Days off Festival is on. The festival was originally founded near the Leidseplein and is held in a former dairy, Melkweg which is both famous for both its varied activities and size (it will hold 2000 people).

Besides a dance floor, holiday makers and visitors will find a cinema, an art gallery, a theatre and a concert stage. Live bands are followed by DJs, with a huge range of music which plays to a diverse audience which is normally young and international; there is plenty of dancing in the relaxed atmosphere.

Groups of young musicians travel from Europe and the United States to arrive in Amsterdam for their participation in the huge electronic music festival. The festival has become an important cultural meeting that goes way beyond the Netherlands.

The festival aims at many other media disciplines including experimental films, art installation and electronic music. The Dutch Institute for the Media Arts co-organises the event with two huge music clubs and along with Heineken Music Hall. The event will be covered by Dutch radio and TV.

Amsterdam is about to increase in popularity amongst the most popular city break destinations for Europeans as it hosts it’s ‘Fantastic Film Festival’ in April which should see film fanatics from all corners of Europe heading to the city.

The film festival is due to start on 15th April and runs until 26th April, the screenings for this festival will take place at Amsterdam’s Pathe Tuschinski venue.

This Fantastic Film festival has become a cultural institution in Amsterdam and its focus is strictly on thriller, horror, science fiction, cult and anime movies.

This annual festival is to include a number of exciting events that are very popular with the film fans it is set to attract, these include; an entire night of back to back horror films – not for those who scare easily!

Film discussion groups and other opportunities are available to city break visitors and locals alike in order that they may fully enjoy exploring the various film genres that the festival focuses upon.

There will also be an award ceremony which will see accolades presented to the most successful and popular films to have been screened here. The special Silver Scream award is given to the winner that the audience vote for. Last year it was the Spanish horror film REC that received the honour of the award; previous winners include the film Donnie Darko.

Group members of KLM, who include VLM Airlines and CityJet, are set to make major upgrades to their flights by increasing operations between United Kingdom and Holland in 2009 with a view to providing for the demand they have received by its’ passengers.

From as early as 5th January 2009 the flight route that is from Amsterdam Schiphol airport to London City airport, which was previously operated by KLM, VLM and Cityhopper and will now be taken over by CityJet who are set to providing an AVRO RJ-85 aircraft which will offer passengers both economy and business class seats.

On this same date VLM are to start offering another 8 return flights leaving from Rotterdam airport and arriving at London City airport. With an additional extra aircraft that will remain stationed at Rotterdam airport reserved for the airlines charter services.

VLM is to replace CityJet on the flights running from Eindhoven airport and London city airport and will also provide another two daily flights servicing this route; this is set to begin on 12th January 2009.

The forthcoming changes are anticipated to improve services for more regular business travelers. If VLM decides to pursue plans to join Flying Blue which is the Air France KLM frequent flyer’s programme then the airline will prove extremely popular.

Air France KLM’s area manager, Bram Graber, said:

“With both airlines having won major awards in 2008, frequent business passengers will receive the excellent service they are accustomed to throughout our joint network.”