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Amsterdam - Celebrating 400 Years of the Canals

If you’ve been considering a trip to Amsterdam, 2013 could be your year to go. That’s because this year marks the 400th anniversary of the city’s renowned canal ring.

The Amsterdam canals were built during a golden era in the city’s history, when seafaring trade brought prosperity and expansion to the region. Land was drained and reclaimed, with houses and monuments built next to connecting avenues of water. Het Grachtenhuis, also known as the museum of the canals, is located in one of the four centuries old estates. It’s a terrific place to start if you want to learn more about the canal ring and the history and development of urban Amsterdam.

With 165 connected waterways, it’s exciting to explore the canal ring by boat. Cruises are available from many different vendors, and you can try everything from a short one hour tour to a dinner cruise or an all day excursion. Tour guides provide information in a variety of languages.

If you head to Amsterdam in the spring, you can enjoy the annual Queen’s Day festivities in April. If you’d rather explore the city in the summer, August brings the Gracthenfestival, which features classical musicians performing in canal-side venues. The festival ends with an outdoor concert that features the world renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. If you’re really adventurous, you can explore the city in the winter where some years temperatures drop enough to allow for a number of skating festivities on frozen canal waters.

The annual Amsterdam Heritage days, with a changing theme each year, takes place in September. If you’re on a budget, this can be an especially refreshing time to go since 65 different monuments are open, free to the public, during the Heritage days weekend. This year’s Heritage Days, with the theme of “Going Green” will take place on September 8-9.

If you’re trying to keep your travel costs down, you may want to find accommodations in local hotels such as The Greenhouse Effect, Hotel Imperial, The Poet Hotel or the Rembrandtplein Hotel. The Rembrandtplein, which is family friendly and includes a playground for children, is located on one of the canals near the center of the city, within walking distance of many sights. But if you want to splurge, stay at Sofitel Legend The Grand, probably the most romantic hotel in town (with personal butler, Michelin starred restaurant and all)

In addition to many of the regular events within Amsterdam, the canal’s 400th anniversary will be marked by a number of special events and other area anniversaries that together celebrate Amsterdam’s special cultural heritage. The Artis Royal Zoo is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. Families can enjoy the zoo and its beautiful park and garden. Two prominent art museums, recently closed for renovations, are also reopening this spring: the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. The Van Gogh is celebrating its 40th anniversary with some special exhibits. The Frans Hals Museum is also celebrating an anniversary, its 100th. In addition to Hals’ work, patrons can enjoy seeing masterpieces by Rubens, Rembrandt and Titian, some of the greatest Dutch artists.

You may be surprised to find a museum dedicated to Russian history and culture in the heart of Amsterdam. That would be the Hermitage Amsterdam, a cultural center that celebrates the long trading partnership and friendship between Russia and the Netherlands. This year the museum will run a special exhibition on the life of Peter the Great, the Russian Tsar whose city, St. Petersburg, was inspired by the canals of Amsterdam.

Whether it’s music, architecture, history, botanical beauty or great art you want to explore, Amsterdam has it all – and in this special anniversary year of 2013, they have it in abundance.

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